‘They called me the “Ag Pleez Deddy” man’: On the (Be)longing of Jeremy Taylor

Abstract

Jeremy Taylor, known for his work as a satirist, songwriter and political commentator in South Africa and England, currently resides in the small rural town of Gizeux, France. Although widely recognised for his song ‘Ag Pleez Deddy’, Taylor is also responsible for composing the original music for the musical revue, Wait a Minim, and various other songs including ‘Piece of Ground’ that was recorded by Miriam Makeba in 1966. Arriving in South Africa in 1959, Taylor has had a unique vantage point from which to view the growth and development of South African folk music. In this interview, we explore Taylor’s musical career and reflect on his life and experiences of apartheid South Africa. The interview has been edited, annotated, and augmented with unpublished material from the Jeremy Taylor collection in the Hidden Years Music Archive.1 This archive is rich in newspaper clippings, texts, music manuscripts and photographs and is held by the Documentation Centre for Music, Stellenbosch University.