Bill Sevesi
Tongan musician / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wilfred Jeffs QSM (28 July 1923 ā 23 April 2016), better known by the stage name Bill Sevesi, was a musician and master of the steel guitar who helped popularise Hawaiian-style music in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Bill Sevesi | |
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Birth name | Wilfred Jeffs |
Born | (1923-07-28)28 July 1923 Nuku'alofa, Tonga |
Died | 23 April 2016(2016-04-23) (aged 92) Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand[1] |
Genres | Polynesian |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Steel guitar, Ukulele |
Years active | 1940sā2000s |
Labels | Viking, Armar |
Tongan-born Sevesi composed more than 200 songs with over 20 albums to his credit[2] during a career spanning six decades.
He began playing the Hawaiian Steel Guitar in 1936, and in later years his band Wilfred Jeffs and the Islanders became Bill Sevesi and the Islanders. He performed all over the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Australia and United States.
He recorded some classic favourites such as '"Bye Bye Baby Goodbye" (1958) as well as recording artists such as Daphne Walker,[3] The Yandall Sisters and Annie Crummer.