One of New Zealand’s most enduring music stars, Dave Dobbyn was born January 3, 1957 in Auckland. He always had an interest in music, but he did not pursue a career in show business until he quit his studies to become a teacher and joined the band Th’ Dudes, a band responsible for the classic singles “Be Mine Tonight” and “Bliss”. When the band split in 1980 he immediately launched a new one, DD Smash, which lasted until 1986. Dave Dobbyn launched his solo career penning the song “Slice of Heaven” for an animated film and enjoying a surprise number 1 hit with it. He scored a second number 1 that year as a songwriter with “Sailing Away”. His debut solo LP Loyal came out in 1988. Famed producer Mitchell Froom helmed the sessions for what would become Lament for the Numb, though the artist and his record label fought over the album’s release. He collaborated with fellow New Zelander Neil Finn on 1994’s Twist. He finally topped the album charts with his self-produces 1998 LP The Islander. He released only three albums over the next ten years, but all of them hit the top 10, including the number 2 Anotherland in 2008. He was part of the number 1 charity single “Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)” in 2012, and his 2016 LP Harmony House became his eighth top 10 album. In 2021 Dave Dobbyn was back on the singles chart with “Hine Ruhi” a Māori-language version of his signature hit, “Slice of Heaven”.
