Ronnie Joyce

South African artist. Described by many as the Michael Jackson of Cape Town, there is no doubt that Little Ronnie, who modelled his singing career around his late American idol, was the most adorable young singer of his era in South Africa. After years of thrilling South African and Namibian (then South-West Africa) fans the Joyce-Butler combination was eventually broken up after the latter left South Africa to pursue what turned out to be a very successful music career Ronnie continued wowing crowds in South Africa and released hit songs like ‘Everybody Knows’, ‘Working On A Good Thing’, ‘Give A Little Love’, ‘I Need A Little Love’, ‘Baby Baby Come Closer’ and ‘Give An Inch Baby’. Many South Africans and Namibians have memories of Ronnie performing on stage, captivating audiences with his crystal clear and powerful voice, combined with his elegant stage presence that mesmerised audiences. After fading away over the years, amidst reports of drug and alcohol abuse, Ronnie made a strong comeback with South Africa’s most internationally recognised band The Rockets in the late 80s. The happy marriage produced monster hits like ‘Surrender’, ‘Gimme A Break’ and ‘Situation’ and in the process propelled The Rockets to one of the best ever recording groups coming out of Cape Town in particular and South Africa at large. Last year Ronnie and Butler were reunited for what turned out to be one of his last shows in their hometown, Cape Town.