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Probeer baie hard om ‘n professionele student te bly. Sing dus in die aande by kroeë en restourante om geld te kry vir oorlewing. Begin later agterkom dat die musiek my redelik aan die gang en op goeie voet met die bankbestuurder hou. Toe besluit ek om maar die loopbaan skuif te maak en ‘n volwaardige professionele musikant te bly en te vergeet van die studentelewe.
1981 Trou ek met Ilse
1982 Skryf my eerste Afrikaanse song. Soek na baie goed maar kry min.
1983 Monica, my oudste word gebore!!!! Aangesien Ilse eintlik die broodwinner was besluit ons dat ek die mamma se rol sou speel in die huis. Ek leer baie dinge, baie vinnig. KINDERS kom nie saam met â€œOperator manualsâ€ nie. Begin ook in hierdie jaar vir die ATKV as aanbieder van ‘n jaarlikse ligteliedjie werkswinkel optree. Dit sou vir 21 jaar duur.
1984 Maak my eerste langspeelplaat getitel 'Kiekies'
1985 Hou konserte en veg teen die Leon Shuster Image
1986 Maak 'n tweede plaat, saam met Coenie de Villiers, Jannie du Toit en Nic Tayor. Dit is 'n huldigingsalbum opgedra aan Koos du Plessis. Die titel is 'Koos se Plaat' Daar word verskeie TV programme gemaak waarin video's van my liedjies gemaak is.
1987 Hou konserte en maak ‘n diepgaande studie van Prokrastinasie in die natuur. Ons trek plot toe en bly heerlik in die paradys. Ek leer Mampoer stook en likeur maak. My gunsteling en bekendste likeur was die alom beminde Soetdoring likeur. Dit het die wonderlike eienskap gehad om dae soomloos aanmekaar te smelt. Linda, my middelkind word gebore!!! Sy het ook nie ‘n manual nie.
1988 Die 'studies' duur voort en ek raak in hierdie jaar ook betrokke by Anton Goosen en dié verbintenis lei tot die stig van ‘n groep met die naam 'Die Komisie van Ondersoek' asook ‘n Album getiteld 'Die winde van verandering' Dit het gelei tot die uiteindelike besef van hoe kortstondig die vriendskap kan wees wanneer sommige 'vriende' met mekaar probeer saamwerk. In hierdie tyd leer ek ook van die wonderlike verkwikking wat potjiekos kan inhou, en my Mampoer, maar veral die likeurs floreer. Ek het in hierdie jaar ontdek wat die hoof bestanddele van Van der Hum was. Dit bly steeds my geheim. Ek het ook ‘n moerbei likeur by my vaardigheid gevoeg, en die hele Bashewa distrik het by my kom klop vir proe. Ek hoor ons is weer swanger, en kap stres oor ons karre wat nie werk nie. Ons trek toe maar terug na Sunnyside toe.
1989 Terug in die 'Rat Race' skryf ek vir die eerste keer weer en die ek neem 'n hele paar songs op vir TV produksies. Carla, my jongste word gebore!!! In hierdie tyd trek die vriendskap met Anton en die Komisie van Ondersoek swaar en ons gaan onvriendelik uitmekaar. Ek werk vir die volgende vyf jaar by die Universiteit van Pretoria as Asst Teaterbestuurder by die Aula teater. Doen baie beligting en klank ondervinding op. en hou steeds konserte dwarsoor die land.
1993 Maak my eerste CD. Miljoen. Ek gaan ook vir die eerste keer na Nederland en België op ‘n konserttoer saam met Coenie de Villiers. Hier raak die datums vir my vaag.
1996 Maak die Album 'Kiekieskonsert', die eerste LIVE album in Afrikaans, so sê hulle. Die album is baie gewild as gevolg van die LIVE elemente en die stories wat ek tussen die liedjies vertel. Tree ‘n gemiddeld van 4 aande per week op.
1997 Kry baie TV dekking vir die ATKV se Ligte Liedjie werkswinkel en tree ook gereeld by die kunstefeeste op.
1998 Maak die Album 'Mot om die Kers' wat ‘n SAMA toekenning wen vir die Beste Afrikaanse album. Werk aan 'n hele paar produksies in samewerking met ander kunstenaars, o.a. Coenie de Villiers Jannie du Toit.
2000 Maak die Album Blouberg wat kontroversieel was as gevolg van die feit dat dit die herskryf van ‘n aantal ou tradisionele Afrikaanse Volksliedjies was.
