Round Australia Tour - BIO
STEVE APIRANA is one of the finest gospel musicians currently working in Australasia. He is a gifted communicator, highly skilled guitarist and vocalist, with an extraordinary sense of humour. Specialising in blues and gospel, he has played alongside Daddy Cool, Black Sabbath, Split Ends, Osibisa, Fairport Convention and Average White Band, as part of the seventies band Butler. He was one of The Velvettes, sixties spoof rock band from Christchurch and has toured solo for more than twenty years as far afield as the UK, USA, and Europe. Steve captivates audiences in a way that very few can. His honesty, self - depreciating humour and excellent musicianship has audiences totally absorbed. He has released four albums over the 35 years of his career, the latest, This Wretched Man, in November 2011.
AINSLEY APIRANA is mostly known for her performances with Steve but is herself a singer and songwriter. She recorded 12 of her own songs on an album called Autumn in 2001 and released a new album in 2014 – Cappuccinos and Vanilla Squares. Ainsley joins Steve with vocals, guitar, whistles and flutes to bring you a collection of songs from their six albums and from some of their favourite covers.
DONNA TAIRAKENA has loved making music all her life: from piano as a young girl to guitar and singing as a teenager to flute playing in later life. She has explored a vast range of styles from classical to folk to ethnic to jazz and just enjoys improvising in her own language which is a mixture of all she has been exposed to.In her early Christian years she was fortunate to play in bands with Steve and is very happy to join up with her great friends again for this tour. She has recorded an album Self Titled of her own songs.
Steve and Ainsley play regularly in churches, cafes, halls, prisons, schools, and homes, traveling anywhere they are invited. Their mission is to bring encouragement and hope as they share their songs and their stories of life on the road, of thirty years of marriage and the triumphs and struggles they meet along the way. On this tour Donna joins them with Flute, Vocals and more.
For bookings write to Ainsley at: or call 0410030959.