"A Knight to Remember" Tribute to Sir Howard Morrison

Tribute to Sir Howard Morrison
"A Knight to Remember"

Rotorua Convention Centre
Wednesday 24 September at 6.30pm
www.ticketmaster.co.nz

The legacy of the late Sir Howard Morrison will be celebrated next month on the fifth anniversary of his death in a two-hour show - A Knight to Remember - featuring guest artists closely linked to his long career.

Sir Howard's son, Howard Morrison junior and close friend Chris Powley have spent the last three months co-ordinating the appearance of many well known performers at the Rotorua Convention Centre on September 24.

"It will follow the early days of his career when he started with his first professional group, The Trio, as an 18-year-old through to his quartet, cabaret and solo days," said Mr Morrison.

"It could be the last time we have the opportunity to get everyone who sang with him up on the stage at one time."

Well, known entertainers who accompanied Sir Howard through his long career will feature throughout the evening, artists include:

Dame Malvina Major
Carl Doy
Annie Crummer
Tina Cross
Gray Bartlett
Tony Williams
Ray Woolf
The Topp Twins
Brendan Dugan
Eddie Low
Kahurangi Maxwell
The Morrison Whanau and The Howie Morrison Trio featuring Howard Morrison Jnr, Chris Powley and Russell Harrison.

Tickets are on sale now from ticketmaster.co.nz or 0800 111 999

Dame Malvina Major (ONZ GNZM DBE) is an internationally acclaimed New Zealand soprano.
Dame Malvina Major has a wide range of notable successes during her career, including winning the New Zealand Mobil Song Quest in 1963, the Melbourne Sun Aria in 1964 and the Kathleen Ferrier Competition in London in 1966. Adding further to her distinguished career, Dame Malvina Major was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1985 and in 1991 was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire.

Carl Doy An impromptu solo piano performance, in the lobby of the Regents Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1987, led to Carl Doy being heard and signed to a recording contract by Murray Thom, managing director of New Zealand's CBS office. His first album, Piano By Candlelight, was a phenomenal success, selling more than fifty thousand copies during its inaugural year. Doy continued to find success with his ultra-light approach to popular music. Accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, he recorded an all-instrumental, nine-CD, exploration of the music of Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Nat King Cole, Burt Bacharach, and Barbara Streisand. Securing the license to distribute the collection in North America, Time Life reported sales of more than three million copies in the United States. Doy is the product of the Royal College of Music in London, graduating as an honors student in the mid-'80s.

Annie Crummer is a New Zealand pop singer and songwriter who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups. She grew up in West Auckland. Her father, a Cook Islander, was one of her strongest musical influences. She did one semester of Cook Island Maori language (te reo) at Auckland University in 2000. She has worked with New Zealand bands Netherworld Dancing Toys, When The Cat's Away, Herbs. She recorded 'I Hope I Never' as part of the ENZSO project in 1996. She has sung with Australian singers John Farnham and Jimmy Barnes. On stage, she was a soloist in the musical Rent in Australia and, in 2010, in New Zealand, and played Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (WWRY) in Melbourne. The Australian production of WWRY toured throughout Australia and in Japan. Annie joined the South African production of WWRY touring New Zealand and throughout Asia. She is currently working on her third CD, 'project annie.c.' In 2011, she was awarded Senior Pacific Artist Award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards

Tina Cross is a New Zealand icon who conquers every genre she tackles. As a Song Contest winner, Recording Artist, TV Entertainer and Musical Theatre Diva, Tina is truly a Leading Lady of New Zealand Entertainment. In a career spanning more than 3 decades Tina has shared the stage with Sammy Davis Jnr, Tom Jones, Meatloaf, the late Sir Howard Morrison, Stan Walker, Gin Wigmore, Op Shop, Dame Malvina Major amongst others. When not in solo mode, Tina performs with duo ‘Wicked Wahine’ and vocal harmony group ‘The LadyKillers’. She is just as comfortable singing Hoki Mai while playing her ukulele, as she is singing Don’t Rain On My Parade with Carl Doy accompanying her on Grand Piano!
Favourite Theatre roles include, Grizabella in Cats, Dahlia in the Australian Production of Sisterella, Beth Heke in Once Were Warriors and both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in two separate productions of Chicago. Over the years reviewers have called her effervescent, age defying, magnificent and mesmerizing, reiterating yet again, what a truly multi-talented performer she is. Tina received the ONZM in 2007 for her services to the Music Industry and in 2008, she took on the ultimate fitness challenge, Dancing With the Stars. 2009 opened with Tina’s 50th birthday and an NSZO tour featuring Tina and Carl Doy. That year also saw the LadyKillers release their debut Album and Tina’s reprisal of Grizabella in the Amici production of Cats, at Auckland’s Civic Theatre. In 2010 Tina became National Ambassador for Dress For Success New Zealand and she also took on her first contemporary Opera role, The Casanova Project. Tina is passionate about helping women in need and up and coming young performers. “The music industry has been good to me and now I must pass it on”. Reinvention and extension is Tina’s motto and her natural energy and verve has never been stronger. She can sing, she can dance and she can act and she has a story to tell. Bring it on!!

Gray Bartlett has been there, done that, in New Zealand showbiz and on stages overseas. He has succeeded in business and even found time to serve as a community leader, being elected and serving on the Auckland City Council until he voluntarily decided it was time to move on in 2001. Then, even after three decades in music, and with two million album sales to his credit, he reached out and shared his wisdom by guiding the fortunes of immense rising talents, Hayley Westenra and Ben Morrison. Gray Bartlett is fiercely independent, resourceful and determined. He is frustrated and content, young at heart, but eminently wise at the same time. His passion for his music and business really shines through and is one of the reasons he has survived and thrived for so long in a cut-throat industry. Often against the odds, he has relied on his entrepreneurial spirit to create his success.