2001 Tree weereens in die buiteland op, en wel in London tydens die eerste UKKASIE kunstefees wy die Wembley Kompleks. Hier loots ek die Album 'Things' my eerste Engelse CD asook die eerste Suid Afrikaanse CD wat in London vrygestel word. Ek het in hierdie tyd ook twee Radio onderhoude met BBC 5 gehad waarin ek oor die Album sowel as die stand van Suid-Afrikaanse musiek gepraat het. Gedurende die ander onderhoud was ek ook deel van 'n paneel wat 'n debat gevoer het oor die vermoë van die liedjieskrywer om sosiale en politiese persepsies te skep. Ons het ook debatteer oor die onderwerp 'Het Kuns staatsondersteuning nodig of nie' My Engelse CD word sedertdien op die stasie gespeel. In hierdie jaar het ek ook 'n paar vertonings in Nieu Zeeland gehad.
2002 Maak die album 'Lucas & Kie', my eerste Greatest Hits. He he he! En dit verkoop besonders goed. Ek tree ook in Stevenage (UKKASIE), verskeie kere in London sowel as Amersfoort in Nederland op. Vir die eerste twee jar was ek ook ‘n voorsitter van die Trust wat verantwoordelik was vir die UKKASIE fees in London.
2003 Hierdie jaar het ongekende voorspoed met die vertonings getoon, en weereens was daar Å‰ paar in die buiteland.
2004 Buiten die gewone tree ek hierdie jaar vir die eerste keer as Suid-Afrikaner op die Royal Albert Hall se verhoog op in LONDON.
2005 Hierdie jaar bou ek my eie ateljee by die huis. Nou kan ek lekke by die huis werk en vir my kinders ook CD's maak. O, ja; Ek speel ook vir die eerste keer toneel in 'n vollengte Movie 'Ouma se slim kind'. Daar is ook nog 'n movie oppad.
2006 My liedjies verskyn nou in 'n boek waarin al die akkoorde en Klavier- en Kitaarverwerkings opgeneem is.
2007 Groot jaar. Ek speel in my eerste filmrol, 'Ouma se slim kind'. Soweto String Quartet neem twee van my song op vir hulle nuwe CD wat gehoor kan word by: Soweto String Quartet
2008 Enige ander inligting is beskikbaar by miljoen.net
2011 'n Groot verlies - Lucas verlaat ons almal weens kanker.
Form a very early age my mother was concerned about my capacity to sit around and do nothing. I had a very hard time to explain to her that I was THINKING, and thinking takes a lot of energy. She, on the other hand agreed with my dad when he said that too much thinking is not good for a person. He preferred doing, rather than thinking, unnecessarily. I went to University in order to improve my capacity for thinking. I liked being there. I liked it so much that I tried very hard to be and stay a professional student. I felt the need to try and study many things: English, French, Astronomy, Computer Science and a few other things. Therefore I sang in the evenings at various bars and restaurants for bread and study money. Singing 60's and 70's folk songs. I discovered that I actually like what I was doing and there was another benefit: I could actually survive doing something I loved doing. So I decided to become a professional musician instead and have been ever since. Maybe I should refrain that: I became an entertainer/musician/songwriter who eventually started writing and singing in Afrikaans, my home language.
1981 Married Ilse after establishing that I will be able to support her with my lifestyle. She fortunately wanted to keep working, and ended up being our breadwinner for some years to come. He He..!
1982 Wrote my very first song , an Afrikaans song, and I walked around very proud, playing it to anybody who would care to listen. Learned a valuable lesson: nobody really listens.
1983 Monica, my eldest daughter is born. Lucky me. I get to be the mommy in the house because Ilse was earning our bread during daytime and I was earning the butter (and jam sometimes) at night, play passionately at my gig.
1984 Made my very first record titled 'Kiekies'. Yes it was way back in the days of LP records. With this came new opportunities. Apart from doing the regular gig thing, I now also got to do the odd 'concert' as well. These were by invitation, and people actually paid for tickets to come listen to me. He he he.. Meâ€¦!
1985 Started doing more 'concerts' but I still did the regular gigs at bars and Restaurants. Playing for drunken people has its benefits: you gain a lot of insight into human nature; you learn ways to control a crowd without antagonising them; you learn to socialise with people without having to become drunk yourself; you learn most of all to keep your cool. This experience has served me well in all my years doing 'concerts' as well.
1986 - 1988 A second album sees the light. It is a collaboration with Coenie de Villiers, Jannie du Toit and Nick Taylor. It is a tribute album with songs written by the recently deceased Koos du Plessis (Afrikaans songwriting pioneer) I do a lot of 'concerts' and now I also start doing TV shows and videos of my own songs.
