A determined Lebo Morake left school at nine to begin his music career. Years later he is known as award-winning music man Lebo M.
Born in Tladi, Soweto, in 1964, Lebo had a difficult childhood. His family was one of the poorest in the area and his father was an alcoholic.
Lebo was a gutsy kid who always knew that he wanted to be an entertainer. At 13 he became the youngest nightclub performer in Soweto. He left South Africa for Lesotho when he was in standard three, after hearing about a hot club that had opened there.
‘I wanted to perform there, so a friend, Vernon [Molefe], and I set off for Lesotho.”
Lebo didn’t think the trip to Lesotho would land him in the United States. The pair stayed in Lesotho for seven months, playing all over the country and meeting all kinds of people. ‘We always met people who would tell us that they would set us up.”
Then they met Tim Thahane, the US ambassador, who told them about his country and the opportunities that awaited them there. He also arranged for them to take the admission exams of the Duke Ellington School of Music in Washington DC.
Lebo and Molefe passed the exams at Duke Ellington. They spent three years studying there before moving to the New Metropolitan School of Arts in New York.
‘We moved around for 10 to 14 years. Most of the time the churches would support us.”
An acquaintance invited them to Los Angeles, where they ended up begging on street corners, parking cars and washing dishes — anything to make a quick buck.
They met a reporter who recognised their accent and took an interest in them. He took them to McDonald’s, where Lebo got his first formal job. From then on, they started living with one family after another for years.
‘As hard as it was, I didn’t want to come back home without having achieved my goals of making a substantial contribution to my country,” he says.
In 1988 Lebo performed in a nine-month stage production called Buwa in Africa. The show toured Africa, which brought him back home. He returned to the US after he was asked to put together an African choir for the movie Cry, Freedom.
His career has flourished since then.
Lebo M, 38, is a Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated producer and songwriter, a master of choral music and a humanitarian. But he is best known as the voice and spirit of The Lion King.
His credits as an arranger, performer and producer include the feature films Dinosaur, The Lion King, The Return to Pride Rock, The Power of One, Back on the Block, Listen Up, The Life of Quincy Jones, Outbreak, Made in America, Congo, Born to be Wild and Long Night’s Journey into Day.
The once-penniless wanderer now has two children from a previous marriage and three with his wife Nandi, whom he met in Toronto where she was part of the original cast of Sarafina!.
Lebo has also become the chairperson of Kilimanjaro, a newly opened five-star venue at Melrose Arch, Johannesburg. The club features state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, as well as recording facilities. It presents a local and international entertainment programme.
The club boasts bars, a restaurant, a cigar lounge, a dance floor and a stage to showcase African talent. It is based on the original Kilimanjaro in Washington DC, which was opened to celebrate Africa and to entertain politicians, diplomats, business people and celebrities. It did so for 13 years, but closed down seven years ago.
The founding members are Seedy Lette, a Gambian entrepreneur and co-founder of the original Kilimanjaro club in Washington DC; Lebo M; Trevor Julius, an interior architect; Gaven Pieterse, the executive director and chief executive of African Renaissance Holidings; and Michael Thuysbaert, a Belgian entrepreneur and empowerment consultant, together with Johnnic Entertainment and the Industrial Development Corporation.
Lebo says he has always wanted to be part of such a project, so he didn’t hesitate to take the job when he was asked to be a founding member.
‘It’s the most mixed and pleasant environment. It is a sophisticated place where local and international people can enjoy African culture. In the premier African location of Melrose Arch, we are targeting black and white successful people and those seeking to be successful in any business wanting to be in the company of people like Cyril Ramaphosa,” he says.
No takkies or blue jeans are allowed. ‘I was even kicked out the other day because I had jeans on,” he said. ‘Okay, I wasn’t kicked out, but I had to get in through the back door and my wife had to bring some clothes for me to change into.”
On Fridays and Saturdays, Kilimanjaro provides live entertainment. Saturdays are concert days with a cover charge of R120. Wednesdays will cost you R60 and Thursdays cost R75. Membership of Kilimanjaro will set you back R10 000 a year.
‘Next year we will launch a lunch cultural-activity hour, which will basically cater for tourists,” says Lebo. He adds that the response has been overwhelming. His company is hoping to expand to other parts of the world.
‘We are definitely looking at franchising; we already have ideas for London, Nigeria and New York.”