David Kramer
Encyclopedia
David Kramer is a South African singer, songwriter, playwright and director, most notable for his musicals about the Cape
Coloured
communities, and for his early opposition to apartheid.
During Kramer's stay in Worcester he had some music lessons with the classical composer Cromwell Everson
. He played in a South African band called The Creeps
in the 1960s, and then travelled to England in 1971 to study textile design at Leeds University.
in his lyrics, often using both languages in the same song. He focused on small town South Africa and employed a gritty realism and dark satire to tell his stories and describe his characters.
In his stage performances he portrayed himself as a rural everyman who traveled the dusty roads of small town South Africa with an old bicycle and a cheap guitar. He sang in the Boland
patois of his youth and told stories and sang songs in both languages.
His first album BAKGAT! issued by Mountain Records
was released in 1980, and was immediately banned in its entirety by the SABC because it was considered too political and vulgar for the South African ear. Despite initial setbacks, he went on to be awarded 11 gold
and one platinum record for sales of his albums.
His follow-up album, Die Verhaal van Blokkies Joubert, a portrait of a has-been Springbok rugby player, rocketed him into the public eye and produced the singles Blokkies Joubert and Die Royal Hotel both of which topped singles charts on various South African Radio stations. The album reached number 11 on the South African LP charts.
His only other singles chart success was with Stoksielalleen from the Kwaai album, however he did chart with Delicious Monster, Hanepootpad and Kwaai in the albums charts. All 6 of his album releases on the Mountain label were awarded gold or platinum status.
In 1983 David was contracted by Volkswagen
, South Africa, to link his idiosyncratic South African image to their Microbus
. This was the beginning of a television and print campaign that won the hearts of South Africans. The campaign made David Kramer into a household name and was to continue for the next thirteen years - probably the longest running celebrity endorsement this country has seen. With his trademark red veldskoen
shoes, bicycle and guitar, he became a household name as the face of the SA Volkswagen Microbus advertisements.
Kramer and Taliep Petersen
first met in the mid-’70s at a folk concert staged by Des and Dawn Lindberg at the University of Cape Town
. In 1986 he collaborated with Petersen on the highly acclaimed stage musical District Six, a politically influenced musical telling the story of the people of District Six in Cape Town, South Africa that were forcibly removed from the area during apartheid. It was produced by the Baxter Theatre and his wife, Renaye Kramer, and opened in April 1987.
It was also with Petersen that he created Fairyland and Kat & the Kings all to critical acclaim, the latter having successful runs on Broadway and in London's West End
.
His enduring friendship with Taliep led to a work relationship based upon mutual respect that lasted until Taliep's death in 2006. As a tribute to his long partnership with Petersen, and to honor his memory, a production called the Kramer Petersen Songbook was staged at the Baxter Theater and ran to sold out houses from the very first performance.
In December 2007 David was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature (Honoris Causa) by the University of Cape Town.
In 2001 David Kramer launched a show called Karoo Kitaar Blues, presenting the eccentric guitar styles of the Karoo - the unique finger-picking and tunings of a marginalised people who live in remote villages and outposts of the semi-desert areas of South Africa. A quasi-documentary, the show aimed to tell the story and document a long forgotten and almost-lost part of South Africa's musical heritage, and features unknown musicians and instruments from the Northern Cape
hinterland
.
As a direct result, one of these "forgotten" artists, Hannes Coetzee
became an overnight YouTube sensation, and was invited to participate in a teaching workshop for Slide and Steel Guitar in Port Townsend, WA.
David Kramer has been an enduring figure on South Africa's music scene. His most recent work songs are mostly stories about ordinary life in South Africa.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
communities, and for his early opposition to apartheid.
Early life
Kramer was born in Worcester, South Africa to a furniture merchant and a hairdresser, and spent his formative years in Worcester. His brother, John Kramer, became an artist known for his oil-on-canvas portrayal of cafés, stores and houses standing in the sharp sunlight of sleepy towns. The Kramer family name (originally Karabelnik) was adopted by his grandfather who arrived in South Africa from Lithuania in 1899, and made a living as a salesman (walking from farm to farm selling goods).During Kramer's stay in Worcester he had some music lessons with the classical composer Cromwell Everson
Cromwell Everson
Cromwell Everson was primarily known as a composer during his lifetime. He was brought up as an Afrikaner by his mother, Maria De Wit and father, Robert Everson. He continued this tradition and all his children were brought up as Afrikaners....
. He played in a South African band called The Creeps
The Creeps
"The Creeps" is a song written and sung by Camille Jones, and remixed and produced by Fedde le Grand. It has a techno party beat and quiet singing....
in the 1960s, and then travelled to England in 1971 to study textile design at Leeds University.
Musical career
He began his music career in the mid-1970s, singing at folk clubs and campus concerts in South Africa. David pioneered the use of Cape Afrikaans and South African EnglishSouth African English
The term South African English is applied to the first-language dialects of English spoken by South Africans, with the L1 English variety spoken by Zimbabweans, Zambians and Namibians, being recognised as offshoots.There is some social and regional variation within South African English...
in his lyrics, often using both languages in the same song. He focused on small town South Africa and employed a gritty realism and dark satire to tell his stories and describe his characters.
