Johannes Kerkorrel was born as Ralph Rabie in 1960. He was a South African journalist and later a singer who publicly attacked the Apartheid system in his country. In 1987, Johannes Kerkorrel was fired by Rapport newspaper for using quotes from PW Botha's speeches in his music; he then became a full-time musician and performer under the name Johannes Kerkorrel en die Gereformeerde Blues Band (Johannes Kerkorrel and the Reformed Blues Band), a deliberate reference to the Reformed Church.