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Roger Lucey was born in 1954 and grew up in Durban and was strongly influenced by his Zulu friend, Jabulani Makatini. Alongside Makatini, Lucey as a young white child went into the townships which revealed a side from which most white South Africans were separated as per law. According to Drewett "Lucey grew increasingly aware of the incongruence between apartheid ideology and the lived experience of black South Africans." As a result of this awareness, Lucey began writing protest songs based on this inequality and injustice in South Africa.

Lucey started as a folk musician playing acoustic guitar and singing covers and his own songs with a very gravelly voice. He started performing in Durban's coffee bars but did not, however, distance himself from political issues such as Alan Jeffrey, Steve Newman, the Kitchen Brothers and Jan Hofmeyer. His musical style focussed on rock 'n roll fused with blues, jazz and kwela. Lucey can be regarded as an "activist-performing" through his political songs, who believed in the anti-apartheid movement. However, despite this he did not join a political group nor become an official spokesperson for any group. Moreover, when performing live he was oftentimes accompanied by a three-man band called the Zub Zub Marauders with Lucey himself playing guitar and singing. In addition to Lucey, the group consists of Ilne Hofmeyr, Tich James and Jonny Blundell.

During the 1970s, Roger Lucey performed his political songs throughout the Johannesburg circuit also performing in bigger venues such as His Majesty's Theatre and the Market Theatre. He gained widespread popularity through live performances but also through the release of his albums The Road is Much Longer (1979) and Half Alive (1980). He also received publicity through the press and an interview for a radio programme by Voice of America that played his political songs. However, Lucey also received bad attention in the form of the South African Police after the interview had aired.

The police set up a variety of measures into silencing Roger Lucey's message lead by Paul Erasmus. Drewett stated that "(t)hese included attending and recording Lucey’ shows (later to be transcribed), raiding his house, interrogating him, bugging his telephone, intercepting his post, and monitoring press reports about Lucey." Letters he obtained of invitations to festivals and clubs were destroyed and news regarding forthcoming performances were used to threaten venue owners. After the release of his records, they were confiscated from the independent stores and by 1974 with the passing of the Publications Act, censorship of Lucey grew harsher. A Directorate of Publications were set up through the law, which banned subsequently Lucey's The Road is Much Longer. This, however, although debilitating did not stop Lucey from recording and performing his music.

Roger Lucey also wrote the protest song "Lungile Thabalza" (1979), which was also subjected to banning by the Directorate of Publications. The song discusses an activist who died in police custody. Lucey along with Jennifer Ferguson, the Kalahari Surfers and the Cherry Faced Lurchers, among others, contributed songs to Shifty Records' Forces Favourites, which was a support to the End Consription Campaign. Lucey also wrote songs such as "You only need say nothing" (1979) and "The boys are in town" (1980) that commented on the border war. Roger Lucey also toured internationally to countries such as Britain, United States, Botswana and Namibia among other.

Roger Lucey formed part of a group that offered an alternative to apartheid hegemony alongside James Phillips, the Kalahari Surfers, Juluka, Savuka, Bright Blue, Mzwakhe Mbuli, Bayete, and Stimela.

Discography

Roger Lucey produced for albums namely Running for Cover (1979) through 3rd Ear Music, Half a Live (1980) through Wea International, Gypsy Soul (2002) and Now Is the Time (2015) through Rootspring.

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