Ray Woolf would have to be one of New Zealand's best known entertainers. Singer, recording artist, television star, actor and master of ceremonies, Ray is the complete entertainer. He has toured extensively and made numerous recordings. He has achieved the Pegasus award for Best light entertainer (TV), Most Professional Performer and NZ Entertainer of the year.
Ray is a fabulous performer. His first love has always been performing live, he believes there is a special magic in the live non repeatable show. He performs both as a solo performer and with his group and can be regularly seen playing live at Sky City Casino in Auckland.

The Topp Twins have always combined careers as serious musicians with comedy / theatre. '...Their comic throwaways should never disguise the fact that these two also happen to be superb rock and C&W singer songwriters and performers' (The Edinburgh Herald). The Topp Twins invited some of New Zealand’s finest musicians to play on the album. Martin Winch (Espresso Guitar) brings a distinct new sound to Topp Twins originals with his guitar tracks; Billy Kristian and Leyton Greening redefine bass and drums respectively; while special guests, Stuart Pearce on piano, Herschel (Jew Brothers) on accordion, Glenn Campbell on steel guitar dobro, provide a warm, rhythmic musical bed from the Topps’ vocal harmonies. Lavina Williams of Ma-v-Elle sings backing vocals on two tracks which have a strongly Pacific feel. The Topp twins yodelling has been compared to the 'finest in the world' (Canadian Country Music). The new CD pays tribute to two of Australia’s greatest yodellers, Shirley Thoms and June Holmes, who inspired Lynda Topp to learn to yodel by practicing for five long years in her family’s far back paddock after listening to old 78s on her neighbours wind-up gramophone. Fresh from sold-out shows in Australia, where they are fast becoming established as amongst the top country artists in Australia, the Topp Twins recently travelled New Zealand’s 'grass highway' from Whangarei to Invercargill on their first national tour in five years.

Eddie Low billed as the "voice in a million". He not only possessed vocal talents, but was master of an impressive variety of musical instruments, including piano, trumpet, flute, most of the brass instruments, guitar, string bass, violin and piano accordion, making him one of New Zealand's most versatile entertainers. This is an even more creditable achievement considering Eddie is only partially sighted. Eddie Low was born totally blind on May 14th, 1945, and spent much of his childhood at the Blind Institute in Auckland. While there he developed his musical talent, becoming a member of the Institute Band and winning a number of talent quests. When Eddie was 12 he underwent a series of operations which gained him partial sight in his left eye. For a brief time in the early sixties Eddie joined the Sundowners. He was also a member of the Truetones before moving on to become a member of the Quin Tikis showband. The showband toured as part of the annual Miss New Zealand extravaganza and also with Joe Brown's Country and Western Stage Show. Pacific Films made a New Zealand musical comedy called "Don't Let It Get You", with Howard Morrison topping the bill. The Quin Tikis were also part of the movie in 1966, along with the Keil Isles. During all this period of touring, he had plenty of time to be really noticed by Joe Brown, and when Eddie decided to go solo, Joe signed him up to his record label. Eddie continued to tour with the show, which now included the likes of Howard Morrison, John Hore, Paul Walden and Peter Posa. In 1970 it was time to start releasing songs that he had been singing very successfully on tour. During that year he released two singles, "You Better Sit Down Kids"/"I Want To Be Free" and "It Don't Hurt Anymore"/"Save The Last Dance For Me". This was followed by an EP called "Eddie Low - On A Mini Record - The Voice In A Million" and an album called "The Voice In A Million".

Major Sponsors:

Manaakitanga Maori Performing Arts Academy - provides NZQA registered qualifications, high profile performance opportunities, experiences and support to develop learner aspirations for further training or employment. We are in the business of nurturing ngā amorangi mō apōpō (leaders of tomorrow) and we welcome the opportunity to work with talented kapa haka artisans. Manaakitanga was founded in 2002 by national icon – Sir Howard Morrison OBE and through his influence and mentorship, the business has grown from strength to strength.
www.manaakitanga.maori.nz

Te Whanau O Waipareira - is an Urban Maori Authority and was founded on the strength of its social, education, health, economic and spiritual indigenous self-determination agenda - ‘Mana Maori Motuhake’. In 2009, the Trust celebrated 25 years of existence. We honoured and acknowledged our original founders who have gone on before us, leaving the legacy of Waipareira. ‘Haere atu ra, haere atu ra’. Over the years, Te Whanau O Waipareira Trust has built strong and lasting relationships. This is evident in its services provided in the local city of Waitakere and across Aotearoa.
www.waipareira.com

Xquizit - Limousine Hire & Tours - is a first class provider of exquisitely presented quality, dependable transportation with Fully Licensed experienced and approachable staff. Specialising in fully escorted private tours – catering for both international and domestic visitors.
www.xquizit.co.nz

Destination Rotorua, Rotorua District Council - Rotorua has long been an iconic tourism destination for both New Zealand travellers and international visitors. It is known for its beautiful lakes, spectacular geothermal attractions, stunning scenery, and its warm and friendly people. Rotorua is renowned for its welcoming hospitality - often referred to as the traditional spirit of 'manaakitanga.'
www.rdc.govt.nz

ENDS

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