Mỹ Sơn
Mỹ Sơn Location in Vietnam
Coordinates:	15°46′N 108°07′E / 15.767°N 108.117°E / 15.767; 108.117Coordinates: 15°46′N 108°07′E / 15.767°N 108.117°E / 15.767; 108.117
Name
Proper name:	Mỹ Sơn
Location
Country:	Vietnam
Province:	Quảng Nam
Architecture and culture
Primary deity:	Śiva, Bhadresvara
Architectural styles:	Cham
History
Date built: (Current structure)	4th Century AD

Mỹ Sơn (Vietnamese pronunciation: [mǐˀ səːn]) is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century AD by the kings of Champa (Chiêm Thành in Vietnamese). ^[1] The temples are dedicated to the worship of the god Shiva, known under various local names, the most important of which is "Bhadresvara."

Mỹ Sơn is located near the village of Duy Phú, in the administrative district of Duy Xuyên in Quảng Nam province in Central Vietnam, 69 km southwest of Da Nang, and approximately 10 km from the historic town of Trà Kiệu. The temples are in a valley roughly two kilometres wide that is surrounded by two mountain ranges.

From the 4th to the 14th century AD, the valley at Mỹ Sơn was a site of religious ceremony for kings of the ruling dynasties of Champa, as well as a burial place for Cham royalty and national heroes. It was closely associated with the nearby Cham cities of Indrapura (Đồng Dương) and Simhapura (Trà Kiệu). At one time, the site encompassed over 70 temples as well as numerous stele bearing historically important inscriptions in Sanskrit and Cham.^[2]

Mỹ Sơn is perhaps the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina, but a large majority of its architecture was destroyed by US carpet bombing during a single week of the Vietnam War.^[3]

The Mỹ Sơn temple complex is regarded one of the foremost Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia and is the foremost heritage site of this nature in Vietnam. It is often compared with other historical temple complexes in Southeast Asia, such as Borobudur of Java in Indonesia, Angkor Wat of Cambodia, Bagan of Myanmar and Ayutthaya of Thailand. As of 1999, Mỹ Sơn has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. At its 23rd meeting, UNESCO accorded Mỹ Sơn this recognition pursuant to its criterion C (II), as an example of evolution and change in culture, and pursuant to its criterion C (III), as evidence of an Asian civilisation which is now extinct.

History[link]

The over 70 temples and tombs extant at Mỹ Sơn have been dated to the period between the 4th century and the 14th century AD. However, the inscriptions and other evidence indicate that earlier now defunct constructions probably were present from the 4th century.^[4] The complex may have been the religious and cultural centre of historical Champa, while the government was based in nearby Trà Kiệu or Đồng Dương.

Bhadravarman and Bhadresvara[link]

This stone linga is dated to the 10th century. It stands next to the temple known as "B4."

The earliest historical events documented by the evidence recovered at Mỹ Sơn relate to the era of King Bhadravarman I (Phạm Hồ Đạt in Vietnamese, Fan Hou Ta as transcribed from the Chinese), who ruled from 380 until 413, and who spent the latter part of his reign waging war against the population of Chinese-occupied northern Vietnam.^[5] At Mỹ Sơn, Bhadravarman built a hall to worship the god Shiva under the form of the Linga and under the name "Bhadresvara," a composite created from the king's own name and the suffix "-isvara" commonly used to refer to Shiva.^[6]

King Bhadravarman caused a stele to be erected at Mỹ Sơn the inscription on which recorded his foundation. The stele indicates that the king dedicated the entire valley of Mỹ Sơn to Bhadresvara. The text ends with a plea from Bhadravarman to his successors: "Out of compassion for me don't destroy my gifts." Drawing upon the doctrines of samsara (that one will be reborn after death) and karma (that the goodness or badness of one's acts in this life will determine the conditions under which one is reborn), he added, "If you destroy [my foundation], all your good deeds in your different births shall be mine, and all the bad deeds done by me shall be yours. If, on the contrary, you properly maintain the endowment, the merit shall belong to you alone."^[7] Bhadravarman's successors heard his plea, it seems, for Mỹ Sơn became the religious hub of Champa for many generations.

Sambhuvarman[link]

The great temple "A1" dedicated to the god Sambhubhadresvara by King Sambhuvarman in the 7th century is now a pile of rubble: fortunately, scholars were able to make this diagram before its destruction during the Vietnam War.

More than two centuries after Bhadravaman's foundation, the temple to Bhadresvara was destroyed by fire. In the 7th century, King Sambhuvarman (Phạm Phạn Chi in Vietnamese, Fan Che as transcribed from the Chinese), who reigned from 577 until 629, rebuilt the temple, reinstalled the god under the name Sambhu-Bhadresvara, and erected a stele to document the event. The stele affirmed that Sambhu-Bhadresvara was the creator of the world and the destroyer of sin, and expressed the wish that he "cause happiness in the kingdom of Champa."^[8] The stele also applauded the king himself, claiming that he was "like a terrestrial sun illuminating the night" and that his glory rose "like the moon on an autumn evening."^[9]

Ironically, perhaps, Sambhuvarman's reign was marred by one of the most devastating invasions ever suffered by the country of Champa. In 605 AD, the Chinese general Liu Fang led an army southwards from the area of what is now northern Vietnam, defeated the elephant-riders of Sambhuvarman, and sacked the Cham capital, making off with an enormous booty that included over one thousand Buddhist books as well as the gold tablets commemorating the reigns of the previous eighteen kings.^[10] Heading back north with their heist, the Chinese invaders were struck by an epidemic that felled a large number of them, including Liu Fang. Sambhuvarman, for his part, returned home to his kingdom, began the process of rebuilding, and made sure to send regular shipments of tribute to the Chinese court, in order through appeasement to prevent a recurrence of the recent disaster.^[9]

French scholars investigating Mỹ Sơn at the beginning of the 20th century identified a then still existent edifice distinguished for "its majestic proportions, the antiquity of its style, and the richness of its decoration" as the temple of Sambhu-Bhadresvara constructed by King Sambhuvarman.^[11] Unfortunately, the edifice, which is known to scholars as "A1," was practically destroyed by US aerial bombing in the Vietnam War and is now little more than a formless pile of bricks.

