Legendary R&B singer Midge Marsden

Old rockers never fade, they merely mellow with time and tune. Or pass out perhaps. If you don't believe that you've never heard of the Rolling Stones or grooved at the Gluepot in the days before mosh pits.

Take Midge Marsden-and some will when the legendary R&B man performs in the Bay of Islands in April. He has sung and played guitar and harmonica to thousands throughout New Zealand, Australia and the USA for over four decades and is making a relatively rare appearance in the Far North.

There are few entertainers of any genre who can claim a CV like his. He was New Zealand Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and a year later his album Burning Rain went gold. In 2006 he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit and, shortly after, was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Arts from Waikato Polytechnic.

Keith Douglas Marsden was born in New Plymouth in 1945 and became obsessed with the twanging dexterity of Chuck, Elvis, Richie and Hank by hearing them on the radio. He saved enough money delivering milk and newspapers to buy a Stratocaster, bright-red like Marvin's, and taught himself to play. And being a smallish package he acquired the epithet, Midge, along the way and it's stuck ever since.

His first job was with New Zealand Insurance by day and with the Blue Diamonds band by night. They wore sparkly jackets made by his Mum who surely must have realised her little boy would be playing music in dens called pubs at the under-age of 17.

''It was still six o'clock closing in pubs and there hadn't been music there before and certainly not rock 'n' roll."

''The other venues were church youth clubs, dance halls and music clubs with no alcohol in those days, even if people did sneak in flasks of whisky. But it was mostly Coke and Fanta which sounds so innocent now.''

He began making a mark when he got his picture in the paper at rehearsal with Dinah Lee. Except, he'd fibbed about being sick and when the boss stumbled upon the story he got sacked from the day job.

Unemployment forced him to Wellington and a full time musical career starting with Bari and The Breakaways-now sporting checked suits and winklepickers-who became the region's biggest band in those heady days. It wasn't unknown for screaming girls to chase them down the street-and get caught- even if the music always took precedence.

''It was new and revolutionary, and the clothes and hair modelled on the Beatles and the Stones that set us apart from previous generations.

''And being a 60's beat group meant being abused, ridiculed, and getting the crap beaten out of you because you had long hair. I got smacked over a few times in the early years, we all did!''

They signed to HMV and toured New Zealand for the next few years in 'one big rock and roll party' that included two albums, 45s and a couple of hit records. They concentrated on underground R&B which, as it turns out, has been a lifetime study for Mr Marsden.

By 1981 he began making records under his own name and went to Texas where he became friends with the late Stevie Ray Vaughan-touring with him to play harmonica. He graduated with a Diploma of Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi in 1996 and it was after that intellectual foray that he taught what is cutely called 'Bluesology' at the Waikato Institute of Technology.

Now he's on the road again and,a new experience, conducting his own affairs. It's not something he's entirely comfortable with and he becomes a little embarrassed, humbled, when he's cold-calling and his name is instantly recognised. But there's a reason why old rockers don't fade. It's called havingadecent product and, actually, lovin' what you do. And on this current tour of Northland he'll be stretching the repetoire. He's including blues, 60s and 70s pop,R&B, country, rock 'n' roll and " some modern stuff too" during the Marsden Estate concert.

It's mere serendipity that Midge Marsden is playing at the Marsden Estate because he has no familial connection with Samuel. It's R&B and audiences that form his conjunctive catalysts and it's been like this since blues was born and a rocker from the 'Naki cottoned on.