Considered one of the most influential and unique bands of 1960s South Africa,[2] they stood out with their blend of soul and rock music, Indian background, and music, which was centered around albums and covers rather than singles and original songs.
[3] Their 1968 cover of The Impressions' "For Your Precious Love" reached #1 on the domestic charts and is their most popular song.
[4] The group disbanded shortly afterward, with Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar subsequently joining the Beach Boys,[5] but reunited for performances in 2000 and 2011.
Before the band's formation, Steve Fataar would enter talent contests at the Admiral Hotel, typically winning.
According to a friend of his, Bing Kinsey, "he continued entering these contests, which put his mother in a bit of a bother as she had to drive him there.
I recall that on one occasion, Steve had heard a song by Cliff Richard just once; I'm not sure whether it was "Gee Whizz It's You" or "I'm Looking out the Window."
Steve was the main vocalist, doing most of the singing, with Eugene and Brother providing harmonies.
Trutone decided not to release them, instead heavily promoting The Meteors' version of "I Saw Her Standing There", which became a hit in South Africa.
The band's first album was recorded over three days, with Art Heatley as producer and Dave Erbstoesser as the sound engineer.
The home scene was not forgotten, with the group performing at places such as Stanger, Verulem, Tongaat, Pietermaritzburg and Richmond.
Blondie Chaplin, a young singer making a name for himself as a member of the group The Kittens, would eventually replace Duval.
This new line-up recorded the "Burning Soul" and "Soulfire" albums, so named and both produced by Grahame Beggs and which were to feature the iconic song "For Your Precious Love" featuring the famous spokenintroduction by Steve, and the fabulous singing of the young Blondie.
All of these recording experiences were a huge learning curve and rather exciting — also considering that Ricky and Blondie were only 14 and 15 years old at this time "Burning Soul".
This influenced them to perform in a number of venues in London and also record a song called "Streamliner."
In 1969,[4] their performances gained the attention of The Beach Boys (Particularly Carl Wilson and Al Jardine)[8] and The Bee Gees.
The Flames joined the Beach Boys' Brother label and moved to America.
Blondie left the group in 1973 and worked with a number of other musicians, performing live as well as on records, including members of The Band and The Byrds.
Blondie's talents came to the attention of The Rolling Stones and he has toured with the group for over 10 years, as well as appearing on some of their studio recordings.
He became a producer, with his first major success being Renée Geyer's So Lucky, which also featured Blondie as a vocalist.
He later emigrated to Australia, producing a number of successful artists, including Tim Finn, Kate Ceberano, Dragon, and Wendy Matthews.
Steve Fataar and Edries Fredericks later teamed up with some other artists to form the band In Formation.