Prakasadharma[link]

King Prakasadharma (Po Kia Pho Pa Mo, as transcribed from the Chinese) ruled Champa from 653 AD to approximately 687.^[12] Upon ascending to the throne, he also assumed the name Vikrantavarman. During his reign, he expanded the borders of Champa toward the South and sent ambassadors and tribute (including tame elephants) to China. Inscriptions link him not only to Mỹ Sơn, but also to the nearby urban settlements of Trà Kiệu and Đồng Dương. He began the religious practice of donating "kosas" or decorated metallic sleeves to be placed over a lingam. Unusually for a king of Champa, he was devoted not only to Shiva, but also to Vishnu.^[13]

One of the most important steles to be found at Mỹ Sơn is that erected by Prakasadharma in 657 AD. The purpose of the stele was to commemorate the king's establishment of a god identified as the ruler of the world, i.e. Shiva, with a view to overcoming the seeds of karma that lead to rebirth. The stele is important because it sets forth the king's ancestry and is of great help in reconstructing the sequence of Champa's rulers. Among his ancestors, notably, the king claimed a Cambodian king named Isanavarman I. And like the Cambodian kings, he traced his ancestry to the legendary couple of the brahman Kaundinya and the nāga-princess Soma.^[14]

Later Developments[link]

A Cham artist of approximately the 10th century depicted a Cham temple tower in this fragment located in the museum at My Son.

Subsequent kings renovated the older temples and constructed additional ones. For many centuries, the building of temples and shrines of varying sizes continued, and Mỹ Sơn served as the religious and cultural center of the Cham civilization in central Vietnam, as well as the burial place of kings and religious leaders.

Most of the extant temples at Mỹ Sơn were built in the 10th century AD. Unfortunately, the inscriptions from this period have not survived, except in fragmentary form.^[15] At the beginning of the 10th century, the Cham center of power was at Dong Duong, not far from Mỹ Sơn. By the end of the century, it had been displaced southward to Binh Dinh Province on account of military setbacks in wars with the Viet. However, Cham kings continued periodically to renovate the temples at Mỹ Sơn and even to build new foundations. The latest significant Cham record at Mỹ Sơn is a pillar inscription of King Jaya Indravarman V dated 1243 AD. By the early 15th century, the Cham had lost their northernmost lands, including the area of Mỹ Sơn, to the Viet.^[16]

Modern Scholarship[link]

Following the conquest of central Vietnam by the Viet and the decline and eventual fall of Champa, the Mỹ Sơn complex fell into disuse and was largely forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1898 by the Frenchman M.C. Paris.^[17] A year later, members of the scholarly society called École française d'Extrême Orient (EFEO) began to study the inscriptions, architecture, and art of My Son. In 1904, they published their initial findings in the journal of the society called Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême Orient (BEFEO). Henri Parmentier gave a description of the ruins at Mỹ Sơn, and M.L. Finot published the inscriptions that had been found there.^[18]

Restoration[link]

In 1937, French scholars began to restore the temples at Mỹ Sơn. In 1937 and 1938, the main temple known as "A1" and the smaller temples surrounding it were restored. Other major temples were restored between 1939 and 1943. However, many historical buildings were destroyed during the Vietnam War. United States B52 aircraft carpet-bombed the region in August 1969. The surrounding area is still rendered dangerous through the presence of unexploded land mines.

Bombs dropped during the Vietnam War made craters that are still visible.

The majority of the temple sites in the centre of the complex have survived to this day. However, worries persist regarding the structural soundness of the remaining temples, some of which are vulnerable to collapse. Although many statues have been removed to France or to historical museums in Vietnam, such as the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang, others can be viewed in a temporary museum that has been set up on site in two of the temples, with the funding of benefactors from Germany and Poland.

From 2002 to 2004, the Ministry of Culture of Vietnam allotted around 440,000 USD to maintain the site. A draft plan of UNESCO was funded by the Government of Italy and sponsors from Japan to prevent further degradation. These efforts are also funded by the World Monuments Fund. hay

Archeology and architecture[link]

Types of buildings[link]

All of the remaining buildings at Mỹ Sơn are believed to be religious buildings. They are of the following types:^[19]

• A kalan is a brick sanctuary, typically in the form of a tower, used to house a deity.
• A mandapa is an entry hallway contiguous with a sanctuary.
• A kosagrha or "fire-house" is a construction, typically with a saddle-shaped roof, used to house the valuables belonging to the deity or to cook for the deity.
• A gopura is a gate-tower leading into a walled temple complex.

This map shows the relative locations of the temple groups.

System for the identification of buildings[link]

When he began his studies of Mỹ Sơn in 1899, Henri Parmentier found the remnants of 71 temples. He classified them into 14 groups, including 10 principal groups each consisting of multiple temples.^[20] For purposes of identification, he assigned a letter to each of these principal groups: A, A', B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K. Within each group, he assigned numbers to the edifices comprising it. Thus "My Son E1" refers to the edifice at My Son belonging to group "E" that has been assigned the number "1." ^[21]

Architectural styles[link]

Art historians have classified the architectural and artistic legacy of Champa into seven artistic styles or phases of development.^[22] Six of the styles are represented at My Son, and two are believed to have originated from there. They are known as the My Son E1 Style and the My Son A1 Style. In particular the temple known as "A1" is often referred to as the architectural masterpiece of the Cham. The six styles of Cham architecture represented at My Son are the following:

• The style of My Son E1 and F1 dates to the 8th century AD. Unfortunately, the temple known as "E1" is now ruined. The style which it established is represented today by two works of art that formerly belonged to the temple but today are housed in the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang: a pedestal and a tympanum.
• The style exemplified by My Son A2, C7 and F3 is similar to the style of Hòa Lai from the turn of the 9th century.
• The Đồng Dương style of the late 9th century is reflected in Mỹ Sơn A10, A11-13, B4, and B12. This style is named after the Vietnamese town that occupies the site of the 9th century city and Buddhist monastery of Indrapura. The archeological site of the monastery has been largely destroyed; fortunately, French scholars of the early 20th century were able to create diagrams of its layout and the disposition of its buildings. Numerous striking works of sculpture belonging to this style survive in Vietnamese museums.

