Josh Groban covers South African freedom song, Weeping




Click here to visit my "Weeping" Homepage

Click here to view the lyrics of "Weeping"
Click here to read about the development of "Weeping"
Click here to see the story of Bright Blue
Click here to view some details about Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Click here to read a little about Vusi Mahlasela's story
Click here to view a very compressed history of the anti Apartheid movement in South Africa
Click here to read my story

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Josh Groban has recorded "Weeping", a freedom-song familiar in South Africa, for release in November, 2006, on his album, "Awake".

Groban is a native of Los Angeles, California, and, early in life, displayed a tremendous gift for singing.
Later, Groban enrolled in the famous Interlochen Arts Camp, where Groban took singing lessons outside of school for the first time.

Soon Groban was introduced to famous arranger/producer David Foster by his teacher, and worked for Foster as a rehearsal singer.
Thus, while filling in for Andrea Bocelli, Groban got "noticed" while running through a song with Celine Dion.

After one year at university, Groban left when Warner Brothers Records offered him a deal.
Groban's self-titled debut album followed in November, 2001, and reached "double-platinum" sales.
Earlier in 2001, Groban had also made a guest appearance on TV's "Ally McBeal" series.

In 2002, Groban teamed up with Charlotte Church to perform "The Prayer" at the Winter Olympics closing ceremonies,
and Groban's own "Josh Groban In Concert" special was aired on PBS.
The Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, was another event at which Groban performed.

"Closer", Groban's follow-up album, appeared in November, 2003, and, in two months, had climbed the Billboard charts to number one.
From that album, probably the best-known song was Groban's version of "You Raise Me Up".

The soundtrack to the movie "Troy" is another project on which Groban subsequently performed, as well as a performance by Groban in the the animated feature "The Polar Express".

In November, 2004, a second live DVD from Groban, Live At The Greek, appeared. TV appearances including The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live followed for Groban.

"Awake", Groban's latest album, has now been completed, for a November, 2006, release.


Click here for "Weeping" Homepage


















Weeping , written by Dan Heymann (sometimes mis-spelled as Dan Heyman ), is a famous protest song that emerged from the South African anti Apartheid movement during the mid-1980's, and this song of freedom has been recorded by many artists, including noted South African band Bright Blue and, more recently, Josh Groban , in a collaboration with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Vusi Mahlasela , who has previously released a solo recording of this song of protest . The anti Apartheid lyrics Weeping contains are among the most-recorded freedom song lyrics of any protest song to have come out of South Africa. The Weeping song (rights to which are partially controlled by Muffled Music ) led to a February, 2006, encounter between singer Josh Groban and songwriter Dan Heymann (occasionally mis-spelled as Heyman ) at New York City's Sony Studios, a legendary institution which has given many a song freedom to soar. It was a thrill for Dan to hear his anti Apartheid song being recorded by such a high-caliber team. Having been a musician in contact with various anti-Apartheid movements during the Freedom-Struggle in South Africa, when examining the Weeping lyrics , Dan was thrilled to feel the connection of his lyric to protest song tradition. When the time came to add backing vocals, nobody needed to teach Vusi Mahlasela lyrics to the Weeping song , having already performed it live so many times, and this new rendition of Dan's familiar rhyming- lyric protest song should give the song freedom to reach many new listeners. Many protest songs were inspired by the anti Apartheid movement and Dan is proud that his freedom song has been so well-received, particularly when there are already so many wonderful anti-Apartheid protest song lyrics in existence.