Homegrown


Homegrown were unique in Hawke’s Bay in the 1980s – a working band with records in the shops. For almost 10 years they packed out the Leopard Inn’s Underground Bar in Napier every Thursday and Friday night while their LPs Homegrown and The Dice were on the shelves of the province’s music retailers the Record Cellar in Napier, TRACS in Taradale and Sutcliffe’s in Hastings.

Schoolteachers by day, Homegrown held court in the dark, dingy, smoky Underground with their brand of folk and west coast singer-songwriter covers and a fair swag of their own songs courtesy of lead vocalist Ian Turbitt.

Homegrown perform at the Century Theatre, Napier, late 1980s. Left to right: Scotty Smith, Ian Turbitt, Mark Warren.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
Homegrown singer, guitarist and songwriter Ian Turbitt lays down a track for Cityfolk Record Co's compilation LP Paths at John Holmes' home studio, 1981.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
Ian Turbitt with his earlier group The Mountain Ramblers in the late 1960s. Left to right: Harvey Whincop, Christine Cummings, Turbitt. Turbitt and Whincop played together in Flight in the mid-1970s before Turbitt formed Homegrown.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
Homegrown's Scotty Smith (left) and Ian Turbitt in a promotion photo for their folk club tour in the early 1980s.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
Bass player Tony Parker's mid-1990s Homegrown family tree in the style of music journalist Pete Frame's Rock Family Trees.
Homegrown perform at the 1982 National Folk Festival of New Zealand, Wellington. Left to right: Tony Parker, Ian Turbitt, Scotty Smith.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
Homegrown's self-titled debut album, released on the Cityfolk Record Co label in 1981. The photo was by Rick Morgan and the cover design by Paul Clarke.
Homegrown reunite in the mid-1990s, Mossy's Bar, Napier. Left to right: Scotty Smith, Tony Parker, Trish Salonius, Ian Turbitt.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
Homegrown's Tony Parker (left), Ian Turbitt (centre) and Scotty Smith, promotional shot for 1982 National Folk Festival of New Zealand.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
Homegrown at the Taradale Hotel, late 1980s. Left to right: Ian Turbitt, Tony Parker, Scotty Smith, Phil Drinkrow.
Photo credit: Ian Turbitt collection
The second and final Homegrown album, The Dice, was released on the Cityfolk Record Co label in 1983.
Members:

Ian Turbitt - vocals, guitar, mouth harp

Phil Drinkrow - vocals, guitar, bass

Trish Salonius - vocals, violin, flute

Scotty Smith - vocals, guitar, mandolin

Tony Parker - vocals, bass

Mark Warren - banjo

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