In his stage performances he portrayed himself as a rural everyman who traveled the dusty roads of small town South Africa with an old bicycle and a cheap guitar. He sang in the Boland
Boland
Boland is a Irish surname . It may refer to:-People:Boland is a surname of Irish origin. The name refers to:*Adam Boland , Australian television personality...
patois of his youth and told stories and sang songs in both languages.
His first album BAKGAT! issued by Mountain Records
Mountain Records
Mountain Records is a record label started in Cape Town, South Africa in 1980 by Patrick Lee-Thorp.The record label produces mostly South African music and is known as the home of Cape Jazz recordings, having issued a number of albums by such names as Basil Coetzee, Robbie Jansen, Jonathan Butler,...
was released in 1980, and was immediately banned in its entirety by the SABC because it was considered too political and vulgar for the South African ear. Despite initial setbacks, he went on to be awarded 11 gold
and one platinum record for sales of his albums.
His follow-up album, Die Verhaal van Blokkies Joubert, a portrait of a has-been Springbok rugby player, rocketed him into the public eye and produced the singles Blokkies Joubert and Die Royal Hotel both of which topped singles charts on various South African Radio stations. The album reached number 11 on the South African LP charts.
His only other singles chart success was with Stoksielalleen from the Kwaai album, however he did chart with Delicious Monster, Hanepootpad and Kwaai in the albums charts. All 6 of his album releases on the Mountain label were awarded gold or platinum status.
In 1983 David was contracted by Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, South Africa, to link his idiosyncratic South African image to their Microbus
Volkswagen Type 2 (T3)
The Volkswagen Type 2 was the third generation of the Volkswagen Transporter and was marketed under various nameplates worldwide – including as the Transporter or Caravelle in Europe, Microbus in South Africa and as the Vanagon in North and South America.Larger and heavier than its...
. This was the beginning of a television and print campaign that won the hearts of South Africans. The campaign made David Kramer into a household name and was to continue for the next thirteen years - probably the longest running celebrity endorsement this country has seen. With his trademark red veldskoen
Veldskoen
Veldskoens are South African shoes made from untanned leather or soft rawhide uppers attached to a soft sole without tacks or nails....
shoes, bicycle and guitar, he became a household name as the face of the SA Volkswagen Microbus advertisements.
Kramer and Taliep Petersen
Taliep Petersen
Taliep Petersen was a South African singer, composer and director of a number of popular musicals. He worked most notably with David Kramer, with whom he won an Olivier Award.- Career :...
first met in the mid-’70s at a folk concert staged by Des and Dawn Lindberg at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
. In 1986 he collaborated with Petersen on the highly acclaimed stage musical District Six, a politically influenced musical telling the story of the people of District Six in Cape Town, South Africa that were forcibly removed from the area during apartheid. It was produced by the Baxter Theatre and his wife, Renaye Kramer, and opened in April 1987.
It was also with Petersen that he created Fairyland and Kat & the Kings all to critical acclaim, the latter having successful runs on Broadway and in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
.
His enduring friendship with Taliep led to a work relationship based upon mutual respect that lasted until Taliep's death in 2006. As a tribute to his long partnership with Petersen, and to honor his memory, a production called the Kramer Petersen Songbook was staged at the Baxter Theater and ran to sold out houses from the very first performance.
In December 2007 David was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature (Honoris Causa) by the University of Cape Town.
In 2001 David Kramer launched a show called Karoo Kitaar Blues, presenting the eccentric guitar styles of the Karoo - the unique finger-picking and tunings of a marginalised people who live in remote villages and outposts of the semi-desert areas of South Africa. A quasi-documentary, the show aimed to tell the story and document a long forgotten and almost-lost part of South Africa's musical heritage, and features unknown musicians and instruments from the Northern Cape
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
.
As a direct result, one of these "forgotten" artists, Hannes Coetzee
Hannes Coetzee
Hannes Coetzee is a guitarist from the Karoo region in South Africa. Born in 1944, he is mainly known for his unique playing technique using a spoon in his mouth to play slide guitar...
became an overnight YouTube sensation, and was invited to participate in a teaching workshop for Slide and Steel Guitar in Port Townsend, WA.
David Kramer has been an enduring figure on South Africa's music scene. His most recent work songs are mostly stories about ordinary life in South Africa.
Albums
- Bakgat! (1980)
- Die Verhaal van Blokkies Joubert (1981)
- Delicious Monster (1982)
- Hanepootpad (1983)
- Jis Jis Jis (1983)
- Kwaai (1984)
- Van Der Merwe P.I. (1985) (Soundtrack to a movie of the same name)
- Laat vir die Dans (1986)
- Baboondogs (1986)
- Cape Town (1988)
- Eina (1989)
- Klassic Kramer (compilation) (1996)
- Alles Vannie Beste (1997)
- Kliphard (2001)
- Karoo Kitaar Blues (2002)
- Huistoe (2004)
- Hemel en Aarde (2008)
Musicals
- District Six (1986)
- Fairyland (1991)
- Poison (1992)
- Crooners (1992)
- Klop Klop (1996)
- Kat and the KingsKat and the KingsKat and the Kings is a musical with a book and lyrics by David Kramer and music by Taliep Petersen.Set in late-1950s South Africa, it focuses on teenager Kat Diamond, who believes he's the best singer and dancer in District Six, a multi-racial slum in Cape Town...
(1995) - Die Ballade van Koos Sas (2001)
- Ghoema (2005)
- The Kramer Petersen Songbook (2007)