Julian Bahula

Julian Bahula OIG (13 March 1938 – 1 October 2023) was a South African drummer, composer and bandleader, based from 1973 in Britain, where he formed the music ensemble Jabula.

Biography Sebothane Julian Bahula was born in Eersterust, Pretoria, South Africa. He first gained a reputation as a drummer in the band Malombo. He migrated to England in 1973 and subsequently formed the group Jabula, which in 1977 combined with the group of saxophonist Dudu Pukwana to form Jabula Spear. He booked a lot of musicians who were also political refugees; his series began to symbolize a movement for change. Players such as Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, and Hugh Masekela were among the performers whose early British appearances were organized by Bahula." drawing a 3,000-strong audience and raising the international profile of Mandela and other political prisoners.

Bahula married twice: Liza Breen (née Carpenter) in 1978; after her death in 2016, he married Pinky Miles in 2018. Bahula died on 1 October 2023, at the age of 85.