Th' Dudes

• Dave Dobbyn – vocals, guitars
• Ian Morris (deceased) – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
• Peter Urlich – drums (changing to vocals later)
• Peter Coleman, (Replaced by Lez White 1978) – bass
• Bruce Hambling – drums

The band was formed by Morris, Urlich, Coleman and Dobbyn, students at Sacred Heart College in Auckland, which was the same school that Neil (Crowded House and Split Enz) and Tim Finn (Split Enz) went to. The band name derived from the "Lone Groover" comic strip in the English music paper, NME. The band's sound was heavily influenced by the British scene, especially The Beatles, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, and later by the Punk and New Wave sounds of Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Roxy Music, The Stranglers and The Clash.

Starting off as a covers band that played surf clubs and private parties, Th' Dudes quickly earned a reputation as an energetic and skilful outfit featuring dual guitar work from Dobbyn and Morris, a tight no-nonsense rhythm section (Peter Coleman on bass, later replaced by Lez White, and drummer Bruce Hambling) and charismatic vocalist Urlich. Slowly the repertoire featured more originals and their status rose to the point where Th' Dudes were acclaimed NZ Group of the Year in 1979 (although it took until 2005 for Dave Dobbyn to actually receive his award). They eventually disbanded in mid 1980.

The mid-1990s saw a resurgence of interest in Th' Dudes in New Zealand as "classic hits" and "classic rock" radio became more prevalent, and the compositional, performance and production qualities of the band's records endured. Bliss: 20 Essential New Zealand Classics and other compilations showcased New Zealand post-punk acts which epitomized the Kiwi rock genre. Their song, "Bliss", attained particular popularity and has since established itself as New Zealand's unofficial national drinking song.

In October 2006 Th' Dudes embarked on a tour of New Zealand as part of Radio Hauraki's 40th anniversary celebrations.[1] The original tour was 11 dates, but quickly expanded to 17 shows due to demand. Due to a dispute with the holders of the band's master tapes, Stebbing Studios Ltd (see below), the band was unable to release any product to support the tour. Instead, they compiled a six-track CD of demo and alternate versions of their biggest hits, culled from the band's own collections. This CD was available only at shows on the tour and was called Pubs, Parks, Theatres, Clubs, Church Halls, Gardens, Lounges & Band Rotundas.

In late 2007 Th' Dudes embarked on the "Summer of Love" tour of popular NZ holiday destinations: Mangawhai (28 December 2007); Mount Maunganui (29 December 2007); Coroglen (30 December 2007); Waihi Beach (New Year's Eve, 31 December 2007); Lake Hawea (2 January 2008), Riwaka (4 January 2008); and New Plymouth (5 January 2008). Chances of the band doing more any shows are said to be "very slim".

In 2008 the band sued Stebbing Studios for non-payment of royalties. The band sought to show that they were not paid royalties for sales of their music due to their songs being recorded in downtime at Stebbing, while studio owner Eldred Stebbing claimed production costs had not been met.[2][3] The dispute was resolved to both parties' mutual satisfaction[4] in November 2008.

Ian Morris died suddenly in Napier on 7 October 2010.[5] Prior to his death Morris produced records and wrote advertising music, after having had a brief solo career under the stage name Tex Pistol. Morris is survived by his twin daughters Julia and Maude.

In 2019, the band announced a new tour of New Zealand, with dates from April 9-25, 2020. The group will be joined by Ian Morris's brother, Rikki Morris.[6]

• National Music Awards 1979 – 'Top Group'
• National Music Awards 1979 – 'Single Of The Year' for "Be Mine Tonight"
• Winners, 1976 Battle of the Bands (Auckland)[7]

Albums:

• Th' Dudes homepage
• AudioCulture
• Th' Dudes Biography
• Th' Dudes at muzic.net.nz
• Th' Dudes at last.fm
• NZ Music survey