Eddie Low  1943 - 2024

Born into poverty and overcoming the challenges of blindness, Eddie refused to let his disability limit him. 'Can't' was a word that was never part of his vocabulary.

Modest, humble, and incredibly talented, Eddie's music had a profound uplifting effect on his audience. Whether performing live or through his recordings, he created moments of respite from the world's troubles. This unique ability to captivate and inspire was a hallmark of his artistry.

Gifted, extraordinary, and a true inspiration, Eddie Low was a remarkable individual. His humour, stubbornness, determination, and love touched the lives of many. Only someone as talented and creative as Eddie could write a poem that moved an entire audience to tears at his funeral

My Passing by Eddie Low 

It's come to pass, my time is up
And I shall rest within my cup 
I'll feel not warm
I'll feel not cold 
I'll hear no steeple bells to toll

I'll smell no sweet of morning dew
As you who gather here still do

And should a tear fall from your eye
As you might bid your last goodbye
Just give your flower, or send a prayer
And let the fact I'm Lying there
Not grieve too long your saddened heart
For it was sure that we would part.

It's through the time and love you gave' 
That I'll lie peaceful, in my grave

With a life so fully lived, Eddie low touched the hearts of thousands of people but each person touched by his music felt a personal connection to him. Such was the nature of the way he could reach into people's hearts and minds with his songs and his voice. 

Eddie Low was born in Rotorua on 14 May 1943 with his twin brother. His mother, Rangi Ratana McRoy, had contracted rubella and tuberculosis during pregnancy. As a result, Eddie was born blind, and his twin brother did not survive. Eddie's mother died shortly after from the illness, she was aged 18.

His father, Robert McRoy, was unable to cope as a single parent. Low and his older brother David were sent to live with several other children in the home of Maria Low, a widow who was a cousin of their mother. She officially adopted Low, fearing he would be institutionalised due to his blindness.

As a child, Eddie Low lived in Auckland and attended the Foundation for the Blind. At age 12 after surgeries on his eyes, he gained partial sight in his left eye. He started his first band, the Three Blind Mice, with two of his friends when he was 13.
Low began his professional career in music in the years after leaving school, joining a group called The Chevronaires with his brother David, which had a residency at the Picasso club in Auckland. It was there he met and befriended John Rowles. In 1964, the pair began performing Beatles covers, taking up a six month contract in Melbourne, Australia at the Riverside Inn.

Eddie Low had a unique voice and was dubbed "the voice in a million" by Joe Brown, who signed him as a solo artist. He would often use falsetto in his songs and yodel. Low was also a multi-instrumentalist, often playing the trumpet, but was also proficient with other instruments including guitar, keys, flute, and violin.

New Zealand Entertainer and Songwriter of the Year, 1980
Australia Country Hands of Fame Tamworth, 1983
Variety Artists Club Scroll of Honour, 1984
New Zealand Hands of Fame, 1993
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to music, in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours
Country Music Legend Award, 2009
Benny Award, Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, 2009
Rockonz International Star Award, 2010
Attitude ACC Supreme Award for Artist Achievement, 2011
New Zealand Walk of Fame (2023)

Solo albums
Presenting The Golden Voice Of Eddie Low (1970)
The Voice In A Million (1970)
Eddie Low (1973)
Eddie Low in USA and Canada (1976)
Eddie Low Sings (Songs of Home) (1980)
Easy Temptations (1981)
Blue Smoke (1982)
Country Greats (1984)
Heart and Soul (1984)
Turning Back The Clock
Land of my Mother, Land of my Father
Icon (2012)
Do You Wanna Dance (2014)
This Could Be the Last Time (2017)
You Raise Me Up (2019)
To All The Girls I've Sung Before
Paint Me a Memory (2020)
When I Sing About You (2021)

EPs

Eddie Low (1970)
Eddie Low On A Mini Record (1971)
Eddie Low Live (The Voice In A Million) (1971)
Joe Brown Presents Eddie Low (1975)

Singles

Bonnie Please Don't Go (1971)
Lonely Women Make Good Lovers (1972)
Help Me Make It Through The Night (1972)
Daddy What If" with Daughter Marie (1975)
May God Go With You (1982)
I Am Me (1990)

Collaborative albums and EPs

Eddie Low and John Hore Live (1971)
We Should Be Together with John Hore (1972)
NZ Highwaymen LIVE from the James Hay Theatre (2024)

Compilation albums

The Best Of Eddie Low (1972)
Eddie Low: New Zealand’s International Singing Star (1996)
The Great Eddie Low (2009)
The Voice In A Million (The Very Best Of Eddie Low) (2011)
Selections 2009–2021 (2022)