Will Crummer

Background

In his teens, Crummer would climb up the coconut trees in his village and sing. In island fashion He'd sing songs which he had heard on the radio. Some of the song's he sang were songs by Pat Boone and Nat King Cole. He came to New Zealand in the early 1960s to work as a concreter, in a job which his brother had set up for him.

During the 1960s in Auckland with the Polynesian music scene being very popular, Crummer achieved a level of fame to become very well known. The band he became famous for fronting was Will Crummer and the Royal Rarotongans. He performed at venues such as The Orange Ballroom and The Reefcomber.

He made some recordings in Auckland. His EP Rarotonga was released in 1962. He also had, Romantic Rarotonga released. The following year, Cook Islands Magic was released. He also released Love Songs of Polynesia. The places he performed in the Pacific include Tahiti and Hawaii.

During his career he was offered a residency in Hawaii by a Hawaiian promoter. After performing there for a period of time, he broke his contract for personal reasons and headed back to New Zealand where he found work in wharehousing. According to his daughter Annie, he was an incredible singer. He gave up music to raise his family.

In 1968, Viking Records issued the compilation, Action Rarotonga!, which featured his group, Will Crummer and The Royal Rarotongans as well as Pepe and The Rarotongans.

Later years

In 2011, Ode released his album Shoebox Lovesongs. It was produced by Nick Bollinger and Arthur Baysting It features Dinky Ngatipa who is an old friend of Crummer. There's also a string arrangement by Don McGlashan on the album. Daughter Annie, and The Yandall Sisters also appear on the album.

On Saturday, 25 January 2015, Crummer and his band, Will Crummer and the Rarotongans were one of the acts that performed on the HMNZS Otago to an audience of around 10,000. His daughter Annie was also at the event.