Household name – me, and all because of Leon Schuster who made a fool out of me in a movie called 'You Must Be Joking'. I still get people reminding me of this 'humiliating good fortune' to this day.
Linda, my middle child is born in 1987. Cup runneth over, as does my enthusiasm as the 'mother of the house'. We live, wonderfully secluded on a smallholding outside of Pretoria, on the eastern side. I procrastinate a lot. That is what Ilse calls it. I personally see it as an extension of my life as the eternal student. I study nature: birdlife, trees, human nature and the art of distilling liquor, which I use to make my famous Soutdoring likeur (liqueur made for ingredients gotten from the Sweet thorn Acacia tree.) Nirvana, Paradise, call it what you will, but I was in it. I even forgot to sing for a while there.
1989 I hear the wonderful news that we are pregnant again. We decide to move back into town mainly because of our transport situation. I kept on having these visions of me having to catch my own baby in the middle of Koos Oppermanâ€™s Black wattle forest, because the Mazda had another, totally uncalled for, breakdown.
Carla, my youngest screams her way into the world and teaches us a lot about patience and the art of infant communication.
I team up with Anton Goosen, Helena Hettema and Carlien van Niekerk to for a group called 'Die Komisie van Ondersoek'. We work hard and produce a well received album. On the home front things were slightly turbulent, though. Anton and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, and our ways split. I learn a lot about friendship and how it almost never is a good idea for friends to do business together.
1990 - 1994 I rejoin the 'rat race' and get a job at the University of Pretoria. I become assistant theatre manager and lighting and sound technician at the resident theatre. I work hard. No more gigs. Got a steady job now! I am allowed to do 'concerts'. Best of two worlds. I work on new songs and eventually record a new album 'Miljoen', my first CD!! Go overseas for the first time, together with Coenie de Villiers. We do a 'concert tour' in the Netherlands and Belgium. First taste of international stardom. He he he
I leave the steady job for the greener pastures of the freelance musicians' lifestyle. I am a gypsy again!!! We move to Bloemfontein. The closest thing to Nirvana for a middle aged old so & so who started cherishing concepts like peace and tranquillity.
1996 - 1998 Record another CD, 'Die kiekies konsert' the first LIVE Afrikaans album, so they say. It is a very popular album, because of the live elements and the stories I tell about and between the songs. I discover I have a knack for storytelling. I record a lot and do a lot of TV and release an album called 'Mot om die Kers' which gets me the SAMA AWARD for best Afrikaans album in 1998.
1999 I do a lot of shows ('concerts' – he he he) and collaborations with other artists (Coenie de Villiers, Mathys Roets)
2000 Got past the Y2K without a glitch.! Recorder an album 'Blouberg' which became controversial because of the fact that the album consists of old Afrikaans Folk songs that I had rewritten in the 21st century, and some of the â€œfathers of the nation' felt that I had desecrated the holy cow. I also recorded an English album, with songs from my Barroom era. It is well received and also contains two of my own compositions in English, both of which got played quite a lot on BBC 5, and in the Netherlands (Radio Hilversum)
2001 - 2005 Very active abroad. We star a festival in London called 'Ukkasie'. We annually go there for a week of South African Music. The highlight was a performance in the Royal Albert Hall. We do a lot of shows and festivals in Holland, Canada, New Zeeland and Australia. Jetlag.! I release an album 'Lucas & Kie' which is basically my Greatest Hits.. If only my mom could have seen and heard this.
I also build my own studio at home. Now I can record whenever it suits me. I can also start teaching my kids how to do it on their own. We also become involved in recording and scouting for young talent in the Free State.
2006 I star in a movie. 'ouma se slim kind' and for the first time, after having gotten my degree in Drama, I actually do what I was trained to do: ACTING!
My songs are compiled and published in a book, and was very well received and popular.
2007 Lots of shows and again TV appearances. The highlight being the collaboration with the wonderful 'Soweto String Quartet' who have also recorded some of my song on their latest album.
2008 This year finds me recording a new album of my own, in my own studio. There is also another collaboration with Mathys Roets and Andre Swiegers. This will be an album for Sony BMG called 'Folk Buddies', an album of 60's and 70's songs performed by the three of us. The album will also be launched by a 'concert' (He he ...) tour to the Major centres.
I am blessed. My Kids have all finished with school now. Ilse is still very busy at her job and in between gigs I find myself wondering if I will ever get the opportunity to be a good grandfather, or should I say grandmother.. He he he
2011 We will miss him. Lucas passes away ... cancer.