West Nkosi, originally from Pretoria, South Africa, is a musician, arranger, and composer who began his career when he formed his first kwela (tin pennywhistle) band, the Pretoria Tower Boys, in the late 1950s. He soon started playing pennywhistle for other groups and his reknown spread as he did recording sessions with them. As a result Nkosi started looking for his own recording contract. Soon Nkosi moved to Johannesburg to join the premiere kwela group at that time, Spokes Mashiyane and His All Star Flutes.