Hurricane Shayn Wills

Albert King, Junior Wells, Robert Cray, John Hammond Jnr, Canned Heat, Duke Robilard. These names practically form the basis of the Blues as we know it today.

To have played support gigs for one of them would be a musician’s career highlight, but to have played support gigs for all of them you would have to be a musician of world class standard. Well, let me just mention one name, Shayn Wills. Between 1992 and 2006, Shayn Wills played support for each and every one of these legendary innovative musicians.

Watching Wills play it becomes glaringly obvious that he is something very special. For starters, his ability to play harmonica, guitar and sing at once is astounding and entertaining, (“…the way Shayn plays guitar harmonica and sings all at the same time astounds me” Midge Marsden). And he has his own unique style of playing. His playing comes from a place of sincerity and heartfelt passion, and there is something about his playing that is distinctly New Zealand. You could easily say he has created the term “New Zealand Blues”.