Who would have thought that an unlikely name like Pillay
would be up in lights in the most popular nite clubs in London and New York in
the 50’s and 60’s but that’s exactly what happened when a local lad from
Beatrice Street in Durban hit the high notes as a jazz balladeer. Finally,
Durban’s prodigal son returns to home base, after all these years, when actress/producer,
Jayshree Parasuramen presents The Return
of Sonny Pillay at the Blue Lagoon Conference Centre on March 31 at 19h00.
Sonny’s talents first came to the fore as a school boy. His
life-long mate, distinguished playwright and author, Ronnie Govender recalls:
“I once attended a scouts jamboree at Clairwood Primary School. There was the
usual singing of the current English songs when Sonny plucked the strings of
his guitar and sang the cowboy song, You
are my Sunshine. Okay it might not have called for a straining of the
tonsils but even then there was no mistaking the star quality of his voice. We
became buddies and in years to come I did my best as a reporter to publicise
the shows he appeared in.”
Jayshree Parasuramen explains further: "Although there were no breaks, Sonny stuck doggedly to his
dreams. In the 50’s there was absolutely no scope for talented black musicians
and singers and it was a wonder that he survived. He grabbed whatever little
opportunity there was and made the most of it. The only major avenue was the
occasional concert which were poorly attended and funded. There was also the
occasional “talent contest”. Sonny won most of them and this brought him to the
attention of the impresario, Alfred Herbert who ran a national road show,
African Jazz and Variety, featuring top black artistes of the time. It was not
surprising that when the experienced showman, Herbert, heard Sonny, “he
flipped.” Sonny became the headline act of a cast which included such stellar
names as Miriam Makeba who was to eventually marry him, causing a major scandal
in the very conservative Indian community.
"But Sonny was to climb even further. The Joburg based Union
Artistes, formed to advance the cause of black music, wanted to send the “best
black singer in the country” to sing on the overseas circuit in order to expose
the damage apartheid was doing to talented musicians and singers in the
country. No one was more surprised and excited than Sonny himself when he was
chosen by the experts.
"Sonny surprised even himself when he was spotted in an American
nite club by the leading recording company, Music Corporation of America. At
the height of his career, disaster struck. Sonny fell desperately ill and had
to be hospitalised, bringing to an end a career that would have seen him up
there with the best. Indeed he was chosen to sing at the club that Frank
Sinatra sang in.
"At last, South Africans will have a chance of hearing
their prodigal son at the Blue Lagoon Conference Centre on March 31 at 19h00."
Tickets
are priced at R300pp which includes supper and a one night only concert with a
living legend of the South African Music Industry. Early booking is advised
through Jayshree on 083 610 9931 or email jayshree@jzee.co.za
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