Richard and Lochner continue to wow audiences, even after 35 years

Richard van der Westhuizen’s name is synonymous with Afrikaans culture. The actor and singer, who was born in Namaqualand, has starred in some of the most riveting Afrikaans series since the 80s.

Some of his most memorable roles include Hart van Staal, Plek van die Vleisvreters, Dryfsand, Arsenaal and Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling. He also played the role of Tokkie in 7de Laan in 2005 and 2006.

Unless you religiously follow Afrikaans actors and singers, one thing you probably didn’t know about Richard is that he wrote the song for the well-known Afrikaans TV show, Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling which was eventually made into a movie in 2015.

Tussen Treine was an instant hit back in 1991 when Richard and Lochner de Kock recorded the song together. Lochner, who is also a chef and has published several recipe books, has starred in several TV shows and movies including Getroud met Rugby and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Speaking to The Citizen after performing on stage at the Oppiland Festival in Springs, their first big performance since the Covid-19 lockdown, the duo looked in their element, the rush from performing in front of a crowd after more than two years still visible in their shining eyes and bright smiles.

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“It’s actually very scary to pick up your guitar again after two-and-a-half years. In the back of your mind, you tell yourself that you can still do this, and then you start practicing. Your fingers end up being sore for about three days, which means you can’t practice and then you realise that you don’t know the words anymore,” says Richard.

Drinking a cup of coffee, Lochner laughingly adds that it’s a hell of a lot of words to remember as well.

The dynamic singing duo says the excitement you feel when you get up on that stage brings all the words back to the fore, though. “It sounds like a cliché, but there’s something you can feel happening in your blood when you walk onto that stage to perform,” says Richard and Lochner.

Richard was approached by Henri to write the theme song for the TV show he was producing, Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling. Six years earlier, Henri saw Richard perform at the Sterrewag Theatre in Bloemfontein and according to Richard he really enjoyed the show which is why he dialled his number all those years later.

Although he wasn’t really a singer at the time, only an actor, Richard agreed to do the song. He had 24 months to work on it.

“23 months, 2 weeks and six days later, I received another phone call from Henri asking me where his song is. I didn’t know what he was talking about, completely having forgotten about the conversation we had almost two years ago.”

With less than two weeks left to come up with a theme song, Richard immediately jumped to action and started working on the song.

He got the scripts for Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling and, while reading through them, started jotting down ideas for the theme song.

He had three pages of words, but these weren’t strung together to form a song yet until he found himself driving on Ontdekkers Road in Florida, Johannesburg, one day. Inspiration struck.

Three notes on a bass guitar would signal the start of the TV show and the end of the ads. Back then there wasn’t catch-up or fast forward, so viewers would be intrigued by this sounds after the loudness of the ads, Richard explained.

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“That’s how Tussen Treine started. Two weeks later I gave the song to Henri and made some recommendations on who I thought should sing it. When Henri asked me to sing the song, I told him that I’m an actor not a singer, but he would hear nothing of it,” Richard recalls.

Lochner and Richard teamed up not long after Tussen Treine was released to produce more music together. Lochner recalls performing at the Windybow festival in Hillbrow way back in the day. He says they were only planning on having a good time and sitting in the bar, but him and Richard ended up winning ‘The best of the fest’ for the best performers at the festival.

And like they say, the rest is history.