Andrew Tracey was born in Durban. He is a South African ethnomusicologist, promoter of African music, composer, folk singer, band leader and actor. His father, Hugh Tracey, who pioneered the study of traditional African music, created the International Library of African Music (ILAM) and African Musical Instruments (AMI) in the 1950s and Andrew assumed responsibility for directing the work of ILAM and the AMI after Hugh’s death in 1977.

Andrew studied anthropology, languages, and informally, folk music at Oxford University.