Raymond John Patrick Columbus (4 November 1942 – 29 November 2016) was a New Zealand

Benny Award The Benny Award is bestowed on a New Zealand variety entertainer. It is presented annually by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, a non-for-profit organisation and showbusiness club, founded in 1966 and awarded to a variety performer who h ...

-winning singer and songwriter, television host, music manager and entertainer, with a career spanning six decades. As the lead singer of

surf music Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

band

Ray Columbus & the Invaders Ray Columbus & the Invaders were a New Zealand rock group from Christchurch that was active from 1964 to 1966. It was fronted by the lead vocalist, Ray Columbus. Part of the new surf music craze, they were the first New Zealand band to have a ...

, his best-known hit was "She's A Mod" in 1964.

Early years

Columbus attended

Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. The ...

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

and studied tap, but was more interested in the

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 ...

of the era and formed his first band, The Dominoes, in 1959.

Music career

Columbus got his big break playing with the Downbeats Band, which later became Ray and the Drifters. He relocated to Auckland when he was offered a TV show titled ''Club Columbus'', whereupon he changed the band's name to Ray Columbus & the Invaders in 1964. The Invaders were known for their Fender guitars, dance moves and lavish clean-cut outfits. In 1964, the Invaders released their best-known song, "She's a Mod". The track was written by British musician Terry Beale for his group The Senators, but was not a hit. However, "She's A Mod" became a number one hit in Australia – the first song from a New Zealand group to reach the top of the charts in another country. In 1965, the band released the single "Till We Kissed", which sold fifty thousand units. It was a retitled version of " Where Have You Been (All My Life)", originally recorded by

Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country-soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuf ...

in 1962, and also performed by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

during their Hamburg days. The Invaders' second album, ''Original Numbers'', was the first album in New Zealand to include entirely self-composed songs. After disbanding the Invaders, Columbus relocated to the United States for two years. Returning to New Zealand, he hosted numerous television pop shows, including ''Ray Columbus presents New Faces'', ''C'mon'', ''Happen Inn'' and ''That's Country'' (which he co-created and helped sell to a US cable network). He was also a noted music manager, mentoring artists such as singer

Suzanne Lynch Suzanne Joy Lynch (née Donaldson, born 11 December 1950) is a New Zealand singer who has worked professionally under the names Suzanne Donaldson, Suzanne Lynch and Suzanne. Career Lynch first came to wide public knowledge in the 1960s as hal ...

. In the late 1990s, he managed the rock band Zed. As a solo artist, Columbus performed at Redwood 70, the first major modern music festival held in New Zealand, toured with

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

and

The Newbeats The Newbeats were a 1960s American pop vocal trio, led by Larry Henley. They are best remembered for their hits " Bread and Butter" and " Run, Baby Run". Members The group's members were: * Larry Henley (born Lawrence Joel Henley, June 30, 1937 ...

, as well as playing

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

s and being an opening act of the 1974 New Zealand Commonwealth Games.

Personal life

Columbus released a biography in 2011, which stated that he had smoked for years and was a heavy drinker. He suffered a heart attack in 2004, and a stroke in 2007 that left him partially paralysed. In April 2014, he was reported to be terminally ill, from an immune deficiency condition caused by medication. Columbus died at his Snells Beach, North Auckland residence in November 2016 aged 74, after a "four-year battle with ill health". He was survived by his wife and two children.

Discography

Solo studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Honours and awards

In 1973, Columbus received the Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc, the highest honour available to a New Zealand variety entertainer. In the 1974 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to entertainment. In 1990, Columbus received the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to 3,632 people. Background The New Zealand 1990 Com ...

for his promotion of New Zealand overseas.

Aotearoa Music Awards

The

Aotearoa Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

(previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in

New Zealand music The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including ...

and have been presented annually since 1965. ! , - , 1965 , , "Till We Kissed" , , Single of the Year, , , , rowspan="6", , - , 1966 , , "I Need You" , , Single of the Year , , , - , 1968 , , "Happy in a Sad Kind of Way" , , Single of the Year , , , - , 1970 , , "Travelling Singing Man" , , Single of the Year , , , - , 1971 , , "People Are People" , , Single of the Year , , , - , 1989 , , "She's a Mod" (with Double J and Twice the T) , , Single of the Year , , , - , 2009 , , Ray Columbus (as part of Ray Columbus & the Invaders) , ,

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to noteworthy New Zealand musicians. The hall was created in 2007 by Recorded Music NZ (then known as the Recording Industry Associati ...

, , , , , -

References

External links

sergent.com.au

AudioCulture profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Ray 1942 births 2016 deaths 20th-century New Zealand male singers 20th-century New Zealand singer-songwriters New Zealand pop singers New Zealand male singer-songwriters New Zealand people of Greek descent Musicians from Christchurch New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Catholic Cathedral College