A "grumpy exterior" housing a heart of gold, Craig Reeves used his passion for music both to entertain and inspire.
A founding member and bass player of Dunedin band the Oxo Cubans, and a mentor to young up-and-coming musicians, Mr Reeves died peacefully in Dunedin on December 20 last year.
He was 72 and had cancer.
Mr Reeves was born in Dunedin to Margaret and Bert, on July 31, 1952.
His mother a nurse and his father a teacher, he spent a lot of his childhood on Pitcairn Island — one of four small islands in the South Pacific Ocean that form the Pitcairn Islands.
A majority of his life was spent working as a musician. He was primarily known for playing bass in the Oxo Cubans.
At one point he toured the United States with American pop and country duo The Bellamy Brothers.
He also worked at Ross Home as its activities co-ordinator, playing the piano and singing to residents in their weekly choir.
Fellow Oxo Cubans founding member Doug Wright recounted meeting Mr Reeves "by accident" one day in the early 1990s.
Mr Wright was a playing a jazz gig with others at a Moray Pl cafe, but found themselves without a bass player.
He roped-in Mr Reeves at the last minute and they got through the performance "unscathed, sort of".
The pair formed the Oxo Cubans that same day, with Ivan Hamilton, David Brett and Annemarie Nelson in the original lineup.
The group went on to perform regularly on Tuesday evenings at the former Albert Arms pub — now The Bog.
He played bass in the band for more than 30 years, and was also proficient in piano and guitar.
Not one for the limelight, Mr Reeves served as the organiser of the band behind-the-scenes, driving a lot of their involvement in the community and with charities — particularly the Otago Community Hospice.
He was the main instigator of the Oxo Cubans’ New Year’s Eve performances in the Octagon, which ran for four years consecutively until 2009, before returning on several occasions afterwards.
The Oxo Cubans used to have a residency at the former Isis Lounge, in Princes St, with an open jam night on Thursdays where younger musicians had the chance to perform.
Throwing them into the deep end of the live environment, Mr Reeves would mentor them along the way and give them the opportunity to thrive.
He "wasn’t the easiest person to work with" and could sometimes be "brutally honest" as a mentor, Mr Wright said.
"He was just a really good communicator when it came to music, and although he had this grumpy exterior, he also had a heart of gold."
Mr Reeves was an astute musician with an ear for how music should sound, and possessed a broad range of musical knowledge.
He was known to complain about the volume on stage, often requesting "could you turn it down, just a bee’s dick?"
The current drummer for the Oxo Cubans, Marcel Rodeka said Mr Reeves was his "bass-playing rhythm compatriot" with whom he shared a close musical relationship, then a friendship.
As the years went by Mr Rodeka discovered his bandmate’s heart of gold, as well as his aspirations for professionalism and dedication to music.
He was not an immediately outgoing person, opting to quietly go about his business, but was an integral part of the Oxo Cubans.
"It’s a bit weird without him."
Mr Reeves is survived by his children Culum and Sam.
A tribute concert "Salute To Craig Reeves" will be performed by the Oxo Cubans at the Mayfair Theatre, on May 15. — Tim Scott
