“There was a big discussion and a hurried meeting, and they let me perform, but only because I’d come so far.’’ Thirty-seven other contestants had performed in the hall that day and the backing band, Les Thomas and the Countrymen, had already packed up. A smaller, three-piece band, agreed to back her. “I sang
Paper Roses [by Marie Osmond] and Connie Smith’s
Once a Day. They did all the judging in the preliminaries back then, and then there was an evening showcase. “And then holy smoke – I won it.’’ Riggir went on to become a household name, releasing her first album in 1980, the same year she was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Year, and performing on television shows like
Rachael Kelly13:54, May 25 2021
Robyn Edie/Stuff
Arun O Connor, of Invercargill, will perform at the Top Paddock concert in Gore on Saturday night, which is one of the first events of the Tussock Country Music Festival. O’Connor won the New Zealand Gold Guitars in 2018. (File photo)
Motel rooms are booked out, the utes are getting a polish and the tickets are selling like hotcakes. Gore’s inaugural Tussock Country Music Festival, encompassing nine days and more than 30 new and traditional events, kicks off in Gore on Saturday. This year will be the first year that the Tussock Country Festival will be held, after it was cancelled in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.