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Billy T. James

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For other people with the same name, see Billy James (disambiguation).

Billy T. James
MBE
Born
William James Te Wehi Taitoko

(1948-01-17)17 January 1948
Cambridge, New Zealand
Died7 August 1991(1991-08-07) (aged 43)
Auckland, New Zealand
Resting placeMount Taupiri
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • Actor
  • Writer
  • Musician

William James Te Wehi Taitoko[1] MBE (17 January 1948 – 7 August 1991), better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy[2] and was a household name during his lifetime.

Early life

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Billy grew up as William James Te Wehi Taitoko, first in the Waikato town of Leamington (now part of Cambridge), then in Whangārei. At high school, he sang and played guitar in a band. Popular for drawing caricatures of his teachers, Billy began an apprenticeship as a signwriter after leaving school.

In his mid 20s, Billy T. was invited to join showband the Māori Volcanics, and was soon performing around the world, echoing the path of entertainers John Rowles and Frankie Stevens. He quickly showed his skills as impressionist, comedian, guitarist and saxophone-player. While living in Australia Billy went solo, dropping his Taitoko surname, and rearranging his birth names to "something the Aussies could pronounce".

Taitoko was of Waikato Tainui[2] and Clan Campbell[3] descent.

Career

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Taitoko joined the Maori Volcanics Showband in the 1970s[1] and performed around the world. Prince Tui Teka encouraged him to embark on a solo career[4] which saw him in great demand for his skits and impressions and his cabaret singing. He adopted the stage name Billy T. James because "it was something the Australians could pronounce".

In 1980, he appeared on the variety show Radio Times, the success of which led to his own comedy sketch show in 1981 called The Billy T James Show. The same year he was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Year.[4]

In 1985, his cabaret act was recorded live and released on LP as Billy T Live! at Pips Cabaret, Whangarei. Featuring standup comedy selections and live versions of songs such as "Running Bear" and "When A Child Is Born", this title was out-of-print for more than a decade before being re-released in CD format in 2008.

Taitoko made a notable appearance in the 1985 feature film Came a Hot Friday and provided voice talent for the popular animated film Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail. Also in 1985, James was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Decade.

In the 1986 New Year Honours, James was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to entertainment.[5]

In 1986, James and Chris Slane published Real Hard Case which contained comic-strip interpretations of Taitoko's comedy. Real Hard Case 2 followed in 1987.

During this period, Taitoko name and likeness were used for the company "Billy T's Hangi Takeaways," with locations in Auckland, but the business did not last and closed after several years.[6]

In 1990, Taitoko received the prestigious Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc for a lifetime of excellence in the performing arts.[7] That year, he was also awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[8]

The Billy T James Show

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Billy T. James' self-titled television show for TVNZ featured sketch comedy and live performances of standup comedy and songs. The show lasted seven series and became a New Zealand institution. Joining Taitoko in the first series were regulars Doug Aston and Laurie Dee. Almost all of the first (1981) and second series (1982) are lost; only one episode from the first two series still exists in the TVNZ archive. The second series saw James introduce his first recurring character Pierre the Painter who would paint pictures while telling a story. The third series, the first to survive in full, saw the introduction of a parody of the Maori news show Te Karere entitled "Te News" in Episode 3, however, this would not appear again until two years later during Series 5. The black singlet and yellow towel James wore in these sketches were to become iconic. After the 1984 series, Doug Aston and Laurie Dee, along with many of the writers, were dropped. The fifth and sixth series (1985 and 1986) were co-written by Peter Rowley and included parodies of Miami Vice, Playschool, a 'Lands For Bags' television commercial,[9] and sketches featuring Rowley as Captain Cook.

Series 1 and 2 most likely ran for 6 half-hour episodes each in 1981 and 1982. Series 3 ran for 7 half-hour episodes in 1983, and Series 4 ran for 6 half-hour episodes in 1984.

Later, Taitoko starred in a second television show, also titled The Billy T James Show. It screened on TV3 in 1990 and was based on a format devised by James and Tom Parkinson. Abandoning the popular sketch comedy format, this show was a family sitcom format and starred James as himself. Co-starring were Ilona Rodgers and Mark Hadlow, with Mark Wright, Tania Wehi, and Willa O'Neill. It ran for one series with only average audience ratings and reviews.[10]

Deteriorating health, transplant and death

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In 1988, Taitoko suffered a major heart attack and underwent a quadruple bypass operation. The operation was not successful, and in November 1989 he received a heart transplant, one of the first to be performed in New Zealand. He returned to the stage of the Aotea Centre in April 1990 for the variety special Billy T James, Alive and Gigging. Howard Morrison appeared as a special guest.

