He was nicknamed The Prince, but Tūhoe legend Tui Teka lived his life as the king of Māori entertainment. He was the ultimate showband performer, able to play a multitude of instruments, act, and sing anything from country and western and rock'n'roll to love ballads and waiata, interspersed with side-splitting comedy.

Tui Teka, or Tui Latui as he sometimes billed himself, was born on March 8, 1937 in Ruatahuna, a small Urewera settlement on the unsealed road between Wai-O-Tapu and Wairoa. His mother played mouth organ and clarinet and his father was a saxophonist with a bush band deep in the heart of Tūhoe country.

He was said to be playing guitar and saxophone by age 3, refining his talents at local woolshed dances as a teenager before joining a circus in the early 1950's, which took him across the Tasman.

In Australia Tui quickly graduated from sweeping up after the elephants to singing and performing, and he learned showmanship traveling round the continent. In 1959 Teka joined The Royal Samoans and Maoris, which was soon renamed The Maori Troubadours.

He kept his new act on the road, traveling with a convoy of cars, trucks and caravans around the fairs and showgrounds. A typical ad promised, “enchanting music, exotic island dances, wonderful singing and a fast moving comedy show,” and he kept his tent full day after day.

His stage wardrobe was often as memorable as his songs, and what he lacked in vocal skills he made up for with onstage charisma. He would stand up in front of crowds, flashing a toothy grin, swaying and shimmying his oversized body in rhinestone jackets and custom-made embroidered shirts as he threw tongue-in-cheek quips to the audience.

Yep, you guessed right! Go to the link below and read the whole story.

http://www.nzonscreen.com/person/prince-tui-teka?tab=biography