Patsy Evelyn Ann Riggir (born 6 October 1945) is a New Zealand country and western singer and songwriter. She was a regular performer on the New Zealand

Country and Western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

television show '' That's Country'', had her own show ''Patsy Riggir Country'' in 1986, and has appeared on various shows including the '' Ralph Emery Show'', the ''Fan Fair International Show'' and the ''

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

''.

Biography

Riggir was born in the South Waikato town of

Arapuni Arapuni is a rural town centre on the Waikato river in the South Waikato District of New Zealand. The town sits next to the Arapuni Dam, a hydroelectric dam at Lake Arapuni commissioned in 1929. The Arapuni Power Station consists of eight turb ...

, and was educated at Te Kuiti School, and Te Kuiti and Putaruru High Schools. She entered several talent quests and sang on IXH Hamilton aged 5, but then gave up singing until she joined the local country music club in 1974. Her first album, ''True Country Music'', was released in 1980. She has received many awards including New Zealand Entertainer of the Year in 1980, various APRA Awards for Best Female Vocalist, Best Song, Best Songwriter etc. and various NZRIA awards. She represented New Zealand at country music gatherings in Fort Worth, Texas in 1983 & 1984, Nashville in 1987, and was inducted into the Tamworth, NSW Hall of Fame in 1982. In the

1994 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1994 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other c ...

, Riggir was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The Queen's Service Medal is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or appointed public office. It was established in 1975 and is related to ...

for community service. She now lives near

Putāruru Putāruru is a small town in the South Waikato District and the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It lies on the western side of the Mamaku Ranges and in the upper basin of the Waihou River. It is on the Oraka Stream 65 kilometres s ...

Discography

Albums

Awards

Riggir was the first winner of Gore's Golden Guitar Awards in 1974

Country Music Awards of Australia

The

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...

(CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. , - , 1981 , "It's Not Love" , New Talent of the Year , , - , 1984 , " Beautiful Lady" , Female Vocalist of the Year , , - , 1985 , ''You'll Never Take the Country Out of Me'' , Female Vocalist of the Year , , - , 1986 , ''You Remind Me of a Love Song'' , Female Vocalist of the Year , , - , 1987 , ''Country'' , Top Selling , * Note: wins only

RIANZ Awards

Riggir won a number of

RIANZ 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 ...

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. She has had a total of 19 nominations including 7 wins.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riggir, Patsy 1945 births Living people New Zealand country singers New Zealand women singer-songwriters People from Arapuni Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal 20th-century New Zealand women singers 21st-century New Zealand women singers People educated at Te Kuiti High School People educated at Putāruru College