This pedestal and the outline of a wall are all that remain of the once magnificent temple called "A1."

The storehouse known as "B5" (background) is the outstanding surviving exemplar of the My Son A1 style.

• The Mỹ Sơn A1 style of the 10th century is exemplified by Mỹ Sơn B5, B6, B7, B9, C1, C2, C5, D1, D2, and D4. It is the most heavily represented style at My Son, and is known for its elegance and grace. The style's namesake and most important architectural exemplar, the once magnificent tower known as "A1," is largely ruined. It is a mound of earth, surrounded by rubble and the outline of a wall, at the center of which stands a whitish pedestal. A scale model of the former temple created by Japanese researchers as well as a schematic frontal view are exhibited in the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang. The most striking of the remaining buildings belonging to the style may be the storehouse B5, which exemplifies the saddle-shaped roof peculiar to Cham artchitecture. The My Son A1 style is sometimes also known as the Tra Kieu Style, after the nearby town of Trà Kiệu which may be the site of the historical Cham city of Simhapura.^[23] Many architectural ornaments from this style survive and are displayed in the Museum of Cham Sculpture.
• A transitional style of the early 11th century to the middle of the 12th century is exhibited in Mỹ Sơn E4, F2, and the K group of sites.
• The style of Bình Định that prevailed in Cham architecture from the end of the 11th century, when the center of the Cham polity was displaced southward from the area around My Son to Vijaya in Binh Dinh Province, to the start of the 14th is represented by Mỹ Sơn B1 and groups G and H.

Building techniques[link]

Most of the temples at Mỹ Sơn were made of red brick, and only one (the temple labelled "B1") was made of stone.^[24] Even the decorative carvings on the Cham temples were cut directly onto the bricks themselves, rather than onto sandstone slabs inserted into brick walls as is observable for example in the 9th century Cambodian temple of Bakong.

To this day, the construction techniques used by the Cham builders are not completely understood.^[25] Issues that have not been completely resolved include issues about the firing of the bricks, the mortar between the bricks, and decorative carvings found on the bricks.

The temples at My Son are made of a reddish brick. Decorative carvings have been cut directly into the bricks.

• At what point in the building process were the bricks hardened by fire? Were the bricks hardened first, and then arranged in order to build the structures, or were the structures built out of partially hardened bricks, after which the entire structures were heated by fire to finish the hardening of the bricks? The hypothesis that the entire structures were reheated following assembly is supported by evidence that the mortar between the bricks was at some point subjected to high temperatures. The contrary hypothesis is supported by the observation that the structures bear no signs of scarring from large intense fires such as would be needed in order to reheat them as whole.^[26]
• How were the bricks stuck together? One hypothesis is that the builders at Mỹ Sơn developed a way to glue bricks together using tree resin native to central Vietnam. Another hypothesis is that the builders used a sticky mortar made from the same clay as the bricks themselves. The latter hypothesis is supported by chemical tests that have found no trace of any organic substance between the bricks, but instead have found mineral substances similar to those present in the core of the bricks. Today the mortar that once held the bricks together has largely decayed, and even a strong wind can knock loose bricks from the structures.^[27]
• At what point in the process were the decorative carvings made? Were the walls constructed and then carved, or were the bricks carved first and then assembled so as to create the walls? An examination of the carvings reveals no broken lines as would be expected if the bricks were carved first and then assembled; and as a result scholars have concluded that the Cham craftsmen made their carvings directly onto finished brick walls.^[28]

Inscriptions[link]

The People of Champa maintained written records in both Sanskrit and old Cham. They wrote on perishable materials, such as large leaves, and also created inscriptions in stone. They used scripts borrowed from India. None of the writings on perishable materials have survived. However, numerous stone inscriptions have been preserved, transcribed, and translated into modern languages.^[29]

Many of Champa's most important inscriptions are on steles, that is to say on slabs or pillars of stone erected precisely for the purpose of hosting inscriptions. Scholars have found approximately 32 steles at Mỹ Sơn, dated between the 5th and the 12th century AD.^[30]

The subject-matter of Cham inscriptions is mostly political and religious. They are written from the perspective of kings or very high potentates seeking to affirm their legitimacy and their relationship to the divine. Many of the inscriptions document a gift to a god, such as a gift of land, of people, or of treasure, or a foundation dedicated to a god, such as the foundation of a temple, an altar, or a pedestal. The inscriptions also provide us with important information such as the name of the country (typically Campadesa in the Sanskrit inscriptions, nagara Campa in the Cham inscriptions), and the names of some of its most important cities: Simhapura ("Lion City"), Virapura ("Knight City"), Rajapura ("King City"), Vijaya ("District"). Finally, a number of the inscriptions allude to or describe interesting historical events, such as the ongoing wars between Champa and Cambodia in the 12th century.^[31]

See also[link]

• Champa
• Art of Champa
• Architecture of Cambodia

References[link]

Recent introductory works

• Ngô Văn Doanh, My Son Relics. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2005. Ngô's recent introductory work summarizes the results of previous scholarship, though is somewhat dated now. English translations of several inscriptions are found at the end.
• Ngô Văn Doanh, Champa: Ancient Towers: Reality and Legend. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2006. This is Ngô's introduction to those vestiges of Cham architecture found in places other than My Son.
• Tran Ky Phuong, Vestiges of Champa Civilization. Hanoi, The Gioi Publishers, 2008.

