Day 11 in the NZ Music Month tune a day challenge.
He was John Hore when I listened to him on Listeners’ Requests on the radio in the 1960s.
If we all spoke as the Scots do, making a clear distinction between h and wh, he might have kept his surname, but we don’t so to avoid unfortunate confusions he adopted the name Grenell (which I think was his mother’s family name).
One of the songs for which he became famous is I’ve Been Everywhere .
The original version used Australian place names.
If you want to try singing the New Zealand version the lyrics are here.
Oh, and he did get his guitar back.
UPDATE:
Inquiring Mind has the Hogsnort Rupert Auntie Alice Medley
Keeping Stock has Splin Enz ENZO with Message to My Girl
In the recording, there is a town (sounds like it starts with a ‘B’) at the beginning of the 3rd line of the 1st town verse … just before Rimutaka.
All of the NZ lyrics versions of this I can find online omit the town … but without it there’s not enough syllables in the line … and JG clearly sings a town before Rimutaka in the recording.
Anybody know what it is?
[...] he been? David left a query on an old post of John Grenell singing I’ve Been Everywhere asking where he’s [...]
I am trying to email john grennell. wade doak