Dave Dobbyn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Dave Dobbyn
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Dobbyn in April 2021
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Joseph Dobbyn |
| Also known as | Dave Dobbyn |
| Born | 3 January 1957 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | Pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, bass |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | Warner, Epic, Sony BMG |
| Associated acts | Th' Dudes, DD Smash |
Sir David Joseph Dobbyn is a famous New Zealand musician. He is a talented singer and songwriter. He also produces music for other artists. Dave started his career in rock bands like Th' Dudes and DD Smash. Later, he became a very successful solo artist.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Dave Dobbyn was born on January 3, 1957, in Auckland, New Zealand. He was the third of five children. His dad was a tour-bus driver. Dave loved music from a young age. He listened to Irish songs his father enjoyed. He also heard music from the church nearby.
His family had a piano, but Dave never had formal lessons. He was happy about this. It meant he could learn and play music his own way. Dave and his three brothers went to Sacred Heart College, Auckland. There, he met Ian Morris and Peter Urlich.
Dave was quite shy in high school. He didn't join music groups at school. After school, he worked as a bank teller. He also applied to teachers' college. On his second try, he got in. But soon after starting, Ian Morris and Peter Urlich asked him to join their new band. This band would become Th' Dudes.
Musical Journey
Th' Dudes: First Steps to Stardom
Dave Dobbyn's first big break was with the rock band Th' Dudes. He joined them as a guitarist. After playing with the band for a year, Dave left college. He wanted to focus on music full-time.
At first, Dave had really bad stage fright. He would play early shows standing at the back. He even played with his eyes closed! But he soon became the lead singer for their song "Be Mine Tonight" (1978). This song won "Single of the Year" in New Zealand in 1979. Many people saw Dave as the rising star of the band. Another famous song by Th' Dudes is "Bliss" (1980). It's still a popular New Zealand song today.
DD Smash: A New Sound
After Th' Dudes broke up in 1980, Dave formed a new band called DD Smash. Their first songs were "Lipstick Power" and "Bull by the Horns" (1981). "Bull by the Horns" was thought to be about Dave overcoming his stage fright. Their first album, Cool Bananas (1982), went straight to number one in New Zealand.
DD Smash released more albums, including Deep in the Heart of Taxes (1983). Their last album was The Optimist (1984). This album had a more modern pop sound. Dave was looking towards the bigger music market in Australia. Soon, he would have a number one hit there as a solo artist.
In December 1984, DD Smash played a concert in Auckland. During the show, the power went out. Some people in the crowd became upset. The police were called. The concert was stopped. Dave Dobbyn was later cleared of any wrongdoing related to the event.
DD Smash eventually broke up. They left behind popular songs like "Outlook for Thursday" (1983) and the classic "Whaling" (1984).
Solo Success: A Slice of Heaven
After DD Smash, Dave Dobbyn started a very successful solo career. In 1986, he wrote music for the animated movie Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale. This movie gave him two huge hit songs: "You Oughta Be In Love" (1986) and the chart-topping "Slice of Heaven" (1986). He recorded "Slice of Heaven" with the band Herbs.
"Slice of Heaven" became one of Dave's most famous songs. It was often used in TV ads to encourage people to visit New Zealand. Because of the song's success in Australia, Dave even lived there for a while.
In 1988, Dave released his first solo album, Loyal. It was a personal album about love and loyalty. His song "Loyal" (1988) became an anthem for Team New Zealand's sailing team.
Dave continued to release popular albums. In 1994, he made Twist with fellow New Zealander Neil Finn. Dave said Neil's help was very important for the album's sound. Twist also featured the Māori singer Emma Paki.
In 1995, Dave Dobbyn was one of the first musicians to stream a performance live on the internet. His fourth solo album, The Islander, was a big hit. It reached number one on the New Zealand charts.
Dave also helped write "Read About It" in 1999. This song is the theme for the Duffy Books in Homes program. Over 100,000 children still sing it every year.
