I saw on the AudioCulture Facebook feed that Kevin had died on December 30, 2023. He was one of two Kiwi musicians I interviewed in the States for the Tommy Adderley biography back in the 1996/1997 era.

That interview on December 20, 1996 was sheer happenstance. It was at the time we were based in Waco, Texas & we were headed for New Orleans for Christmas. We spent two nights in Nashville on our way south, staying at a hotel that had a small bar downstairs where a band played. The bar wasn’t big.

On the first night after dinner we could see the band preparing. I spoke to the band leader. I often speak to people in bands so that bit wasn’t unusual. The bit that was unrehearsed was that this musician was a Kiwi. Kevin Greaves no less.

Once I knew his name I told him I was researching the Tommy book. Turned out he knew Tommy. Of course he did. NZ isn’t huge & Kevin’s father was the well-known country singer Rusty Greaves. When Kevin was just six or seven years old Rusty & Tommy performed on a rodeo circuit & the Greaves kids got to go to one show; in Kaitaia. In the years Kevin had the band Power Play, that band backed Tommy several times, including a fund-raising champagne breakfast for IHC in 1984.

Kevin spent 15 years in the States. It was once he’d got his Green Card that he made Nashville his home. He got lots of work & recorded a number of albums while he was there.

He returned to NZ in 2008 where he continued to work in the music industry. He was awarded a Benny Award in 2017 – this is the NZ Variety Artists Club highest honour.

Australia did feature in his story. He had played at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.