dream on…none of the following 78 rpm records will be traced easily in the wild but patience awards those who can wait for the bait. I like to start the year 2010 with some eye candy, a gallery of 78’s pressed in South Africa.
Elias & His Zig Zag Flutes -Tom Hark
Elias & His Zig Zag Flutes -Rij Rij
African releases of local talent were marketed for a small group of afficionados, those who could afford a grammophone player or more commonly for the black population, via township radio distribution. During the fifties and sixties many small locally distributed labels flourished, a few were actually owned by black entrepreneurs. Many of these releases were pressed and controlled by the Gallo Record Company. Interesting fact is that ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey was instrumental in choosing the material for those releases. Tracey set up the first arena for the public display of mine dancing, at the Consolidated Main Reef Mine in Johannesburg in 1943. He later paid tribute to the culture of mine dancing in his book ‘African Dances of the Witwatersrand Gold Mines’, published by African Music Society in October 1952
Mambuaulela Makhubela & his Shangaan Drum Dancers -Park Station
Nyasaland Nyo Tribe -Ndano
The Globetrotters -Vuyisile
Patla Pett & his Five boys -Polokwane Nr 4
Morning Lights Choir -Uxazazela -1962 Zulu Vocal acapella
Kid Zondi -Saley’s Cycle Blues -1967 Sax Jive
with thanks to ILAM Grahamstown, South Africa
Soul Safari 
Thanks Eddy! Certainly could never say “once you have seen one you have seen them all” … keep them rolling brother!
Hi,
Very nice site you’re hosting. Just wondering – is it possible to listen to the tracks above? The titles are all grayed out in my browser. But I might be missing something here.
at the present time I am compiling a series of these 78’s for release later this year. So yes, it will be possible to listen to some of the tracks in this gallery of SA 78’s. Your patience will be rewarded