Reyes, Mynie

Mynie on January 17, 1910, in Observatory, Cape Town, was born. He was on June 22, 1940, married Miss Doris Myburgh and four children born of the marriage.

Mynie loved since childhood music and when he was sixteen years old, he took violin lessons from a Mrs. Collins. He did an excellent progress and soon after he performed with other musicians for the first time. He said he and a friend went to visit one night at a Stander Family Mowbray. There were people who made music and he had a violin noticed that nobody played. His friend urged him to play with the other. He consented and agreed the violin and case with the other players. It went well and on this particular evening Mynie - one of our most famous violin players - interest related to our traditional boeremusiek so excited that he began to focus on him. It went all better and soon he acted with the best artists in the Cape. He was a popular musician.

He said that there is almost no place in the Cape, Boland and part of the world where he did not play. He often with Uncle Boy Solomon acted. Klasie Langeveld, the father of the famous Langeveld brothers, played the guitar and the Victorbroers could play different instruments.

He said he made a record in the thirties and he was assisted by the following musicians: Okkie Kruger - concertina, Van prosecutor, Mr. Kroon and Van Wyk - guitars. He himself played the violin. One piece was called the chameleon-traction but the other number's name he can not remember. The survey was then sent to England where the plates are usually made, but he never heard about it.

From 1934 to 1937, had his band consisting of members below the very live broadcasts over the radio:

He later with Phillipie de Bruin played which was a very good concertina player. Then he performed with Japie Laubscher and he still remembers how the band was made up:

He also went acted with the famous guitarist Jean du Plessis says that the orchestra so have looked like:

Pieter van der Byl, aka John Doe, also often performed with them when they had concerts or broadcasts. Then he worked with the Welcome orchestra played and the men's names can be seen on the photograph in that chapter.

During 1960, he held various plates made with Japie Laubscher and the men who helped were:

Gerald Wesson also performed later as guitarist. He also later appeared with Piet Rossouw and his band.

Mynie not only played, but was an avid composer and we created the following nommertjies:

The granary roll 
Pull Saw polka 
Uncle Willie Chicken 
Overberg settees 
kick settees 
Check the pot 
Eselkop settees 
Mynie's kwadril 
Kelkiewyn roll 
Woodstock settees 
Namaqualand kwadril 
Ma again sleep 
Patchwork Turn 
Piet shoot the cat 
Black ass 
Pete Valentine's roll 
the weaver settees 
Wetland polka 
Sophia Flower dance 
penguins roll 
What you now? 
Black Rock Band Dance

LP Plate made by Mynie are:

The granary bokjol 
The Penguins roll 
the Newest of Mynie Reyes

Uncle Mynie also remember that he played from 1927 to 1934 with one Mr. van der Merwe to Mowbray a principal of Nassau. They performed at different places and played for charity. The orchestra consisted of the following members:

Uncle Mynie's also that they went often between Christmas and New Year to Riversdale's environment in those years and just kept big party. The people there gathered by ox and horse carts. There was always a lot of food and mead, gray slicker and witblits was not too rare! It was fun and people enjoyed themselves dancing, joking and laughing. Everyone was compassionate to one another and Uncle Mynie say that it is the most pleasant time of his was music career.

During 1980, 1982 and 1984, Uncle Mynie and participated his band to the boeremusiek competition was broadcast on TV. They have not obtained a final place, but in 1984, an award presented by the ATKV done to Uncle Mynie for his "outstanding contribution to development of our boeremusiek treasure".

Shortly afterwards he made another transkripsieplaat for the SABC, named Fat finches .

In addition to the violin can Uncle Mynie also played the mandolin, double bass, piano and viola. He worked until his retirement at the South African Railways. After his retirement, he was a long time acted as a messenger at the Parliament House.

Uncle Mynie, our club also thanks for your contribution to our exclusive traditional boeremusiek treasure. May you have long spared and accompanied our best wishes to you in your path ahead!