Billy TK

[4] He began playing guitar at an early age, and was surrounded by talented young musicians during his family's frequent visits to Rātana Pā, who helped fulfill his lust for improving his skills on his instrument.

The result of this was The Sinners with Ted Cash on drums, Sonny Ratana on bass, Harold Hine on rhythm guitar and lead vocalist Theo Swanson.

Billy TK then parted ways with the band to travel to Melbourne to set up a unit there called Compulsion with Paddy Beach and Reno Tehei.

Following a tour of the South Island and two changes of bass players, the band was ready to play the Auckland circuit, where they mesmerised their audiences with their edgy, heavily Hendrix influenced hard rock sound.

In 1972 he formed a new band, Billy TK's Powerhouse, playing in Wellington with former Blackfeather drummer Steve Webb from Australia, guitarist John Bilderbeck from Wanganui and Gav Collinge on bass.

Powerhouse supported Black Sabbath, Split Enz, John Mayall, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, UB40, Joe Satriani and the Neville Brothers in concert.

Keyboardist Jamie Tait-Jamieson (founder of Biofarm Products Ltd.) left the group during this period, having given up full-time musicianship to run his family farm and marry his fiancée Catherine Rowland.

In November 2008 TK unexpectedly joined former Powerhouse keyboardist Jamie Tait-Jamieson (now part of the 4-piece Manawatu family group The T-Bar Jays) onstage at the inaugural Mai Farm Festival in the Pohangina Valley.