Chris Bourke

Perhaps thinking of the cover bands of the 1970s, the human jukeboxes and the booze barns and musicians since the 80s have turned away from what they call cover versions. This episode of Blue Smoke… Audio

Before the guitar bands came along, the piano was the songwriter's main tool in popular music. In this episode of Blue Smoke, Chris Bourke looks at a period in the 70s and 80s when - inspired by Elton… Audio

New Zealand musicians embraced the blues boom of the 1960s, inspired mostly by British R&B groups emulating their heroes from the Southern United States and Chicago. In this episode of Blue Smoke… Audio

Chris Bourke looks at the musical landmarks of Christchurch, with an ear on the 60s & 70s. Audio

Last Sunday a very important figure of the NZ Music industry died, Murdoch Riley - aged 95. Video, Audio

Johnny Devlin cracked open the New Zealand rock'n'roll market in 1958. This episode of Blue Smoke digs deep into early Devlin. Audio

Nick Bollinger and Chris Bourke discuss and share New Zealand musicians responding to Bob Dylan. Audio

New Zealand has been a fertile climate for rock'n'roll and R&B from New Orleans since the mid 50s with Johnny Cooper's 'See Ya Later Alligator', and Johnny Devlin's 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy'. This episode… Audio

Soul music has always been popular in New Zealand, and comes and goes in fashion. In the 60s and early 70s, local bands knew how to fill dancefloors with rhythm and blues from Memphis or Detroit. This… Audio

When it comes to gender equity and the history of New Zealand popular music, without question women musicians have been poorly served. Singers such as Dinah Lee, Alison Durbin and the Chicks are… Audio

Sitting on the bank at the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth for each Showtime Spectacular tour in the early 1960s was a young Maori boy: Dalvanius Maui Prime. He was already a good singer and had… Audio

If there was a Wellington sound in the 80s it was a local version of rhythm and blues that became unique to the capital. What was once borrowed and blue became sunny and joyous. It passed through the… Audio

The New Zealand Truth immediately saw it as a scandal. "Beware of the Twist" they declared, when the swiveling dance first arrived in Auckland. The Twist had more grace than rock'n'roll, the paper… Audio

In the late 60s the phrase "getting it together in the country" described bands who were burnt out from psychedelia, or just wanted some space, man. They removed themselves from the city to live… Audio

In the 1960s there was a wave of pop DJs who decided to flip roles and become recording artists? Was this vanity? Certainly. Were the early local record companies offering sweeteners hoping their… Audio

In this episode we take a musical tour of Auckland's North Shore, which once had its own pirate ship dance hall, still has a bunker, and nurtured a Lorde. Chris Bourke takes a ferry across the… Audio

Why was a woman regarded as New Zealand's best soul singer of her generation hardly known outside Auckland's musicians and the city's nightclub audiences? Josie Rika was in constant demand for backing… Audio

How did New Zealand respond to the Beatles? Like most places - unless you were a boy or a band feeling threatened. Sheer joy. In the second episode of a new series of Blue Smoke, Chris Bourke looks at… Audio

This week's mixtape selector is Chris Bourke, Audioculture editor and presenter of New Zealand music history series Blue Smoke. He shares the songs that have shaped him and speaks with Yadana Saw Audio