Blue Smoke - The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music, 1918-1964
by Chris Bourke, Auckland University Press, $59.99
It took me a while to get through this thorough exploration of the birth and growth of national popular music from the end of World War I until four lads from Liverpool
turned the music world on its ear with a tour Downunder in 1964. Not because it is hard going. In fact, quite the opposite. I wanted to absorb every fact and anecdote.
Post-1960s music has been well serviced by the likes of Roger Watkins' books, John Dix's Stranded in Paradise and, recently, by Live (gigs that rocked New Zealand), by Bruce Jarvis and Josh Easby.
Journalist, writer, radio producer and music historian Chris Bourke's research is exhaustive in his quest to document a hitherto-ignored era of New Zealand's musical heritage. This is a labour of love. You can feel Bourke's enthusiasm as he brings to life a time when sheet music gave way to radio and the Charleston to the Twist. The title comes from the first credited Kiwi recording, after Ruru Karaitiana was inspired by the blue smoke of the ship taking him and his fellow soldiers to war in Europe.
A cast of hundreds feature in tales of jazz, swing, the Hawaiian sound, early rock'n'rollers, folk, country cowboys, jives, the hit parade, Maori showbands and more.
Then there are the machinations of the recording companies, particularly HMV's tough tactics, and the reluctance of the broadcasting executives to play home-grown product and accept the times were a-changin'. My favourite is 1ZB's Dudley Wrathall. When he retired they found why his office carpet was so lumpy. Under it, the floor was completely covered with local 45s he neglected to add to the playlist.
Wonderful stuff and essential reading for serious music fans.
