Jon Selby

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Jon Selby was an important icon in South African Music in the 1980s. As singer , songwriter and front-man of New Romantic band Petit Cheval, his unique songs, stage presence, and star persona carved a niche in South African music history at a time when sanctions were firmly in place against that country.

Starved of international acts, the local bands rose to the occasion led by other such notable bands as Via Africa, ÉVoid,Ella Mental, Tribe after Tribe, Hotline, Johnny Clegg, and many others. Petit Cheval was unique in that they veered away from cliched African sounds and stayed true to their European influences. They developed a large following and toured extensively around the country.

They had hits with such songs as "Magical Touch", "Once in a Lifetime", and "It was the wind". They were signed up by Warner Bros. Records which later changed its identity to TUSK as a result of the general pull-out of international companies during the sanction period.

Jon Selby was at the forefront of the local musical onslaught and was either loved or hated by the local press. Nevertheless he was an irrepressible star and led the way in affirming the star potential of South African bands, which had always lived in the shadows of international acts. This was primarily as a result of local record companies spending large portions of their budgets on promoting "sure things" from their parent companies oversees, while largely ignoring local talent and in some instances fleecing them of their earnings rights as musicians.

Petit Chevals last performance was in 1987 at the Witwatersrand University Campus. It was a sad goodbye to a great band, but one that left its mark on the music history of South Africa.