Steve arrived here from England in 1980 at the age of 21 and has been resident ever since. No sooner had he settled in, he started going to watch the comedy bands perform in various bars, bands like Abbott and Crabb and Blend. He soon became friends with them and they encouraged him to get into the business for himself.
But Steve, like all good boys, listened to his mother and got a “real job” in the technical service industry. “She was right”, he said, “because now I can at least repair my own equipment!” Soon though, the urge to play became increasingly strong and in 1990 started his first band, a duo, which was called “Previously Normal” with friend Chrissie Ashton. They played the pub circuit with Steve on guitar and Chrissie doing backing vocals playing places like Foxies, Falcon Crest and the Balalaika to name a few and after some time Pete Hattingh from Abbott and Crabb joined them and they started to get involved in Weddings, Functions and the Corporate market. This went well for a while and they played throughout South Africa and the neighbouring states. The band played covers mainly from the sixties and seventies and aimed at the 25 plus age group.
Then, after some careful consideration, Steve decided that the entertainment business was where his heart lay and resigned from his job and started out as a solo performer, doing pretty much the same thing, but without the band. At this point he knew that he had to increase his market focus and in the last couple of years he has worked with comedians like Mel Miller, Tony Stewart, Cyril Green and Hypnotists like Max Kaan. He has also shifted his musical direction to include all the latest hits by bands like REM and U2.
He is now in demand across the market, but say’s that his core market of people who book him time and time again are those who want to have a major party! Steve is not the kind of entertainer who “clock watches”, he would much rather play a little longer and have the customer book him again and again. His longest permanent gig has been at Vinnies, the Italian Pizza restaurant in Bedfordview, where he has been playing Sunday evenings to a full house for over five years. Steve’s corporate clients include Rand Merchant Bank, P G Bison, Presmed and S A Breweries to name a few and he has played at numerous weddings, birthdays and Jewish functions. Added to Steve’s musical ability he has a great sense of humour and enjoys making people laugh.
So for any function, for a professional touch & a lot of fun
………
book Steve Walls.