Suzanne Prentice
New Zealand singer (born 1958)
Suzanne Lena Prentice CNZM OBE (born 19 September 1958 in Invercargill) is a New Zealand politician and country singer. Her most successful single "When I Dream" peaked at number 11 in New Zealand during 1982.
01Career
Having appeared on the TV talent show, Studio One - New Faces in the early 1970s, she won many fans with her version of the song "Funny Face". This got her a contract with the Music World record label. Her first single, "There's Dust on Mother's Bible" which was released on the Master label was a hit in both New Zealand and Australia. She recorded her album, Country Girl at Robbins Recording Studio in Christchurch. It was released on the Music World label. The backing and arrangements were by Murray Charteris and The Last Exit. Besides the country songs were renditions of Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night", and Susan Raye's "LA International Airport".
She recorded on 27 August 1977 with Allan Gardner and his Accordion Band live at the Marlborough RSA in Blenheim a two-album-set "Saturday Dance".
She stood as a candidate for the 2010 mayoral elections in Invercargill but was unsuccessful.
In 2016, she was presented with the Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, the highest honour for a New Zealand entertainer.
02Discography
Charting albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Dreamin' My Dreams |
|
55 |
| One Day At a Time |
|
46 |
| So Precious to Me |
|
91 |
| Songs from the Heart, 16 Beautiful Songs |
|
98 |
03Awards and honours
Prentice has won three Golden guitar awards and was inducted into the Roll of Renown at the Tamworth Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA).
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Dust On Mother's Bible | Female Vocalist of the Year | Won |
| 1977 | Sweet Country Music | Female Vocalist of the Year | Won |
| 1978 | How Great Thou Art | Female Vocalist of the Year | Won |
| 1983 | One Day At a Time | Top Selling | Won |
In the 1995 Birthday Honours, Prentice was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music. In the 2025 New Year Honours, she was appointed Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to music and the community.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Suzanne Prentice”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Suzanne Prentice CNZM (cropped).jpg by Government House, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, CC0
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