This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mel Etitis (talk | contribs) at 08:43, 11 April 2006 (copy-edited, wikified, moved some material to separate articles). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 08:43, 11 April 2006 by Mel Etitis (talk | contribs) (copy-edited, wikified, moved some material to separate articles)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The history of blues in New Zealand dates from the 1960s. The earliest blues influences on New Zealand musicians were indirect — not from the United States but from white British blues musicians: first the R&B styles of The Animals and The Rolling Stones, and later the blues-tinged rock of groups such as Led Zeppelin. The first American blues artist to really make an impact in New Zealand was Stevie Ray Vaughan in the early 1990s. Other blues-related genres such as soul and gospel almost completely by-passed New Zealand audiences, except for a handful of hits from cross-over artists such as Ray Charles.
While New Zealand probably does not have its own blues style, it does have many fine blues artists, some excellent venues, including the Southern Blues Bar in Christchurch and the Bristol in Wellington, and an established following (including members of The New Zealand Blues Society and the Wellington Blues Club — Capital Blues.
Artists
- Mike Brosnan is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist. Despite extensive international touring, for much of his early career he remained relatively unknown in the wider world. This lack of wider recognition may have been due to the music industry's inability to pigeonhole his music, containing as it does such diverse influences: from rock to folk, from blues to Celtic to country. His slide guitar work is also considered a highlight, with many positive comparisons drawn with Ry Cooder's best work.
Brosnan now lives, performs and records very successfully in Germany, and his latest album, Beneath Southland Skies, has been reviewed very favourably both in Europe and New Zealand. Included are the gritty, real-life details of "Another Song for the Road", the dark poetry of "Be with You" and the rocking opening track "Letter to a Friend".
- Hammond Gamble is a singer and guitarist. He achieved considerable fame in the late 1970s fronting one of the biggest bands on the New Zealand rock circuit at the time, Street Talk, and later the Hammond Gamble Band. He recorded two albums with Street Talk and three under his own name. Probably his best and most widely known recording is the live 1995 album Plugged in and Blue.
Hammond is also a songwriter. Joe Cocker recorded his song "If You’ve Got Love, Give Me Some", and Hammond also composed rock classics such as "Leaving the Country" and "Should I be Good or Should I be Evil". In 1992 and 1993 he had a number-one hit with a rare non-original, "You Make the Whole World Smile". Hammond has won a number of New Zealand awards, including Rock Performer of the Year, Album of the Year, APRA Silver Scroll, and Film Soundtrack of the Year. He has been chosen as support in New Zealand for many major acts including Tina Turner, Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, and Joe Cocker.
- Darren Watson is a singer and guitaist in a wide range of blues styles, as well as a songwriter. Warson led the very popular blues band Smoke Shop, which that featured on the New Zealand charts and toured extensively throughout the country in the 1980s and 1990s. More recently Watson has recorded two successful albums: King Size, which was nominated for Best Roots Album at the 2003 NZ Music Awards, and his latest, South Pacific Soul. This latest album has now been released in the USA, and showcases Darren's songwriting talents. It also features a wider range of material, including soulful songs that have been favourably compared to Elvis Costello and John Hiatt material.
- The Remarkable Beat Roosters was formed in the mid 1990s by members of Midge Marsden's band: Sid Limbert (bass), Freddy Limbert (drums), and Brian Harley (guitar), and became New Zealand's most powerful R&B trio, rapidly gaining a loyal cult following New Zealand-wide. Their only recording has become a collectors' item. Live 'n' Loose was recorded in Sid Limbert's's home studio in 1996. It is a cross section of their regular set material, but the standout is Limbert's original slow blues "Blues Still Blue", an evocative memory of the first time he visited Mississippi.
The Remarkable Beat Roosters opened for the BB King Auckland concert in the early 1990s. King was so impressed that he called them up on stage at the end of the show. This was also a reunion with King's long-time drummer Caleb Emphryas, who had taken the Limberts fishing in Mississippi some years before.
All the band members are still actively playing. Freddy Limbert has teamed up with Simen bluekeys Taylor to form a blues duo, and Sid Limbert toured New Zealand with his son Freddy, Taylor, and Darren Watson in 2005.
External links
- New Zealand Blues and Views — contains a selection of albums from New Zealand blues artists.
- New Zealand Blues Society — contains an extensive archive of New Zealand blues music reviews and articles, frequently updated New Zealand and international blues news, and New Zealand blues artists' directory.
- Wellington Blues Club — Capital Blues — includes a copy of the BLUZNUZ newsletter and details of the regular Thursday Roomfulla Blues at The Bristol.