Gene Rockwell & Joanna Field - Honky tonk angels

Gene Rockwell was a South African artist born on 27 December 1944 in Krugersdorp, near Johannesburg. When Gene was 18 months old, his parents moved to Durban. At the age of 15 he won his first talent competition at Durban’s “Little Top”. Still in his teens, he formed his first band, The Blue Angels, but in 1963 they changed their name to The Falcons. Gene played guitar and provided vocals for The Falcons.

In the late 1960s Gene decided to follow a solo career and became famous for the unique and emotional manner in which he interpreted songs, even the well-known ones. He had ten South African Top 20 hits:

1. Ciao – 1965, #4, 11 weeks
2. Love – 1965, #5, 7 weeks
3. Torture – 1965, #4, 5 weeks
4. I've got everything you need babe – 1966, #14, 7 weeks
5. Cold cold heart – 1967, #20, 2 weeks
6. Save the last dance for me – 1967, #12, 6 weeks
7. Wasted days and wasted nights – 1975, #16, 4 weeks
8. Shame on me – 1976, #10, 11 weeks
9. My life's in good hands (Jesus sweet Jesus) – 1978, #8, 16 weeks
10. Rosie – 1978, #14, 5 weeks

The song for which he will always be remembered is “Heart”, which is one of the best selling songs in South African music history. It would undoubtedly have gone to the top of the South African charts, but was released early in 1965, some months before the official Top 20 was launched.

In 1983 Gene celebrated 21 years in the entertainment industry with an album that he recorded with many friends and colleagues that he had made during his time as an artist. This song is from this album, "The 21st Anniversary Album", and was recorded with Joanna Field.