27 January 2008 - 0 Comments

The nation’s top folk music artist for 2007 is Southland’s Phil Garland.

The folklorist and balladeer’s 18th record ‘Southern Odyssey’ has taken out the Best Folk Music Album for 2007 announced tonight (Jan. 27) at the Auckland Folk Festival in Kumeu.

Garland’s achievement will also be acknowledged at the New Zealand Music Awards in October 2008.

Often described as the father of New Zealand Folk Music, Garland has previously been a four time-finalist for the award.

His very first album ‘Springtime in the Mountains’ took out the inaugural Folk Album of the Year Tui at the New Zealand Music Awards in 1984 as did ‘Send the Boats Away’ a year later - an album to which he contributed.

Two further Garland albums - ‘Hunger In The Air’ in 1987 and ‘Wind In The Tussock’ in 1989 - also reached finals selection in the New Zealand Music Awards.

Numbering amongst his many achievements is a Radio New Zealand commissioned musical documentary for national broadcast. The programme, Landfall New Zealand, was selected from 60 international entries to win the prestigious Hoso Bunka Award in Japan.

Garland has also appeared on the American TV show "Our Amazing World" singing traditional and original New Zealand songs to an estimated audience of 60 million viewers.

The other finalists for the Folk Album of the Year 2007 were The Hobnail Boots from Wellington with ‘The Fortune Horses’ and Auckland’s Owen Hugh for ‘You and I’.

New Zealand Music Awards spokesperson Campbell Smith says Garland’s win shows the seasoned artists can still pump out top tunes.
“Phil’s win demonstrates to me there is great value in experience and that perseverance is one of a musician’s greatest traits. For more than 30 years his mission has been to gather and preserve for posterity the stories and songs of New Zealand.

“A third Tui is just reward for a musician who has given so much to the New Zealand folk scene over many years. RIANZ is delighted to acknowledge that contribution once more.”

Recent previous winners of the Tui for Best Folk Album
2004 - Bob McNeill for his album ‘Turn the Diesels’
2005 - Lorina Harding for the album ‘Clean Break’
2006 - Ben the Hoose (Kenny Ritch and Bob McNeill) for ‘The Little Cascade’

Thanks to www.nzmusicawards.co.nz for this story.

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