Graeme Nesbitt

Graeme John Nesbitt (27 November 1950 – 14 May 2000) was a music, arts and radio promoter from New Zealand. He was involved in the development and founding of cultural events in New Zealand including the New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Summer City in Wellington and the New Zealand Music Awards.

Graeme Nesbitt
Born
Graeme John Nesbitt

(1950-11-27)27 November 1950
Auckland, New Zealand
Died14 May 2000(2000-05-14) (aged 49)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Occupation(s)Music, arts & radio promoter, academic
Years active1960s – 2000

Biography

Nesbitt grew up in Kohukohu, New Zealand. His father was postmaster.[1] They moved to Wellington in 1965, Nesbitt went to Upper Hutt College and was a senior in 1967.[2] They lived in part of the old Trentham Military Camp and Nesbitt had a large room where he could practice and play music 'without disturbing anyone'.[1] At school he met musicians Ray Mercer, Alastair Richardson (later in The Fourmyula). He also formed a duo with Krissy Klocek called Los Pescadores and they performed Wellington coffee houses, (e.g. Chez Paree, Monde Marie).[1][3]

Nesbitt made an immense contribution to the New Zealand music industry. He was instrumental in starting and furthering the careers of such well known New Zealand entertainers as Jenny Morris, Dragon and the magician Tim Woon.[4]

Nesbitt was responsible for the development of the New Zealand Festival of the Arts (Student Arts Council), Summer City (after Rohesia Hamilton Metcalf),[5] New Zealand Music Awards,[1] New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1970 Nesbitt was part of setting up an arts festival in Wellington, and he was the Cultural Affairs Officer at Victoria University of Wellington.[1][6]

I need students to answer phones, sell advertising, build bridges, dance naked, arrange deals and have a great time. Arts Festival and I need you. (Graeme Nesbitt, listing in Victoria University of Wellington student magazine Salient, 1970)[1]

In 1972 Nesbitt was appointed as the first Director of the New Zealand Students Arts Council.[7] In the same year he took a management role with the New Zealand band Mammal and they released the album Beware the Man (1972) with poet Sam Hunt.[8]

In February 1974 Nesbitt became the manager of the band Dragon and they released their acclaimed album Universal Radio (1974).[9]

Over the 1980s, Nesbitt was hired as the promo manager at Radio Windy and also did a stint at 2ZB Wellington. In the early 1990s, he was back in the radio game with working as ZMFM / 91ZM Wellington as the Promotions Manager.

Later life and death

Nesbitt moved to Asia in the late 1990s and died of cancer in June 2000 at age 49.[1]

References
  1. "Graeme Nesbitt". AudioCulture. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  2. "Upper Hutt College 1967; form 6A". Upper Hutt City Library. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  3. natlib.govt.nz https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22540739. Retrieved 19 August 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. published The Evening Post, Thursday 25 May 2000
  5. Bryant, Rod (1980). "City of Wellington Summer '79". Action. Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand, Wellington, N.Z. (12): 15–18. ISSN 0111-3720.
  6. "Marijuana Seminar at Vic". Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. 33 (10): 9. 8 July 1970.
  7. "The major step occurred in 1972 when Student Teacher Organisations took a greater role in the decision making of the Council, and accordingly the name was changed to the New Zealand Students Arts Council. In 1972 a part-time director, Graeme Nesbitt, was appointed..." – http://library.vuw.ac.nz/jcbr/findingaids/description.php?p=nzsac Archived 2010-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
  8. He has befriended Backhouse and he introduced Sam to the other members of Mammal. The result of this meeting led to a series of varsity concerts featuring Mammal with Sam Hunt as guest. Initially Sam would read poems between sets, but this evolved into concerts with poetry with musical accompaniment. These concerts were so successful that the concept was captured on record and an album was released before the end of 1972. The album was called "Beware The Man" and released as Sam Hunt and Mammal. Also an EP came out called "Sandshoe Shuffle (Selections From Beware The Man)". – http://www.sergent.com.au/music/mammal.html
  9. In February 1974, after winning the Auckland Festival's all-day Rock Marathon, Dragon acquired a manager, Graeme Nesbitt, and signed with Vertigo Records. "We recorded our first album, Universal Radio (Vertigo 6360902 [N.Z.])," said Todd Hunter – http://www.chuckthewriter.com/dragon.html
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