Works of classical scholarship

• Georges Maspero, Le royaume de Champa. Paris: Van Ouest, 1928. Maspero's work is the most extensive reconstruction of the history of Champa, based not only on the testimony Cham inscriptions and other archeological data, but also on that of contemporaneous Chinese and Vietnamese texts. It has been translated into English by Walter E.J. Tips under the title, The Champa Kingdom: The History of an Extinct Vietnamese Culture. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2002.
• M. Henri Parmentier, "Les Monuments du Cirque de Mi-Son," in BEFEO 4 (1904), pp. 805–896. Available online at BEFEO's website. (See below, under External Links.) This article (in French) is Parmentier's detailed scholarly description of My Son a few years after its rediscovery at the end of the 19th century.
• M.L. Finot, "Notes d'épigraphie: XI. Les inscriptions de Mi-Son," in BEFEO 4 (1904), pp. 897–977. Available online at BEFEO's website. This article (also in French) is Finot's detailed discussion, transcription and translation (into French) of the inscriptions associated with My Son.

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mỹ Sơn

• Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient, 1901-1936. Now online at gallica.bnf.fr, this journal documents cutting-edge early 20th century French scholarship on My Son and research on other topics of Southeast Asian studies.
• My Son preservation project summary at Global Heritage Fund
• Explore My Son with Google Earth on Global Heritage Network
• UNESCO decree
• Information about My Son
• UNESCO page on My Son
• Mỹ Sơn
• Detailed photographic gallery featuring most My Son monuments and information (plus the nearby Bang An Cham tower)

v t e World Heritage Sites in Vietnam Cultural Heritages Complex of Huế Monuments · Hội An Ancient Town · Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary · Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long · Citadel of Ho Dynasty Natural Heritages Hạ Long Bay · Phong Nha - Kẻ Bàng National Park

Lucky Dube
Background information
Birth name	Lucky Philip Dube
Born	(1964-08-03)August 3, 1964 Ermelo, Transvaal (now Mpumalanga), South Africa
Died	October 18, 2007(2007-10-18) (aged 43) Rosettenville, Johannesburg Gauteng, South Africa
Genres	reggae, mbaqanga
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, Keyboards
Years active	1981–2007
Labels	Rykodisc, Gallo Record Company
Associated acts	The Love Brothers, Remlius

Lucky Philip Dube (pronounced doo-beh)^[1] (August 3, 1964 – October 18, 2007) was a South African reggae musician. He recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans in a 25-year period and was South Africa's biggest selling reggae artist.^[2][3] Dube was murdered in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville on the evening of 18 October 2007.^[3][4][5]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Lucky Dube was born in Ermelo, formerly of the Eastern Transvaal, now of Mpumalanga, on August 3, 1964. His parents separated before his birth and he was raised by his mother, Sarah, who named him because she considered his birth fortunate after a number of failed pregnancies.^[6] Along with his two siblings, Thandi and Patrick, Dube spent much of his childhood with his grandmother, while his mother relocated to work. It was from there that he was introduced to the Mormon religion. In a 1999 interview he described his grandmother as "his greatest love" who "multiplied many things to bring up this responsible individual that I am today." ^[7][8]

Beginning of his musical career[link]

As a child Dube worked as a gardener but, as he matured, realizing that he wasn't earning enough to feed his family, he began to attend school. There he joined a choir and, with some friends, formed his first musical ensemble, called The Skyway Band.^[8] While at school he discovered the Rastafari movement. At the age of 18 Dube joined his cousin's band, The Love Brothers, playing Zulu pop music known as mbaqanga whilst funding his lifestyle by working for Hole and Cooke as a security guard at the car auctions in Midrand. The band signed with Teal Record Company, under Richard Siluma (Teal was later incorporated into Gallo Record Company). Though Dube was still at school, the band recorded material in Johannesburg during his school holidays. The resultant album was released under the name Lucky Dube and the Supersoul. The second album was released soon afterwards, and this time Dube wrote some of the lyrics in addition to singing. It was around this same time when he began to learn English.^[8]

Moving into reggae[link]

On the release of his fifth Mbaqanga album, Dave Segal (who became Dube's sound engineer) encouraged him to drop the "Supersoul" element of the name. All subsequent albums were recorded as Lucky Dube. At this time Dube began to note fans were responding positively to some reggae songs he played during live concerts. Drawing inspiration from Jimmy Cliff ^[9] and Peter Tosh,^[7] he felt the socio-political messages associated with Jamaican reggae were relevant to a South African audience in an institutionally racist society.^[9]

He decided to try the new musical genre and in 1984, released the mini album Rastas Never Die. The record sold poorly - around 4000 units - in comparison to the 30,000 units his mbaqanga records would sell. Keen to suppress anti-apartheid activism, the apartheid regime banned the album in 1985.^[10] However, he was not discouraged and continued to perform the reggae tracks live and wrote and produced a second reggae album. Think About The Children (1985). It achieved platinum sales status and established Dube as a popular reggae artist in South Africa, in addition to attracting attention outside his homeland.^[8]

Commercial and critical success[link]

Dube continued to release commercially successful albums. In 1989 he won four OKTV Awards for Prisoner, won another for Captured Live the following year and yet another two for House Of Exile the year after.^[11] His 1993 album, Victims sold over one million copies worldwide.^[2] In 1995 he earned a worldwide recording contract with Motown. His album Trinity was the first release on Tabu Records after Motown's acquisition of the label.^[11]

In 1996 he released a compilation album, Serious Reggae Business, which led to him being named the "Best Selling African Recording Artist" at the World Music Awards and the "International Artist Of The Year" at the Ghana Music Awards. His next three albums each won South African Music Awards.^[11] His most recent album, Respect, earned a European release through a deal with Warner Music.^[2] Dube toured internationally, sharing stages with artists such as Sinéad O'Connor, Peter Gabriel and Sting.^[9] He appeared at the 1991 Reggae Sunsplash (uniquely that year, was invited back on stage for a 25 minute long encore) and the 2005 Live 8 event in Johannesburg.^[9]

In addition to performing music Dube was a sometime actor, appearing in the feature films Voice In The Dark, Getting Lucky and Lucky Strikes Back.^[12]

Death[link]

On October 18, 2007, Lucky Dube was killed in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville shortly after dropping two of his seven children off at their uncle's house.^[13] Dube was driving his Chrysler 300C which the assailants were apparently after. Police reports suggest he was shot dead by carjackers. Five men have been arrested in connection with the murder.^[14] Three men were tried and found guilty on March 31, 2009; two of the men attempted to escape and were caught.^[15] The men were sentenced to life in prison.^[16]

