Who were the first musicians to break the Apartheid boycott?
Some of the best music has come from giving back to the community. Even though it might seem trivial to try to change the world with a song in one’s heart, there are many times when that kind of need for change goes a long way. While many have brought disparate fans together through song, it became a dividing line when dealing with the structure of Apartheid in the 1980s.
During the ’80s, the people of South Africa were suffering from a significant power shift, which led to many far-reaching plans, including mass segregation across the region. In an attempt to keep the economy from benefiting from racist decisions, many citizens began a boycott to prove that such practices would not have been able to prosper under the circumstances.
These racist practices weren’t even limited to the citizens, either. In 1961, Sidney Poitier would only be accepted as one of the guest entertainers at one of his South African shows if he were treated like an indentured servant to his manager rather than a human in his own right.
Those same people like to listen to music in their spare time, and it was up to big-name artists as to whether they would support the South African government by putting their performance fees into the wrong hands. In the late 1960s, Gram Parsons became one of the first to stand up against the practices, eventually quitting The Byrds to found The Flying Burrito Brothers after the band decided to play gigs in South Africa.
Although the boycott held strong for many years, other artists saw the importance of bringing their music to their fans. Despite the conditions, Frank Sinatra would later hold many concerts in South Africa to promote the casino Sun City. His press agent told Rolling Stone, “Sinatra’s appearance at Sun City could strongly influence other entertainers who may be reluctant to perform there because they assume that Bophuthatswana is in South Africa.”
As artists started to make more significant steps towards entering the country, acts like America felt the core focus of their involvement was to give audiences hope. They explained, “We like to think that our songs and our way of life – the fact that we’re Americans having a good time – might give them hope that there is an outside world where this stuff doesn’t happen.”
Even though some spirits may have been lifted through the power of music, the artists wanted to help lead with their wallets and hearts. When Dire Straits eventually decided to play in the country, they ensured that the success of their highest-charting singles in South Africa went to Amnesty International instead of the South African government.
While acts like Paul Simon were still interested in working with African musicians when recording the album Graceland in South Africa, he also made sure that he would not be giving any of his royalties to the government. Other artists quickly followed in the footsteps against the segregated practices, with Artists Against Apartheid being formed to make an album entitled Sun City, featuring members of The E Street Band and U2 standing up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves. Even though some artists turned a blind eye to politics, others saw their position with a microphone as a way to enact the kind of change they wanted to see in the world.
