Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Fermilab series

The Fermilab Art and Lectures Series will present Ladysmith Black Mambazo at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Ramsey Auditorium in Wilson Hall, off Kirk Road at Pine Street in Batavia Road. Ladysmith Blacksmith Mambazo won their third Grammy in 2009 for Best Traditional World Music Album. Tickets are $30 or $15 for ages 18 and younger.

For more than 40 years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape.

Their musical efforts over the past four decades have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry, but also solidified their identity as a cultural force to be reckoned with.

In the mid-1980s, Paul Simon visited South Africa and incorporated Black Mambazo's rich tenor/alto/bass harmonies into his "Graceland" album, a landmark 1986 recording that won the Grammy Award for Best Album and is considered seminal in introducing world music to mainstream audiences. In addition to their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo have recorded with numerous artists from around the world, including Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLaughlin, Emmylou Harris, Natalie Merchant, Mavis Staples, Ry Cooder and Ben Harper.

Their film work includes a featured appearance in Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker" video and Spike Lee's "Do It A Cappella." Black Mambazo provided soundtrack material for Disney's "The Lion King, Part II" as well as Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America," Marlon Brando's "A Dry White Season," Sean Connery's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," and James Earl Jones' "Cry The Beloved Country."

The 2000 documentary titled "On Tip Toe: Gentle Steps to Freedom, The Story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo," was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. The group is well known for its Life Savers candy commercials. Their performance with Paul Simon on Sesame Street is legendary and is one of the top three requested Sesame Street segments in history.

For information or telephone reservations, call (630) 840-ARTS (2787) weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are nonrefundable. The Fermilab Arts & Lecture Series now has free online ticketing at www.fnal.gov/culture. You can select your own seats for any of the reserved seating events.