Walk on Water

John Michaelz was born in Motueka, New Zealand, in 1965 and moved to Iceland at the age of five. His father was a travelling evangelist so it seemed natural that the first music he discovered was all gospel - Andre Crouch, Johnny Cash, Elvis, the Golden Gate Quartet, Mahalia Jackson, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Randy Stonehill and Larry Norman.

At age 13 John saw his first rock concert - Bubbi Morthens and the Outsiders - and the seeds of the future were sown. After that all he wanted to do was play music. Shortly afterwards he formed his first band Exodus, which included members who later joined singer Bjork and formed Iceland's famous Sugarcubes.

For most of his teens John was listening to the two Bobs - Marley and Dylan - and was particularly inspired by Bob Dylan's conversion to Christianity. John's brother Willy Hanssen was by that stage a well-known Gospel singer/songwriter, signed to the UK's Pilgrim label. In 1981 Willy invited John to join his band as a drummer and at the tender age of 15 began touring Australia, England, Scotland, the USA and Iceland.

In 1987 John headed back to Aotearoa New Zealand where he formed a band that was to leave a solid mark on the country's blues/rock scene. Tauranga's Hard To Handle toured relentlessly and released one album before disbanding in 1993. John then formed the Stone Babies who also released an album during their two years together.

A stint in Auckland followed, singing with reggae/rock band Kosher. Their single "The Weekend" received good radio and television exposure, and subsequently charted in 2000.

John returned to Tauranga in 2001 and has since been working on his solo career. In 2005 he released his first solo album, 'Some Songs', and in 2008 Hard To Handle reformed to record and release a live album, 'Live at the Colosseum'.

Disillusionment with the music scene has led John back to his Christian roots and for the past two years he has been working on a new set of gospel songs, the recording of which saw the gathering of a special band of musicians from throughout John's career. The resulting album is 'Walk on Water', which was co-produced by Derek Jacombs of well-known blues band Kokomo. The album features ten new songs, including the duet "In Your Arms" with New Zealand icon Shona Laing. 'Walk on Water' is both an exuberant celebration of vibrant, bluesy rock music and a deeply-held statement of faith.