Johnny Tahu Cooper (23 July 1929 – 3 September 2014), also known as The Maori Cowboy, was a pioneering New Zealand

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

musician and entrepreneur. His cover of "

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was reco ...

", a song popularised by

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band formed in 1947 and continuing until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

, is considered to be the first rock and roll song recorded in New Zealand. His 1955 single, "Pie Cart Rock 'n' Roll", was the first original rock song recorded and released in New Zealand. His song, "Look What You've Done", was covered by

Johnny Devlin John Lockett Devlin (born 11 May 1938) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, and musician known for his influential role in the country's early rock and roll scene. He has often been compared to Elvis Presley. His cover of Lloyd Price's "Lawd ...

and became a national favourite, appearing in the 1994 film ''Once Were Warriors''.

References

1929 births 2014 deaths 20th-century New Zealand musicians Rock and roll musicians New Zealand Māori singers {{NewZealand-musician-stub