Steve Louw first hit the spotlight with his mid-‘80s band, All Night Radio. The first Big Sky album, ‘Waiting For The Dawn’, introduced Steve’s new, big rock sound and spawned three Top 10 hits.
BIOGRAPHY
In 1996, Big Sky won the FNB Music Award for “Best SA Rock Act” for the album ‘Horizon’. One of SA rock’s most talented and unassuming singer-songwriters, Steve Louw, first hit the spotlight with his mid-‘80s band, All Night Radio. Albums like ‘The Killing Floor’ evoked much interest and laid the foundations for Big Sky, which Steve formed in 1990.
The first Big Sky album, ‘ Waiting For The Dawn’, introduced Steve’s new, big rock sound and spawned three Top 10 hits. Steve is prolific writer of melodic, hooky and emotional songs. For the second Big Sky album, 1995’s ‘Horizon’, Louw flew to Los Angeles to work with the esteemed producer Shelley Yakus (U2, Tom Petty) and some of LA’s best session musicians. This album set a new standard for SA rock albums and sold over 10,000 copies as well as grabbing the above-mentioned award.
In 1997, Big Sky released ‘Going Down With Mister Green’ and once again big sales and radio play followed. Louw was honoured with the support slot on Sixto Rodriguez’ triumphant 1998 SA tour. With Willlem Moller (guitar), Russel Taylor (keyboard), Reuben Samuels (drums), Graham Currie (bass) and Tonia Selley (percussion) performing behind him, Big Sky drew nation-wide attention to the solid and stimulating music produced by the band over the decade.
Late in 2002 Steve began to put together a new band for a series of benefit shows at Kirstenbosch. Willem Moller was called back as lead guitarist and Schalk Joubert, ex-member of the Afrikaans rock band Valiant Swart, came in on bass. Peter Cohen, who’d played with 90’s bands like Bright Blue and Mango Groove and who played in Freshly Ground, joined on drums and Simon Orange from Blues Broers came in on piano and organ. It was this band that began to tour South Africa 2003 through 2008, with concerts at many of the national music festivals and live venues.
In January 2012 the documentary ‘Searching For Sugar Man’ was premiered at The Sundance Film Festival by it’s director Malik Bendjelloul, setting off a year-long avalanche of awards culminating in the 2013 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The film depicts the story and music of the man known as Rodriguez, told from the point of view of the South African fans who sought to find out the cold facts regarding the artist that changed their lives, yet remained an enigma. The documentary concludes with a music event that has since made the band ‘Big Sky’ a name recognized around the world.
On the 7th May 2021, Steve Louw released a brand new album of all-original songs, “Headlight Dreams“.
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles
- Waiting For The Dawn – Big Sky (1990) from Waiting On The Dawn
- Diamonds And Dirt – Big Sky (1990) from Waiting On The Dawn
- Slow Dancing – Big Sky (1990) from Waiting On The Dawn
- One Cut With A Knife – Big Sky (1995) from Horizon
- Strange Room – Big Sky (1995) from Horizon
- Kathleen – Big Sky (1996) from Horizon
- Wasted – Big Sky (1997) from Going Down With Mister Green
- Destiny – Big Sky (1999) from Best Of The Decade
- Wind In Your Hair / Crazy River (2021) from Headlight Dreams
Albums (& DVD)
Various Artists
- Pop Shop 48 (1990) (Waiting For The Dawn – Big Sky) on cassette only
- Pop Shop 50 (1991) (Power In The Darkness – Big Sky) on CD & cassette only
- Just The Two Of Us (1991) (Slow Dancing – Big Sky)
- The Best 21 Years Of Your Life! (1996) (Strange Room – Big Sky)
- SA Top 40 Hits Of All Time Volume 6 (2002) (Waiting For The Dawn – Big Sky)
- 46664 The Event (DVD 2004) (Amandla – co-composed by Steve Louw)
- 46664 – Part 3 Amandla (2004) (Amandla – co-composed by Steve Louw)
- South African Pop & Rock (2010) (Waiting For The Dawn – Big Sky)
- Rocktober Volume 1 (2019) (One Cut With A Knife – Big Sky)
- Rocktober Volume 2 (2020) (Waiting For The Dawn – Big Sky)
