Singer to support Bluff festival
International musician Helen Henderson is performing at the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival and during her trip to Southland she wants to gauge support for a rock and roll sister city relationship between Invercargill and Muscle Shoals.
Muscle Shoals is a city in Alabama, United States, and like Invercargill, has a large number of musicians.
Some of the world’s best have recorded music at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. Henderson recorded an album there in 2006.
Henderson, who grew up in Invercargill, is in the process of recording an album in Los Angeles and plans to finish it in Muscle Shoals later in the year.
‘‘I’d like to bring some of the [Muscle Shoals] musicians here and take Southland musicians over there,’’ Henderson said.
A musician for 40 years, Henderson performs in London, Los Angeles and New Zealand.
Henderson has strong links to Bluff, as her great grandmother, Jane Anthony, arrived in the town from Ireland as a child with her parents in 1874.
Two of Henderson’s uncles, Gordon and John Lindsay, died in a fishing boat accident near Bluff in 1953.
Another uncle, Alex Lindsay, was a conductor and first violinist for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
He had earlier been second violinist for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Henderson said she was delighted to be among quality Southland entertainers for the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival on Saturday.
‘‘Being with local artists with original music, is exciting.’’
Henderson will have a backing band made up of Southlanders Steven Hayes (guitar), Elton McDonald (bass), Cav Clearwater (lead guitar) and Simon Rea (drums).
Jackie Bristow, formerly of Southland and now based in Nashville, is also on the list of performers, along with Bluff School’s kapa haka group, Southland Entertainer of the Year Lachie Hayes, Otepuni Moonshine, The River Jesters and The Cook Island Drummers.
Oyster opening and eating competitions will be held at the festival.
Publicity officer Lindsay Beer said tickets to the event sold out in early February, with 5000 people expected.
An Air New Zealand plane from Wellington and another from Auckland will fly into Invercargill on Saturday morning with a total of 300 people bound for the festival.
Invercargill buses will operate to and from Bluff on Saturday.
As well as oysters, food vendors would have a variety of seafood delicacies on offer, Beer said.