For the past dozen years a South African balladeer named Josef Marais has been quietly building a reputation as a specialist in folk and children's songs. He and his Dutch wife Miranda accompany themselves—playing a guitar, tom-toms and an occasional native instrument, he chanting in English and Afrikaans, she piping a shy descant. But in the past year Minstrel Marais has turned popular songsmith. His songs of the veld, such as Sugarbush, Ay-round the Corner and the fast-rising Ma Says, Pa Says, have been recorded by such big-league songbirds as Jo Stafford and Doris Day.
The vogue of hillbilly and "country" tunes...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
