NOTED N.Z. SINGER TO APPEAR IN GREYMOUTH

Grey River Argus, 8 November 1949, Page 7

NOTED N.Z. SINGER TO APPEAR IN GREYMOUTH

On the eve of his departure for Hollywood, a New Zealand entertainer who has made his name in Australia, Tex Morton, is to appear here this month. He has a success story which ranks high. His recordings of popular outdoor songs and ballads have achieved remarkable popularity and, in the period 1938-42, before the manufacture of records was limited by shortage of materials, the sales of his recordings eclipsed m number the total for ail other records on the market in Australia.

Tex Morton, accompanied by Leon van Loewe (overseas hypnotist) and Sister Dorrie (vocalist) will appear in Greymouth for one night only, at the Regent Theatre next Tuesday, November’ 15. The box plan opens at Harley’s tomorrow morning. Now 33, Morton left Nelson College ill', the depression years, when jobs were hard to get, and made his way as a modern troubadour to Auckland One of his first press cuttings was a notice in the Weekly News of items he sang as a lad from one of Auckland’s radio stations 16 years ago. He then went to Australia, shouldered a swag and roamed and worked in the back country, where he began collecting folk songs and putting to music, ballads of the kind made famous by Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson. A few recordings proved best-sellers and. these, combined with radio appearances,' put him firmly on the road to success.

Morton made himself the Australian equivalent of the American singing cowboy and this clean-cut wellspoken New Zealander is known throughout the length and breadth of the Commonwealth. He will shortly leave for the United. States, where h e will take up a three-year contract for radio, television and film work at Hollywood.