Legacy[link]

On October 21, 2008, Rykodisc released a compilation album entitled Retrospective, which featured many of Dube's most influential songs as well as previously unreleased tracks in the United States. The album celebrated Dube's music and honored the contributions he made to South Africa.^[17]

Discography[link]

Mbaqanga[link]

• Lengane Ngeyethu (1981)
• Kudala Ngikuncenga (1982)
• Kukuwe (1983)
• Abathakathi (1984)
• Ngikwethembe Na? (1985)
• Umadakeni (1987)

Afrikaans[link]

• Help My Krap (1986)

Reggae[link]

• Rastas Never Die (1984)
• Think About The Children (1985)
• Slave (1987)
• Together As One (1988)
• Prisoner (1989)
• Captured Live (1990)
• House of Exile (1991)
• Victims (1993)
• Trinity (1995)
• Serious Reggae Business (1996)
• Tax man (1997)
• The Way It Is (1999)
• The Rough Guide To Lucky Dube (compilation) (2001)
• Soul Taker (2001)
• The Other Side (2003)
• Respect (2006)
• The Ultimate Lucky Dube (compilation) (2011)

Compilation[link]

• Live in Jamaica (2000)
• Lucky Dube Live In Uganda (2008)
• Retrospective (2008)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Afropop! An Illustrated Guide to Contemporary African Music by Sean Barlow & Banning Eyre. (Book Sales August 1995) ISBN 0-7858-0443-9, ISBN 978-0-7858-0443-7

External links[link]

• Photo-interview with sounds produced by Classical Reggae Interviews. This interview was used by the BBC London to produce a radio report about the death of Lucky Dube!
• Lucky Dube at discogs.com

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2012)

Petula Clark
Clark in April 2012
Background information
Birth name	Petula Sally Olwen Clark
Born	(1932-11-15) 15 November 1932 (age 79) Epsom, Surrey, England, UK
Genres	Popular music, theatre, film
Occupations	Singer/actress/composer
Years active	1939–present
Labels	Pye Records Vogue Records Imperial Records Warner Bros. Records MGM Records

Petula Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress and composer whose career has spanned eight decades.

Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II. During the 1950s she started recording in French and having international success in both French and English, with such songs as "The Little Shoemaker", "Baby Lover", "With All My Heart" and "Prends Mon Coeur". During the 1960s she became known globally for her popular upbeat hits, including "Downtown", "I Know a Place", "My Love", "Colour My World", "A Sign of the Times", and "Don't Sleep in the Subway". She has sold in excess of 68 million records throughout her career.^[1]

Early years[link]

Born to English father Leslie Norman Clark and Welsh mother Doris (née Phillips), both nurses at Long Grove Hospital, in Epsom, Surrey, England, she was christened Petula Sally Olwen Clark. Her father Leslie coined her first name, jokingly alleging it was a combination of the names of two former girlfriends, Pet and Ulla. As a child, she sang in the chapel choir and showed a talent for mimicry, frequently impersonating Vera Lynn, Carmen Miranda and Sophie Tucker for the amusement of family and friends.^[2] Her father introduced her to theatre when he took her to see Flora Robson in a 1938 production of Mary Tudor; she later recalled that after the performance "I made up my mind then and there I was going to be an actress ... I wanted to be Ingrid Bergman more than anything else in the world."^[3] However, her first public performances were as a singer, performing with an orchestra in the entrance hall of Bentall's Department Store in Kingston upon Thames for a tin of toffee and a gold wristwatch, in 1939.^[4]

In October 1942, Clark made her radio debut while attending a BBC broadcast with her father, hoping to send a message to an uncle stationed overseas. During an air raid, the producer requested that someone perform to settle the jittery audience, and she volunteered a rendering of "Mighty Lak a Rose" to an enthusiastic response in the theatre. She then repeated her performance for the broadcast audience, launching a series of some 500 appearances in programmes designed to entertain the troops.^[5] In addition to radio work, Clark frequently toured the United Kingdom with fellow child performer Julie Andrews. Clark became known as "Britain's Shirley Temple," and she was considered a mascot by the British Army, whose troops plastered her photos on their tanks for good luck as they advanced into battle.^[6]

In 1944, while performing at London's Royal Albert Hall, Clark was discovered by film director Maurice Elvey, who cast her as precocious orphaned waif Irma in his weepy war drama Medal for the General. In quick succession, she starred in Strawberry Roan, I Know Where I'm Going!, London Town, and Here Come the Huggetts, the first in a series of Huggett Family films based on a British radio series. Although some of the films she made in the UK during the 1940s and 1950s were B-films,^{[citation needed]} she worked with Anthony Newley in Vice Versa (directed by Peter Ustinov) and Alec Guinness in The Card as well as the aforementioned I Know Where I'm Going! which is a Powell and Pressburger feature film now generally regarded as a masterpiece (Clark's part was small).

In 1945, Clark was featured in the comic strip Radio Fun, in which she was billed as "Radio's Merry Mimic".^[7]

In 1946, Clark launched her television career with an appearance on a BBC variety show, Cabaret Cartoons, which led to her being signed to host her own afternoon series, titled simply Petula Clark. A second, Pet's Parlour, followed in 1949. In later years, she starred in This is Petula Clark (1966–67) and The Sound of Petula (1972–74).

In 1949, Clark branched into recording with her first release, "Put Your Shoes On, Lucy," for EMI. Because neither EMI nor Decca, for whom she also had recorded, were keen to sign her to a long-term contract, her father, whose own theatrical ambitions had been thwarted by his parents, teamed with Alan A. Freeman to form Polygon Records in order to better control her singing career.^{[citation needed]}. This project was financed with Clark's earnings. She scored a number of major hits in the UK during the 1950s, including "The Little Shoemaker" (1954), "Majorca" (1955), "Suddenly There's a Valley" (1955) and "With All My Heart" (1956).'The Little Shoemaker' was an international hit reaching the coveted No 1 position in Australia, giving her the first of many No 1 records in her career. Although Clark released singles in the United States as early as 1951 (the first was "Tell Me Truly" b/w "Song Of The Mermaid" on the Coral label),^{[citation needed]} it would take thirteen years before the American record-buying public would discover her.^{[citation needed]}

In 1955, Clark became linked romantically with Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson. Speculation that the couple planned to marry became rife. However, with the increasing glare of being in the public spotlight, and Clark's growing fame — her career in France was just beginning — Henderson, reportedly not wanting to end up as "Mr. Petula Clark", decided to end the relationship.^[8] Their professional relationship continued for a couple of years, culminating in the BBC Radio series Pet and Mr. Piano, the last time they worked together,^[9] although they remained on friendly terms. In 1962, he penned a ballad about their break-up, called "There's Nothing More To Say", for Clark's LP In Other Words.

