Musicians at Monde Marie coffee house

Musicians at Monde Marie coffee house

Touring overseas artists often sang at Mary Seddon's Monde Marie café in the 1960s, as did New Zealanders like Peter Cape, writer of the quintessential Kiwi songs 'Down the Hall on Saturday Night' and 'Taumarunui (on the Main Trunk Line)'.

The male singers in this photo are New Zealanders Rod MacKinnon, singer, songwriter (on the left) and David Hollis, guitarist, on the right. The woman's first name is Lee (anyone know her surname?). 

Mary Seddon

Mary Seddon was a colourful, larger-than-life figure. She had travelled alone throughout Europe and on her return perceived a gap in the New Zealand social scene. She decided to establish a café, the Monde Marie, where people could go to just sit and talk. The Monde Marie soon became a haven for folk music enthusiasts. Seddon's European travels also influenced the choice of food she served to customers, and she battled unsuccessfully for years to get a license to sell wine at her coffee shop.

Keywords

Community contributions

2 comments have been posted about Musicians at Monde Marie coffee house

What do you know?

admin

Posted: 26 Aug 2009

Thanks very much for this, Rod - I'll amend the caption to include these names.
Jamie

Rod MacKinnon

Posted: 23 Aug 2009

The male singers in the photo are Rod MacKinnon, singer, songwriter (on the left) and David Hollis (dark hair on the right a remarkable, highly talented guitarist. I'm afraid I only remember the young lady's first name, Lee. All three musicians are New Zealanders.