The history of blues in New Zealand dates from the 1960s. The earliest blues influences on New Zealand musicians were indirect – not from the United States but from white British blues musicians: first the R&B styles of Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, The Animals and The Rolling Stones, and later the blues-tinged rock of groups such as Led Zeppelin. The first American blues artist to make a big impact in New Zealand was Stevie Ray Vaughan in the early 1980s. Other blues-related genres such as soul and gospel almost completely by-passed New Zealand audiences, except for a handful of hits from cross-over artists such as Ray Charles. Artists Midge Marsden Midge Marsden is a blues and R&B guitarist, harmonica-player and singer with a career spanning four decades. Darren Watson Darren Watson is a singer, guitarist and music educator in a wide range of blues styles, as well as an international award-winning songwriter. Watson led the very popular blues band Smoke Shop, which featured on the New Zealand charts and toured extensively throughout the country in the 1980s and 1990s, opening for several international blues artists including NZ tours with Koko Taylor, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and two tours with The Robert Cray Band. In 2008 Watson won the blues section of Nashville's International Songwriting Competition. He was nominated for Most Promising Male Vocalist at the 1989 NZ Music Awards. Watson has recorded six successful albums: King Size, which was nominated for Best Roots Album at the 2003 NZ Music Awards, 2005's South Pacific Soul, 2010's Saint Hilda's Faithless Boy, 2014's Introducing Darren Watson. 2018's Too Many Millionaires was favorably reviewed in several international magazines including jazz 'bible' Downbeat and UK magazine Blues Matters. The album also charted at No. 20 on the Official Top 40 Album Chart, No. 3 on the Official NZ Top 20 Album Chart, and No. 1 on the IMNZ Album Chart. In 2020 Watson released Getting Sober For The End Of The World which was critically praised and reached number 23 on the Official Top 40 Album Chart. The album was also nominated Best Folk Artist at the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards. Since 2008 Watson has been teaching guitar, vocals, recording and composition from his home studio in Ngaio, Wellington. He also has a large online presence with over 12,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel featuring his music videos, chats, and guitar lessons. Hammond Gamble Hammond Gamble