Springs legend feature on new stamps
The music legend, James Phillips, features on the Post Office's new stamp series.
James Phillips was born on January 22, 1959 and lived until July 31, 1995.
His music still lives on to this day, as well as the legend that he left behind.
In the ’80s, James was also known as Bernoldus Niemand, the same timeline as Johannes Kerkorrel and Koos Kombuis.
James grew up in Springs and started his music career here.
He was the Lurchers’ composer, singer, lead guitarist and later keyboardist.
In the late ’70s, he formed his first band, Corporal Punishment, with his friends, Carl Raubenheimer and Mark Bennet.
James was part of the ‘Voëlvry’ movement, which was completely underground because of its anti-apartheid ties.
He was a pioneer for anti-apartheid and because of it, always had the security police on his case, owing to the fact that, in the ’80s, anti-apartheid music was banned.
The ‘Voëlvry’ movement was a sort of renaissance for Afrikaans alternative music.
In his younger days, when James lived in Springs, he fraternised with other musicians.
He briefly studied music at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, after which he transferred to the Wits University music department in the middle of 1982.
His music career stretches all the way through to 1995, when his life ended too early.
At a festival just outside Grahamstown, he was doing a series of solo concerts, when he died because of injuries he sustained in a motorcar accident.
In a memorial concert held for him a few weeks after his death, Vusi Mahlasela, Johnny Clegg, David Kramer and others gathered to pay tribute to the influence James created as an artist.
