Will Crummer is a

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

singer and entertainer who was well known in the 1960s in both

Auckland, New Zealand 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 ...

, and the Cook Islands. He released EPs and albums during the 1960s, and along with

Pepe and the Rarotongans Pepe and the Rarotongans were a popular Cook Island music group fronted by a female singer, Pepe. They were active in the 1950s and 1960s. As recording artists, they had albums released on the Viking and Salem labels. Background The main force ...

, was a pioneering Cook Islands artist. His is also the father of singer

Annie Crummer Anne Crummer (born 1966) is a New Zealand pop singer and songwriter of Cook Islands descent who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups. Crummer represented New Zealand at the 1987 ABU Popular Song Contest ...

Background

In his teens, Crummer climbed coconut trees in his village to sing songs he had heard on the radio, including songs by

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

and

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

. He moved to New Zealand in the early 1960s to work as a concreter, a job his brother had arranged for him. Crummer became well known in Auckland during the 1960s when the Polynesian music scene was popular. The band he became known for fronting was Will Crummer and the Royal Rarotongans, performing at venues such as The Orange Ballroom and The Reefcomber. He made some recordings in Auckland, his EP ''Rarotonga'' in 1962 and ''Cook Islands Magic'' the following year. He also released ''Romantic Rarotonga'' and ''Love Songs of Polynesia''. In 1968,

Viking Records Viking Records was an independent record label that featured many New Zealand and Polynesian recording artists. Background The company was founded in 1957. In the 1960s, the company was the largest locally owned record label in the South Paci ...

issued the compilation ''Action Rarotonga!'', which featured his group, Will Crummer and The Royal Rarotongans, as well as Pepe and The Rarotongans. Crummer performed in Tahiti, and Hawaii where he was offered a residency by a Hawaiian promoter. After performing there for a time, he broke his contract for personal reasons and headed back to New Zealand where he found work in warehousing. According to his daughter Annie, he gave up music to raise his family.

Later years

In 2011,

Ode Records Ode Records (also known as Ode Sounds and Visuals) was an American record label, started by Lou Adler in 1967 after he sold Dunhill Records to ABC Records. It was distributed by CBS's Epic Records except between 1970 and 1976, when the label w ...

released his album ''Shoebox Lovesongs''. Produced by Nick Bollinger and Arthur Baysting, it features his old friend Dinky Ngatipa and a string arrangement by

Don McGlashan Don McGlashan (born 18 July 1959) is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for cin ...

. Daughter Annie and

The Yandall Sisters The Yandall Sisters were a popular New Zealand-born Samoan all-female singing group of the 1970s, who made a major contribution to music in New Zealand. The members of the group were Caroline, Mary and Adele Yandall, and later younger sister Pauli ...

also feature on the album. On Saturday, 25 January 2015, Crummer and his band, Will Crummer and the Rarotongans performed aboard HMNZS Otago to an audience of around 10,000. His daughter Annie was also at the event.''New Zealand Herald'', Monday 26 January 2015
Auckland Anniversary Weekend: Music, food and fun - what's on today? By Tom Carnegie
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Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crummer, Will Viking Records artists Music of the Cook Islands Cook Islands musicians