Port Shepstone-raised blues musician Smoke J. Lawrence continues to take South African blues to the world after receiving the Cleveland Global Award 2026 in Spain.

Known as the African King of the Blues, Lawrence was also honoured with a special live performance at the event recently.

The Cleveland Global Award is an honorary, non-competitive distinction recognising individuals whose work has made a lasting impact.

For Lawrence, the recognition was meaningful because his career has centred on using Blues music to connect people, cultures and communities.

“I am humbled and honoured. I am also grateful to God for getting flowers while I’m alive because not many people get that opportunity,” he said.

But behind the international recognition is a story that begins much closer to home.

Lawrence was born at Addington Hospital in Durban on January 1, 1976. He lived in Wentworth until he was three, when he moved to his grandfather’s farm in Nqabeni.

His father, Mitchell Lawrence, was a pastor and introduced his son to music at a young age.

In the 1980s, the family moved to Langalibalele, where Lawrence and his sisters, Barbara Lawrence-Strydom and Leah Lawrence, attended an Indian school during apartheid.

“At the time, the Group Areas Act wouldn’t allow us as Coloured kids to mix with Indian kids, and the government gave my father permission for us to attend, which was rare for the time,” Lawrence recalled.

When the school closed, the children moved to RA Engar Primary before returning to Nqabeni Primary. Lawrence later completed matric at Harding Secondary.

He played guitar alongside his father as he preached at churches and on the streets.

After school, he pursued football in Durban.

Years later, he returned to Port Shepstone to be closer to his parents and, in August 2014, invested everything in a recycling business. The business was destroyed by fire.

Forced back to Johannesburg, he struggled to find work and eventually sold goods from a tuckshop in Edenvale.

During this difficult period, music opened another door.

Influenced by gospel, reggae, soul and blues, including B.B. King and Eric Clapton, Lawrence developed his own sound.

In 2019, he undertook an international cultural exchange in Argentina, performing with the Yamil Jacobo Trio.

His musical journey has taken him to Argentina and Spain, while he has shared stages with musicians from the United States, Australia, France and elsewhere.

In 2023, he was honoured as the African King of the Blues by the Malume Msimango Foundation.

“It was also special to share the stage with 20 other great South Africans. This included one of my football heroes, Lucas Radebe, the former Bafana Bafana and Leeds United captain.”

Through the Smoke Train Blues Movement SA and Motherland International Blues and Jazz Festival, he continues to create opportunities for emerging musicians.

His sister Barbara is a storyteller and creative entrepreneur and recently collaborated with The Green Net to build an EcoBrick memorial bench at Secret Sands, Glenmore Beach.

While his guitar has taken him around the world, Lawrence’s story remains firmly rooted in KZN.

“I carry my KZN roots proudly onto every stage; I play on through my Maskandi-influenced blues rhythm and guitar licks,” he added.

Lawrence will be playing on the South Coast this festive season. Follow him on his Facebook page: Smoke J. Lawrence

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