Bles Bridges

Who was Bles Bridges?

Bles Bridges – 24 March 2000, born Lawrence John Gabriel Bridges, was a much-loved South African singer. He became known as Bles Bridges, as his Irish grandfather called him Bles, due to his very thin hair from an early age.

He released his first album in 1982, Onbekende Weermagman. His professional career began in 1984, with the release of his second album, Bles, which went gold in under a month and included Maggie, one of his better-known songs. The album had sold twice that by the time his third album was released. At the time of his death, Bles had sold more than two and a half million albums.

Soon Bles Bridges began alternating between Afrikaans and English language albums, to great acclaim. He also began working with Eurovision South Africa. In 2000, he began recording an album with his friends in the music industry. The first song - a duet with Patricia Lewis - was "The First Kiss Goodnight" by Dennis East; it was recorded on 21 March 2000.

In the 1980s, he held a concert in support of the AWB Volkshulpskema that raised 10,000 Rand.