Back in 1960s New Zealand, most of us worshipped the Beatles and the "British Invasion" groups, as they were known.
For some, however, the Beatles and the Stones were just an entree to the music that inspired them — the blues. It wasn’t long before pockets of aficionados established beachheads throughout Aotearoa. John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers led to Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and the other Chicago electric blues greats. Pretty soon those pockets of blues followers became more of a landslide, and much of that initial enthusiasm has carried through to the present day.
As the number of blues fans grew, so too did a bunch of groups keen to express their take on the music they had adopted. The Underdogs, Chants R’n’B, Midge Marsden and others hit the highways and byways of the country, spreading the word. Darren Watson was one of those early travellers and took the ride from Whanganui to Wellington hellbent on stamping his mark through his voice and his guitar.
Watson’s Chicago Smoke Shop drew large crowds and shared the stage with the likes of Robert Cray, Koko Taylor and George Thorogood.
Now a veteran with years of dues-paying in his wake, Watson has embarked on a new crusade — making an album that "really sounds like me".
The album is Too Many Millionaires, and all but one of the songs are Watson originals. The interplay between Watson and harp player Terry Casey is simply stunning.
Over the past month, Watson has toured Too Many Millionaires around the country, and tonight makes the final stop on his national tour when he plays 50Dundas, in Dunedin. It’s a gig you won’t want to miss.
