Th' Dudes
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox musical artist Th' Dudes are a New Zealand rock band that was formed in the late 1970s in Auckland, New Zealand. Hits include "Walking in Light", "Right First Time", "Be Mine Tonight" and "Bliss".
History
1975–1980
The band was formed by Morris, Urlich, Coleman and Dobbyn, students at Sacred Heart College in Auckland. The band name derived from the "Lone Groover" comic strip in the English music paper, NME. The band's sound was heavily influenced by the British scene, especially The Beatles, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, and later by the Punk and New Wave sounds of Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Roxy Music, The Stranglers and The Clash.Template:Cn
Starting off as a covers band that played surf clubs and private parties, Th' Dudes quickly earned a reputation as an energetic and skilful outfit featuring dual guitar work from Dobbyn and Morris, a tight no-nonsense rhythm section (Peter Coleman on bass, later replaced by Lez White, and drummer Bruce Hambling) and charismatic vocalist Urlich. Slowly the repertoire featured more originals and their status rose to the point where Th' Dudes were acclaimed NZ Group of the Year in 1979.Template:Cn The group disbanded in 1980.Template:Cn
1990s-present
The mid-1990s saw a resurgence of interest in Th' Dudes in New Zealand, when "classic hits" and "classic rock" radio became more prevalent, and the compositional, performance and production qualities of the band's records endured. Bliss: 20 Essential New Zealand Classics and other compilations showcased New Zealand post-punk acts which epitomized the Kiwi rock genre. Th' Dudes', "Bliss", attained particular popularity and has since established itself as New Zealand's unofficial national drinking song.Template:Cn
In October 2006, Th' Dudes embarked on a tour of New Zealand as part of Radio Hauraki's 40th anniversary celebrations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The original tour was 11 dates, but quickly expanded to 17 shows due to demand.Template:Cn The band compiled a six-track album of demo and alternate versions of their biggest hits, culled from the band's own collections. This CD was available only at shows on the tour and was called Pubs, Parks, Theatres, Clubs, Church Halls, Gardens, Lounges & Band Rotundas.
In late 2007, Th' Dudes embarked on the "Summer of Love" tour.Template:Cn
In 2008, the band sued Stebbing Studios for non-payment of royalties. The band sought to show that they were not paid royalties for sales of their music due to their songs being recorded in downtime at Stebbing, but studio owner Eldred Stebbing claimed production costs had not been met.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The dispute was resolved to both parties' mutual satisfaction<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in November 2008.
In 2019, the band announced a new tour of New Zealand, with dates from 9–25 April 2020, but it was postponed until November due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ian Morris's brother, Rikki Morris joined the group for the tour.
Ian Morris died suddenly in Napier on 7 October 2010.<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_4211381">Template:Cite news</ref> Prior to his death, Morris produced records and wrote advertising music, after having had a brief solo career under the stage name Tex Pistol. He is survived by his twin daughters, Julia and Maude.
Members
- Dave Dobbyn – vocals, guitars
- Ian Morris (deceased) – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
- Peter Urlich – drums (changing to vocals later)
- Peter Coleman, (Replaced by Lez White 1978) – bass
- Lez White - bass
- Bruce Hambling – drums
- Rikki Morris - guitar, vocals
Timeline
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Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Lead_guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:bvocals value:purple legend:Backing_Vocals id:keyboards value:yellow legend:Keyboards id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:live value:gray(0.75) legend:Live_album
LineData =
layer:back color:studio at:05/01/1979 at:05/01/1980 layer:back color:live at:06/30/2006
BarData =
bar:Dobbyn text:"Dave Dobbyn" bar:I.Morris text:"Ian Morris" bar:Urlich text:"Peter Urlich" bar:Coleman text:"Peter Coleman" bar:Hambling text:"Bruce Hambling" bar:White text:"Lez White" bar:R.Morris text:"Rikki Morris"
PlotData =
width:11 bar:Dobbyn from:start till:09/30/1980 color:vocals bar:Dobbyn from:start till:09/30/1980 color:guitar width:3 bar:Dobbyn from:01/01/2006 till:09/30/2008 color:vocals bar:Dobbyn from:01/01/2006 till:09/30/2008 color:guitar width:3 bar:Dobbyn from:01/01/2019 till:end color:vocals bar:Dobbyn from:01/01/2019 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:I.Morris from:start till:09/30/1980 color:guitar bar:I.Morris from:start till:09/30/1980 color:bvocals width:4 bar:I.Morris from:start till:09/30/1980 color:keyboards width:3 bar:I.Morris from:01/01/2006 till:09/30/2008 color:guitar bar:I.Morris from:01/01/2006 till:09/30/2008 color:bvocals width:4 bar:I.Morris from:01/01/2006 till:09/30/2008 color:keyboards width:3 bar:Urlich from:start till:09/30/1980 color:drums bar:Urlich from:01/01/2006 till:09/30/2008 color:drums bar:Urlich from:01/01/2019 till:end color:drums bar:Coleman from:start till:05/31/1978 color:bass bar:White from:05/31/1978 till:09/30/1980 color:bass bar:White from:01/01/2006 till:09/30/2008 color:bass bar:White from:01/01/2019 till:end color:bass bar:Hambling from:start till:end color:drums bar:R.Morris from:11/01/2020 till:end color:guitar
</timeline>
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| NZ <ref name="NZCharts"/> | ||
| Right First Time |
|
17 |
| Where Are the Boys? |
|
– |
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| NZ <ref name="NZCharts"/> | ||
| Th' 2006 Reunion Tour Live |
|
39 |
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| NZ <ref name="NZCharts"/> | ||
| So You Wanna Be a Rock'n'Roll Star |
|
27 |
| Where Are the Girls?: Th' Definitive Collection |
|
31 |
| Bliss On Wax |
|
7 |
Demo albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Pubs, Parks, Theatres, Clubs, Church Halls, Gardens, Lounges & Band Rotundas |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ <ref name="NZCharts">Template:Cite web</ref> | |||
| 1979 | "Be Mine Tonight" / "That Look in Your Eyes" | 36 | Right First Time |
| "Right First Time" / "Tonight Again" | 34 | ||
| "Walking in Light" / "Bad Boy Billy" | 50 | Where Are the Boys | |
| 1980 | "Bliss" / "On the Rox" | 25 | |
| 2010 | "Bliss 2010" (vs. Jolyon Petch & Sam Hill) | – | Template:N/a |
Awards and nominations
Aotearoa Music Awards
The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
Template:Awards table ! Template:Abbr |- | 2019 || Th' Dudes || New Zealand Music Hall of Fame || Template:Yes2 || <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |-
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References
External links
- Th' Dudes homepage
- AudioCulture
- Th' Dudes Biography
- Th' Dudes at muzic.net.nz
- Th' Dudes at last.fm
- NZ Music survey
Template:Th' Dudes Template:Dave Dobbyn Template:Authority control