Lucky Dube was a musician from South Africa. He was known as the best reggae musician to come from South Africa. He was from Ermelo, and his mother raised him on her own because his parents had split up before he was born. His mother called him “Lucky” because he was born after a lot of failed pregnancies. His family was poor, and his mother had to work hard to make sure they had enough to eat. Lucky also had a job and was in school at the same time. During high school, he learned about the “Rastafarian” movement, which was becoming very popular in South Africa. After joining a few local bands, he also joined a choir and started making music. He put out his first album, “Lucky Dube and the Supersoul,” while he was still in school. After learning how popular reggae music was, he switched to it in 1984 and put out a reggae mini-album called “Rastas Never Dies.” He has put out many reggae albums over the years, such as “Prisoner,” “Trinity,” “Victims,” and “Soul Taker.” He had a lot of success from selling records and performing live. In his music, Lucky also talked about important social and political issues. In October 2007, he was killed by thieves in Johannesburg.
Early years and childhood
Lucky Sarah Dube gave birth to Philip Dube on August 3, 1964, in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Before Lucky was born, Sarah and his father broke up. So, his mother was the only one who took care of him. His mother gave him the name “Lucky” because she thought it was a good thing that he was born after so many failed pregnancies. Lucky’s older brothers were Thandi and Patrick. Sarah didn’t have a stable income, so it was hard for her to raise three kids on her own. So, she had to travel a lot for work and leave her three kids with their grandmother.
He became very close to his grandmother, who he later said was his greatest love. He also said that she had shaped him into the person he became.
Lucky couldn’t go to school for long because he didn’t have enough money. His preference was to work to make ends meet instead. He was a gardener when he was young, but he went to school when he realized he couldn’t make enough money for his family if he didn’t study.
He became very interested in making music as well. He joined the school choir and got together with some of his friends to form a band called “The Skyway Band.”
He learned about the “Rastafarian” movement when he was in high school and joined it. He also wanted to move forward with his music career, so he joined his cousin’s band, “The Love Brothers.”
Most of the music that “The Love Brothers” made was mbaqanga, which is a type of Zulu pop music. The band did not make much money at first. So, Lucky chose to be a security guard in addition to making music.
When the “Teal Record Company” signed the band to a deal, it was a big break for them. Back then, Lucky was still in school, and the band had to go to Johannesburg to record their album. So, they only recorded when Lucky wasn’t in school.
Career
The band’s first album, called “Lucky Dube and the Supersoul,” came out in 1981. All of the songs on the album were sung by Lucky. The album was mostly made up of Zulu pop music, so it did not do too well. In the early 1980s, the band put out a few more albums and became well known in the area. But neither of the albums did very well. So, Lucky learned English to get more opportunities. Around the 1980s, Lucky realised that his fans liked his Zulu pop songs, but they were more excited about his reggae songs. Reggae artists like Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff were a big influence on him, so he decided to try out the new style. He was also aware of how much racism there was in South Africa. He thought that reggae music could be used to get people to pay attention. He tried out reggae in 1984 and put out a mini-album called “Rastas Never Dies.” But the commercial success of his first reggae album wasn’t as good as he had hoped. Only 4,000 copies of the album were sold, while on average, 30,000 copies of his other albums were bought. The apartheid regime didn’t like the song “War and Crime,” which was on the album. This caused him more trouble. The album was banned because it was against the establishment. Lucky, however, did not give up. He decided to make another album of reggae. In 1985, he put out an album called “Think About the Children.” This album also talked about many social and political issues. This album was a huge hit and sold so many copies that it was called “platinum.” Also, the album helped Lucky become one of the best-known South African reggae artists. Lucky made a string of hit albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as “Prisoner,” “Captured Live,” and “House of Exile.” He won several ‘OKTV Awards’ for his work. In 1993, he put out another hit album called “Victims,” which sold more than a million copies around the world. Lucky’s fame spread to America, where he was asked to sign a deal by “Motown Records.” After Motown bought Tabu Records, he put out the album “Trinity” on that label. When his album “Serious Reggae Business” came out in 1996, he got even more attention.
The album sold millions of copies, and Lucky was soon given the “World Music Awards” award for “Best Selling African Recording Artist.” He was also given the “International Artist of the Year” Ghana Music Award.
The “South African Music Award” went to his next three albums, which were called “Taxman,” “The Way It Is,” and “Soul Taker.”
In 2006, he put out an album called “Respect.” It was a huge hit in Europe after Warner Music put it out.
Over the years, Lucky went on tours all over the world and played many sold-out shows.
Lucky also did some acting.
After he died, many of the songs he had not yet put out were put on multiple compilation albums.
Personal life
Lucky Dube was first married to Thobekile Ngcobo, and then he married Zanele Mdluli. He gave birth to seven kids.
Lucky died on October 18, 2007, after a group of car thieves shot him. All five of the people who killed him were later given life sentences in prison.
