KEVIN BORICH

Transcript

Kevin Borich has got to be the longest-serving, hardest rockin’ musician New Zealand has produced, a career of 60 years, playing more hard-out gigs than most of us have had hot dinners.

Into his 77th year and showing no signs of dialling back the tempo – easing off the pedal of rock – he’s been out on tour reuniting with his Australian fans and bringing them a triumphant new album Duets. It could just be his finest recorded work.

It was with huge excitement and honour that we interviewed Kevin Borich in an extended chat.

Kevin Borich is a Kiwi music legend – a rhythm n’ blues rockin’ legend – purely on the strength of him being the founder and torch-bearer of the powerfully soulful La De Das. Always think of them as the greatest Kiwi Rn’B band of the 1960s.

As a child, Kevin grew up as a neighbour to Suzanne and Judy Donaldson, The Chicks, in Auckland’s rural north-west. They were early musical collaborators. The La De Das started at Rutherford High, in West Auckland, were thee band to see on Auckland’s then bustling club scene, ending up in Sydney after time in the United Kingdom, too.

Yet, now in 2024, he’s not widely known in Aotearoa, well, by music fans under the age of about 50. That’s understandable, because half a century ago, Kevin and his later line-up of The La De Das were firmly entrenched in putting down roots in Australia, where his musical evolution has journeyed into legendary status across the Tasman with the Kevin Borich Express, and for a time, The Party Boys.

The KB Express has always been playing and touring Aussie’s pub and club scene since the late 1970s, big shows and festivals. They used to tour here, too. There’s also been plenty of albums and recordings.

It’s a mark of the respect that’s held for Kevin that an outstanding line-up of Australia’s big names in music have collaborated with him on a career-crowning work, Kevin Borich // Duets.

There’s 12 brilliantly produced tracks in an attention-grabbing body of work that gushes diversity, in the blues rock domain, exhibiting the extraordinary talents of his old mates Joe Walsh, Russell Morris, Joe Camilleri, Leo Sayer, Ian Moss, Ross Wilson, Swanee (John Swan); and the younger ones, Tim Rogers (You Am I), Suze DeMarchi (Baby Animals), Ella Hooper (Killing Heidi), and Angela Fabian.

Duets gets better with every play. Superb record. There’s a lot of soul in it. But that’s Kevin Borich. – PJ

https://kevinborich.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/officialkevinborich/

Photo: Deb Kloeden Photography

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PJ Taylor

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