Maria Dallas  | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Marina Devcich | 
| Born | 1946 (age 78–79) Morrinsville, New Zealand  | 
| Genres | Country, Pop | 
| Labels | Viking Records | 
Maria Dallas (born Marina Devcich, 1946) was discovered at a talent contest in small town of Morrinsville, New Zealand. [1]
Her first single "Tumblin' Down", written by Jay Epae, released in 1966 and made it to #11 in the charts. [2] It also won her a Loxene Golden Disc award. [3] She released several albums and singles and starred in the New Zealand television series Golden Girl [4] before moving on to Australia in 1967. Her single "Ambush", which charted #20 in Australia, was recorded in Nashville, produced by Felton Jarvis. [5] She returned to New Zealand in 1970 and scored a #1 hit with the song "Pinocchio". [6] [7] The song spent six weeks at number one during the autumn of the year. In total, Dallas produced at least 10 albums and 25 singles. [8] "Pinocchio" peaked at number 96 in Australia in March 1971. [9]
Dallas met Barry Kairl while she was performing in Brisbane, and he became her manager. They married in 1968, and had a daughter in May 1969. The relationship ended in 1983. [8]
The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | "Tumbling Down" | Single of the Year | Won | [10] | 
| 1967 | "Handy Man" | Single of the Year | Nominated |