The Flames
South African musical group
The Flames were a South African musical group formed in 1962. The band's best-known lineup consisted of siblings Steve (guitar, vocals), Edries (bass) and Ricky Fataar (drums) and Blondie Chaplin (guitar, vocals). Considered one of the most influential South African acts of all time, the band were known for their blend of soul and rock music.
The group disbanded in 1970, with Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar subsequently joining the Beach Boys, The band has since reunited for performances in 2000 and 2011.
Biography
Before the band's formation, Steve Fataar would enter and win talent shows at the Admiral Hotel. According to Fataar's friend Bing Kinsey, "he continued entering these contests, which put his mother in a bit of a bother as she had to drive him there. I recall that on one occasion, Steve had heard a song by Cliff Richard just once; I'm not sure whether it was 'Gee Whizz It's You' or 'I'm Looking out the Window.' I knew the song and taught it to him. That night he sang it at the talent contest and won." Eventually, Steve's brother, Edries Fataar, would join him shortly after.
The Flames were formed in 1962 by guitarist Steve Fataar, bassist Brother Fataar (real name Edries Fataar), drummer George Fabre, and guitarist Eugene Champion. Shortly before the band were set to play a show, Fabre withdrew from the band, with Ricky Fataar replacing him on drums shortly after.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7734351. VIAF identifies the subject as 313265250. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1962, 1970, 2000 and 2011.
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This entry incorporates text from “The Flames” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.