Roger Lucey

Last updated

Roger Lucey
Born (1954-01-21) 21 January 1954 (age 69)
Durban
Genresrock 'n roll, blues, jazz, kwela
Years active1977–present
Labels3rd Ear Music, Wea International, Rootspring
Website www.rogerlucey.co.za

Roger Lucey (born 1954) is a South African musician, journalist, filmmaker, actor, and educator. In the late 1970s and early 1980s his early career as a musician was destroyed by Paul Erasmus of the Security Branch of the South African Police, because the lyrics to Lucey's protest songs were considered a threat to the Apartheid State. [1] Although already aware of his anti-apartheid songs, the South African Government's security apparatus only swung into action to destroy Lucey's career after he performed a radical song in a programme on Voice of America radio. The criminal methods used against Lucey formed part of the testimony given by Paul Erasmus in front of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. [2] [3]

Contents

Career

Roger Lucey was born in 1954 and grew up in Durban and was strongly influenced by his Zulu friend Jabulani Makatini. [4] Alongside Makatini, Lucey as a young white child went into the townships which revealed a side from which most white South Africans were separated as per law. [1] According to Drewett "Lucey grew increasingly aware of the incongruence between apartheid ideology and the lived experience of black South Africans." [5] As a result of this awareness, Lucey began writing protest songs based on this inequality and injustice in South Africa. [6]

Lucey started as a folk musician playing acoustic guitar and singing covers and his own songs with a very gravelly voice. [7] He started performing in Durban's coffee bars but did not, however, distance himself from political issues such as Alan Jeffrey, Steve Newman, the Kitchen Brothers and Jan Hofmeyer. [8] His musical style focused on rock 'n roll fused with blues, jazz and kwela. [1] Lucey can be regarded as an "activist-performing" through his political songs, who believed in the anti-apartheid movement. [6] Despite this, he did not join a political group or become an official spokesperson for any group. [7] Moreover, when performing live he was oftentimes accompanied by a three-man band called the Zub Zub Marauders with Lucey himself playing guitar and singing. [9] In addition to Lucey, the group consists of Ilne Hofmeyr, Tich James and Jonny Blundell. [10]

During the 1970s, Roger Lucey performed his political songs throughout the Johannesburg circuit also performing in bigger venues such as His Majesty's Theatre and the Market Theatre. [1] He gained widespread popularity through live performances but also through the release of his albums The Road is Much Longer (1979) and Half Alive (1980). [1] He also received publicity through the press and an interview for a radio programme by Voice of America that played his political songs. [1] However, Lucey also received unwanted attention in the form of the South African Police after the interview had aired. [9]

The police set up a variety of measures into silencing Roger Lucey's message led by Paul Erasmus. Drewett stated that "[t]hese included attending and recording Lucey’ shows (later to be transcribed), raiding his house, interrogating him, bugging his telephone, intercepting his post, and monitoring press reports about Lucey." [1] Letters he obtained of invitations to festivals and clubs were destroyed and news regarding forthcoming performances were used to threaten venue owners. [5] After the release of his records, they were confiscated from the independent stores and by 1974 with the passing of the Publications Act, censorship of Lucey grew harsher. [11] A Directorate of Publications were set up through the law, which banned subsequently Lucey's The Road is Much Longer (1979). [12] This, however debilitating, did not stop Lucey from recording and performing his music.

Roger Lucey also wrote the protest song "Lungile Thabalza" (1979), which was also subjected to banning by the Directorate of Publications. [13] The song discusses an activist who died in police custody. [14] Lucey, along with Jennifer Ferguson, the Kalahari Surfers and the Cherry Faced Lurchers, among others, contributed songs to Shifty Records' Forces Favourites, which was a support to the End Conscription Campaign. [6] [15] Lucey also wrote songs such as "You only need say nothing" (1979) and "The boys are in town" (1980) that commented on the South African Border War. [16] Roger Lucey also toured internationally to countries such as Britain, United States, Botswana and Namibia, among others. [17]

Roger Lucey formed part of a group that offered an alternative to apartheid hegemony alongside James Phillips, the Kalahari Surfers, Juluka, Savuka, Bright Blue, Mzwakhe Mbuli, Bayete, and Stimela. [18]

Educational qualifications

Lucey holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Duke University, North Carolina.

Musician, songwriter and composer

Lucey has recorded five albums of his own songs. He has composed music for several documentaries and plays, and has toured Namibia and South Africa playing guitar, keyboard, saxophone, flute and percussion.

Actor, playwright and writer

Extensive work as voice artist on commercials and documentary films. Actor on commercials, both local and international, and performer in films, drama series and plays. Worked with Nicolas Ellenbogen and Theatre for Africa. Writer of two plays for Theatre for Africa; The High Cost of Living directed by Andrew Brent, and Newsroom directed by Nicolas Ellenbogen. Both premiered at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown. Writer of several articles on news related stories. An article on the conflict in Chechnya (published in Playboy magazine) was nominated for a Mondi award. Arts correspondent for Cape Etc., a lifestyle magazine based in Cape Town. Wrote a chapter in Shoot the Singer!: Music Censorship Today. [19]

Roger Lucey's book, Back in From the Anger, was published in 2012 by Jacana Media. It recounts his experience as a young musician in South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. [20]

Archive

Lucey donated his archival material including photographs, vinyl records, letters and documents, to the Hidden Years Music Archive, preserved at the Documentation Centre for Music, Stellenbosch University, in 2017.

