PAUL GURNEY HAS BEEN A PERFORMING MUSICIAN SINCE HE WAS A TEENAGER IN THE LATE 1970s.

He pursued a variety of musical ventures, including playing with Wellington country rockers Wells Fargo and performing on stage with the likes of Bo Diddley, Billy T James, and Prince Tui Teka. In 2004 he formed The DeSotos with his long-term bass player from former Wellington days, Stuart McIntyre. By the early 2000s, he had begun songwriting in earnest and was following his passion for Americana music and the sounds of New Orleans.

The DeSotos first album, Cross Your Heart, was released in 2008 to great acclaim. It was selected by Manu Taylor as Radio New Zealand National’s New Zealand Album of the Year that year, and the track ‘Greedy Men’ became the title music for the television series South. The DeSotos followed this up with Your Highway for Tonight in 2011, cementing the band’s place in the New Zealand music scene. In 2017, Gurney released his first solo album, Shadow of Love.

When not touring Gurney is the long-term music tutor at Toi Ora Live Arts Trust. The trust supports people who are experiencing mental health issues with art classes. He is also a lead tenor in Auckland’s celebrated Jubilation A Cappella Gospel Choir, something of a musical institution since 2000.