Steve Louw

Steve Louw (born 16 September 1955) is a South African musician and singer-songwriter who specialises in album rock, blues rock, country rock and Americana music. He was born in The Hague and has been active as a musician since 1981.[1] He was inducted in the South African Rock Hall of Fame in 2003.[1][2][3]

Steve Louw
Steve Louw 2020 Photo by Saudiq Davids, used with permission
Steve Louw 2020
Born (1955-09-16) 16 September 1955
NationalitySouth African
OccupationMusician
Years active1981–present
StyleAlbum rock, country rock, blues rock, Americana
Websitehttps://stevelouw.com

Louw, who was born Stephen Geoffrey Louw, learnt to play the guitar after being inspired by the music of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Neil Young, and formed his first band, Atlantic Rose, while in high school in Cape Town in the late 1960s. While a student at Stellenbosch University in the 1970s he became involved in the local music scene, playing his own songs in various line-ups.

His career as a professional musician began in the early 1980s when he formed the band All Night Radio with fellow former Stellenbosch University students Nico Burger (guitar) and Rob Nagel (bass).[4] The group recorded two albums – The Heart's the Best Part (1984) with US producer John Rollo, and The Killing Floor (1986), on which Louw began a partnership with producer Kevin Shirley that still continues.

Louw then formed the band Big Sky and in 1990 released their debut album, Waiting for the Dawn, again produced by Shirley. The album arrived just as South Africa began moving away from apartheid rule and the group's music helped soundtrack a decade of positive revolution. The title track is today considered a South African rock classic. Big Sky released another five albums over the next 15 years: Horizon (1995), Going Down with Mr Green (1997), Best of the Decade (1999), Beyond the Blue (2002) and Trancas Canyon (2008); as well as the concert DVD Heart and Soul, filmed at Cape Town's Little Theatre in 2008.

Louw and Big Sky achieved considerable success in South Africa with sell-out tours and several major radio hits including "Kathleen", "Mr Green", "One Cut With a Knife", "Strange Room" and "Diamonds and Dirt", and in 1996 the band won the FNB South African Music Award for Best Pop Music Performance, Best Rock Album for the album "Horizon".[5][6]

In 1998 Big Sky opened for US singer-songwriter Rodriguez on his triumphant debut tour of South Africa, with the musicians in the band also backing the US artist.[7][8] The tour is chronicled in the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man.

Louw gained an international profile after he collaborated with Brian May (Queen) and Dave Stewart (the Eurythmics) on the track "Amandla", recorded for the 46664 Aids awareness project inspired by the work of Nelson Mandela.

In 2021 Louw returned with the album "Headlight Dreams",[9] produced by Shirley and recorded in Nashville with crack studio musicians and featuring a guest appearance by US guitar legend Joe Bonamassa.[10] The album has received critical acclaim and the first single, "Wind in Your Hair", has become a Spotify hit.[11][12]

In September 2022 Louw announced his sophomore solo release "Thunder and Rain", available November 11, 2022 through BFD.[13] The album was produced by Kevin Shirley and features Joe Bonamassa and Doug Lancio.[14]

Discography

Albums

  • The Heart's The Best Part (1984) All Night Radio [15][16]
  • The Killing Floor (1986) All Night Radio [17][18]
  • Waiting For The Dawn (1990) Big Sky [19][20]
  • Horizon (1995) Big Sky [21][22]
  • Going Down With Mr Green (1997) Big Sky [23][24]
  • Best Of The Decade (1999) Big Sky [25][26]
  • Beyond The Blue (2002) Big Sky [27][28]
  • Trancas Canyon (2008) Big Sky [29][30]
  • Headlight Dreams (2021) [9][31]
  • Thunder And Rain (2022) [32][33]

Personal life

Louw married Erna Pienaar in 1988 and has three children.

Sources

References

  1. "Steve Louw: South African Rock Legend". rock.co.za. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. "SA Rock Hall OF Fame – Inductees". www.sarockdigest.com. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  3. "Steve Louw Inducted Into SA Rock Hall Of Fame". Steve Louw. 1 October 2003. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  4. Steve Louw is back in town, iol.co.za
  5. "Horizon". Steve Louw. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. "SA Rock Digest". sarockdigest.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  7. The dawn is nigh, News24.com
  8. "Musicians". Blog.SugarMan.org. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  9. Steve Louw - Headlight Dreams Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  10. Steve Louw's backstory to realising headlight dreams, MSN.com
  11. "#MusicExchange: Steve Louw releases new album Headlight Dreams". www.bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  12. "Steve Louw new album 'Headlight Dreams' out today & featuring Joe Bonamassa | Music Exchange". Steve Louw. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  13. Steve Louw Announces New Album ‘Thunder And Rain’
  14. South African rocker Steve Louw announces new album Thunder and Rain available November 11
  15. All Night Radio - The Heart's the Best Part Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  16. All Night Radio - The Heart's The Best Part, retrieved 18 November 2022
  17. All Night Radio - The Killing Floor Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  18. All Night Radio - The Killing Floor, retrieved 18 November 2022
  19. Big Sky - Waiting for the Dawn Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  20. Steve Louw & Big Sky - Waiting For The Dawn, retrieved 18 November 2022
  21. Big Sky - Horizon Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  22. Steve Louw & Big Sky - Horizon, retrieved 18 November 2022
  23. Big Sky - Going Down with Mr Green Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  24. Steve Louw & Big Sky - Going Down With Mister Green, retrieved 18 November 2022
  25. Big Sky - Best of the Decade Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  26. Steve Louw & Big Sky - Best Of The Decade, retrieved 18 November 2022
  27. Big Sky - Beyond the Blue Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  28. Steve Louw & Big Sky - Beyond The Blue, retrieved 18 November 2022
  29. Big Sky - Trancas Canyon Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  30. Steve Louw & Big Sky - Trancas Canyon, retrieved 18 November 2022
  31. Steve Louw - Headlight Dreams, retrieved 18 November 2022
  32. Steve Louw - Thunder and Rain Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 18 November 2022
  33. Steve Louw - Thunder And Rain, retrieved 18 November 2022
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.