James Phillips

James Phillips

James Phillips is a South African rock singer, songwriter and performer, active in the 1980s and 1990s. He is born in 1962 and dies in 2011.

Early life and first bands

He grows up in Springs, a conservative mining town in the East Rand. After discovering rock and roll and the protest songs of Bob Dylan, he begins performing in the late 1970s and forms his first band, Corporal Punishment, with Carl Raubenheimer and Mark Bennet. The group writes politically charged songs about South African life, using the sharp attitude of punk without adopting its look. Its material deals with topics such as conscription, Calvinism, censorship, suppression of debate and intolerance of non-conformity. Corporal Punishment attracts a small but devoted following, but limited venues, little airplay and the band’s raw sound keep it outside the mainstream.

Shifty Records and early releases

Corporal Punishment draws the attention of the independent Shifty label, which releases the EP Fridays And Saturdays in 1980. The record does not reach a wide audience and the group soon splits. After that, Phillips forms a short-lived band called Illegal Gathering, then studies music at Rhodes and later at Wits University.

The Cherry Faced Lurchers and Bernoldus Niemand

He then forms The Cherry Faced Lurchers. The band begins as a novelty act, playing songs such as “Do the Lurch” and “That’s my Shirt and I Want it Back”, but becomes better known after a residency at Jameson’s. By 1985, when Lloyd Ross of Shifty Records records Live at Jameson's, the group is a tight three-piece with a strong live reputation. Phillips’ writing becomes darker as the political situation worsens, with songs such as “The Branch”, about the security police, and “Detainees”, about deaths in detention.

At the same time, he develops the alter ego Bernoldus Niemand and releases Wie Is Bernoldus Niemand? in 1985. The album targets Afrikaner cultural institutions and is banned by the SABC. “Hou my vas Korporaal” becomes associated with the anti-conscription movement and the record influences later alternative Afrikaans performers, including Johannes Kerkorrel and Koos Kombuis. Phillips later appears on the 1989 Voëlvry tour with an expanded Lurchers line-up under the name Bernoldus Niemand en die Swart Gevaar.

Later work

In the early 1990s Phillips concentrates more on piano than guitar and writes more complex songs. His lyrics become at times more personal, while continuing to comment on South African change during the transition to democracy. In 1994 he releases Sunny Skies, recorded with an enlarged band that includes a horn section and guest players. The album is released by Shifty, with promotion and distribution handled by BMG Music, though sales remain poor. In the same year he stands as a candidate for the Soccer Party in South Africa’s first democratic election.

Shifty later releases the retrospective compilation Made In South Africa in 1995 and Soul Ou in 1997, a collection of demo recordings and newer songs. His earlier and later releases associated with Shifty also include The Voice Of Nooit, The Otherwhite Album and Voëlvry: Die Toer.

Death and legacy

Phillips dies after injuries sustained in a motorcar accident near Grahamstown, where he has been performing solo concerts at a festival. A memorial concert is held a few weeks later, with tributes from Vusi Mahlasela, Johnny Clegg, David Kramer, Lesego Rampolokeng and Johannes Kerkorrel, among others. His work remains closely associated with politically engaged South African rock, protest music and alternative Afrikaans performance.