Murray Cammick

Murray Cammick was born in 1953 and currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand, where he maintains his interest in popular culture and music as a major contributor to AudioCulture (‘the noisy library of New Zealand music’) and as the presenter of his long-running radio show, Land Of the Good Groove which currently airs on 95bFM. Murray continues to add to his expansive vinyl collection of soul and funk with a sprinkling of jazz, ska, new wave and reggae both old and new.

In 1977 along with Alastair Dougal, Murray established the New Zealand music magazine Rip it Up. Rip It Up’s support of the nascent punk and new wave scene and for iconic New Zealand labels such as Propeller Records and Flying Nun saw the magazine become a seminal influence on the New Zealand music scene. In its early days Murray was the magazine’s publisher, second editor and main photographer.  

After ending his involvement in RipItUp, Cammick co-founded the soul and hip-hop label Southside Records with Simon Lynch in 1998, representing acts such as Upper Hutt Posse, Moana & The Moahunters and MC OJ & Rhythm Slave. In 1991 Cammick started Wildside Records, representing rock bands such as Shihad, Head Like A Hole and Dead Flowers. The label was active until 2005.

Cammick’s Flash Cars series has been exhibited at Snaps Gallery, Auckland in 1976 and 1977, Darren Knight Gallery in 2015 and have been included in group exhibitions including The Active Eye (Manawatu Art Gallery 1975), Drive (Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth 2000) and 40 Years of Photo-Forum (2014). His series AK • 75-85, which focused on the Auckland music scene between 1975 and 1985 was exhibited at Darren Knight Gallery in 2017.

In 2020 Cammick was appointed Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the music industry, and awarded the Independent Spirit Award, 11th Annual Taite Music Prize 2020, New Zealand.

His photographs are represented in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand.