New Zealand Music Month, May 2010
Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival
29 April 2010
The 21st Annual Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival gives us a chance to celebrate our longevity, our success and the many wonderful friendships made over the years since 1990.
We now proudly claim to be New Zealand's finest, and judging by the number of Aussies we have attracted, we are obviously a significant event in the Australian calendar also. Over the years the successful format has evolved with 200 plus musicians now regularly enjoying a fun weekend of music entertaining over 2000 appreciative fans.
The music has evolved also over the years from hard out country and western in 1990 to a more modern and wider appealing country rock that we have in 2010. Line dancers have also been welcomed to the festival with a special programme of their own.
Our NZ headline act for this anniversary is Eddie Low.
After 40 years of touring & entertaining internationally he has returned home to Christchurch NZ to live.
Other overseas artists are Joni Harms from the U.S.A. and from Australia come Donella Waters, Stephen Cheney, Terry Gordon and Kel Anne Brandt working alongside 52 NZ artists including crowd favourites Marian Burns, Joy Adams, Dennis Marsh and Reg McTaggart.
This year sees the 21st return of Peter Rawlings & Neil Anderson from the band Raw Country alongside myself Shirley May who is one of the original people who started the festival.
As read on http://www.country-rock.co.nz