The South African group, The Soweto Gospel Choir has won one of music's ultimate accolades a 'Grammy award', the 26 member strong group was awarded 'The Best Traditional World Music' for it second album 'Blessed'. The Album was released in 2004 in South Africa but only released in the US last year which qualified it for this years ceremony. The annual award held in Los Angeles was as usual graced by a galaxy of stars from the music industry and beyond.

The win by the Soweto Gospel Choir isn't the first time the country has won laurels at the Grammys. Miriam Makeba led the way, winning the first Grammy Award in 1966 when she received the Grammy for best folk recording together with Harry Belafonte for 'An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba'. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the South African choral group, have been the most successful being the only South African group to win two Grammy Awards. In 1987 they won an award for the album 'Shaka Zulu' in the category of best traditional folk recording and followed this in 2005 with their album 'Raise Your Spirit' in the traditional world music category.

President Thabo Mbeki has congratulated the Gospel Choir on receiving the prestigious Grammy Award for their spiritual uplifting compilations. He stressed that their involvement in community work was one of the many ways in which South Africans could express the rich values of Ubuntu, the South African humanist Ideology. Since their emergence in 2002, the group has performed to the local and international audiences and have won numerous awards including an American Gospel Award and Australian Helpmann Award.