Brenda: SA's richest dead muso
2006-11-13 10:44
Johannesburg - If someone were to compile a list of South Africa's top-selling dead artists, the list would probably be in this order: Brenda Fassie, Bles Bridges and Gé Korsten.
In the USA, grunge-star Kurt Cobain apparently just toppled Elvis Presley as the richest of the late-great rock stars, with income from his record sales topping $50m (about R350m). Elvis has reportedly slipped back to $42m (about R300m).
Since Brenda Fassie died in 2004, sales of her records have hit the roof.
As far as can be determined Bles Bridges, who was killed in a car crash in 2000, is close behind Brenda.
Gallo records re-released his greatest hits and Love Songs, after Bles died. Together, sales of the two albums have topped 40 000. Sales of CDs that were released when he was alive are also thriving.
Still taxed
The work of Tolla van der Merwe, Cora-Marie and others also sold well after their deaths, but music lovers are unanimous that Gé Korsten is third on the list of all time top-sellers.
It appears that the taxman's hand reaches into the grave, as Rapport found when it approached the recording companies for more precise sales figures.
"If we release figures it will create problems for the artistes with the receiver of revenue," said SonyBMG.
Bles sold 2.4m records during his lifetime.
"I can't see how any other singer in South Africa could beat that," said Sunette Bridges, Bles' daughter.
The former chief of CCP records, Shaun Watson said Brenda's sales reached record heights and when she died there was a rush of CD purchases by her fans. A figure of 600 000 was bandied about, but this could not be confirmed.
"I worked with Bles for a long time. The figures were phenomenal. Brenda's sales were stronger when she was alive, compared with those following her death. Bles recorded with us, but also with another recording company before he died. It is therefore difficult to get to the precise tally," said Irving Schlossberg, EMI's chief executive.
EMI said it had not yet considered a memorial album for Kwaito star Lebo Mathosa, the very popular singer who died in a crash recently.