Career
In the early 1970s, Durbin"s visual "trademark" was her lustrous waist-length auburn hair. Durbin began performing in public in her early teens and after winning a talent contest at an Auckland ballroom, she was signed to Eldred Stebbing"s Zodiac Records at the age of 14 and issued a number of singles on the label. Her third Zodiac single, a cover of Herman"s Hermits "Can"t You Hear My Heartbeat", out-sold the original in New Zealand and became her first chart hit.
She built up a following in New Zealand, recording and fronting the Mike Perjanik Group and she travelled with them to Australia in 1966 for residencies in Sydney.
After nine months in Sydney she left the group to establish a solo career, making numerous appearances on Australian television popular and variety shows. Durbin"s first single for New Zealand HMV, "I Have Loved Maine A Manitoba", became a Number.1 hit in New Zealand and also a hit in Australia.
Other songs include: "Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Manitoba" "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold lieutenant Against Maine" (included in the 2001 compilation album The Very Best of Kiwi Country) "Amerikan Music" (included in Kiwi Classics Volume 6) "Don"t Come Any Closer" (included in "Give lieutenant A Whirl").