In 2005, Dave released his sixth solo album, Available Light. The lead song, "Welcome Home" (2005), became very popular. He performed it at the New Zealand Music Awards.
His album Anotherland (2008) also did well. It reached number 2 on the New Zealand charts. In 2009, he released a "greatest hits" album. It included new versions of some of his older songs. In 2012, Dave was part of an all-star group for the charity song "Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)" by Flight of the Conchords. This song debuted at number 1 in New Zealand.
Discography
Dave Dobbyn has released many albums throughout his career, both solo and with his bands.
Solo Studio Albums
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | AUS | ||||
| 1986 | Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale |
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5 | 22 |
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| 1988 | Loyal |
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9 | 75 |
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| 1993 | Lament for the Numb |
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13 | – | |
| 1994 | Twist |
|
8 | – | |
| 1998 | The Islander |
|
1 | – |
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| 2000 | Hopetown |
|
9 | – |
|
| 2005 | Available Light |
|
3 | – |
|
| 2008 | Anotherland |
|
2 | – |
|
| 2016 | Harmony House |
|
5 |
– | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||
Compilation Albums
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | ||||
| 1992 | The Dave Dobbyn Collection |
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4 | |
| 1999 | Overnight Success |
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15 |
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| 2009 | Beside You: 30 Years of Hits |
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4 | |
| 2017 | A Slice of Heaven: 40 Years of Hits |
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2 |
Live Albums
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | ||||
| 2000 | Together in Concert: Live | 2 |
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Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | AUS | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | "Lipstick Power" | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||||||||
| "Bull by the Horns" | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | "Slice of Heaven" (Dave Dobbyn with Herbs) | 1 | 1 | Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale | |||||||||||||||
| "You Oughta Be in Love" | 2 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| "Sailing Away" (All of Us) | 1 | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988 | "Love You Like I Should" | 7 | 70 | Loyal | |||||||||||||||
| "Loyal" | 19 | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | "Space Junk" (Dave Dobbyn and the Lunettes) | 32 | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||||||||
| 1991 | "Shaky Isles" | 26 | — | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993 | "Maybe the Rain" (Dave Dobbyn and the Stone People) | 40 | — | Lament for the Numb | |||||||||||||||
| "Don't Hold Your Breath"(Dave Dobbyn and the Stone People) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | "Language" | 4 | — | Twist | |||||||||||||||
| 1995 | "Lap of the Gods" | 13 | — | ||||||||||||||||
| "Naked Flame" | 20 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | "Poor Boy" (ENZSO – lead vocals by Dave Dobbyn) | 29 | — | Enzso | |||||||||||||||
| 1998 | "Waiting" | — | — | The Islander | |||||||||||||||
| "Hanging in the Wire" | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | "Beside You" | 28 | — | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | "Just Add Water" | — | — | Hopetown | |||||||||||||||
| "My Kinda People" | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | "Welcome Home" | 10 | — | Available Light | |||||||||||||||
| "Pour the Wine" | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | "You Got Heart" | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | "Wild Kisses Like Rain" | — | — | Anotherland | |||||||||||||||
| 2012 | "Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)" (Flight of the Conchords) | 1 | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||||||||
| 2014 | "This Love" (Dave Dobbyn and the Orpheus Choir of Wellington) | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | "Team, Ball, Player, Thing" (#KiwisCureBatten featuring Lorde, Kimbra, Brooke Fraser, et al.) |
2 | — | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | "Nau Mai Rā (Welcome Home)" | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||||||||||
Awards and Recognitions
Dave Dobbyn has won many awards for his music. These include awards from the New Zealand Music Awards and the APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
In 2003, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This was for his great contributions to music. In 2021, he was given an even higher honor. He became a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This means he is now called "Sir Dave Dobbyn."
