Get Up With The Sun

Simpson delivered commanding and passionate performances as a headlining solo artist, as a busker and fronting the theatrical mayhem that was BLERTA where his appearances became increasingly unpredictable.

Following a series of successful tours supporting major local and international artists, his eccentricities saw him fall out of favour with promoters. From the late 1970s, the singer-songwriter with a finely tuned ear, modifying his own guitars and travelling with a customised pyramid shaped sound system, was hardly scraping together a living from the immense talent that once promised so much.

From mid-1972 BLERTA’s New Zealand anthem ‘Dance All Around The World’ was getting strong airplay around the country, a second BLERTA single was in the making, and singer Corben Simpson’s solo self-titled album and the Littlejohn album, both recorded nearly a year previously, were finally on the streets.

EMI wanted a follow-up single from BLERTA but were as perplexed as the radio stations with what was delivered. While BLERTA was playing in Taupo, Corben Simpson and Bruno Lawrence were at the local post office where they found unlikely inspiration for what may well be New Zealand’s first rap song: a frenetic, comedic rant over a solid beat that was way ahead of its time.

“Bruno picked up a screwed up telegram from the floor and read it out: ‘Sorry to tell you but Aunty Ada passed away yesterday’. He said we should make up a song about that, so he wrote some words and I wrote the music.”

The single was released in June 1972. One radio DJ was heard back-announcing the track. “Well that was the new one from BLERTA … and I don’t think we’ll be playing that again.” Simpson says the big beat of ‘Aunty Ada’ still makes him smile.