Chris Knox is something of a living legend in New Zealand. Since the
Invercargill born misfit started Dunedin's first punk band the Enemy
in 1977, Chris has always been centrestage -- and always been his
own man. His CV is full of wonderful artistic endeavours -- all of
them bar his time leading Toy Love, one of NZ's most popular bands
of the early '80s, created in the front room of a rambling Grey Lynn
villa where Chris lives with his partner Barbara and kids John and
Leisha. So what has the musician-writer-tv film critic-cartoonist-tall
dwarf been up to lately?
1995 - 'Songs of You and Me'
Chris actually spent 1995 working on his international profile,
touring Europe, America twice and most recently Australia, attracting
widespread interest and acclaim for his latest album Songs of
You & Me. The album reached the top of US college radio
charts and received unprecedented attention in mainstream American
music media.
Chris was mentioned on the cover of New York's Village Voice,
the nation's premier arts weekly magazine. The byline "The
10th Beatle" referred to a two page story on the Auckland musician
which says that "Paul, George and Ringo would be hard-pressed
to find a better John stand-in than Chris Knox" and goes on
to call him "indie rock's premier oddball singer-songwriter
who still has all his faculties intact". A review in American
music industry bible Billboard wrote that Songs of You
& Me "again proves his stature as a songwriter on a
solo album filled with sharp, shapely songs that are both a little
off and right on target."
Meanwhile, Rolling Stone ran a live review of a Chris Knox
performance from New York praising everything from his crooning
pop melodies and sincere convictions about politics and love to
his "shorts and flip-flop sandals". Chris also scored
a major music publishing deal in the USA with Warner-Chappell which
recognises his increasing stature as songwriter. The publishing
deal offers marketing and other support to the American release
of Songs of You & Me on Caroline Records as well as future
recordings. It should also see Chris's songs promoted to more major
artists for cover version recordings. Chris has already had two
songs covered by major artists in the past. Australian pop group
Frente released a version of his most well-known single, "Not
Given Lightly" and American singer Marshall Crenshaw recorded
Knox's "Face of Fashion" on an album.
2000
The life and musical times of Chris Knox keep on producing amazing
albums. In 1997 Chris released 'Yes' to the world and 2000 saw beat
grace our lives. It's not going to end here!