Ted Brown and The Italians

Ted Brown found cult cred in the late 80s with The Tunnellers, a band he started at age 17. The band won Most Promising Group at the 1988 NZ Music Awards, and in 1993 Brown scored a Tui for Most Promising Male Vocalist. Several singles for Trevor Reekie's Pagan label followed; Reekie later described Brown as a “monster singer”. The songs included La De Da's cover 'How is the Air Up there', under the moniker Ted Brown and the Italians. These days Brown is based in Los Angeles — where his music tends towards more of a country sound. Brown sometimes collaborates with fellow Kiwi-born émigré Greg Johnson.