Errol Dyers (29 March 1952 – 21 July 2017) was a South African musician, composer and guitarist and pioneer of Cape jazz/ goema.

Career

Dyers came from a musical family but taught himself music playing on the streets of Cape Town, and became known for his pioneering fusion of Cape jazz and goema. He performed alongside numerous other musicians, including

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, Basil 'Manenberg' Coetzee,

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and Winston Mankunku. Dyer was a member of the Sheer All Stars along with Paul Hanmer, McCoy Mrubata, Sipho Gumede and Frank Paco. Colleague Molly Baron described him as “a genius” with the guitar and said that “had Errol been born in England or in America he would have been recognised as one of the world’s greatest guitarists.”

Discography (incomplete)

* Sheer All Stars ''Indibano'' * Sheer All Stars ''Live at the Blue Room'' * Abdullah Ibrahim's ''Mantra Mode'' with Johnny Mekoa,

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, Spencer Mbadu and Monty Weber. * '' Remember – District 6'', with Lionel Beukes, Sammy Hartman, Monty Weber, Basil Coetzee; * ''All in One'' with Hilton Schilder and

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* ''Kou Kou Wa''

Death

Dyers died of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

aged 65.

References

1952 births 2017 deaths South African jazz musicians South African jazz guitarists Musicians from Cape Town Respiratory disease deaths in South Africa Deaths from emphysema {{SouthAfrica-musician-stub