Birthday profile

Headman Shabalala

Headman Shabalala, South African bass singer (died 1991)

Born
October 10, 1945
Died
December 10, 1991
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1945

About Headman Shabalala

Headman Msongelwa Shabalala (10 October 1945 – 10 December 1991) was a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded by his brother Joseph. Headman was born in Ladysmith, in the eMnambithi area and grew up with his brothers Joseph, Jockey, Enoch, Makhosini and Ben. In 1960, he joined the first incarnation of his brother Joseph's group and became a full-time member alongside his brother Enoch and various cousins and relatives. Singing as a bass voice, Headman added sounds to the songs that would become synonymous with the group's rhythm; the low gruffs and growls and the "clicking" noises (today, they are sounded by Russel Mthembu and Sibongiseni Shabalala, respectively). By the mid-1980s, the line-up had changed rapidly and Headman, along with his brother Joseph and cousin Albert Mazibuko, were the only original members from the 1960s. By the start of the 1990s, Ladysmith Black Mambazo had become famous across the world. On 10 December 1991, while driving home from a family gathering in KwaZulu-Natal, Headman was shot and killed by a white, off-duty security guard in an apparent racially motivated killing. Headman's murder is referenced in the song "Worldwide" by the group Adam Again on their album Dig.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Headman Shabalala timeline

  1. Headman Msongelwa Shabalala (10 October 1945 – 10 December 1991) was a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded by his brother Joseph.
  2. In 1960, he joined the first incarnation of his brother Joseph's group and became a full-time member alongside his brother Enoch and various cousins and relatives.

The world when Headman Shabalala was born

Headman Shabalala was born in 1945. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1945

  • #1 song"Sentimental Journey" – Les Brown & Doris Day
  • Top movieThe Lost Weekend
  • Best-selling bookAnimal Farm – George Orwell

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentDetroit Tigers win the World Series
  • Top headlineWorld War II ends after atomic bombs dropped on Japan
  • Technology milestoneAtomic bomb developed and detonated (Manhattan Project)
  • Defining fadV-J Day celebrations
  • Notable inventionMicrowave oven (accidental discovery)
  • World population2.40 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt / Harry S. Truman
  • Sports championDetroit Tigers (World Series)
  • U.S. population139.9M

1945 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Headman Shabalala's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19452026
Gas$0.21$3.45/gal
Average home$5,900$435,000
Average income$4,100$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.30$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population139.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Prabook, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.