Dolly Rathebe – Queen of African Jazz, Blues & Mbaqanga

This is a celebration of the life and times of jazz legend and Africa’s first film star, Dolly Rathebe, ‘Mam’ Dolly’ as she’s affectionately called. The seminal biography narrates Mam’ Dolly’s beginnings as a budding singer during the buzzing 1950s cultural kaleidoscope that was Sophiatown. Mam Dolly is remembered for paving the way for the likes Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Abigail Kubeka, Marah Louw and many other jazz greats. The worlds of the inimitable Dolly Rathebe – the mega diva of Sophiatown, the gorgeous Drum magazine pin-up cover lady, the church elder, the mother, the lover – are explored in this rich and enchanting biography.