Charles Turu Tumahai (14 January 1949 – 21 December 1995) was a New Zealand singer,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

player and songwriter who was a member of several noted rock groups in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. He is best known internationally as the bassist and backing vocalist in Bill Nelson's

Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe were an English rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s. History Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe were founded in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, by singer, guitari ...

. Tumahai was born in

Ōrākei Ōrākei is a suburb of Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on a peninsula five kilometres to the east of the city centre, on the shore of the Waitematā Harbour, which lies to the north, and Hobson Bay and Ōr� ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand, where he began his music career before moving to Australia in the late 1960s. He was a member of several notable Australian bands including

Chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

, Healing Force, Friends and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

(which later evolved into

Little River Band Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top ...

). Tumahai traveled to the UK with Mississippi in 1974 and remained there when Mississippi broke up. Later that year he joined Be-Bop Deluxe, with whom he played and recorded until 1978, when he joined The Dukes. In 1980 he joined Tandoori Cassette, a group featuring ex-members of

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

, Jethro Tull and

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1972. Fronted by Alex Harvey accompanied by Zal Cleminson on guitar, bassist Chris Glen, keyboard player Hugh McKenna (28 November 1949 – 18 December 2019) an ...

, however this group did not make any recordings except a single "Angel Talk" c/w Third World Briefcases. He returned to New Zealand in 1985 and joined the popular New Zealand reggae band

Herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

. As well as music he became involved in Maori affairs, working as a voluntary member of a scheme set up to assist young Maori offenders in

. He was also developing plans for an arts programme for Maori prisoners and for exploring new ways he could help young Maori people connect with their culture. He performed in the 1994 film ''

Once Were Warriors ''Once Were Warriors'' is New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling first novel, published in 1990. It tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and portrays the reality of domestic violence in New Zealand. It was the basis of a 1 ...

''. He died suddenly after suffering a heart attack while working at the Auckland District Court on 21 December 1995, at age 46. Tumahai was the subject of a 2010 television documentary.

Equipment

*During his days with Be-Bop Deluxe, he used Fender

Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele (), is an electric guitar produced by Fender (company), Fender. Together with its sister model the Fender Esquire, Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes ...

and

Precision Precision, precise or precisely may refer to: Arts and media * ''Precision'' (march), the official marching music of the Royal Military College of Canada * "Precision" (song), by Big Sean * ''Precisely'' (sketch), a dramatic sketch by the Eng ...

basses. *From the late 1980s onwards, he became known for playing a black copy of a

Steinberger Steinberger is a series of distinctive electric guitars and bass guitars, designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The name "Steinberger" can be used to refer to either the instruments themselves or the company that originally p ...

XL2A made by

Cort Precortistatin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CORT'' gene. The 105 amino acid residue human precortistatin in turn is cleaved into cortistatin-17 and cortistatin-29. Cortistatin-17 is the only active peptide derived from the prec ...

References

External links

AudioCulture profileOral history (1995) at Ngā Taonga Whitiāhua Me Ngā Taonga Kōrero (The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tumahai, Charlie 1949 births 1995 deaths New Zealand male singer-songwriters New Zealand singer-songwriters Musicians from Auckland New Zealand bass guitarists New Zealand male bass guitarists Pacific reggae 20th-century New Zealand male singers New Zealand Māori male singers 20th-century bass guitarists Be-Bop Deluxe members Mississippi (band) members Chain (band) members The Dukes (British band) members