About Dave Dobbyn
Sir David Joseph Dobbyn (born 3 January 1957) is a New Zealand musician, singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then he has released the majority of his recordings as a solo performer. == Early life == Dave Dobbyn was born on 3 January 1957 in the working class suburb of Glen Innes, Auckland, the third of five children to tour-bus driver Terry Dobbyn and Molly. He was influenced by music from a young age, ranging from the Irish songs his father listened to, to the music of the church across the road, to the various radio stations he was able to pick up on the family radiogram. While his family had a piano at home, he was the only member to not receive piano lessons, something he was grateful for in retrospect as it meant he was able to come to it without memories of strict lessons. He and his three brothers attended local Catholic school Sacred Heart College, where he met Ian Morris and Peter Urlich. Though Sacred Heart actively encouraged music, Dobbyn was too shy to be involved. After finishing high school he worked nine months as a bank teller, and applied for teachers' college twice, being accepted on the second try. As he started teachers' college he was asked by Morris and Urlich to join the band that would become Th' Dudes.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.