Taitoko's health deteriorated again shortly afterwards, and he became ill with heart failure in February 1991. He died at Green Lane Hospital in Auckland on 7 August 1991.[4][11][12][13]

Billy is survived by his daughter Cherie James, an actress[14] and presenter of the 1997 documentary A Daughter's Story, about her father.[15]

Legacy, recent biographies and documentaries

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The Billy T Award was founded in 1997 in honour of James, recognising comedians with outstanding potential. Winners are presented with a yellow towel, Billy's trademark from his "Te News" sketches.[16]

In 2009, nearly 50% of respondents voted him the country's greatest comedian in a New Zealand Listener survey,[2] eighteen years after his death.

The first biography of James was released in 2009. Entitled The Life and Times of Billy T. James, it was written by Matt Elliott and was based upon interviews with more than fifty friends and colleagues of Billy as well as his wife Lynn and sister Ngaire.

In December 2010, funding was given for the production of a biographical film based on Billy T. James' life.[17] In March 2011, it was revealed the film was to be titled Billy, and would star Tainui Tukiwaho as James and Morgana O'Reilly as wife Lynn.[18] The film premiered on 21 August 2011 on TV One. Liberties were taken for dramatic purposes, including arguments with co-writer and television partner Peter Rowley and a minor heart attack while filming, neither of which occurred. Both Peter Rowley and James' daughter criticised the inaccuracies of the production in the press.[19][20]

A documentary entitled Billy T: Te Movie was released theatrically in August 2011.[21] Directed by Ian Mune, it proved popular with both theatre-goers and reviewers,[22][23][24] becoming the week's top box office performer on the week of release with $263,000 in sales.[20] Te Movie is now available on DVD.

In 2011, Peter Rowley wrote and starred in Billy T & Me, a one-man show which combined Rowley's memories of working alongside James with archival video footage. The show toured New Zealand and was made available on DVD.

In late 2021 James' family listed many of his personal belongings on auction site TradeMe. Included were his personal scrapbooks, musical instruments and the awards presented to him during his career. The auctions received much interest and coverage in the New Zealand media.[25]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Title Details Peak chart
positions 		Certifications
NZ[26]
1981 Selections
  • Label: Starcall
 23
1985 Live at Pips
  • Released: 1 June 1985
  • Label: Pagan Records
 33
1997 The Comic Genius of Billy T James 1
  • NZ: 4× Platinum[27]
2010 The Entertainer – The Best Of Billy T. James
  • Released: 1 August 2010
  • Label: Viscount Productions
 —
2011 Gypsy Girl (A Musical Story As Told By Billy T. James)
  • Released: 25 September 2011
  • Label: Viscount Productions
 —
2011 Billy T: Te Soundtrack 7
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Bill T James: Biography". NZ On Screen. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Bill T James: Overview". NZ On Screen. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  3. ^ "Funny fulla". New Zealand Listener. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Billy T James' Death Left Huge Gap In NZ Culture". New Zealand Herald. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  5. ^ "No. 50362". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1985. p. 30.
  6. ^ "BILLY T'S HANGI TAKEAWAYS LIMITED – AUCKLAND – NEW ZEALAND". Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Variety Artists Club of NZ Benny Award Information and Recipients". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013.
  8. ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 200. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  9. ^ "Businessman saw the rise and fall of 'Lands for bags'". Stuff. 21 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  10. ^ "The Billy T James Show (sitcom)". www.nzonscreen.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Death of Billy T. James". nzhistory.govt.nz. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Remembering Billy T James: Our top five favourite moments". Stuff. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  13. ^ Hunt, Tom (10 August 2013). "The Last Days of Billy T. James". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Cherie James". IMDb.
  15. ^ "A Daughter's Story". NZ On Screen. 1997. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Billy T Award". New Zealand Comedy Trust. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  17. ^ "New Platinum Fund TV projects announced". NZ On Air – Press release. 21 December 2010. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  18. ^ Morton, Frances (20 March 2011). "Two looks at life of our favourite comic Billy T". New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  19. ^ "Onfilm.co.nz Article, 2011". Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
  20. ^ a b Hurley, Bevan (28 August 2011). "Billy T. drama "a web of lies" NZ Herald Article, 2011". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  21. ^ "Director confident that Billy T's talent will be recognised". Radio New Zealand. 16 August 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  22. ^ "Onfilm Te Movie Review". Archived from the original on 8 February 2013.
  23. ^ "Stuff Te Movie Review". 15 August 2011. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Flicks Te Movie Review". Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Personal Treasures of Billy T James Up For Sale, TVNZ".
  26. ^ "DISCOGRAPHY BILLY T JAMES". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  27. ^ "Gold and platinum New Zealand albums to 2013". Te Ara. Encyclopedia of NZ. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.

Further reading

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  • Elliott, Matt (October 2009). Billy T: The Life and Times of Billy T James. New Zealand: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-1-86950-705-3.
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