Almost Famous

Members

Tina Gordon

Tina started performing in front of live audiences at the age of 13. She is a gifted vocalist and outstanding performer that oozes charm and charisma every time she takes centre stage.  Some of her career highlights include:  Forming the all female vocal group “Essential”, whos first hit single, Give me back my love, sold over 1000 units in the first week of its release. Tina has also performed live on the TV game show, Bambanani, and has done numerous radio and television interviews. 

Live performance credits include performing in front og a 6000-strong live audience at the Sun City Superbowl 1998, featuring guest star Austin Peck from the soapie Days of our Lives. Tina was also a featured guest artist on O’Ryan Winter’s (who was also known for his role in the series Backstage) first album, The Dawning.  Other notable performances include the Meridian Cup Soccer Night of Stars which featured Jason Brookes, the Annual SAFA 1999 Awards alongside Mark Lottering, as well as the Millennium New year’s Eve Party at Ratanga Junction, which received rave reviews in the Metro, Die Burger, Sunday Times, Cape Argus, Cape Review as well as many of the other Cape Town local newspapers.

During the course of her illustrious singing career, Tina has performed and shared the stage with the likes of Devanti, O’Ryan Winter, Cool Funk, Black Noise, The Rockets, Frank Paco, Camillo Lombard, Alistair Isabel, Brenda Fassie, Tembi, TKZ and many more. She has also performed with the Afro Cuban band, Salsa Candela, as lead female vocalist.  Together they performed alongside the likes of legendry drummer and academy award winning percussionist, Efrain Toro. “Being exposed to music all my life, I think it was inevitable that I chose music as my career” says Tina, “and I don’t think anything is more powerful, moving and rewarding than performing in front of a live audience”. 

Valentino van der Schyff

Valentino was born in 1984 into a musical family.  His father was a one-man-band musician who also played for many other bands in the past. It is this musical background that would ultimately influence Valentino and encourage him to follow his passion for music.

Valentino fell in love with singing at the age of 8 and at the tender age of 9, he started performing with his dad at many pubs and clubs. The father-son duo travelled to Port Elizabeth where they stayed for 7 years, playing various gigs and building up a fan base. Moving back to Cape Town after that time, Valentino joined a band and started performing in shopping malls and coffee bars.  He later joined Prompt (Professional Music Performance and Technology) music college, during which time he performed as part of a few different groups at jazz festivals and clubs.

Performance highlights include opening for bands like Virtual Jazz Reality, Tucan Tucan and Freshlyground.

Valentino says, “Music is my life. It was my father’s and I’ll carry on doing what I love to do"

Charles Knighton-Pullin

Charles took up the guitar at the age of 13, after having plyed the piano for 5 years.  He has a Performers Diploma in Music (PDA) in classical guitar from the University of Cape Town, and is currently teaching at Bishops High and Hershel High.

Charles has been part of several bands, and partook in a Sonja Harold musical production at Grand West Casino.  He has also appeared on Natalie Chapman's debut CD release, which has been receiving regular air time on various radio stations in Johannesburg).

He cites various "guitar heroes" as his major influences including Jason Becker, Steve Vai, Michael Romeo, Yngwie Malmsteen, Reb Beach and Joe Satriani. He specialises in alternate picking, economy picking, sweeping, tapping, harmonics, whammy-bar usage, legato as well as various classical right hand techniques.

To Charles, his love for music is not a choice, it is simply part of his genetic makeup: "Music, to me, is so rooted in my whole being, that it would be unthinkable to choose any other career. I find it to be the most challenging task I have ever attempted to take on, and the beauty is that it's one that is never ending."

Sean Nunan

Sean, one of the few left handed drummers in South Africa, came up with the concept of putting together a corporate band with a difference, which lead to the formation of ALMOST FAMOUS.  He started drumming at the age of 17, and turned professional in 1988 with a band called Shout!, a 5-piece pop / rock original outfit that  played at major festivals and varsity campus gigs around the country. The band released an EP called Guns & Games, and two singles namely 'Don't Dance' and 'Reaching Out' had chart success on 5fm. ThShout! also appeared on SABC's popular music video show 'Fast Forward'. The highlight of the band's three years together was a 6-week national tour of South Africa with the Celtic Rumours and the Psycho Reptiles on the same bill.

After Shout split up at the end of 1990, Sean joined a cover band called Shy Moon. A few months later, Sean and guitarist Kevin Reed were approached by Brian O Shea to join Shifty Henry. Sean spent 3 very successful years with Shifty Henry, touring both locally and internationally, performing on average 5 nights per week and enjoying major chart successes, as well as widespread radio and television coverage.

When Shifty Henry finally parted ways, Sean and Kevin formed the ever-popular Johannesburg cover band 'Avalanche'. Sean spent 5 years as drummer for the band before moving to Cape Town in 2000 to concentrate on teaching and fulfill his passion to become a better all round drummer. Sean also performed in a show called 'Disco Inferno', which was a tribute to the seventies disco era, featuring Samantha Peo, Neil Paich and Helen Du Boir. After a successful season, which took the show around the country as well as to Namibia and Botswana, Sean re-united with Craig Parsons from Shy Moon in another cover band called 'Scandal'.  In 2002 he joined the original rock band ‘Natti Simonne’ and played with the band until 2006. The band described their music as 'chick rock' and attracted wide spread audiences of all ages. Sean is also an in demand session drummer and has performed on various albums and jingles.

“Drumming to me is journey and not a destination, and the longer you play the harder it gets!” 

Client Feedback

Well Done Everybody!!!  Thanks again for everything YOU ROCK!!
Lea Jastiva, B-Communications Dubai

Baie dankie vir die voorstelling van die groep Almost Famous.  Sean en sy "band" was absoluut uitstekend gewees!
Maude Hugo, SANLAM

Can you please pass on our greatest thanks to the band for making our night so wonderful. There fantastic music made our night truelly a magical memory. All our guests danced the whole night all thanks to the band. We would especially like to thank them for learning and singing our first song of the night, its provided us with a life time of happy memories.
Ruan & Nessa Van Rooyen, wedding couple

We're back in Ireland safely thanks! The guys (Almost Famous band) were amazing and such fun, we all loved them and had a great party. Thanks a million to you all!
Shelley & David O'Connor, wedding couple