James Phillips (22 January 1959 – 31 July 1995) was a South African rock vocalist, songwriter, and performer. He was best known for his rebellious and satirical political music that spoke out against the South African government during Apartheid.
Biography
Phillips grew up in the conservative East Rand mining town of Springs, Gauteng in South Africa. He was the son of a Presbyterian minister and finished high school at Witbank High in 1976. Phillips discovered rock 'n roll and the protest music of Bob Dylan which inspired an interest in the subject. After graduating high school, he formed his first band, Corporal Punishment, with friends Carl Raubenheimer and Mark Bennet in the late 1970s. Using the lyrical brashness of the punk rock movement, without adopting its fashion, their songs often made sarcastic political statements. Lyrically, they often touched on South African topics, notably the milieu in which young, white, South African men found themselves at that time. This milieu was dominated by conscription, Calvinism, suppression of political debate, and intolerance of non-conformism.
The Corporals gained a small but fiercely loyal following. However, the lack of venues and airplay, plus their raw aggressive music meant they were either anonymous or completely ignored by the mainstream. Despite this, Phillips never questioned whether he was doing the right thing, as he said, "It was just something that had to be done, someone had to sing about what was happening in South Africa".
After two years in the army, Phillips became a conscientious objector, making any chance of having a musical career even more remote. In later years, he said, "You try and have a career as a musician when you're trying to keep your face out of the newspapers because the army is looking for you."
Also, at this time, the South African government tightened control over the media, especially radio and television. In particular, songs by local musicians were often subject to heavy scrutiny before being added to radio station playlists. Censorship made record companies nervous about spending money on local artists who might make any kind of social or political comment. Some companies even ran their censorship departments that would vet songs and artists before a recording budget was assigned. By 1980, the security forces were starting to keep an eye on any performers considered "subversive" and would spy on such performers and sometimes disrupt performances or impede careers.
Thus Phillips, along with several of his contemporaries, found himself in a position in which the prospects of a recording contract or airplay were remote. However, Corporal Punishment caught the attention of the small, independent Shifty label. Shifty had a reputation for signing groups that no other South African label would touch, but that usually meant that airplay was unlikely (almost by definition acts signed to Shifty were considered "subversive") and promotional budgets would be small.
In 1980, shifty released the EP "Fridays And Saturdays". Corporal Punishment had a recording released, but sales and exposure were negligible and the band split soon afterwards.
After the break-up of Corporal Punishment, Phillips formed a new, short-lived band called "Illegal Gathering". Then, he embarked on studies towards a bachelor's degree in music at Rhodes and then at Wits University. Then, he formed The Cherry Faced Lurchers and played songs like "Do the Lurch" or "That's my Shirt and I Want it Back". The band gained popularity when they had a residency at the then-unknown Jameson's.
Jameson's was a bar on Commissioner Street in Jo'burg's central business district. It had a Kruger liquor license – one of a small handful issued by the onetime president of the Transvaal at the turn of the 20th century, a license that transcended the racially divided and time-restricted liquor laws of the day. Young (mostly white) South Africans mixed with their counterparts of colour and everyone drank freely together. It was like the bastard child of Sophiatown. It was the new South Africa in twisted embryo.
Jameson's made The Cherry-Faced Lurchers, it was the moment at which a rather ramshackle band pulled itself together. By July 1985, when Lloyd Ross of Shifty Records put Live at Jameson's down on tape, they were an extraordinarily tight three-piece with a repertoire of songs exceptional for their strength.