About Bok van Blerk
Bok van Blerk (born Louis Andreas Pepler; 30 March 1978) is a South African singer-songwriter who sings in Afrikaans. He became famous in 2006 for his rendition of "De la Rey" by Sean Else and Johan Vorster. Though controversy attended the release of "De la Rey", South Africa's Department of Arts and Culture examined the debate and then wished van Blerk well with the song, writing officially that the department saw "no problem". == Early life and career == Van Blerk went to school at Hoërskool die Wilgers in Pretoria. After his study, he spent time working abroad. In March 2006, Bok van Blerk and the Mossies released the album Jy praat nog steeds my taal (You still speak my language). The same album was rereleased in October 2006 under the name De La Rey and solely credited to Bok van Blerk. According to Van Blerk "and the Mossies" was removed because his fellow singer, Tanya van Graan, was too busy modeling. Van Blerk is accompanied by Jaco Mans (and occasionally Manie van Niekerk) on lead guitar, Francois Coetzee on bass guitar, and Nathan Smit on the drums. == "De la Rey" controversy == On 6 February 2007, the South African Department of Arts and Culture issued a statement regarding "De la Rey" (ostensibly a tribute to 19th-century military leader Koos de la Rey) and its then popularity with some Afrikaners, some of whom were claimed to interpret the song as a call to armed conflict.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.