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Story: Folk, country and blues music

Fred Mayfield and his Cowboy Band, 1928

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Fred Mayfield and his Cowboy Band, 1928

Fred Mayfield and his Cowboy Band, playing in Auckland in 1928, provided New Zealanders with one of their first experiences of live 'cowboy' music. Mayfield's band in fact played a range of music, including classical, jazz and dance music as well as their version of country. Playing to full houses, they dressed in cowboy outfits and performed in front of Wild West stage scenery.

Using this item

National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Auckland Star, 10 September 1928, p. 18

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Chris Bourke, Folk, country and blues music – Country music pioneers, 1920s to 1940s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/42438/fred-mayfield-and-his-cowboy-band-1928 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Chris Bourke, published 2 September 2013.