Johannes Kerkorrel

Johannes Kerkorrel
Birth name	Ralph John Rabie
Born	27 March 1960 Johannesburg, South Africa
Died	Kleinmond, near Hermanus, South Africa
Years active	1986–2002

Johannes Kerkorrel (27 March 1960 – 12 November 2002), born Ralph John Rabie, was a South African singer-songwriter, journalist and playwright.

Early life and career

Born in Johannesburg, Rabie worked as a journalist for the Afrikaans weekly newspaper Rapport. In 1986, as apartheid reached its zenith under National Party-led government under State President P.W. Botha, Rabie started performing politically themed cabaret at arts festivals under his new stage name (kerkorrel meaning church organ in Afrikaans). In 1987, Rabie was fired by Rapport for using quotes from Botha's speeches in his music; he then became a full-time musician and performer under the name Johannes Kerkorrel en die Gereformeerde Blues Band (Johannes Kerkorrel and the Reformed Blues Band), a deliberate reference to the Reformed Church. The band also included the Afrikaans singer-songwriter Koos Kombuis. At the time their brand of new Afrikaans music was dubbed alternatiewe Afrikaans (alternative Afrikaans) and exposed divergent political views to a new generation of Afrikaners.

In 1989, they released the album Eet Kreef (Eat Crayfish) on the now-defunct Shifty Records label, which was a commercial success despite its tracks being banned from radio airplay by the state-controlled South African Broadcasting Corporation, which was (and still is) the government mouthpiece. The subsequent regional tour of college campuses and art festivals was called Voëlvry (literally free as a bird but here meaning outlawed), and Rabie's controversial reinvention of Afrikaans popular music became known as the Voëlvry movement.

In 1990, Rabie visited Amsterdam, and almost simultaneously the track Hillbrow from the Eet Kreef album became a hit in Belgium, and Rabie followed its success with a solo tour. In subsequent years he enjoyed substantial artistic success in Belgium and the Netherlands, and spent much of his time in Belgium. Here he also befriended Stef Bos, a Dutch cabaret artist, with whom he would share a number of concerts.

Death

Rabie hanged himself on 12 November 2002 in Kleinmond, near Hermanus on the Western Cape coast. He was survived by his long-term gay partner, and by his ex-wife and son.

Awards

• 1995 SAMA – Best Pop Music Performance for Cyanide in the Beefcake
• 1997 SAMA – Best Male Vocalist and Best Adult Contemporary Album: Afrikaans for Ge-trans-for-meer
• 2001 Geraas – Best pop album and Best adaptation for Die Ander Kant
• 2013 SAMA – Lifetime Achievement Award

Discography

• Eet Kreef (1989)
• Bloudruk (1992)
• Cyanide in the Beefcake (1994)
• Ge-trans-for-meer (1996)
• Tien Jaar Later (1998)
• Sing Koos du Plessis (1999)
• Die Ander Kant (2000)
• Voëlvry Die Toer (2002)
• Kerkorrel – Best Of: Pêrels Voor Die Swyne (2003)
• Hoe Ek Voel (2012) – issued to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of Rabie's death

Tributes

After Rabie's death, several artists recorded tribute songs to his life and work. An incomplete list follows:

• Stef Bos – Pelgrimsrus
• Riku Lätti – Ysbeer
• Amanda Strydom – Ek Het Gedroom
• Karen Zoid – Foto Teen Die Muur
• Jak De Priester – Kerkorrel
• Kristoe Strauss – Sit Dit Self Af
• Jan Blohm – Johnny K

Covers

Rabie is a much covered artist. Among the cover versions that exist are:

• Stef Bos – Hillbrow
• Riku Lätti – Somer
• Amanda Strydom – Hoe Ek Voel and Halala Afrika
• Van Coke Kartel - Energie

See also

• Bernoldus Niemand
• Koos Kombuis