Near the end of 1955, Polygon Records was sold to Nixa Records, then part of Pye Records, which led to the establishment of Pye Nixa Records (subsequently simply Pye). This turn of events effectively signed Clark to the Pye label in the UK, for whom she would record for the remainder of the 1950s, throughout the 1960s, and early into the 1970s.^{[citation needed]}

International fame[link]

In 1958, Clark was invited to appear at the Paris Olympia where, despite her misgivings and a bad cold, she was received with acclaim. The following day she was invited to the office of Vogue Records to discuss a contract. It was there that she met publicist Claude Wolff, to whom she was attracted immediately, and when told he would work with her if she signed with the label, she agreed.^[10] Her initial French recordings were huge successes, and in 1960 she embarked on a concert tour of France and Belgium with Sacha Distel, who remained a close friend until his death in 2004.^{[citation needed]} Gradually she moved further into the continent, recording in German, French, Italian and Spanish, and establishing herself as a multi-lingual performer.

In June 1961, Clark married Wolff, first in a civil ceremony in Paris, then a religious one in her native England. Wanting to escape the strictures of child stardom imposed upon her by the British public, and anxious to escape the influence of her father, she moved to France, where she and Wolff had two daughters, Barbara Michelle and Katherine Natalie, in quick succession. (Their son Patrick was born in 1972.) While Clark focused on her new career in France, she continued to achieve hit records in the UK into the early 1960s, developing a parallel career on both sides of the Channel. Her 1961 recording of Sailor became her first No.1 hit in the U.K., while such follow-up recordings as Romeo and My Friend the Sea landed her in the British Top Ten later that year. In France, Ya Ya Twist (a French language cover of the Lee Dorsey rhythm and blues song "Ya Ya" and the only successful recording of a twist song by a female) and "Chariot" (the original version of I Will Follow Him) became smash hits in 1962, while German and Italian versions of her English and French recordings charted as well. Her recordings of several Serge Gainsbourg songs also were big sellers. She also at this time was made a present of 'Un Enfant' by Jacques Brel, with whom she toured. Clark is one of only a handful of performers to be given a song by Brel. A live recording of this song charted in Canada.

In 1964, Clark wrote the soundtrack for the French crime film A Couteaux Tirés (aka Daggers Drawn) and made a cameo appearance as herself in the film. Although it was only a mild success,^{[citation needed]} it added a new dimension — that of film composer — to her career. Additional film scores she composed include Animato (1969), La bande à Bebel (1966), and Pétain (1989). Six themes from the last were released on the CD In Her Own Write in 2007.

In 1963 and 1964, Clark's British recording career foundered. The composer-arranger Tony Hatch, who had been assisting her with her work for Vogue Records in France and Pye Records in the UK, flew to her home in Paris with new song material he hoped would interest her, but she found none of it appealing.^{[citation needed]} Desperate, he played for her a few chords of an incomplete song that had been inspired by his recent first trip to New York City, which he suggested might be offered to the Drifters. Upon hearing the melody, Clark told him that if he could write lyrics as good as the melody, she wanted to record the tune as her next single. Thus Downtown came into being.^[11]

[edit] "Downtown" era

Outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre, New York City, October 1966.

Neither Clark, who was performing in Canada when the song first received major air-play,^[12] nor Hatch realised the impact the song would have on their respective careers. Released in four different languages in late 1964, "Downtown" was a success in the UK, France (in both the English and the French versions), the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Italy and also Rhodesia, Japan and India. During a visit to London, Warner Bros. executive Joe Smith heard it and acquired the rights for the United States.^{[citation needed]} "Downtown" went to No.1 on the American charts in January 1965, and three million copies were sold in America. It was the first of fifteen consecutive Top 40 hits Clark achieved in the United States, including I Know a Place, My Love, A Sign of the Times, I Couldn't Live Without Your Love, This Is My Song (from the Charles Chaplin film A Countess from Hong Kong), and Don't Sleep in the Subway. The American recording industry honoured her with Grammy Awards for "Best Rock & Roll Record" for "Downtown" in 1964 and for "Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance" for "I Know a Place" in 1965.^{[citation needed]} In 2003, her recording of "Downtown" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

Clark's recording successes led to frequent appearances on American variety programmes hosted by Ed Sullivan and Dean Martin, guest shots on Hullabaloo, Shindig!, The Kraft Music Hall and The Hollywood Palace, and inclusion in musical specials such as The Best on Record and Rodgers and Hart Today.

In 1968, NBC-TV invited Clark to host her own special in the U.S., and in doing so she inadvertently made television history. While singing a duet of "On the Path of Glory," an anti-war song that she had composed, with guest Harry Belafonte, she took hold of his arm, to the dismay of a representative from the Chrysler Corporation, the show's sponsor, who feared that the moment would incur the racist bigotry of Southern viewers. When he insisted that they substitute a different take, with Clark and Belafonte standing well away from one another, Clark and the executive producer of the show — her husband, Wolff — refused, destroyed all other takes of the song and delivered the finished programme to NBC with the touch intact. The programme aired on 8 April 1968, with high ratings and critical acclaim.^[13] (To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original telecast, Clark and Wolff appeared at the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan on 22 September 2008, to discuss the broadcast and its impact, following a broadcast of the programme.^[14])

Clark later was the hostess of two more specials, another one for NBC and one for ABC - one which served as a pilot for a projected weekly series. Clark declined the offer in order to please her children, who disliked living in Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]}

Clark revived her film career in the late 1960s, starring in two big musical films. In Finian's Rainbow (1968), she starred opposite Fred Astaire and she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance. With her role, she again made history by becoming Astaire's final on-screen dance partner. The following year she was cast with Peter O'Toole in Goodbye, Mr. Chips, a musical adaptation of the classic James Hilton novella. (Her last film to date has been the British production Never Never Land, released in 1980.) After that, her output of musical hits in the States diminished markedly,^{[citation needed]} although she continued to record and make television appearances into the 1970s. By the mid-1970s, Clark scaled back her career in order to devote more time to her family. On 31 December 1976, she performed her hit song Downtown on BBC1's A Jubilee Of Music, celebrating British pop music for Queen Elizabeth II's impending Silver Jubilee.