Discography

Roger Lucey produced four albums, namely:

Related Research Articles

A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for protest and social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs. It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Clegg</span> South African musician and anti-apartheid icon (1953–2019)

Jonathan Paul Clegg, was a South African musician, singer-songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist.

Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1980s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music and often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples, deep bass lines, and vocals. Despite its similarities to hip hop music, kwaito has a distinctive manner in which the lyrics are sung, rapped and shouted.

<i>Cry Freedom</i> 1987 British-South African drama film

Cry Freedom is a 1987 epic apartheid drama film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, set in late-1970s apartheid-era South Africa. The screenplay was written by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods. The film centres on the real-life events involving South African activist Steve Biko and his friend Donald Woods, who initially finds him too radical, and attempts to understand his way of life. Denzel Washington stars as Biko, while Kevin Kline portrays Woods. Cry Freedom delves into the ideas of discrimination, political corruption, and the repercussions of violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negu Gorriak</span>

Negu Gorriak were an underground Spanish group from the Basque Autonomous Community. Their musical style combines various styles of rock music such as hardcore punk, hip-hop, ska, and reggae, although it is impossible to separate the band from its political ideology and its identification with the Basque Country and its language (Euskara).

Prophets of Da City (POC) is a hip hop crew from Cape Town, South Africa. They are composed of about eight members, though the exact membership fluctuates frequently; these include Ishmael Morabe (vocals), Mark Heuvel (dance), Shaheen Ariefdien, Ramone and DJ Ready D. Their style uses elements of hip hop music, reggae and traditional African rhythms. Their albums include Our World (1990), Boom Style (1992), Age of Truth (1993), Phunk Phlow (1994), Universal Souljaz (1995), and Ghetto Code (1997). They are currently signed under the independent record label Ghetto Ruff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salman Ahmad</span> Pakistani musician

Salman Ahmad is a Pakistani born-American musician, rock guitarist, physician, activist, occasional actor and professor at the City University of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biko (song)</span> 1980 song by Peter Gabriel

"Biko" is an anti-apartheid protest song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released by Charisma Records as a single from Gabriel's eponymous third album in 1980.

Juluka was a South African band formed by the late Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. Juluka means "sweat" in Zulu, and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu. The band was closely associated with the mass movement against apartheid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shifty Records</span>

Shifty Records was a South African anti-apartheid record label founded by Lloyd Ross and Ivan Kadey in 1982/3, which existed for around ten years.

The National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) was an important force for liberalism and later radicalism in South African student anti-apartheid politics. Its mottos included non-racialism and non-sexism.

Richard Turner, known as Rick Turner, was a South African academic and anti-apartheid activist who was murdered, possibly by the South African security forces, in 1978. Nelson Mandela described Turner "as a source of inspiration".

Paul Erasmus was a South African Security Police officer who testified to the Goldstone Commission, and later the Truth and Reconciliation Commission about police dirty tricks and violence during the apartheid era. This testimony revealed the existence of a unit in the Security Police called STRATCOM that specialised in misinformation and propaganda against opponents of the regime. Erasmus also testified on the police efforts to discredit Winnie Madikizela-Mandela by spreading false rumours about sexual affairs and drug use.

Kessie Govender was a pioneering voice in South African protest theatre, a playwright, actor and theatre director, who founded the Stable Theatre, a Durban-based theatre company in 1970 and is best known for his plays, Working Class Hero (1979) and The Shack (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephan Said</span> American musician

Stephan Othman Said, aka Stephan Smith, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, writer, and global activist. He hosts borderless, a docuseries about people at the front lines of change, produced by difrent:, Inc. where he travels the world meeting people through music and discovering stories of courage and creativity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrick Sony</span> Musical artist

Warrick Swinney, more commonly known as Warrick Sony, is a South African composer, producer, musician and sound designer. He is the founder and sole permanent member of the Kalahari Surfers. They made politically radical satirical music in 1980s South Africa, and released it through the London-based Recommended Records. During this time the Surfers toured Europe with English session musicians.

"Soweto Blues" is a protest song written by Hugh Masekela and performed by Miriam Makeba. The song is about the Soweto uprising that occurred in 1976, following the decision by the apartheid government of South Africa to make Afrikaans a medium of instruction at school. The uprising was forcefully put down by the police, leading to the death of between 176 and 700 people. The song was released in 1977 as part of Masekela's album You Told Your Mama Not to Worry. The song became a staple at Makeba's live concerts, and is considered a notable example of music in the movement against apartheid.

"Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)", also known as "Bring Him Back Home", is an anthemic anti-apartheid protest song written by South African musician Hugh Masekela. It was released as the first track of his 1987 album Tomorrow. It was recorded in 1986 when Masekela was in exile from the apartheid regime of South Africa. The melody of the song is buoyant, containing a number of powerful chords and trumpet riffs. The lyrics of the song demand the release of Black South African leader Nelson Mandela, who had been imprisoned by the White South African government on Robben Island since 1962. The song became enormously popular, and turned into an unofficial anthem of the anti-apartheid movement. It became one of Masekela's most performed live songs. It was later used as a part of the official soundtrack to the documentary film Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony. The song was included in the 1994 live album Hope and in the 2001 collection Grazing in the Grass: The Best of Hugh Masekela, released by Columbia Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music in the movement against apartheid</span> One of the methods of opposition used against the apartheid regime

The apartheid regime in South Africa began in 1948 and lasted until 1994. It involved a system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy, and placed all political power in the hands of a white minority. Opposition to apartheid manifested in a variety of ways, including boycotts, non-violent protests, and armed resistance. Music played a large role in the movement against apartheid within South Africa, as well as in international opposition to apartheid. The impacts of songs opposing apartheid included raising awareness, generating support for the movement against apartheid, building unity within this movement, and "presenting an alternative vision of culture in a future democratic South Africa."

The South African Musicians' Alliance (SAMA) is a union, artist collective, and resistance movement formed by musicians in South Africa who opposed the censorship and suppression of the apartheid regime. The alliance was formed sometime before 1983. SAMA musicians flouted the government's imposed racial segregation and restrictions on music content. Three of SAMA's priorities were freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and freedom of association.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Drewett, Michael (January 2005). "'Stop This Filth': The Censorship of Roger Lucey's music in Apartheid South Africa". SAMUS. 25 (1): 53–70.
  2. ↑ "Tuning into The Enemy". BBC Radio 4. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2008. At the age of 18, Afrikaner Paul Erasmus went into the police force. Roger Lucey wrote protest songs and went to political meetings with his university friends. Paul systematically wrecked Roger's musical career, bugging his house, pressurising WEA records to drop him and personally seizing his records from stores. In 1995, he asked to meet Lucey in person and confessed all. They now consider themselves friends.
  3. ↑ Roger Lucey, Ole Reitov (April 2005). Video interview. Harare: freemuse.org. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Lucey, Roger (2012). Back in from the Anger. South Africa: Jacana Media.
  5. 1 2 Korpe, Marie (2004). Shoot the Singer!: Music Censorship Today (Volume 1 ed.). United States of America: Freemuse. p. 68.
  6. 1 2 3 Constant-Martin, Dennis (2013). Sounding the Cape: Music, Identity and Politics in South Africa. South Africa: African Minds. p. 149.
  7. 1 2 Feldman, Peter (12 July 1979). "Lucey's too hot to handle here". The Star.
  8. ↑ Lee, Patrick (28 June 1979). "Lucey shines at music festival". Rand Daily Mail.
  9. 1 2 Ansell, Gwen (2005). Soweto: Jazz, Popular Music, and Politics in South Africa. United States of America: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
  10. ↑ "Roger Lucey in action at the Chelsea". Rand Daily Mail. 10 March 1981. p. 5.
  11. ↑ Glanville, Jo (2010). Smashed Hits 2.0. SAG Publications Ltd. p. 42.
  12. ↑ Mason, Andy (1978). What's So Funny: Under the Skin of South African Cartooning. South Africa: Juta & Company Ltd. p. 91.
  13. ↑ Stahl, Geoff (2021). Nocturnes: Popular Music and the Night. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 132.
  14. ↑ Banchs, Edward (2022). Scream for Me, Africa!: Heavy Metal Identities in Post-Colonial Africa. USA: Intellect Ltd.
  15. ↑ Van der Merve, Schalk (2017). On record: Popular Afrikaans Music & Society 1900-2017. South Africa: Sun Media. p. 110.
  16. ↑ Drewett, Michael (2003). "Battling over Borders: Narratives of Resistance to the South African Border War Voice through Popular Music". Social Dynamics. 29 (1): 78–98.
  17. ↑ Harber, Anton (15 February 1980). "Big tour planned by Roger Lucy". The Springs and Brakpan Advertiser.
  18. ↑ Drewett, Michael (2012). "Satirical opposition in popular music within Apartheid and Post-Apartheid South Africa". Society in Transition. 33 (1): 80–95.
  19. ↑ Lucey 2004, p. 67.
  20. ↑ Roger Lucey, Back in From the Anger. Jacana Media, 2012
  21. ↑ Drewett, Drewett (2008). "Developing a retro brand community: Re-releasing and marketing anti-apartheid protest music in post-apartheid South Africa". Consumption, Markets and Culture. 11 (4): 287–305 – via Taylor & Francis Group.
  22. ↑ "Roger Lucey". Discogs. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.