Entertainment
Very sad news this week with the passing of country singer John Grennell.
Many will remember him as a shy but very talented singer on TV shows such as a Touch of Country hosted by the late Tex Morton.
Programmes like that were appointment viewing back in the day and were a breeding ground for talents like The Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, Brendon Duggan and our own Suzanne Prentice to name just a few.
Suzanne posted her tribute to her long time partner in music and friend with this moving tribute –
A very sad day today with the passing of one of New Zealand’s greatest male voices.I have so many fond memories of working with John over 40 years.I’m proud to be able to call John my friend.A humble man, a man who was always true to himself with no pretensions and no ego.John, you will be sadly missed.Rest in PeaceJohn did the rounds performing at all manner of events large and small up and down the country for many years. He even represented our country at The Grand Ole Oprey in 1966 and 1974. For country music performers it doesn’t really get much better than that.In 1990 the makers of a Toyota TV commercial hired John to sing Jim Reeves song Welcome To My World. A life changing moment. The commercial and song was a massive hit. Many say this version was better than the original. That’s a huge compliment.
But John was never overly comfortable as the star in the spotlight and was far more at home on his farm with his horses. Great way to be.John Grenell, a singer who didn’t need gadgets and gizmo’s to make himself sound better. He just sang the songs and sang ’em in tune, usually in one take.Let’s hear it again, Welcome To Our World……2 minutes of pure magic