New Zealand Music Awards
The New Zealand Music Awards are given out every year. Dave Dobbyn has won 23 of these awards!
| Year | Award | Work | With | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Single of the Year | "Be Mine Tonight" | Th' Dudes | Won |
| Top Group | Th' Dudes | Won | ||
| 1982 | Album of the Year | Cool Bananas | DD Smash | Won |
| Top Male Vocalist | DD Smash | Won | ||
| Top Group of the Year | DD Smash | Won | ||
| Most Promising Male Vocalist | DD Smash | Won | ||
| 1983 | Album of the Year | Live: Deep in the Heart of Taxes | DD Smash | Won |
| Single of the Year | "Outlook for Thursday" | DD Smash | Won | |
| Top Male Vocalist | DD Smash | Won | ||
| Top Group of the Year | DD Smash | Won | ||
| Producer of the Year | "Outlook for Thursday" | DD Smash | Nominated | |
| Most Popular Artist | DD Smash | Won | ||
| 1985 | International Achievement | DD Smash | Nominated | |
| 1986 | Best Song of the Year | "Slice of Heaven" | solo | Won |
| 1987 | Album of the Year | Footrot Flats | solo | Nominated |
| Single of the Year | "You Oughta Be in Love" | solo | Won | |
| Best Male Vocalist | solo | Won | ||
| International Achievement | solo | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Soundtrack | Footrot Flats | solo | Won | |
| Best Producer | Footrot Flats | solo | Won | |
| Best Songwriter | "You Oughta Be in Love" | solo | Nominated | |
| 1988 | Album of the Year | Loyal | solo | Won |
| Single of the Year | "Love You Like I Should" | solo | Nominated | |
| Best Male Vocalist | solo | Won | ||
| Best Songwriter | "Love You Like I Should" | solo | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Album of the Year | Twist | solo | Nominated |
| Best Male Vocalist | Twist | solo | Won | |
| Best Songwriter | 'Language' | solo | Won | |
| 1996 | Best Male Vocalist | solo | Nominated | |
| International Achievement | solo | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | Top Male Vocalist | solo | Nominated | |
| Best Songwriter | "Beside You" | solo | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Top Male Vocalist | solo | Nominated | |
| Best Film Soundtrack/Cast Recording/Compilation | Overnight Success | solo | Won | |
| 2001 | Album of the Year | Hopetown | solo | Nominated |
| Together in Concert: Live | Tim Finn, Bic Runga | Nominated | ||
| Top Male Vocalist | solo | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Best Cast Recording/Compilation | Where Are the Girls?: Th' Definitive Collection | Th' Dudes | Nominated |
| 2005 | Single of the Year | "Welcome Home" | solo | Nominated |
| Songwriter of the Year | "Welcome Home" | solo | Won | |
| 2006 | Album of the Year | Available Light | solo | Nominated |
| Best Male Solo Artist | Available Light | solo | Won | |
| 2009 | Best Male Solo Artist | solo | Nominated | |
| 2013 | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | himself | solo | inductee |
| 2019 | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | himself | as part of Th' Dudes | inductee |
APRA Awards
Dave Dobbyn has won four Silver Scroll Awards. These awards celebrate songwriting. He is the only musician to win the Silver Scroll award three times. In 2001, he received a Lifetime Achievement award at the NZ Music Awards.
| Year | Award | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Silver Scroll | "You Oughta Be in Love" |
| 1993 | Silver Scroll | "Belle of the Ball" |
| 1995 | Most Performed Work in New Zealand | "Language" |
| 1998 | Silver Scroll | "Beside You" |
| 2001 | Lifetime Achievement Award |
In 2001, a group of music experts voted for New Zealand's Top 100 songs. Ten of Dave Dobbyn's songs were on this list! Some of his top songs included:
- "Loyal"
- "Slice of Heaven" (with Herbs)
- "Whaling" (with DD Smash)
- "Be Mine Tonight" (with Th' Dudes)
Lifetime Achievement Award
In 2001, the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) gave Dave Dobbyn a special Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognized his amazing career in music.
Personal Life
Dave Dobbyn met his wife, Anneliesje, at a Th' Dudes concert. They got married in 1983.
In October 2022, Dave shared that he has Parkinson's disease. He said that this diagnosis has made him appreciate life even more.
