LORRAINE Klaasen, singer and daughter of legendary South African Jazz singer Thandie Klaasen, from Eden Park, is proud to present the upcoming “Tribute to the living legend.”
According to her, she will perform live with her mother.
“I am bringing her back to her own back yard,” she said.
Other performers to look out for are Dolly Rather, Sophie MgCina, Abigail Kuleka and Dorothy Masuka.
This event will take place on April 2 in the Thokoza Auditorium.
A film documentary made by Lorraine will also be shown for the first time.
“I just felt like I had to do something good for my mother,” she said. All of Thandie’s Afrikaans-speaking friends are also invited.
Thandie suffered a light stroke last year, that has affected her speech.
“I cannot express myself as I used to,” she said.
Then Lorraine comes in and says she always tries to make her mother laugh about the whole situation.
She added that if her mother has a microphone in her hand, the slurred speech is gone.
Thandie grew up in Sophiatown. When she was a teenager, her face was permanently scarred by a mix of thinners and petroleum.
Her career as a singer and dancer began in the mid-1950s.
This jazz singer had a very close relationship with President Nelson Mandela and she performed at his wedding, his birthdays and his funeral.
“He was a people’s person and very friendly,” she said.
Thandie has received many honours, most recently the Presidential Order of the Baobab, in Gold, from President Jacob Zuma.
In an interview with the RECORD, Thandie said that she is doing well and going strong. When you walk into the house of this great singer, you are a part of the family’s history, with all the photos and awards.
Thandie has two children, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She also said that no matter what happens to her in the future, she will always be like a shining star. “I will never give up,” she added.
Lorraine and Thandie have been in showbiz for 100 years combined. Lorraine moved to Canada in 1979 and is still living there. What she likes the most about her career is to entertain people and use the gift of talent God gave her.
She told the RECORD that she does not like being bored and that is why she is always busy. In her spare time she loves to do charity work, cook and bake, and she speaks 17 languages.
She was one of the few South African artists who took the classic sound of township music further.
She has sung with her mother, Tandie Klaasen, Patti LaBelle, Edith Butler, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Charlie Biddle, Miriam Makeba, Najee, Ray Charles, Dorothy Masuka, Kirk Whalum, Boney James, Abigail Kubeka, Oliver Stone, Sophie Mgcina, Grover Washington Jnr., Edith Butler, Joaquin Diaz, Dolly Rathebe, Harold Foster, E’meline Michel, Boubacar Diabate, Paulo Ramos, Kanda Bongoman, Yves Laveile, Tania Maria, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Carol Welsman, Muna Mingole and Aldwin Albino to name just a few.
Lorraine has performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and her international itinerary has included the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
This talented singer also won the 2013 Juno Award for the World Music Album of the Year, for her album Tribute to Miriam Makaba.
Her first album was released in August 2008 and her new album will be release soon. “What makes this album special to me is that I have re-recorded some of my mother’s songs. I am very excited,” she said.
She will also perform at a lot of festivals in Canada. Her secret to success is to have a supportive family and to work hard for what you want in life.
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