Bio
Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse is a South African drummer and musician best known as the leader of the band Harari (formerly known as The Beaters) and for his contributions to the musical landscape of South Africa in general.
Sipho is a regular commentator on arts and culture in the country and has sat on the Boards of The National Arts Council and SAMRO, with his influence felt on both sides of the industry - as an entertainer and as a businessman.
Mabuse was born in Johannesburg in 1951 and from the age of eight began playing the drums - the instrument that he would master to such a degree that he would be known as "Hotstix" his whole life.
A competent musician, Mabuse mastered many instruments: the drums, flute, piano, saxophone, kalimba, alto flute, timbales and African drums. However, as a young man Sipho thought he was destined to become a doctor or a lawyer, not a world famous musician.
However, music affected Sipho at a very young age with influences from his grandfather and uncles, who were traditional singers of scatamiya music (a choral type music sung mainly by men).
He began his career as a professional musician at the age of 15 when, during his high school years, he formed his first band The Beaters. The Beaters evolved through time to become Harari, one of the most successful acts to emerge from the country in the '70s.
Harari dominated the music scene of the 1970s in South Africa, even being invited to perform in the USA with Hugh Masekela in 1978. During this tour, the band's leader Selby Ntuli died, leaving Sipho as the new leader.
Harari supported and backed Percy Sledge, Timmy Thomas, Letta Mbulu, Brook Benton and Wilson Pickett on their South African tours.
This eclectic ensemble was impossible to categorise; mixing funk and disco with jazz, while also using traditional African instruments to create a completely unique sound that many tried, but failed to imitate.
They were the ultimate party band, yet boasted some of the best musicians around at the time, such as Alec Khali and Lionel Petersen. One of South Africa's most important musical acts - Harari - will forever hold legendary status, even after their split in 1982.
Sipho continued his career with the release of his most important single in 1985 - "Burn Out", which catapulted Sipho to a new level of fame as he became a household name almost overnight.
Released in the year PW Botha, the former President, declared a state of emergency, this impeccably funky township disco jive jam became the first major crossover hit in South Africa, selling over 500,000 copies.
Over the years he song has been remixed by international deejays and covered by many of South African artists.
In 1996, after a 10-year silence, he returned with the album Township Child that brought him back into the musical foreground. A number of albums followed including two live CDs in 2005 and 2006.
Throughout the course of Sipho's career, he has become a musical ambassador for South Africa, performing in virtually every country in Africa and touring places such as the United States, England, France, Germany and Italy as well as a host of others.
He has also recorded and produced many legendary artists such as Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Ray Phiri and Sibongile Khumalo.
Sipho is also renowned for being the owner of one of the country's most prolific jazz establishments - Kippies, based in Johannesburg's cultural heart of the Market Theatre Complex. The venue was responsible for showcasing hundreds of musicians over the years prior to its closure in early 2005.
Constantly performing, touring, releasing material, consulting and expanding the minds of fellow musicians and musical organisations, there is rarely a time when Sipho is not actively involved in the music industry.
Mabuse returned to secondary school at the age of 60, completing his degree in 2012. He stated that he intended to continue on to college and study anthropology.
President Jacob Zuma praised him for giving "inspiration to all of us by showing us that one is never too old for education".
In November 2012 he was announced as one of the seven choirmasters for the Mzansi Magic reality competition Clash of the Choirs South Africa, which aired in 2013. He mentored the choirs from North West.