“I grew up in the Eastern Cape near a small town, called Paterson. My music started while I was only 5 years old – as a little kid who would go to Old Age homes and mime to the songs of David Kramer. I would be dressed up with typical Khaki baggie pants, white shirt, black waste coat, red tie and of course, red vellie shoes! Well, let’s just say they enjoyed it much more that I did (even though I have the greatest respect for David Kramer as a performer)
By the age of 7, I was not doing David Kramer anymore – I felt that I had outgrown that phase. I was still showing interest in music, but not theory of music. I have always had the ability to hear something on the radio, go sit in front of the piano, and figure a way out to play the tune. So, I can still do that today & I can still not read music, though I try to teach myself more about this.
During the rugby season of my 15th year, I managed to injure my back so badly that I had to stop playing rugby all together – for the rest of my life! I was devastated. That was when my parents encouraged me to take up the guitar, and instrument that I have always wanted to play. For the following 6 months, I literally “Played until my fingers bled” (as Bryan Adams would put it) and there was always someone better than me on the guitar in my boarding house at my school, from whom I could learn a trick or two – guys like Mr. Steve Grobbelaar, Scotty Bremner, Alan Dennis, Justin “Sakkie” Horn all had a profound influence in my development as a musician and guitarist.
By the time I hit university, I was singing in pubs & restaurants during vacations and weekends. This was the time that Theuns Jordaan used to play regularly in Stellenbosch in places like the Terrace, Jan Katz etc and he was kind enough to help me get into some of the venues and let me have some of the cover songs from his music file that he was playing out of at the time.
By the end of my first year at university, my friend Alex Foster asked me whether I could not come help out in their church band. Now, at that time, in my mind, I could not think a musical genre more uncool than gospel music! I think I declined the offer at first, but eventually went to a rehearsal of Exodus, the youth band of Helderberg Congregation in Somerset West.
A year later, Alex & I were convinced that we have to start a band that can play in the clubs & pubs around Cape Town & the Western Cape. This was the time of the South African Indigenous music explosion (post 1994) and bands like The Springbok Nude Girls, Dorp, Sugardrive, Boo!, Arapaho, Just Jinger, & the Usual where playing venues where we would like to hang out and we were convinced that we will join them shortly!
However, one night at Huis Marais Residence, I guy called Jaco Taute came to share his testimony on how God has help him through leukaemia. He challenged us to use our God-given talents for Gods glory and to advance His kingdom on earth. I remember going up to my room, crying my lungs out and with the awareness of God’s presence being so real in my room, felt His invitation to use my musical talent for His glory and for advancing His kingdom. Needless to say that it felt like breaking up with a girlfriend when I went to tell Alex that I will not be pursuing our rock & roll dream with him, but that I felt God wanting to use my music elsewhere.
I never believed in my vocal ability. Today, I have made peace with the voice I have been given – it is the only voice I have, so I would like to use it. But back then, as a student, it was tough to for me to believe that I would be singing “as a front man”. So I started praying that someone with a beautiful voice would come and join me.
And so it happened that Nellis van Zyl Smit’s road and mine crossed in the beginning of 1996 and that was the birth of Merchant Seal. That same weekend, I also met the most amazing girl, called Lettie Schoeman and 6 years later, we got married in Schoemanshoek, near Oudtshoorn, where Lettie grew up. So, looking back, it was a pretty big weekend in my life!
So many people had a HUGE impact on my development as a person and musician during my time in Merchant Seal, but I would like to highlight a few: Nellis van Zyl Smit, Riaan van der Colff, Helmut Meijer, Pierre Tredoux, Pierre Theron, Linka Ba sson, Suzaan Harris, Niel Steenkamp & his family, Leoney Brandt, André Serfontein, Gerhard Niemand, Helene Coetzee, Nathan Curren, Alex Foster, Rian van der Merwe & Johan Steenkamp (van “I’ll give”), Heinz Winckler & Gideon Botes (“Kerugma”), Berand Oosthuizen & Gerhard Stander (van “Ascended Truth”)
During my time in Merchant Seal, we released the following albums:
We ministered together as a band until the 9th of December 2001, the evening of our last concert and final recording of Merchant Seal as we knew it. On the 6th of January 2002, I got married to Lettie and we spent the following year in the United Kingdom. We came back to South Africa the following year, when I had a one year project with Stellenbosch Congregation, to help build their creative communication teams (music, media, sound, dance, drama, lighting, decor etc)
Apart from being the most amazing person I know, my wife is also the most beautiful “dominee” that I know! A position opened up for her at the Stellenbosch Student Church in 2004 and then at Wellington’s Andrew Murray Church in 2005, We have been very involved as a couple in both of these churches, specifically in bringing the word as fresh, music as honest and following Christ with as little pretence as possible.
I have been very busy writing songs during my time in Merchant Seal and after. One of the songs that I co-wrote with Nellis is an old hymn, called “Vaste Fondamente”, which has been very popular in churches in South Africa, thanks to Louis Brittz, who recorded “Vaste Fondamente” on his album “Nuwe Lof”. Louis has been doing much work to introduce the South African Churches with new praise & worship material.
“Kale Knieë” is another song that has drawn some attention, reaching the top 15 of the ATKV Crescendo National Music Competition in 2005
“Element” is my debut solo album and was produced by Helmut Meijer. The response has been overwhelming thus far and “Element” was nominated for the following categories at the ATKV Lier Awards 2006 (South African Christian Music Awards:
- Best Male Production
- Best Debut Album
- Best New Composition with the song “Anders”
- ATKV Lier Overall Winner (read more about it on my NEWS page)
BIO
