Ray Phiri

Ray Chikapa Phiri is an African jazz, fusion and mbaqanga musician born in Mpumalanga. He became founding member of the Cannibals in the 1970's. When the Cannibals disbanded Ray founded Stimela, with whom he conceived gold and platinum-selling albums like "Fire, Passion and Ecstacy" (1991), "Look, Listen and Decide" (1992) as well as the controversial "People Don’t Talk So Let’s Talk".

In 1985 Paul Simon asked Ray along with Ladysmith Black Mambazo to join his Graceland project, which was successful but also helped the South Africans to make names for themselves abroad. Ray was to collaborate with Paul Simon again on Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints album, which saw him perform on stages such as Central Park and Madison Square Garden as well as appearing on top television shows in the USA.

References

* "Afropop! An Illustrated Guide to Contemporary African Music" by Sean Barlow & Banning Eyre. (Book Sales August 1995) ISBN 0785804439, ISBN 978-0785804437