Ray Phiri

Ray Phiri (born 23 March 1947, Hermansberg, near Nelspruit, South Africa – died 12 July 2017, Nelspruit, South Africa) was a South African jazz, fusion and mbaqanga guitarist and vocalist, songwriter, producer and arranger. He founded the soul band The Cannibals (2) in Johannesburg in 1972. When that group folded, he went on to launch Stimela, a hugely successful mbaquanga/fusion outfit which released several platinum-selling albums and appeared on Paul Simon's Graceland album and subsequent tours. He served as chairperson of the Mpumalanga Arts Council.