Bill Ward’s twin neck axe on display

Te Aroha man Bill Ward knows a good blues note when he hears one.

Born in Tauranga and educated at Tauriko Primary School and Tauranga College, an early love of music saw him recruited into the ‘Four Fours‘ in the late 50s.

The band moved to Auckland in the early 1960s and had a number of hits. One of the band’s songs, Theme From An Empty Coffee Lounge reached number one on the New Zealand charts.

The band made a name change to Human Instinct and sailed to the UK.

‘‘We were starving for a while but eventually got on to the club/ concert circuit playing with many of the well known groups of the time,’’ Bill said.

Work visas and family commitments saw the band back in New Zealand in 1968, to find that all their equipment had been stolen before being shipped home.

It made the decision easier to give music a rest for a while, and cars and competition surfaced.

Bill became the first Kiwi to build and race a car on the Bonneville Salt Flats, following in the footsteps of our own Burt Munro.

With the release of The World’s Fastest Indian, salt fever saw Bill mount another assault to Bonneville, he and his team returning with a land speed record.

It wasn’t long before he was called back to his music.

Music has always been a big part of Bill’s life and he has played at many Jazz and Blues Festivals in the Bay of Islands, (5 years), Tauranga, Whangarei, Whangamata, and the Rotorua Bluesfest.

He regularly puts a band together for larger events, does many solo gigs and has also played in a Bluegrass band.

Blues and ballads are his great love for his solo performances, some of which he has written himself.

The Auckland Museum, has just opened an exhibition called, VOLUME, a look at New Zealand music from the 60s onwards.

Bill was approached by the museum and his Fomi signature series twin neck guitar and a cos- tume from the 60s are included in the display.

The guitar is also featured in a special printed poster to promote the exhibition.

Bill and his wife Vivienne were invited to a pre exhibition opening at the end of October at the museum.