Wiremu Te Kahika, better known as Billy Te Kahika or Billy TK Senior (born 1949), is a New Zealand Māori musician, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Early work As a child, Billy TK lived in Bunnythorpe, a small town near Palmerston North, New Zealand. His surname of Te Kahika was abbreviated to 'TK' by Pākehā teachers. He was inspired to learn guitar by listening to construction workers working on nearby hydroelectric dams. He began playing guitar at an early age, and was surrounded by talented young musicians during his family's frequent visits to Rātana Pā, who helped fulfill his lust for improving his skills on his instrument. He played gigs for friends and family during his high school years, and once he had finished school, he set to build his own band. The result of this was The Sinners with Ted Cash on drums, Sonny Ratana on bass, Harold Hine on rhythm guitar and lead vocalist Theo Swanson. The band played at 21st birthday parties and the like until being invited to play at Rickies nightclub in Palmerston North and other venues around the Manawatu. The Sinners were one of the first New Zealand bands to utilise distortion and similar guitar effects, and these effects would become a staple of Billy's guitar sound. It was around this time, in the mid-1960s, that Billy TK's friend, Ara Mete, gave Billy a gift — his first fuzz box and treble booster. Billy quickly took it to an electrical shop in Palmerston North, where he had copies of both made. Billy was hooked on the sound, and his obsession for guitar effects only received more grounding once the Jimi Hendrix album Are You Experienced? hit the airwaves in New Zealand, and Billy quickly made The Sinners learn all the tracks on the album. Human Instinct After four years of playing together, The Sinners were reduced to a three piece band when Theo Swanson and Harold Hine both left. Billy TK then parted ways with the band to travel to Melbourne to set up a unit there called Compulsion with Paddy Beach and Reno Tehei. On Billy's return to New Zealand in May 1968, Billy TK auditioned for The Human Instinct, with Maurice Greer on vocals and bass player Frank Hay. After playing for them once, he was allowed into the band. Following a tour of the South Island and two changes of bass players,