Born on 30 July 1956 in Jamaica, West Indies, this multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer moved to Britain in 1962. After running a reggae sound system he joined Hott Wax, (which evolved into Brit Funk pioneers Hi-Tension after he left) and in the late 70s was a mainstay of hit group Kandidate. He set up a studio in his north London house and initially recorded with the group Proton on Champagne. Fearon's first recording as Galaxy (with assistance from singers Julie and Dorothy) was Head Over Heels on Ensign in 1982, which became a club hit. The first success came with the top-five hit Dancing Tight in 1983 and, over the next 15 months, they chalked up a further four UK Top 40 singles including Top 10s What Do I Do and Everybody's Laughing. Their radio-friendly pop/soul debut album Phil Fearon & Galaxy also made the Top 10 in 1984 and is still played on Heart 104.9FM and a host of other radio stations in South Africa. After a quiet period, Fearon returned to the Top 10 with a revival of Tony Etoria's I Can Prove It in 1986 (also a small US R&B hit). In 1987, Fearon founded and managed a successful record label called Production House Records. He continued to run a production company from his home, making commercial dance records. Fearon returned to performing as a special guest at the Caister Soul Weekender in May 2010, and has since continued to appear at 80s soul nights and various festivals around the UK and abroad.
The Black Ties are three of South Africa's premier entertainers who came together in 2007: Chad Saaiman, Keeno Lee, and Lloyd Jansen. Entertaining, charming, witty and above all lots of fun, the boys rise to any occasion. The Black Ties have received SAMA nominations and Metro FM Awards and performed with Grammy-nominated R&B superstar Tevin Campbell on the Divos 2013 show.
Garth Taylor's reputation as a live performer earned him the opportunity to perform with a number of stars including Simply Red, Shaggy, Jonathan Butler and the late Brenda Fassie. A highlight was performing at Richard Branson's son's wedding. Taylor has an impressive array of hits under his belt including Only With You, Tonight, the smash country hit duet Islands In The Stream, and If I Gave You My Soul and Home Again from his last album: 'Stripped Down, Soul'd Out.' But it was his 1998 hit Why, off the 'Without You' album, which put him on the map, sitting on top of the local charts for seven consecutive weeks and which is considered as one of the classics in the South African songbook.
Mario Ogle is best known for his SAMA-nominated debut album Can't Stop Loving You, which was certified Gold for sales in excess of 20,000 copies. His second album, 'Superman' was released soon after and both albums produced several radio hits including: Can't Stop Loving You, Superman, All I Do, Music, Techno Fancy and many more. A prolific songwriter, Ogle wrote or co-wrote most of the tracks on both albums, and has recently started writing and co-producing hits for other artists, including DJ Giggs Superstar and Chad Saaiman.
Alistair Izobell is a veteran performer who has wowed audiences across the globe with his command of the stage. His extraordinary performance career began when he was just five years old and has seen him receive a Sir Laurence Olivier Award - British theatre's most sought-after award and considered a mark of theatrical greatness. He has recently produced the highly successful Music Alla Kaap Series, his own shows: Net So, Kaapse Music in Colour, Stoep Stories, Slick Swing and co-producer with David Kramer on Radio Classics.
Nur Abrahams is no stranger to the stage. This seasoned performer has appeared in a number of theatre and music productions including District 6 The Musical , Vocal is Lekka, Radio Classics, Slick Swing, and Scrooge. He has performed to local and international audiences and is well known for his performances in David Kramer's award-winning musicals. Abrahams was also a former member of the popular band JAG and has spent time abroad performing in various shows. He was awarded The Baxter Theatre's Young Inspiring Artist of the Year Award for 2012.
Brandon Leigh is the quintessential Cape Town boy. Born in District Six, his childhood dream was to be a radio presenter. He has been a full-time club DJ and MC for the past 20 years and an on-air presenter in the radio industry for the past 12 years.
The band: Trevino Isaacs, piano (Music Director), Melvin Williams, bass guitar; Darren Petersen, drums; Angelo Syster, lead guitar; Jason Ward, percussion; Dylan Roman, synth keyboard; Lorenzo Blignaut, trumpet; Matthew Ehrenrich, saxophone; Ryan Kierman, trombone. Backing vocalists: Edith Plaaitjies, Lana Crowster and Candice Thornton.
Book now: Computicket, Shoprite, Checkers, Checkers Hyper & House & Home stores
Ticket prices: R195 - R250 - R325.
Marmalade Productions: www.marmaladeproductions.co.za
