Ruru Karaitiana

Rangi Ruru Wananga Karaitiana (4 March 1909 – 15 December 1970) was a New Zealand musician and songwriter. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne iwi. He was born in Dannevirke, New Zealand, on 4 March 1909.[1][2]

He served with 28th New Zealand (Maori) Battalion during World War II, and led the battalion's concert party. After the war he assembled a quintet, and in October 1948 recorded a version of his song "Blue Smoke" with singer Pixie Williams to a Hawaiian-style backing played by Jimmy Carter's Hawaiians — the first record wholly produced in New Zealand from composition to pressing, and provided the début for the TANZA record label.[3][4] It topped the New Zealand radio hit parades for six weeks, and It went on to be recorded by a number of overseas artists, including Dean Martin in 1951.[5][6]

On 2 October 2019, Karaitiana, along with Pixie Williams and Jim Carter, was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, to mark the 70th anniversary of the release of "Blue Smoke".[7][8]

References
  1. Spittle, Gordon. "Rangi Ruru Wananga Karaitiana". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  2. "Karaitiana, Rangi Ruru Wananga". Te Ara. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  3. "Blue smoke". NZ History. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  4. "Blue Smoke". NZ Folk Song. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  5. "Dean Martin - Blue Smoke (1951)". Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  6. "Blue Smoke". Te Papa. Te Papa. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  7. "NZ Music Hall Of Fame Inductees – Ruru Karaitiana, Pixie Williams, Jim Carter". UnderTheRadar. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  8. "Aldous Harding takes top gong at 2019 Silver Scroll Awards". Stuff.co.nz. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.



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