Herb Alpert and his A&M record label benefited from Clark's interest in encouraging new talent. In 1968, she brought French composer/arranger Michel Colombier to the States to work as her musical director and introduced him to Alpert.^{[citation needed]} (He went on to co-write Purple Rain with Prince, composed the acclaimed pop symphony Wings and a number of soundtracks for American films.) Richard Carpenter credited her with bringing him and his sister Karen to Alpert's attention when they performed at a premiere party for Clark's film Goodbye, Mr. Chips.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Post "Downtown" era

During the early 1970s, Clark had chart singles on both sides of the Atlantic with: "Melody Man" (1970); "The Song Of My Life" (1971); "I Don't Know How To Love Him" (1972), "The Wedding Song (There Is Love)" (1972) and "Loving Arms" (1974). In Canada 'Je voudrais Qu'il Soit Malheureux' was a major hit.

Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Clark toured in concerts in the States, and she often appeared in supper clubs such as the Copacabana in New York City, the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, and the Empire Room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where she consistently broke house attendance records.^{[citation needed]} During this period, she also appeared in print and radio ads for the Coca Cola Corp., television commercials for Plymouth automobiles, print and TV spots for Burlington Industries, television and print ads for Chrysler Sunbeam, and print ads for Sanderson Wallpaper in the UK.^{[citation needed]}

In 1954, Clark had starred in a stage production of The Constant Nymph, but it wasn't until 1981, at the urging of her children, that she returned to legitimate theatre, starring as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music in London's West End. Opening to rave reviews and what was then the largest advance sale in British theatre history, Clark - proclaimed by Maria Von Trapp herself as "the best Maria ever" — extended her initial six-month run to thirteen to accommodate the huge demand for tickets.^[15] In 1983, she took on the title role in George Bernard Shaw's Candida. Later stage work includes Someone Like You in 1989 and 1990, for which she composed the score; Blood Brothers, in which she made her Broadway debut in 1993 at the Music Box Theatre, followed by the American tour; and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, appearing in both the West End and American touring productions from 1995 through 2000. In 2004, she repeated her performance of Norma Desmond in a production at the Opera House in Cork, Ireland, which was later broadcast by the BBC.^{[citation needed]} With more than 2,500 performances, she has played the role more often than any other actress.^{[citation needed]}

A new disco re-mix of Downtown called "Downtown '88" was released in 1988 registering Clark's first UK Singles Chart success since 1972, making the Top Ten in the UK in December 1988.^{[citation needed]} A live vocal performance of this version was performed on the BBC show, Top of the Pops.^{[citation needed]} Clark recorded new material regularly throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and in 1992 released "Oxygen", a single produced by Nik Kershaw.^{[citation needed]}

2000-present[link]

In both 1998 and 2002, Clark toured extensively throughout the UK. In 2000, she presented a self-written one-woman show, highlighting her life and career, to large critical and audience acclaim at the St. Denis Theatre in Montreal. A 2003 concert appearance at the Olympia in Paris has been issued in both DVD and compact disc formats. In 2004, she toured Australia and New Zealand, appeared at the Hilton in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Hummingbird Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Humphrey's in San Diego and the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, and participated in a multi-performer tribute to the late Peggy Lee at the Hollywood Bowl.^{[citation needed]} Following another British concert tour in early spring 2005, she appeared with Andy Williams in his Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri, for several months, and she returned for another engagement in autumn of 2006, following scattered concert dates throughout North America.^{[citation needed]}

Clark performing in the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut in 2008

In November 2006, Clark was the subject of a BBC Four documentary entitled Petula Clark: Blue Lady and appeared with Michael Ball and Tony Hatch in a concert at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane broadcast by BBC Radio the following month.^{[citation needed]} In December that year she made her first appearance in Iceland.^{[citation needed]} Duets, a compilation including Dusty Springfield, Peggy Lee, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and the Everly Brothers, among others, was released in February 2007, and Solitude and Sunshine, a studio recording of all new material by composer Rod McKuen, was released in July of that year.^{[citation needed]} She was the host of the March 2007 PBS pledge-drive special My Music: The British Beat, an overview of music's British invasion of the United States in the 1960s, followed by a number of concert dates throughout the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.^{[citation needed]} She can be heard on the soundtrack of the 2007 independent film Downtown: A Street Tale. Une Baladine (in English, a wandering minstrel), an authorised pictorial biography by Francoise Piazza, was published in France and Switzerland in October 2007, and the following month Clark promoted it in bookshops and at book fairs.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, Clark took part in the BBC Wales programme, Coming Home, about her Welsh family history.

Clark was presented with the 2007 Film & TV Music Award for Best Use of a Song in a Television Program for "Downtown" in the ABC series Lost.^{[citation needed]} She completed a concert tour of England and Wales in summer 2008, followed by concerts in Switzerland and the Philippines.^{[citation needed]} Then & Now, a compilation of greatest hits and several new Clark compositions, entered the UK Albums Chart in June 2008 and won Clark her first silver disc for an album.^{[citation needed]} Open Your Heart: A Love Song Collection, a compilation of previously unreleased material and new and remixed recordings, was released in January 2009.^{[citation needed]} Additionally, her 1969 NBC special Portrait of Petula, already released on DVD for Region 2 viewers, is also being produced for Region 1.^{[citation needed]} A collection of holiday songs titled This Is Christmas, which includes some new Clark compositions in addition to previously released material, was released in November 2009.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998, Clark was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.^[16]

At the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland on 14 July 2008, Clark joined with Paulo Nutini to perform "Goin' To Chicago Blues" in celebration of Quincy Jones' 75th birthday.

