The Blues Broers

There is an easy argument to make for the Blues Broers (pronounced "brews") taking the blues right back home, being that Africa is the original starting point for the musical spirit that eventually became the blues, courtesy of the slave trade. In some respects, however, the best argument for the Blues Broers is that they came together out of a perverse drive to fly in the face of the South African music industry and succeed with the kind of music that SA music executives were determined no one really wanted (an attitude parodied in the hidden track "The Ballad of Barry Dale," from their fourth album, Been Around). The band was formed by members of three other bands -- the Flaming Firestones, All Night Radio and Black Frost -- early in 1990, with the Breakfast Brothers horn section being added in 1996 for the recording of their fourth album. The band started playing a heavy gig schedule, criss-crossing South Africa, building a great audience without managing to impress any of South Africa's record companies. The band refused to be stopped by this, however, recording their first album, Shake Like That, in 1990 for a 1991 release on cassette on the band's own Guava Records label. The album, featuring nine original numbers by former band member Johnny Frick, sold out quickly. A second cassette release, Damn Fine Mojo, was recorded in mid-1994 under the supervision of the band's constant producer Willem Moller. The album, released in October of 1994, featured 16-year-old guitar prodigy Albert Frost. The third album, Sharp Street, followed another wave of personnel changes. Released on CD in June of 1995 to general acclaim, the album included more original material and a range of styles that included everything from ragtime to Chicago blues. The band was beginning to attract worldwide attention by this point, including an extensive mention in the Los Angeles Times, whose reporter was very taken with the visual image of the group. 1996's Been Around extended the band's reputation even further, with fourteen original cuts that took in everything from the band's skiffle set to a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan. The late 1996 release of the CD was followed by numerous festival appearances, as well as the usual round of extensive gigging. ~ Steven McDonald