I was the drummer in Mutt's band "HOCUS" in South Africa back in 1970 / 71. When I first met Mutt, he was a sound engineer at a recording studio / production house, where he was mostly involved in producing jingles for radio. Shortly thereafter, we both quit our "day jobs" to focus on the band and our music. We shared a house on a large plot of land on the outskirts of Johannesburg, which was close enough to the action of the city, yet quiet enough to rehearse without bugging the neighbours!

We worked incredibly hard (driven by one Robert John "Mutt" Lange - who else?) and were soon putting out quite a respectable sound. We played a lot of Country Rock in the early days (Mutt's Nashville critics, please note!) and some of our influences included The Byrds, Poco, Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, amongst others. At the same time, we were listening to and playing some British Rock.....there was this little guy just starting out named Elton John, There was Emerson Lake and Palmer, Free (you must remember "All right now") , Rod Argent and King Crimson.....to name but a few. We also played some original material and, with our very diverse " mixed bag" of influences, I think I can say we put out quite a distinctive sound, which would be difficult to "label" or categorise.

Mutt was very much a sound and balance man. In those days there were no synths or computer aided music, no on stage miking or mixing (certainly not in our neck of the woods)...... what you played was what you got! Mutt and I worked closely and kept bass and drums very tight, vocals and harmonies were clear and prominent, instrumentation was clear, uncluttered and complimented the overall effect of the song.

Mutt was also a very talented vocalist with an enormous versatility. He had a voice which could roar, it could also whisper. His natural voice had a kind of a Van Morrison / Jon Fogerty quality. I can still hear Mutt's vocal influence strongly in the artists he produces today. Leppard, Adams and, more recently, Shania. They all share those little throaty and nasal intonations which were so much part of Mutt's own singing. A coincidence? I think not! I know they have the best coach in the business. You can be the judge.

Sadly, (for me, that is!) "Hocus" split around the end of 1971 and Mutt got more involved in producing.He produced several local South African artists and notched up quite a few hits before packing his bags and heading for London and the "big world" out there.And, the rest,as they say, is history!

For me, I am very privileged to have been associated with Mutt and, without being overly dramatic, I know we are all witnessing a legend at work.

Geoff Williams.