Chris Knox
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Chris Knox (b. September 2, 1952) is a New Zealand rock and roll musician who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate, much loved for their honest, unpolished sound and intense live shows. He has also released a number of solo, self-produced albums which feature his trademark vocals and catchy hooks and loops generated by his trusty Casiotone. Through this work, Knox has become a veritable icon in the independent music scene in New Zealand.
At the 2001 New Zealand Music Awards Knox's song Not Given Lightly (1990) was announced as New Zealand's ninth best song of all time as voted by APRA members. Although this track never scaled commercial heights, it has belately generated some income for the songwriter through its use in TV advertising.
Flying Nun have recently announced that the original Toy Love album will be released on CD in the near future.
Knox currently resides in Auckland, where he continues to make music and ekes out a living as a newspaper columnist, film reviewer and cartoonist. He is also an occasional television film reviewer, and was recently host of a Television New Zealand series of classic movies, entitled The Vault.
Recent interview in Listener magazine: [1] (http://www.listener.co.nz/default,2247.sm)