A business card for Gray Bartlett could describe his work in one word: a player. As a guitarist and promoter he has been a prominent member of the New Zealand music industry for nearly 60 years. ‘La Playa’ is also the name of his biggest hit, a guitar instrumental first released in 1964 by Zodiac that became a perennial seller in Asia.
But that modest description – “player” – only hints at the activities of someone who has worn countless hats in many roles over several decades. Bartlett’s work as a guitarist and promoter have taken him around the world as a performer and a businessman. He has produced many recording projects of his own and with others, helped many New Zealand artists reach a wide audience, and seen him champion the local music industry to the public and politicians. For nine years he put himself in the firing line as an Auckland city councillor, and he has even been a Parliamentary candidate.