Neil Billington

Bob & Kate

Bob Cooper-Grundy and Kate Marshall are based in the Wairarapa but play gigs regularly around the southern half of the North Island. The song list veers between swing sounds of Texas, mixed with the blues, bluegrass, something approaching jazz and some Pop songs served up in the Bob and Kate way.

Bob Cooper-Grundy has pursued obscurity now for some 40 odd years, having played with some famous people in London including the drummers of The Pogues and the Woodentops. He enjoys playing blues guitar and singing country songs.

Kate Marshall plays violin, accordion and flute and sings quite beautifully. She started with classical piano and singing in choirs and you don’t have to listen that carefully to hear Bach and Mozart lurking behind Bob Wills and Memphis Minnie.

They have played at most of the folk clubs in the Wellington area, at the Wellington, Auckland and Dunedin Folk Festivals and at Jazz in Martinborough.  You can catch them at many cafes and pubs in the region. Check out their Bob and Kate facebook page for details.  Adding Neil Billington’s astonishing harmonica playing to the mix puts the emphasis on the Blues and provides even more opportunities for swapping ideas and stealing licks.

Bob, Kate and Neil met at music festivals where they would sit around jamming and enjoying each others music and improvisations. These jam sessions often became long musical conversations as the quickwitted musicians tried to outdo or steal ideas from one another. If one of them was performing and spotted the others in the audience, eyes would light up and a sudden guest spot would appear on the bill! Most recently they have played together at a cajun restaurant in Wellington, the Mayfair in Upper Hutt and most recently  at Jazz in Martinborough.

Neil Billington