Gene was born Gert Smit in 1944 in the town of Krugersdorp in the then Transvaal province of South Africa.
He won his first talent competition at the age of 15, in Durban's "Little Top".
Still in his teens, Gene formed The Blue Angels, later to become The Falcons, in 1963, with whom he played guitar and sang his famous gritty-blues-style songs.
They played many packed out shows, becoming a staple of the dance scene in South Africa, particularly Durban.
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