RayColumbus
- Performer
Ray Columbus, OBE, began hosting television shows at the tender age of 19. After Columbus and the Invaders topped Australasian charts with 1964 single 'She's a Mod', Columbus spent time as a musician in America. The song was covered multiple times. He later returned to Aotearoa to resume a long career as recording artist, TV presenter and talent manager. Columbus passed away in late November 2016.
Screenography
Biography
Ray Columbus was won over by rock'n'roll while selling ice creams at Christchurch's Avon Theatre. He began working there age nine. The job allowed him to imitate and "absorb the very latest images and sounds" seen on screen — Elvis in Love Me Tender and Jailhouse Rock, James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. "It was just natural to go from a Fred Astaire childhood, which was my Dad's dream, to all of a sudden dreaming about being old enough to switch to Elvis."
Awards
1990 Queen's Commemoration Medal
For Services to New Zealand
1974 Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
For Services to New Zealand
1974 Entertainer of the Year
“We were a typical rock band. We believed in ourselves. I was out knocking on doors. And it worked. Timing is everything ...”