Chris Knox

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Chris Knox (b. September 2, 1952) is a New Zealand rock and roll musician who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate, much loved for their honest, unpolished sound and intense live shows. His 4-track machine was used to record most of the early Flying Nun singles.

He has also released a number of solo, self-produced albums which feature his trademark vocals and catchy hooks and loops generated by his trusty Casiotone. Chris Knox has also released an album under the pseudonym 'Friend'.

At the 2001 New Zealand Music Awards Knox's song "Not Given Lightly" (1990) was announced as New Zealand's ninth best song of all time as voted by APRA members^{[citation needed]}. A love song written for his wife Barbara, this track never scaled commercial heights though it has belately generated some income for the songwriter through its use in TV advertising.

Life appearances throughout the years all over the country, including an annual slot in Wellington's infamous Bar bodega, are very popular with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. In these solo gigs Knox shines as a musician, performer and entertainer. His trademark in these performances is the use of a headset-microphone, which enables him to order a beer at the bar while continuing his song. On those occasions, the guitar might well have been passed on to a keen fan.

Knox currently resides in Auckland, where he continues to make music and earn a living as a newspaper columnist and film reviewer (Real Groove). His cartoon strip goes under the name Max Media. He is also an occasional television film reviewer, and was recently host of a Television New Zealand series of classic movies, entitled The Vault.

Knox launched his own label 'A Major Records' in 2006 to release his album Chris Knox and the Nothing.

[edit] External link

• Listener - interview with Chris Knox.
• Chris Knox + 0 - official MySpace site