Dave Dobbyn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dave Dobbyn | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Born | January 3, 1957 | |
| Origin | New Zealand | |
| Genre(s) | Pop, | |
| Years active | 1979-present | |
Dave Dobbyn (born January 3, 1957) is a musician, singer-songwriter and record producer from New Zealand.
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[edit] Th' Dudes
Dobbyn's first success came with a band, Th'Dudes, which he formed while still in school. Their hit Be Mine Tonight won single of the year in 1979 in New Zealand, while singles Walking in Light and Bliss became popular anthems.
[edit] DD Smash
After Th'Dudes folded, Dobbyn formed DD Smash, and had a number of hit singles during the 1980s, including Devil you Know, Outlook for Thursday, Magic (What She Do) and Whaling.
[edit] Solo Career
When DD Smash folded, Dobbyn began a successful solo career, first writing the music for the Footrot Flats film in 1985, which contained two hit singles: Oughta Be in Love and Slice of Heaven. After the release of the film, Slice of Heaven became Dobbyn's best-known song, frequently used in tourism advertisements aired on Australian television which encouraged people to go to New Zealand as a holiday destination. As a result, many Australians jokingly refer to the song as the New Zealand National anthem.
Since 1988 Dobbyn has released 6 solo-albums and a compilation, including the hit song Loyal (1988) which became the tongue-in-cheek anthem for Team New Zealand's failed 2003 America's Cup defence. He has also produced albums for Grant McLennan and has contributed on albums by, amongst others, Jenny Morris and Bic Runga. He also went touring with Runga and Tim Finn, and a live album, Together in Concert, was released in 2000.
Dobbyn's most recent album, Available Light, released in 2005, received popular and critical acclaim.
[edit] Personal life
Dobbyn has a history of alcoholism, but no longer drinks and has become a born-again Christian. Dobbyn has, for most of his career, been happily married to long time sweetheart Anneliesje, with whom he has two children.
[edit] Controversy
In December 1984, DD Smash were playing an outdoor concert in Aotea Square in Auckland. During their set there was a power failure leading sections of the crowd to become restless. Some of the crowd started throwing beer bottles and police arrested them. The situation escalated and the riot squad was called in. Dobbyn made negative remarks about the police which allegedly spurred on the crowd. The concert was stopped by the police and sections of the crowd rioted, smashing shop windows along Queen Street. Prime Minister David Lange called a commission of inquiry and as a result Dobbyn was charged with inciting a riot. The criminal prosecution against Dobbyn began June 1985. His lawyer successfully defended him and he was acquitted on the charge of "behaving in a manner likely to cause violence against person or property and using insulting language".
In 2001, Dobbyn performed the lead single from Available Light, 'Welcome Home' at the New Zealand Music Awards awards ceremony. During the performance, Ahmed Zaoui, a convicted terrorist (albeit not in New Zealand), appeared on stage with Dobbyn.
[edit] Awards and Accolades
At the 2001 New Zealand Music Awards Dobbyn won a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2005 and 2006 he won "Songwriter Of The Year" and "Best Male Solo Artist" respectively, both for his work on Available Light.
Ten songs written by Dave Dobbyn appeared in New Zealand's Top 100 songs (the Nature's Best series) as voted by APRA members. These were:
- 3: Dave Dobbyn - Loyal
- 7: Dave Dobbyn with Herbs - Slice of Heaven
- 12: DD Smash - Whaling
- 27: Th' Dudes - Be Mine Tonight
- 29: Dave Dobbyn - Beside You
- 31: DD Smash - Outlook For Thursday
- 35: Dave Dobyyn - Language
- 50: Th' Dudes - Bliss
- 70: Dave Dobbyn - You Oughta Be In Love
- 100: Dave Dobbyn - Naked Flame
[edit] Discography
| Cover | Date | Title | Label | Charted | Country | Catalog Number |
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1982 | So You Wanna Be a Rock n' Roll Star? (with Th'Dudes) |
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1982 | Cool Bananas (with DD Smash) |
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1984 | The Optimist (with DD Smash) |
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1986 | Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale | - | - | ||
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1988 | Loyal | CBS Records | - | - | 460655 2 |
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1993 | Lament For The Numb (as Dave Dobbyn and the Stone People) |
Warner Music | - | - | 450992330-2 |
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1994 | Twist | Epic Records | - | - | 477792.2 |
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1998 | The Islander | - | - | ||
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2000 | Hopetown | Epic Records | - | - | 498886.2 |
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2005 | Available Light | Sony BMG | - | - | 5202672000 |
| Compilations | ||||||
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1993 | Dave Dobbyn Collection | - | - | ||
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1999 | Dave Dobbyn - Overnight Success | - | - | ||
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2001 | Where Are The Girls?: Th' Definitive Collection | FMR Records | - | - | DUDES2001 |
| Live Albums | ||||||
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2000 | Together in Concert: Live (with Tim Finn & Bic Runga). |
CRS Records/Epic Music | - | - | 5011402000 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Charted | Certification |
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| 1986 | "Slice Of Heaven" featuring Herbs |
Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale | #1 (NZ, AUS) | - |
| 1986 | "Shouldn't You Oughta Be" | Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale | - | - |
| "Love You Like I Should" | Loyal | - | - | |
| "Loyal" | Loyal | - | - | |
| "Language" | Twist | - | - | |
| "Just Add Water" | Hopetown | - | - | |
| "Welcome Home" | Available Light | - | - |
