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Kiwi Music Legend Passes - Includes Interview with Dave McArtney

Posted by on 18/04/2013

A Kiwi rock legend has passed on. The death of founding member of Hello Sailor and creator of the Pink Flamingos, Dave McArtney has shocked family, friends and the music industry. Although he was sick after being diagnosed with cancer, he had spent a week in hospital recently and was sent home, expected to recover.

The 62 year old musician died in the early hours of Tuesday morning at his Point Chavalier home and leaves behind his wife and two adult children.

Tributes have been flowing in for the well liked 'gentleman rocker' who penned and sang classic Kiwi Hello Sailor hit 'Gutter Black'.

Dave McArtney was a guitarist, singer, song writer, producer, composer and teacher. In 1989 McArtney returned to university, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature, majoring in Renaissance poetry. He did a 10 year stint as a tutor at the Music Institute of New Zealand in Auckland and graduated with a Master of Arts degree in music just last month.

Warner Music New Zealand paid an apt tribute to Dave McArtney in a media release that read:

Everyone at Warner Music New Zealand sends out their deep condolences to the family and friends of Dave McArtney, who sadly passed away last night.

Dave McArtney was a founding member of iconic Kiwi rock band, Hello Sailor, alongside fellow guitarist-vocalist, Harry Lyon, and frontman Graham Brazier.

The band formed in 1975 and last year released its new album, SURREY CRESCENT MOON via a distribution deal with Warner Music New Zealand. It was the band’s seventh studio album in a career spanning almost 40 years.

“We are very shocked and saddened to hear of the news of Dave’s death,” says General Manager of Warner Music New Zealand, Phil Howling.

“Dave was true Rock Royalty here in New Zealand, and it was a great pleasure to have known and worked with such a brilliant man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his immediate and musical family at this very sad time. He will be missed greatly by everyone here at Warner Music.”

Hello Sailor pioneered the rock music identity of modern-day New Zealand, with a number of top 10 hits – including ‘Latin Lover’, ‘Blue Lady’, ‘Gutter Black’, and ‘Lying In The Sand’.

As well as being a founding member of Hello Sailor, Dave McArtney also later formed the band The Pink Flamingos in the 1980s and has worked as a tutor at the music teaching institute MAINZ for the past 10 years.

Dave was a much-loved musician and friend who will be sadly missed by all who knew him and missed by the music industry in New Zealand as a whole.

Hear hear!

Click play and allow a few moments for the audio to open to hear Brian Gentil interview Dave McArtney on the last day of 2012. Dave was in town with the rest of the boys from Hello Sailor to rock in the New Year at Waihi Beach. Rock On Dave McArtney!