Magic Breakfast’s Mark McCarron sat down with New Zealand music legend, John Rowles, for our newest feature on Magic: ‘Where Are They Now?’.
The weekly series sees Mark revisit New Zealand superstars of days gone by - those who left the spotlight and perhaps left us wondering where it was they went.
Our first guest on the show, Sir John Rowles, joined us to reflect on a career that took him from a small town to a singer on the international stage.
As he recalls, most Kiwis “probably remember me as one of the first New Zealand singers to come out of a small town like Kawerau and end up in London with a number of top three records”.
With these hits, including the evergreen ‘Cheryl Moana Marie’, John became one of New Zealand’s first artists to break into the UK charts.
Listen to the full chat below
During the whirlwind from the 60s through to the 80s, he found himself recording prolifically, headlining Las Vegas shows, and becoming friends with global icons like Tom Jones, Bob Hope, and Elvis Presley.
“I was in Las Vegas headlining in 1969, and I would have been about 20 or 21. Bob Hope was in the audience and would come backstage and talk. And Connie Stevens and all the people. Elvis, The 5th Dimension, and of course, Tom Jones and Humperdinck. It was just sort of like a big family”.
It was then, in late 1969, that the track ‘Cheryl Moana Marie’ - inspired by his sisters’ names - would become his signature song and remain an enduring favourite to this day.
Describing how the song came about, John remembers he was “up north of London listening to a big ballad, I think it was Humperdinck singing 'The Last Waltz', and I thought I'll give it a shot. I said to myself, ‘I think I can write something like that’, but with an original flavour.”
Today, John lives a quieter life in Clevedon, Auckland, focusing on his health after contracting a severe neurological virus six years ago.
“I got this horrible virus, which attacked my nervous system. And I just couldn't perform anymore. I couldn't feel free to move it. It was hurting. I'm still doing my best to try to get back on stage again.”
While he hasn’t been able to perform recently, he’s been writing new songs and says he wants to return to the stage, starting with a tour in Queensland before touring New Zealand.
Despite stepping back from the spotlight, John’s love of music endures. He enjoys country, soul, big ballads, and classic artists like Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, and Hank Marvin, while keeping life simple with family, friends, and a few hobbies.
“Really, I like to sit around music. I like to come up with ideas for my shows on stage, a clever medley. Family's important to me too, because we know each other back to front.”
When asked if he still gets recognised, he says not as much now that he’s gone a bit grey, but he finds it humorous when he sees people trying to work out how they know his face.
“I don't mind the sort of walking about and having a little fun with things like that. You know, people recognising you and not recognising you.”
To close out the chat, John tells us how he’d like to be remembered by New Zealanders, “as a full-on entertainer, one of the most versatile - the boy from the Bay, the first headliner in Las Vegas".
Tune in to Magic Breakfast Tuesdays at 8 am to catch up with more NZ stars of the past and see what they’re up to now.
