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The modest beginnings of South Africa’s recording industry. [According to Veit Erlmann, but he does not say what it is.] (Erlmann, African Stars, p. 142)

Trewhela suggests that the first recordings by Clarence Vivian Becker, an attorney, but also specialising in humurous monologues, were made in 1908 (based on a report in Die Burger from 1963). (Trewhela, Song Safari, p. 35)

Foreign recordings are first advertised in South Africa. Amongst these is the Afrikaans track Vat Jou Goed en Trek, Ferreira. (Muller, p.41) The record dealer, Mackay Brothers, advertised Zonophone 10" double discs for 3 shillings and six pence and 12" disc for 5 shillings. (Trewhela, Song Safari, p. 44)

Daar Kom die Alibama is recorded by Mac Jackson and released on the Zonophone label at some point during this period. The exact date is inconclusive. The label refers to the music as "Kitchen Dutch". (Trewhela, Song Safari, p. 35)

Hugh Tracey, after working with Karanga men in the fields of Southern Rhodesia and learning their language; takes the men to Johannesburg to make the first ever recordings of Rhodesian traditional music. (Hudson, Rough Guide, p. 669) [This is contradicted by Coplan who states:] Tracey, then based in Durban, made a pioneering field recording expedition to Mozambique and Rhodesia. (Coplan, tonight, p. 162)

The Karanga men were recorded by Columbia Records (UK) on a visit to South Africa. (Muller, p.10) [Reconcile with Meintjes in 1930.] These recordings were sent to producer, John Hammond of CBS in New York, who would incude one of them in his concert series, From Spirituals to Swing at Carnegie Hall in 1938. (Muller, p.10)

Mr. Smith Wakes Up, a British film, is the first "talkie" to be shown in South Africa in Johannesburg on July 6th. (Muller, p.42) RKO's first sound musical, Syncopation, is shown in Johannesburg on September 13th and Al Jolson's The Singing Fool soon follows. (Muller, p.42)

Al Jolson's Sonny Boy helps boost sales for Gallo's Brunswick store. (Trewhela, Song Safari, p. 34)

Early in the 1930s Eric Gallo shifts his business into wholesale. In 1930 and 1931 he sends Afrikaans musicians and then African musicians to UK to record for his new SINGER label. (Meintjies, p. 276, Allingham, Rough Guide, p. 638)
Gallo sends Griffith Motsieloa and Ignatius Monare to London to record songs. Motsieloa gets there 10 days before Caluza’s arrival at the HMV studios.  (Erlmann, African Stars, p. 143) Daniel Marivate also records in London at the Decca Studios for Gallo. (Coplan, Tonight, p. 162)

The first Afrikaans recordings released by Gallo came about during the 1930 Empire games when a number of Springbok athletes, Harry Hart, JH Viljoen, and Quentin Davies were asked to record a few sports songs in the UK. (Trewhela, Song Safari, p. 35)

Hugh Tracey travels to Southern Rhodesia and records, amongst others, two musicians that he recalls later in particular, Kadore and Kaninungu in Mtoko. When he returns 15 years later in 1948 to rerecord the brothers he finds that Kadore has died. (AMS Newsletter, vol.1 no.1, 1948)

From June 1932 to July 1933 Tracey records over 600 tracks on aluminum discs. (Muller, p.11)

Short programs in isiZulu, Xhosa and Sesotho resume on the English and Afrikaans radio services after being suspended in 1945. Two “African programs” were broadcast on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:45 to 10:15am. (Erlmann, Nightsong, p. 251

Hamm has it as three broadcasts a week in Xhosa (from Cape Town) and Sotho (from Johannesburg) intepolated in the English and Afrikaans services; while Zulu is broadcast daily in Durban. [Hamm, MMPM, p. 214]

Harris changes the name of La Fayette to Trutone Industries. (Meintjes)

Arthur Harris asks Anton De Waal (aka George Charles Gunn) to set up a music publishing office for Trutone. Ralph Trewhela is asked to do the same for Gallo. (Trewhela, Song Safari, p. 57) De Waal would go on to become a succesful song writer with Nico Carstens.

The SABC introduces a rediffussion service for the township of Orlando on August 8th, 1952. Service was only avaiable via paid subscription from 6 am to 9 pm during the week and 9 am until 9 pm on Sundays. (Hamm, PPMP, p. 215)

The Rediffusion Service relaying African language broadcasts is introduced. It broadcasts in Southern Sotho, Zulu and Xhosa to townships west of Johannesburg. (Erasmus, Pumahouse) [Erlmann dates this to the early 40s.] This service targeting elite black South Africans initially has 4300 subscribers but expands to 14 000 by 1956. (Hamm, PPMP, p. 217))

At Gallotone, Miriam Makeba is asked to sing solo, the song Lakutshuna Ilangu, with the Manahattan Brothers backing. This is her first record under her own name. The song, a Xhosa tune composed by Makhwenkwe Dvushe aka Mackay Davashe, is a hit and travels overseas. In 1955, American songwriter, Tom Glazer, writes English lyrics for the tune and Gallotone asks Makeba to rerecord the song in English. The new song is called Lovely Lies. (Makeba, My Story, p. 52)

In February the web-site for the rap group, Die Antwoord, goes viral after a posting on BoingBoing (February 1st). By the end of the month a review of the site had already made its way into The New Yorker magazine. The buzz around the group help draw attention to a number of other South African artists working in a similar style—termed Zef—including Jack Parow, who recently issued a self-titled CD. Some critics accused the group of exploiting lower-class white and 'coloured' cultures, and depicting a personae that was essentially 'fake'. On the other hand their 'role-playing' could be viewed as something similar to Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali-G or Borat. The group features long time rapper, Ninja, aka Watkin Tudor Jones, Yo-Landi Visser, DJ Hi-Tek and was recently signed to Interscope Records in the US.