Chris died at the end of January. In the very early 70s he had been in Fresh Air but was best known as the pianist/keyboard player with Blerta. He helped give the troupe its unique sound. By the mid-70s he was in Rough Justice.

In Blerta early were Bruno Lawrence, Alan Moon, Tony Littlejohn, Beaver, Roy & Geoff Murphy, Don Burke, Corben Simpson, Eric Foley & Kemp Tuirangi. Bruno played drums.

The band formed in 1971 & what they delivered was an eclectic mix of jazz, rock & fusion. They relied on multi-media & actors were involved in the band’s performances. In Australia they played at the Nimbin Festival in 1973. The only original members who made the trip across the Tasman were Bruno, Chris & Kemp. After the festival they stayed on in Australia for eighteen months, spending 6 of those months in Melbourne. It was December 1974 when they returned to New Zealand.

For Chris the stand-out song he co-wrote was ‘Freedom St Mary’s’.