Pikiteora Maude Emily Gertrude Edith "Pixie" Williams (married name Costello; 12 July 1928 – 2 August 2013) was a New Zealand singer best known for the song "Blue Smoke", recorded in 1949. In 2019, she was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

Early life and family

Williams was born in 1928 at

Mohaka Mohaka is a small settlement in the northern Hawke's Bay region of the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the coast of Hawke Bay, 20 kilometres southwest of Wairoa. The Mohaka River reaches the coast close to Mohaka. Marae Mo ...

in the Hawke's Bay region. Of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent, she was affiliated to the

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...

iwi. She was raised by her grandparents until she was 12 years old, when her grandmother died. She then lived with her uncle, and then, from the age of 14, her mother. When she was 17, Williams moved to Wellington, finding work in a factory and living at the YWCA hostel on

Oriental Parade Oriental Bay is a bay and suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Noted for being both a popular beach and a luxurious centre of affluence in the city, it is located close to the Central Business District on Wellington Harbour ...

"Blue Smoke"

"Blue Smoke" was the first single to be locally recorded and manufactured in New Zealand, backed by the song "Señorita", and was also the first release on the local TANZA label. The A-side was written by

Ruru Karaitiana Rangi Ruru Wananga Karaitiana (4 March 1909 – 15 December 1970) was a New Zealand musician and songwriter. Karaitiana was born in Dannevirke, New Zealand, on 4 March 1909. He was Māori, and was a member of the Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangit ...

whilst he was on board a troop ship during World War II, and was recorded in September and October 1948 for release in February the following year by the Ruru Karaitiana Quintette (sic) with Williams on vocals. It was number one on the New Zealand charts for six weeks and sold around 50,000 copies. A self-taught singer, Williams was recommended to Karaitiana by his fiancée Joan, who had sung with her whilst staying at YWCA hostel in Wellington. She was to go on to sing on several more recordings during 1949 and 1950: "Bellbird Serenade" (backed by Jimmy Carter's Hawaiians), "Maori Rhythm" (backed by Alan Shand's Orchestra), and "Saddle Hill", as part of Ruru Karaitiana's Quavertones. The Quavertones were credited with "Let's Talk it Over" and "Windy City".

Later life

In 1951, Williams went to Dunedin, where she met and married Irish-born John Edward "Paddy" Costello. The couple went on to have four children. Paddy Costello died in 2006, and Williams returned to live in Wellington. In 2011, the

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

recognised Williams with a triple platinum award for "Blue Smoke" and single platinum award for the song "Let's Talk it Over". The same year, a digitally remastered compilation of Williams' songs, ''For the Record: The Pixie Williams Collection'', was released. Williams died at a rest home and hospital in Upper Hutt on 2 August 2013. She had been suffering from dementia, diabetes and Parkinson's disease. After a funeral in Upper Hutt, Williams was buried with her husband at

Green Park Cemetery Waldronville is a coastal settlement on the Pacific Ocean coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Established in the 1950s as a commuter settlement, it is located to the southwest of Dunedin city centre, and lies within the city's limits. W ...

Waldronville Waldronville is a coastal settlement on the Pacific Ocean coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Established in the 1950s as a commuter settlement, it is located to the southwest of Dunedin city centre, and lies within the city's limits. Wal ...

, Dunedin.

Awards

On 2 October 2019, Williams, along with Ruru Karaitiana and Jim Carter, was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, to mark the 70th anniversary of the release of "Blue Smoke".

Aotearoa Music Awards

The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as ''New Zealand Music Awards'' (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965. ! , - , 2019 , , Pixie Williams , , New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , , , , , -

References

External links

Pixie Williams profile at Blue Smoke Records website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Pixie 1928 births 2013 deaths APRA Award winners Ngāti Kahungunu people 20th-century New Zealand women singers New Zealand Māori women singers Burials at Green Park Cemetery People from the Hawke's Bay Region