Dave Dobbyn

Th'Dudes

1975

Dave Dobbyn first started on the music seen as a guitarist for the band Th’Dudes. The band came together in 1975

FrontMan

1978

Dave came from standing at the back to the frontman for the song “Be Mine Tonight” in 1978

Be Mine Tonight

1979

'Be Mine Tonight' when on to win song of the year in 1979 and also that year the band was acclaimed NZ Group of the year.

Bliss

1980

Another iconic song from the band was “Bliss” which came out in 1980 and established itself as one of New Zealand’s unofficial national drinking songs.

DD Smash

1980

The band disbanded in the 1980 and Dave Dobbyn went on to start a pop group called DD Smash.

Cool Bananas

Apr 25, 1982

DD Smash became the first band from New Zealand to have their album, Cool Bananas, debut at the top of the charts in 1982.

Deep in the Heart of Taxes

1983

DD Smash recorded a live album in 1983 called the Deep in the Heart of Taxes, in an Auckland venue, Mainstreet.

DD Smash Final Album

1984

DD Smash final album The Optimist in 1984 which had better sounding production starting being influenced with music genre dominantly the music charts in New Zealand from Britain and Australia. The dominant genre were blue-eyed soul, synth-pop sound of the post-new wave era.

DD Smash Concert

Dec 8, 1984

A concert DD Smash was playing in Aotea Square in Auckland in 1984 saw people from the crowd being arrested by police for throwing beer bottles when a power failure happened, causing $6 million in damage. Dave Dobbyn was arrested for inciting a riot after commenting on riot police, cleared of charges in 1985. His remark is still seen by some as fueling the escalation.

Whaling to Wailing

1985

The recent hit song "Whaling" by Dave Dobbyn of DD Smash was retitled "Wailing" to honor the Wellington wind that met him and his band in the Capital thatday.

New Zealand Music Awards

1986

With "Slice of Heaven" and "You Outta Be In Love" from Footrot Flats, Dobbyn's solo career took off following the breakup of DD Smash. At the 1986 New Zealand Music Awards, "Slice of Heaven" won Best Song and topped the charts.

Solo Career

1986

Dave Dobbyn’s solo career started in 1986 and is still going today. It was kick started by him writing the soundtrack music for the animated feature film Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale. Two hit singles came from the film “You Oughta Be In Love” and the chart topping “Slice of Heaven recorded with the band Herbs.

Slice of Heaven

1986

Slice of Heaven is one of Dave Dobbyn’s best known songs and it was used in Australia to promote Australian’s to visit New Zealand. The song was aired on Australian TV in adverts.

Tv Commercials

1987

1987 the Australian Meat Industry Council used the song “Slice of Heaven” for their TV commercials promoting Devon meat and instead of using the word Heaven they substituted it for Devon in the chorus.

Best Male Vocalist

1988

Inspired by his own love story and Bruce Springsteen, Dobbyn published Loyal. At the 1988 NZ Music Awards, Dobbyn was named Best Male Vocalist and the record won Best record.

The Dave Dobbyn Collection

1992

In 1992 there was a collection of Dobbyn's singles from DD Smash and Th' Dudes; it didn't have any brand-new songs, but it did highlight his early compositions.

Lament for the Numb

1993

After initial label rejection in 1993, Dobbyn released Lament for the Numb, an experimental album that became a fan favorite for its raw songwriting

Twist

1994

In 1994 Dobbyn released Twist, continuing to refine his solo sound and solidify his place in New Zealand music.