Blerta

The brainchild of drummer Bruno Lawrence, Blerta were among the most eccentric acts ever to achieve chart success in their native New Zealand; an oddball musical theater troupe and hippie collective on wheels, they eventually landed not only on the pop charts but also in television and film. David Charles Lawrence was born February 2, 1941, in Brighton, England; his father was a New Zealand native, and the family moved there in 1946, eventually settling in the Wellington area. By his early teens, Lawrence -- nicknamed "Bruno" by friends -- was drumming in a school band, and af...