Tumanako "Tui" Teka (8 March 193723 January 1985), better known by his stage names Tui Latui or Prince Tui Teka was a
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 ...
singer and actor. Teka was a member of the
Maori Volcanics Showband before having a successful solo career.
Career
Teka was born in
Ruatahuna, New Zealand near
Te Urewera
Te Urewera is an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand, a large part of which is within a protected area designated in 2014, that was formerly Te Urewera National Park.
Te Urewera is ...
. His parents were both musicians, and he learnt to play the guitar and saxophone at a young age. He moved to
Sydney in the early 1950s. In 1959, Teka, Jonny Nicol, and Mat Tenana joined the Royal Samoans and Maoris. The band was later renamed Prince Tui Latui &
The Maori Troubadours. In 1968 he joined
Maori Volcanics Showband, touring the Pacific for six years. In 1972 he began his solo career, and returned home releasing two albums: ''Real Love'' and ''Oh Mum'', as well as the Māori love song "
E Ipo". In 1974 he met with Noel Tio; both Tui and Noel had known each other since 1958, so Noel Tio Enterprises Pty Ltd. became his Australian (only) manager for 11 years. Before his death in 1985, he was in the West German TV series ''
Jack Holborn'' and starred in New Zealand films ''
Came a Hot Friday
''Came a Hot Friday'' is a 1985 New Zealand comedy film, based on the 1964 novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Directed and co-written by Ian Mune, it became one of the most successful local films released in New Zealand in the 1980s. The film's ca ...
'' and ''
Savage Islands
The Savage Islands or Selvagens Islands ( pt, Ilhas Selvagens ; also known as the Salvage Islands) are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Madeira, and north of the Canary Islands.30,000), white-faced storm- ...
''.
Teka died in early 1985 of a heart attack in his room while waiting to perform at the Ruawai Tavern in
Northland, and was survived by his wife Missy and daughters Davinia and Missy Jr. Missy died in 2008 as a result of a motor vehicle accident.
References
External links
Prince Tui Tekaat
AudioCulture
AudioCulture is a New Zealand On Air funded online project billed as the "''Noisy Library of New Zealand Music''". Working with artists, historians and music industry people, the website tells the story of nearly 100 years of New Zealand popul ...
Prince Tui Tekaat
NZ On Screen
NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...
*
Prince Tui Teka's band arrangementsat the
Alexander Turnbull Library
The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teka, Prince Tui
1937 births
1985 deaths
APRA Award winners
New Zealand male film actors
New Zealand Māori musicians
New Zealand male Māori actors
Ngāi Tūhoe people
New Zealand Māori male singers
People from Ruatahuna
20th-century New Zealand male actors
20th-century New Zealand male singers
Māori-language singers