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Drawing: Simon Ellinas
Biographical
(with exaggeration and outrageous
lies) Kath
Tait has been writing songs and performing them at folk and
acoustic venues and festivals since the late 1970s. Raised
in North Otago and then Auckland, New Zealand, she now lives
in London UK, where she works looking after old ladies. She
is 52 years old and is trying to behave herself but finds
it difficult.
Lots of her songs have been performed and recorded by other
people. Firstly, by famous New Zealand folk singers (like
"Pavarotti", Phil Garland, "Frank Sinatra",
"Madonna" and "Judy Garland" to name a
few). Then in 1986, New York folk singer, Priscilla Herdman
recorded a version of Kath’s ‘Old Jack Ryan’
on the CD ‘Darkness into Light’.
After that Lin Van Hek, of the Melbourne based group ‘Difficult
Women’, released her ‘River of Life’ CD
with 4 of Kath’s songs on it. This was followed by other
Australian Performers - Penelope Swales, "Beethoven",
Rebecca Wright, Blackwood, "Margaret Thatcher",
"Bob Dylan", "Janis Joplin" and Totally
Gourdgeous - who sang or recorded versions of ‘Bastard’,
‘Poor Dim Sally’, ‘Steel Hearted Annie’,
‘Strangers and Foreigners’, ‘The Fading
Roses’ and ‘Willy Sim’.
All
of this quickly went to Kath's head and she became fatuous,
conceited and annoying, but then one day she bumped her head
on an inadvertant chandelier and forgot who she was. Since
then she's not too bad, but if she gets out of order a quick
wack on the nose with a saucepan usually does the trick.
Kath has released 3 CDs in the last 11 years. The first being
‘Bastard’, released in 1996, comprising the best
of her songwriting up till then. Followed by ‘Vive le
Trafic’ in 2001 and, her new CD ‘Leaky Umbrellas’,
released June 2007.
Her stage presence is always entertaining and can range from
peculiar to humorous. Her songs range from ironically funny
to seriously beautiful and poignant.
But
some of them are just plain stupid !
She
plays guitar and harmonica and sometimes a very squeaky concertina.
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Gossip
and Rumours
'The
utterly wonderful, funny, moving social realism of the music
of Kath Tait will destupify you, guarunteed ! '
Xochitl Tuck, Survivor's Poetry London, Events Co-ordinator.
'No!
Absolutely not.' Simon Cowell
‘although her songs are undoubtedly outrageous, rebellious
and earthy, they are often profound and oddly comforting.’
‘a fine story teller whose songs combine charm, humour,
insight and earthiness.’
Sue Barrett, RYTHMS magazine, Australia.
‘Singer/songwriter, Kath Tait has lived and worked in
London for the past decade. It was inevitable she left New
Zealand, having insulted most of her family and friends in
her songs. Behind the cheerful guitar and sweet voice lie
lyrics of barbed wire. The ironies of modern life are her
inspiration, the contrast in her disarming delivery and often
explicit words, is her charm.’ Hilary Falconer,
WAIKATO TIMES, New Zealand.
'A live feeling to this one brings an immediacy to a set of
really well-written, wry-humoured and deeply felt songs.'
'Observant, clever songwriting is an institution to be supported
and is at the heart of what folk music should be about, ie.telling
it like it is.'
Review of 'Bastard' in FOLK ON TAP, England.
‘Kath Tait, (whom I glimpsed at the National in the
wine bar) had a main stage spot at which I became a convert.
Her hilarious, self-deprecating songs are pearls wrung from
the disasters and irritations of modern life.’
ACT Folk Mag – ‘Monaro Musings’ Australia
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