This article covers Lucky Dube biography, career and other facts about the legendary artist.
Lucky Dube Biography
Legendary Reggae musician, Lucky Dube whose birth name is Lucky Philip Dube was put to birth on 3rd August 1964 in Ermelo, Mpumalanga in South Africa. The artiste was the third child to the woman named Sara Dube. He was known to be a legendary reggae musician who died on 18th October 2007.
Lucky Dube Age
Based on the report that emerged from the Mail and Guardian newspapers, on 18th October 2007, the reggae artiste died instantly in a botched hijacking attempt that took place in Johannesburg and that was just two months after he celebrated his 43rd birthday.
Lucky Dube Children
The reggae musician got married to a lady named Zanele. His wife gave birth to seven children. Lucky had a total of seven children.
Lucky Dube Parents
After the death of this artiste, sources could not still get the identity and parentage of the late South African reggae legend, whose birth name is Lucky Philip Dube in the midst of revelation that emerged that he was born of a Zimbabwean father.
Although the issue of the reggae artiste’s parentage remained a top and protected secret, it was safe only to say that his parents separated before his birth, if not for the incident, he could have been a member of the Chibwana family, who comes from Chiwundura communal lands in Gokwe.
Lucky Dube Early Life
Legendary reggae icon, Lucky Dube was brought up by his mother and grandmother together with his two siblings whose names are Thandi and Patrick. The parents of Lucky separated before he was put to birth. His mom named him ‘Lucky’ because she considered his birth fortunate after a few series of failed pregnancies.
Lucky Dube Career
While the reggae artiste started going to school, he and some of his friends joined a choir, he later formed his first musical ensemble which he called The Skyway Band. When he was 18 years of age, he joined The Love Brothers.
The band was that of his cousin which played Zulu pop music known as mbaqanga. The musical band was signed with Teal Record Company which was under Richard Siluma (Teal Record company was later incorporated into Gallo Record Company).
After the band was incorporated, the band recorded material in Johannesburg during his school holidays. Lucky’s resultant and first album was released under his stage name, Lucky Dube and the Supersoul.
Few months later, the second album was released and this time, Dube wrote some of the lyrics coupled with singing. This happened around that period when he began to learn the English language.
During the release of his fifth Mbaqanga album, Dave Segal who was his sound engineer encouraged the reggae musician to drop the “Supersoul” element of the name.
The artiste was used to the act of performing reggae song during live concerts. He also felt the need to drop socio-political messages that is associated with Jamaican reggae were relevant to a South African audience in an institutionally racist society.
In the year 1984, the South African reggae artiste released the mini akbun Rastas Never Die. In 1985, during the period of the apartheid regime, the album was banned because of its critical lyrics, for instance in the song “War and Crime”.
However, Lucky Dube did not give up as he was not discouraged and he continued to perform the reggae tracks live and wrote and went forward and produced a second reggae album.
The title of the album was “Think About The Children” and the album was released in 1985. The album achieved platinum sales status and established Dube as a popular reggae artist in his country, South Africa, coupled to attracting attention outside his homeland.
Lucky Dube Acting Career
South African Legendary reggae artiste and icon was featured in the feature films Voice in the Dark, Getting Lucky and Lucky Strikes Back.
Lucky Dube Awards
- In 1989, the reggae artiste won four OKTV Awards for Prisoner, won another for Captured Live the next year and yet another two for House of Exile the year after.
- In 1996, South African reggae artiste was named the Best Selling African Recording Artist at the World Music Awards
- the artiste also won the International Artist of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards.
- the reggae musician’s next three albums each won South African Music Awards.
Lucky Dube Wife
Reggae musician, Lucky Dube was married to Zanele Mdluli. When the artiste died, he left behind his lovely wife and seven children, including a baby that was just a months old.
Lucky Dube Death
On the 18th of October in the year 2007, He was shot dead in an attempted car hijacking in Johannesburg. According to reports that emerged from ‘The Guardian’, the murder was carried out by two or three youths who apparently gave no warning or demands. The reggae musician who tried to save his life tried to drive away but lost control of his car and crashed into a tree.
His son got out of the vehicle and ran for help while his daughter who was 16 years by then was also in the vehicle and wasn’t harmed. Five suspected men were arrested in connection to the murder, later on the 31 March 2009, three of the men were tried and were found guilty. These men who were responsible for the murder were all sentenced to life in prison.
Lucky Dube Albums
- Captured Live (1990)
- Trinity (1995)
- Umadakeni (2006)
- Africa’s Reggae King (2001)
- The Rough Guide to Lucky Dube (2001)
- Prisoner(1989)
- The Other Side (2003)
- Taxman (1997)
- Soul Taker (2001)
- House of Exile (1991)
- Lengane Ngeyethu (2006)
- Victims (Remastered) (1993)
- Respect (2006)
- Think About the Children (2006)
Lucky Dube Songs
Mbaqanga
- Lengane Ngeyethu (1981)
- Kudala Ngikuncenga (1982)
- Kukuwe (1983)
- Abathakathi (1984)
- Ngikwethembe Na? (1985)
- Umadakeni (1987)
Reggae
- Rastas Never Dies (1984) EP
- Think About the Children (1985)
- Slave (1987)
- Together As One (1988)
- Prisoner (1989)
- Captured Live (1990)
- House of Exile (1991)
- Victims (1993)
- Trinity (1995)
- Taxman (1997)
- The way It Is (1999)
- Soul Taker (2001)
- The Other Side (2003)
- Respect (2006)
- Put a Little Love
- Romeo
- Sleeping Dogs
- Teach the World
- Money-Money- money
- Is This Freedom?
- Love Me (The Way I Am)
- Good Girl
- Fugitive
- Sins of the Flesh
- Shut Up
- Political Games
- Changing World
- Shembe is the Way
- Monster
- Celebrate Life
- The One
- Choose Your Friends
- Never Leave You
- Mask
- Touch Your Dreams