Louis Mhlanga

Louis Mhlanga, born on 10 November 1956, is a Zimbabwean guitarist and producer based in South Africa, and is considered one of the best guitarists in Southern Africa. He taught himself the instrument young, and from the 1970s fronted bands in Zimbabwe and worked with Shaka, Talking Drum, Ilanga, Mudzimu and Oliver Mtukudzi before heading south, where he played with Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Ray Phiri, Sipho Mabuse and Busi Mhlongo. A music engineering course in the United Kingdom led to work with the Scottish outfit Orange Juice; later, as musician-in-residence at the Royal Dutch Conservatory of Music, he taught African guitar. In 2001 he assembled the Louis Mhlanga Band, whose album Shamwari came out on Sheer Sound.