Rhonda Bryers (1952-2007) was a New Zealand singer of Maori descent. At one stage she was regarded as New Zealand's top entertainer.
Background
Bryers was born in
Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of ...
to famous Maori rugby player
Ron Bryers and Betty. Her first husband was professional wrestler Jock Ruddock.
She achieved a similar level of popularity as
Sir Howard Morrison
Sir Howard Leslie Morrison (18 August 1935 – 24 September 2009) was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009, he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers.
Early life
Of Māori (Te Arawa), Irish ...
,
John Rowles and
Frankie Stevens
Frankie Stevens (born Francis Donald McKechnie Stevenson), (born Wellington, 1950), MNZM, is a New Zealand entertainer and singer. He was a judge for all three seasons on the reality series ''New Zealand Idol''. He is the brother of singer Jon S ...
.
She died in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
in September 2007 of a suspected heart attack. At the time she was suffering from a flu related virus. She was aged 55.
Survived by her two sons Scott and John “Junior John” Ruddock. 3 grandchildren Hohepa, Peatarangi, Ihaia Ruddock
Career
Her version of "
Pokarekare Ana" appears on the 1981 CBS various artists album ''
The Mauri Hikitia
''The Mauri Hikitia'' is a various artists album released in 1981. It reached no 4 on the New Zealand charts. It features Rhonda, Ken Kincaid, Deane Waretini, and the Lightwood family.
Background
The album was represented by various Maori artis ...
'', which also featured
Deane Waretini
Deane Waretini (born c. 1946) is a musician from New Zealand. He had a #1 chart hit in 1981 with the song "The Bridge (Deane Waretini song), The Bridge", a Māori language song set to Nini Rosso's tune "Il Silenzio (song), Il Silenzio". He is al ...
,
Ken Kincaid
''The Mauri Hikitia'' is a various artists album released in 1981. It reached no 4 on the New Zealand charts. It features Rhonda, Ken Kincaid, Deane Waretini, and the Lightwood family.
Background
The album was represented by various Maori arti ...
, the Lightwood family, and the Tri Lites. She migrated to Hawaii and in 1989 she debuted at the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. She had a three-week engagement there. She also achieved a good level of fame in Hawaii. Another venue she did well at was the Dole Cannery Ballroom at Iwilei.
[''The Honolulu Advertiser'', October 3, 200]
Obituaries, Entertainer Rhonda was 'an incredible talent'
/ref>
Discography
References
1952 births
2007 deaths
New Zealand Māori women singers
20th-century New Zealand women singers
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