Graeme Allwright French / New Zealand Singer

Graeme Allwright was a New Zealand born singer/songwriter who became popular in France during the late-’60s folk era. He was best known for his French-language adaptations of songs by Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Pete Seeger – in addition to his own “folk” styled songs. Born on November 7, 1926, in Wellington, New Zealand, he moved to France in 1948 – though he could speak practically no French at the time.

His death was barely noticed in his homeland. The passing of singer / songwriter Graeme Allwright on the 16th of February 2020 went without mention in New Zealand’s largest newspaper, while in France, detailed obituaries were printed in prestigious broadsheets like Le Monde and Le Figaro. The lack of recognition for Allwright’s achievements in New Zealand was perhaps unsurprising. He mostly sang in French and had only returned to the country a few times throughout his career. My biography of Allwright’s life and music can be found on the Audio Culture website; “the noisy library of New Zealand music'“.

This interview was recorded at Graeme’s apartment in central Paris on the 27th of Sept. 2010 – for Radio New Zealand and was broadcast in February 2011.

Repose en paix