Blerta
Blerta | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition |
| Origin | Christine Barnett Ian Watkin Bill Gruar Patrick Bleakley Tim Piper Greg Taylor |
Blerta ("Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition") was a New Zealand musical and theatrical co-operative active from 1971 until 1975.[1][2][3]
It was the idea of
The group lived in a commune for many years. Three families lived together, including those of Bruno Lawrence and Geoff Murphy. The group came to the attention of the New Zealand film industry and were employed at times to create work for TVNZ. The group were labelled as hippies during that time and were looked down upon by some in the industry, despite the quality and nature of their work. Nevertheless, the band had a significant hit with their song "Dance All Around The World", which reached #13 in the N.Z. music charts in June 1972.[5]
The line-up changed throughout the years that Blerta travelled. Members included Lawrence, Fane Flaws, Beaver, Geoff Murphy, Tony Barry, Patrick Bleakley, Ian Watkin and Mick Lieber, as well as many others, of which some had previously worked with Bruno in bands and others joined along the way.[6] The original line up was Bruno Lawrence, Corben Simpson, Kemp Turirangi, Geoff Murphy, Alan Moon, Tony Littlejohn, Beaver, Eric Foley, and Chris Seresin. The great adventure and experience of Blerta finished in 1975, with the troupe embarking on one last tour.
Although Bruno Lawrence and Geoff Murphy were friends for many years, the two had a falling out five years prior to Lawrence's death. They never reconciled, and Murphy was absent from Lawrence's funeral.
Discography
| Date of release | Title | Label | Charted | Country | Catalog number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Joy Joy | – | – | – | – |
| 1974 | This Is The Life | EMI | – | – | – |
| 1976 | Wild Man | – | – | – | |
| 2001 | The Return Trip.. | EMI | – | – | 535096.2 |
References
- ^ "Blerta Revisited | Film | NZ On Screen". nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Newman, Keith (9 May 2013). "BLERTA – AudioCulture". audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "Blerta | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "Blerta". Bruce Sergent. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Ratified in the Corben Simpson entry.
- ^ Noted. "From our archive: Bruno did his thing – The Listener". Noted. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
External links
- AudioCulture profile
- Bruce Sergent's Blerta page
- Blerta Revisited, an 80-minute documentary of compiled Blerta footage, made in 2001 (free viewing in six parts on NZ On Screen)
- The Blerta Years, Radio New Zealand documentary on Blerta (4 x 20-minute parts)
- Entry at muzic.net.nz