Corben Simpson

Stolen directly from the Audioculture website (which is brilliant and highly recommended visiting http://www.audioculture.co.nz )

Radio programmers and the record buying public hardly had time to absorb Corben Simpson’s early solo recordings before they were overshadowed by the BLERTA phenomenon, including the instantly popular New Zealand anthem, ‘Dance All Around the World’.

The lanky multi-instrumentalist rode to fame at the dawn of the 1970s, winning the 1971 APRA Silver Scroll Award for his emotional ballad, ‘Have You Heard A Man Cry’, and while fronting BLERTA released three albums in quick succession; the first with the Littlejohn band then two solo LPs.


Simpson delivered commanding and passionate performances as a headlining solo artist, as a busker and fronting the theatrical mayhem that was BLERTA where his appearances became increasingly unpredictable.

Following a series of successful tours supporting major local and international artists, his eccentricities saw him fall out of favour with promoters. From the late 1970s, the singer-songwriter with a finely tuned ear, modifying his own guitars and travelling with a customised pyramid shaped sound system, was hardly scraping together a living from the immense talent that once promised so much.