UJoseph Shabalala, owazalwa nguBhekizizwe Joseph Siphatamandla Mxoveni Mshengu Bigboy Shabalala eMnambithi, KwaZulu-Natali, ungumsunguli nomqondisi womculo weqembu i-Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Umsebenzi womculo kaShabalala uqale ngokusuka kwakhe eMnambithi waya eThekwini. Ngemuva kokuhlala isikhashana ne-Durban Choir wajoyina iqembu lesicathamiya ,i- ‘The Highlanders’, eyayiholwa iqhawe uGaliyane Hlatshwayo. Hlatshwayo owayesebenza njengomeluleki, ekhuthaza uShabalala ukuthi asebenzise izwi lakhe ngamandla. Lesi sikhuthazo samholela ekutheni asungule iqembu lakhe i-‘Ezimnyama ’(The Black Ones). Ngemuva kwempumelelo enkulu emincintiswaneni eyaba khona kanye ngesonto yesicathamiya, Shabalala wanquma ukuqamba iqembu ngegama elisha ngokuthi i- ‘Ladysmith Black Mambazo’, mambazo ,phecelezi i-axe, okusho izembe, kubhekiswe ekutheni iqembu liwagawule kanjani amanye amakhwaya.
Joseph Shabalala receiving his honorary doctorate at DUT 2015 awards ceremony 
Ngo-1972, ngemuva kokudlala kakhulu emsakazweni, leli qembu lanikezwa inkontileka yokurekhoda yi-Gallo Music. Bathengise amakhophi angaphezu kwe-40,000 e-albhamu yabo yokuqala kepha lokhu bekungukunambitheka okuncane nje kwezinto okuzayo. Ngo-1986, uPaul Simon wasebenzisana noShabalala neqembu, waphinde wahlanganisa iculo elidume kakhulu manje elithi, ‘Abangenamakhaya’. Ukuthandwa kwaleli qembu kusabalale emhlabeni wonke futhi bathengise ama-albhamu adume ngokwanele ukuthola isitifiketi se-platinum disc. Ngo-1987, leli qembu lahlabana nge-solo yabo yokuqala yeGrammy Award ka ‘Shaka Zulu’. Kusukela lapho, banqobe eyodwa futhi baphakanyiswa amahlandla ayishumi.
Ubuchule bokudlala isiginci nezwi le-soprano kumzuzele abalandeli emhlabeni jikelele, yize inhliziyo yakhe isalokhu iqinisile ezimpandeni zakhe zaseNingizimu Afrika. Ngo-1999, uShabalala wavula i-Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation, okuyisikhungo somculo esithuthukisa futhi sifundise umculo wesicathamiya ezingane ezincane zaseNingizimu Afrika.
Ngo-2015, uShabalala wathola i-Honorary Doctorate eDurban University of Technology (DUT). U-Alan Khan wase-DUT wathi iziqu zobudokotela kwakuwukuhlonipha igalelo likaShabalala emculweni wakuleli nowamazwe omhlaba, nokwazisa ulimi namasiko esiZulu. UShabalala, obesalulama emuva kokuhlinzwa emuva, uhlale phansi ehlezi ezwakalisa ukubonga kwakhe, kodwa wasukuma wenza ingoma ethi-Homeless ayeyicula ne-Ladysmith Black Mambazo namanye amalungu omndeni. Bheka ngezansi ukubona uShabalala ethweswa iziqu futhi enzaadume ngakho!
NgoMashi 2017 uJoseph wahlonishwa emcimbini we-colourfu lapho kwethulwa khona uqwembe lwe-Klipriver High School kwathiwa yi-Joseph Shabalala High School. Ushone eneminyaka engu-78 ngoFebhuwari 2020.