Johnny Clegg formed the first racially mixed South African band, Juluka, with gardener and Zulu street musician Sipho Mchunu. Because it was frowned upon (although not actually forbidden by law) for racially mixed bands to perform in South Africa during the apartheid era. Their first album Third world child sold a total of 1.3 million in France, Switzerland , Belgium , Germany, Spain, England and SA. At the same time it occupied the no 1 position on the album charts in France. The group also held the no 2 position with Shadow Man so the no 1 and 2 position were held by their 1st and 2nd albums at the same time.
Juluka's / Clegg's music was both implicitly and explicitly political; not only was the fact of the success of the band (which openly celebrated African culture in a non-racial band) a thorn in the flesh of a political system based on racial separation, the band also produced some explicitly political songs.
Certainly one of Africa’s most popular musicians, the "The White Zulu", is an important figure in South African popular music history, with songs that mix Zulu and English lyrics, and African/ European /Celtic music styles.
Their last album Heat, Dust And Dreams was nominated for a Grammy Award for best album in the category of World Music.
Juluka toured Europe and had two platinum and five gold albums, becoming an international success. After Juluka was disbanded in 1986, Clegg formed his second inter-racial band, Savuka, continuing to blend African music with European, especially Celtic, influences.
Johnny Clegg was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (Knight of Arts and Letters) by the French Government in 1991; in 2004 he was voted 23rd in the SABC3's Great South Africans and in 2007 Clegg received an honorary doctorate in music from the University of the Witwatersrand.