Nibs Van Der Spuy is a South African singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist whose work spans folk, world, Celtic, classical, African, maskanda and Indian influences. He first draws notice performing with Landscape Prayers, a band active between 1993 and 2003 and known for four acoustic instrumental albums and live performances.

Solo work

He builds a solo profile as a songwriter, singer and fingerstyle guitarist. His early solo albums include Lines on My Face and Flower in the Rain, both of which receive nominations in the best instrumental category at the South African Music Awards. His first international release, Beautiful Feet, brings his mixture of styles to a wider audience.

Collaborations and recordings

Alongside his solo career, he records Sweet-Thorn with Mozambican musician Gito Baloi and Hadeda with drummer Barry van Zyl, who plays with Johnny Clegg’s band. He also performs and records with folk singer Shawn Phillips and with the Italian group Modena City Ramblers. He frequently plays solo, but also performs globally with guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Guy Buttery.

Touring and recognition

His international touring includes appearances at the East Coast Blues & Roots festival in Byron Bay, where he shares stages with Ben Harper, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Béla Fleck and Piers Faccini. He tours South Africa and France with Faccini, appears at Le Printemps de Bourges and Rio Loco in France, and is named as a featured performer at the Rochefort en Accords festival. Beautiful Feet receives coverage from publications including the London Guardian and Sydney Herald, and is named album of the month in several German magazines.

Later releases

He releases A Bird in the Hand as an international follow-up to Beautiful Feet, then A House Across the River, which earns a five-star review from Keith Tamkei in the Sunday Times and a Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. He later releases Live at the Vagabond Cafe, his first live DVD, which is nominated for a SAMA award. He also records an all-acoustic album titled Morning Star and is featured with a master class in the French guitar magazine Unplugged.