Ricky May

Ricky May (22 November 1943 – 1 June 1988) was a variety entertainer and jazz musician in the Louis Armstrong-style who found fame, mainly through his regular television appearances in his native New Zealand as well as Australia.

Ricky May was born in Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand, of Māori descent. Apart from being a vocalist, he played drums and piano but was known best as a variety entertainer. He would often introduce unconventional vocalisations, improvisation and the spoken-word while singing. He commonly recorded compositions of Nat King Cole and appeared on many television tonight shows including The Don Lane Show, Farnham and Byrne, along with regular appearances on the Midday Show. In 1962 he moved to Australia and began a career in cabaret. In 1966 he hosted the Sydney teen pop music show Ten on the Town He found national fame and popularity with the show Hey Hey It's Saturday.

In 1988 May received the Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc, the highest honour available to a New Zealand variety entertainer.

In 1961 jazz pianist Ronnie Smith set up a group to play at the "Sorrento" in Wellington. The group included Tommy Tamati on bass and a young Ricky May on drums and vocals. Bruno Lawrence was always watching in the audience and was given a chance to play the drums when Ricky got up to sing. He impressed Ronnie enough to become a regular with the group. The group stayed together for about a year, even touring around the lower North Island area.

At the end of 1961, Ricky May got fed up with Wellington weather and headed back to Auckland. He released a single in 1961 called "Let's Twist Again"/"Hucklebuck" on the La Gloria label and followed this with a second in 1962, "I Could Have Danced All Night"/"Ballin' The Jack".

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