Crallan Sunbird

Musical and personal history

Coming from a family where his mother and sisters played piano and sang,Crallan’s musical journey started as a 6 year old boy, singing in church and at home.

At the age of 10, he joined the world renowned Drakensberg Boy’s Choir, where he received his initial vocal and music theory training.

After returning home to Kimberly in the Western Cape, he participated in the musically rich culture of his school, Christian Brothers College and had various roles in productions such as Oliver, The Sound of Music and Grease.

At the age of 16 he started writing songs and began playing in pubs and restaurants, playing covers and developing his musical repertoire.

After leaving school, he started a band called Brass Monkey which enjoyed much local success in and around Johannesburg. He was also the co-founder of the band Naked, which enjoyed much success in SA and was nominated for a SAMA award for the song “Bone needs flesh”.

Crallan has shared the stage with musical greats such as Tananas, Louis Mlhlanga, Zolani Mahola to name a few.
 

After a long break from music and building a successful carpentry business, Crallan returned to his music through his experiences of healing from drug and alcohol addiction. He was introduced to the idea of using music as a means of prayer and expression of gratitude when he came into contact with the plant medicine of Ayahuasca and the culture of the Huni Kuin people.
 

His experiences of deep healing and true liberation from addiction inspired the sound that he currently expresses, which is best described as acoustic psychedelic folk/world music.