Mahinārangi Tocker

New Zealand singer-songwriter
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroNew Zealand singer-songwriter
PlacesNew Zealand
wasSinger
Work fieldMusic
Gender
Female
Instruments:Voice
Birth1955
Death15 April 2008 (aged 53 years)
Awards
New Zealand Order of Merit 
The details

Biography

Mahinārangi Tocker at the 2007 Auckland Folk Festival

Mahinārangi Tocker MNZM (1955 – 15 April 2008) was a singer-songwriter from New Zealand.

Tocker wrote more than 600 songs in a 25-year career. Her vocal style has been compared to that of Joan Armatrading and Tracy Chapman. She also gave lectures around New Zealand about the use of music and creativity to boost learning and self-esteem, and was an adult literacy tutor, writer and poet.

Tocker was born in Taumarunui and was of Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Jewish and Celtic ancestry. She was an open lesbian.

In the 2008 New Year Honours, Tocker was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music.

Tocker died on 15 April 2008 in Auckland's North Shore hospital following a severe asthma attack. She was 52.

Discography

Albums

  • 1985 Clothesline Conversation
  • 1987 I'm Going Home
  • 1996 Mahinarangi
  • 1997 Te Ripo
  • 2002 Hei Ha!
  • 2002 Touring (With Charlotte Yates)
  • 2005 The Mongrel in Me
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 03 Jun 2020. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.