In 2010, Clark became the President of the Hastings Musical Festival;^{[citation needed]} she toured Australia, New Zealand and Quebec to sell out crowds,^{[citation needed]} and appeared on the Vivement Dimanche show on French television, where she promised a return to Paris in the new year. Her triple album, Une Baladine included 10 new tracks and one new studio recording; "SOS Mozart", a writing collaboration of Gilbert Bécaud and Pierre Delanoë.^{[citation needed]} Both her album set and the new recording of "SOS Mozart" were produced by David Hadzis at the Arthanor Productions studio in Geneva and appeared on the French charts. She is patron of 2011 Dinard British Film Festival.^[17]

Early in 2011, the Lark Street Business Improvement District in a section of the downtown area of Albany, New York, needed a name for its logo/mascot, a graphic image of a blue lark. An internet poll was held and the winner was 'Petula Lark', clearly a reference to the singer of the adopted anthem of New York City's urban area, "Downtown".^[18]

In November 2011, aged 78, Clark performed at the Casino de Paris, a Parisian music hall. Clark entertained for more than 90 minutes and introduced five new songs, one of which she had recently written with friend Charles Aznavour. A French album of all new material is to be released on 7 February 2012 on the Sony label, Clark's first in that language since the late 1970s.[1]

On 11 December 2011, the Saw Doctors released their version of "Downtown", featuring Clark. She appeared in the video for the song, which they recorded in Galway, and she in Paris. ^[19] On 22 December 2011, the record made No 2 on the Irish chart.^[20]

As of 2012, Clark was living in Switzerland.^[21] In January a Facebook campaign was launched to petition for a Damehood for Clark, to celebrate the year of both her 80th birthday and the Diamond Jubilee.^[22] In February she completed her first New York City show since 1975.^[21] Her show featured a parody of "Downtown", an idea that came from her musical director Grant Sturiale.^[21] After her season ended, which had to be extended due to public demand, she returned to Paris to promote her new album, before flying out to Australia for a tour.[2]

Filmography[link]

• Medal for the General (1944)
• Strawberry Roan (1945)
• Murder in Reverse (1945)
• I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
• Trouble at Townsend (1946)
• London Town (1946)
• Vice Versa (1948)
• Easy Money (1948)
• Here Come the Huggetts (1948)
• Vote for Huggett (1949)
• The Huggetts Abroad (1949)
• Don't Ever Leave Me (1949)
• The Romantic Age (1949)
• Dance Hall (1950)
• White Corridors (1951)
• Madame Louise (1951)
• The Card (1952)
• Made in Heaven (1952)
• The Runaway Bus (1954)
• The Gay Dog (1954)
• The Happiness of Three Women (1954)
• Track the Man Down (1955)
• That Woman Opposite (1957)
• 6.5 Special (1958)
• À Couteaux Tirés (1964) (also composed score) (aka "Daggers Drawn" for the American release)
• Finian's Rainbow (1968)
• Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
• Drôles de Zèbres (1977)
• Never, Never Land (1980)
• Sans Famille (1981 French television miniseries)

Discography[link]

Notable French singles[link]

• Prends Mon Coeur ("A Fool Such as I") (1960, No.9)
• "Garde-moi la dernière danse (Save the Last Dance for Me)" (1961, No.3^[23])
• "Marin (Sailor)" (1961, No.2)
• "Roméo" (1961, No.1)
• "Ya Ya Twist" (1962, No.1)
• "Chariot" (later also known as "I Will Follow Him") (1962, No.1)
• "Les Beaux Jours" (original title: "Ramblin' Rose") (1963, No.10)
• "Cœur Blessé" (original title: "Torture" by John D. Loudermilk; lyric by Jean Kluger, Daniel Vangarde, Claude Carrere, Jean Broussolle) (1963, No.1)
• "Je me sens bien auprès de toi (Dance On)" (1963, No.3)
• "Ceux qui ont un cœur (Anyone Who Had a Heart)" (1964, No.7)
• "Dans le temps (Downtown)" (1965, No.6)
• "Un jeune homme bien (Well Respected Man)" (1965)
• "C'est Ma Chanson" ("This is My Song") (1967, No.1)
• "La dernière valse (The Last Waltz)" (1967, No.2)
• "Tout le monde veut aller au ciel" (1967)

Notable German singles[link]

• "Monsieur" (by Karl Götz, Kurt Hertha; German language song) (1962, No.1)
• "Casanova Baciami" (song with German lyric) (1963, No.2)
• "Cheerio" (German language version of "Chariot") (1963, No.6)
• "Mille Mille Grazie" (song with mainly German lyric) (1963, No.9)
• "Warum muß man auseinandergeh'n (Mit weißen Perlen)" (1964, No.17)
• "Alles ist nun vorbei (Anyone Who Had a Heart)" (1964, No.37)
• "Downtown" (1965, German version, No.1)
• "Kann ich dir vertrauen" (1966, No.17)
• "Verzeih' die dummen Tränen" (1966, German version of "My Love", No.21)
• "Love - so heißt mein Song" (1967, German version of "This is My Song", No.23)
• "Alle Leute wollen in den Himmel", (1967, German version of "Tout le monde veut aller au ciel", No.28)

Notable Italian singles[link]

• "Monsieur" (the German song with Italian lyrics by Vito Pallavicini (1962, No.1)
• "Sul mio carro (Chariot)" (1962, No.1)
• "Quelli che hanno un cuore (Anyone who had a heart)" (1964, No.4)
• "Invece no" (Entry at the San Remo Festival 1965, No.5)
• "Ciao, ciao (Downtown)", (1965, No.1)
• "Cara felicita' (This is my song)" (1967, No.1)
• "Kiss Me Goodbye (Italian version)" (1968, No.26)