Biography
Emerging from Auckland in the closing years of the 1960s, the New Zealand blues-rock outfit drew initial inspiration from the same currents that propelled Cream and the Doors. Its roots traced to a mid-decade gathering of sympathetic players that included guitarist-vocalist Archie Bowie, guitarists Tony Rawnsley and Harvey Mann, bassist Neil Edwards and drummer Barry Winfield; the musicians first performed informally under the name Magee Street Underdogs. Over the ensuing two years the lineup shifted repeatedly while the group cut singles for Zodiac Records and made brief television appearances on C’mon. By 1967 the roster had settled around vocalist Murray Grindley, guitarists Mann and Lou Rawnsley (Tony’s brother), bassist Edwards and drummer Tony Walton. Mann’s exit, prompted by his aversion to the rigid demands of television producers, prompted further adjustments; the remaining members recorded the well-received Sitting In The Rain EP and the Blues Band album and joined a touring stage production of C’mon.
Relocating to Wellington and undergoing additional personnel shifts—Edwards giving way first to Dave Orams and then to George Barris—the band dissolved within months during 1968. Later that same year a new configuration assembled, comprising Grindley, Mann, Lou Rawnsley and drummer Doug Thomas; the following year Chaz Burke-Kennedy supplanted Rawnsley and this edition also disbanded. Throughout the 1970s assorted groupings of former members and fresh recruits periodically reconvened, occasionally operating under the Underdogs moniker and at other times without it. Many participants pursued work with additional ensembles, while several briefly assembled and fronted their own projects. Grindley achieved notable solo success with early-1970s hits and, recording in 1982 as Monte Video, scored the single “Shoop Shoop Diddy Wop Cumma Cumma Wang Dang,” which reached number 2 in New Zealand and number 11 in Australia. A portion of the group’s earliest tracks later surfaced on vinyl under alternate titles via minor labels, yet the bulk of the recorded output was compiled and reissued on CD in 2000.
Relocating to Wellington and undergoing additional personnel shifts—Edwards giving way first to Dave Orams and then to George Barris—the band dissolved within months during 1968. Later that same year a new configuration assembled, comprising Grindley, Mann, Lou Rawnsley and drummer Doug Thomas; the following year Chaz Burke-Kennedy supplanted Rawnsley and this edition also disbanded. Throughout the 1970s assorted groupings of former members and fresh recruits periodically reconvened, occasionally operating under the Underdogs moniker and at other times without it. Many participants pursued work with additional ensembles, while several briefly assembled and fronted their own projects. Grindley achieved notable solo success with early-1970s hits and, recording in 1982 as Monte Video, scored the single “Shoop Shoop Diddy Wop Cumma Cumma Wang Dang,” which reached number 2 in New Zealand and number 11 in Australia. A portion of the group’s earliest tracks later surfaced on vinyl under alternate titles via minor labels, yet the bulk of the recorded output was compiled and reissued on CD in 2000.
Albums