Getting to know local muso JP Dix
JP Dix can be heard in venues and shows all over Pretoria, including Sunday afternoons at the Polkadraai feesterrein in Centurion.
Rock guitarists are all the same, right? Wrong!
Local muso JP Dix, known by his schoolmates as Jacques Pienaar, is proof that this is not true. Having started his guitar playing at age 13, his passion for playing even took him to the UK for two years where he did nothing but hone his finger-picking skills under the expert tutelage of maestro folk guitarist Terry St Clair.
He freely admits that this was no walk in the park, but his passion prevailed and this experience has given him the edge. He has performed with big local names like Mel Botes, whom he plays alongside in the Dire Straits and Pink Floyd tributes. He will be taking these shows over from Botes in the new year.
JP played locally for the Jakkie Louw band and contributed his musical writing skills to hits like Een Miljoen Woorde before joining the Dixie Hillbillies as lead singer and guitarist. He also played banjo for this band and is counted as part of the handful of accomplished banjo players around.
Now his solo career is taking off and his first album is in the offing. In addition to being a guitarist, JP Dix is also a singer and songwriter and his album will contain his own music. “I tried the bluegrass vibe and liked it. But rock is my roots,” Dix says. His album, Afrikaans rock – watch out Jan Blohm!
JP Dix can be heard in venues and shows all over Pretoria, including Sunday afternoons at the Polkadraai feesterrein in Centurion.
