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Maui Dalvanius Prime (16 January 1948 – 3 October 2002) was a New Zealand entertainer and songwriter. His career spanned 30 years. He mentored many of New Zealand's Māori performers, and was a vocal and forthright supporter of Māori culture.
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Born and raised in Patea, Prime was of Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Ngati Ruanui, Tuwharetoa, Ngā Rauru, Pakakohi and Ngāi Tahu descent. The sixth of 11 children, Prime grew up in a musical household. He attended the Church College of New Zealand located in Temple View, Hamilton during his high school years.
In the late 1960s, Prime moved to Wellington and worked as a cook by day and musician at night. His involvement with the Shevelles, a Māori female vocal trio from Porirua, lead to several trips to Australia.
In 1970, Prime travelled to Australia and performed at the opening of the Sydney Opera House. The dismissal of Australia's Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 inspired the song Canberra, We're Watching You, a cover of Washington, We're Watching You by the Staple Singers with lyrics adapted to the situation.[1]
In 1983 he formed his own production company, Maui Records. And he became increasingly involved with Māori music. In 1984, Prime recorded Poi E with the Pātea Māori Club.[2] The album was very popular in New Zealand, attaining platinum certification.
He appeared in the film Te Rua in 1990 and sang the theme song "Chudka Pā Poy", which is about apartheid.
He also worked closely with Ngoi Pēwhairangi, who helped develop Te Kohanga Reo, Māori language pre-school system. He provided the music for many of her lyrics.
Later, Prime became a campaigner for the return of mokomokai (preserved, tattooed human heads) from overseas museums.
Prime was an advocate for young people involved in court cases and victims of domestic violence.
At the 1999 general election, Prime stood for the Piri Wiri Tua Movement in the Te Tai Hauāuru electorate, placing seventh.[3] During the campaign he endorsed Ken Mair who was running for the affiliated Mana Māori Movement.[4]
Prime died in 2002 in Hāwera after a long battle with cancer. He was buried in his family urupa at Nukumaru, South Taranaki, New Zealand.
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [5] | |||||||
| Poi E (among Pātea Māori Club) |
|
—[A] | |||||
| A Man of Passion |
|
21 | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Souvenir (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
|
| Christmas with Dalvanius and the Fascinations (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [7] | |||||||
| "Love Train" / "Chapel of Love" (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
1973 | — | Souvenir[B] | ||||
| "Wiley" (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
1974 | — | Non-album singles | ||||
| "Canberra, We're Watching You" (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
1975 | — | |||||
| "Voodoo Lady" / "Checkmate on Love" (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
1977 | — | |||||
| "Ecstasy" (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
1978 | — | |||||
| "Poi E" (with the Pātea Māori Club) |
1983 | 1 | Poi E | ||||
| "Aku Raukura" (with the Pātea Māori Club) |
1984 | 10 |
| ||||
| "Hei Konei Ra (Farewell)" (with the Pātea Māori Club) and the Yandall Sisters) |
21 | ||||||
| "E Papa" (with the Pātea Māori Club) |
1985 | 41 | |||||
| "Give Them Life" (among New Zealand Music Awards Finale performers and presenters) |
1985 | — | Non-album single | ||||
| "Ka Huri" (with the Pātea Māori Club) |
1986 | — | Poi E | ||||
| "Haere Mai" (Cara Pewhairangi & Dalvanius) |
— | Ngati Original Soundtrack | |||||
| "Ngoi Ngoi" (with the Pātea Māori Club) |
1988 | — | Poi E | ||||
| "The New Zealand Expo Song (God Defend New Zealand)" (Annie Crummer, Peter Morgan, Dalvanius and Patea Maori with the New Zealand Youth Jazz Orchestra) |
1988 | 47 | In the Land of the Long White Cloud[C] | ||||
| "Chudka Pa Poy" | 1990 | — | Non-album singles | ||||
| "White Christmas" / "Mary's Boy Child" (Dalvanius and the Fascinations) |
1992 | — | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "One Man Band" | 1969 | The Shevelles | Non-album singles |
| "Maoris on 45" | 1982 | The Consorts | |
| "Don't Think You Remember Me" | Prince Tui Teka | The Man, the Music, the Legend | |
| "Let's Fall in Love" | |||
| "Hold on Tight" | |||
| "E Ipo" | |||
| "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" | |||
| "One by One" | |||
| "Walking in the Sun (Even a Blind Man)" | |||
| "Fool Over You" | |||
| "Only You and You Alone" | |||
| "A Real Love" | |||
| "There Are More Questions Than Answers" | |||
| "Maori Battalion Triolgy: Te Piriti / Maori Battalion" | |||
| "Party Time" | 1983 | Taste of Bounty | Non-album singles |
| "Runnin' & Hiding" | Tama Band | ||
| "Kua Makona" | 1986 | Moana | Kua Makona / Tahi |
| "I Have Loved Me a Man" | 1990 | Mika X | Non-album single |
- The 25th Anniversary Edition charted at number 8 on the New Zealand artists sub-chart in 2016, after the release of Poi E: The Story of Our Song.[6]
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