Davson pleased he could hone his craft in NZ

"LA is my lady, she's always there for me."

Not all aspiring entertainers find the City of Angels quite so welcoming as Ol' Blue Eyes did.

But maybe it's all about expectations - and for experienced Rotorua performer Craig Davson, an imminent move to Los Angeles isn't a quest to see his name up in lights.

"I just wanted to work, I just wanted to sing for a living, and that's what I've done. As long as I carry on doing what I'm doing in Los Angeles, I don't need the fame and fortune thing," he said.

After more than 25 years of performing at corporate events all over Australasia, Davson is relocating across the Pacific with his American wife, singer Hayley Marie Davson (nee Harder).

And the 47 year-old is glad of the time spent honing his craft in New Zealand.

"All the work I've done here has given me an understanding of what makes a show really good ... it's got me to where I am, and I don't think I would have liked to do it anywhere else. He said some of his fondest memories were of those performing with friends at Princes Gate Hotel.

Davson started singing on a whim aged 17, and quickly caught the bug. "When you do something that grabs you, it makes you feel really good."

Later, a chance invitation to sing at a corporate event proved auspicious - soon there was no time for amateur theatre, because he was in such high demand for events.

"It was a shame, because theatre is my passion - but if you can sing for money, you throw away the ego," Davson said. Moving to Los Angeles is the exciting next step in a career that has included performing for Mikhail Gorbachev and opening for Boney M.

Davson said it was the right time to make the jump.

"I'm sad to be leaving some of my friends, but it's time to move on. I've got a lot of good memories here, but I'm about to start another really good adventure."