In his latest book 'Backroads' Sam Hunt looks back on a life that has seen him become one of New Zealand's best loved poets. For over forty years he's lived full-time as a poet, writing and performing throughout New Zealand and beyond.

Born 1946 at Castor Bay, Auckland - a coastal childhood - Sam was surrounded by poems. Both parents, in their different ways, and numerous (often colourful) family friends would often be telling poems out loud - usually from memory, by heart. The Catholic Mass played its part, too.

For a man who has dubbed his poems "songs for the tone-deaf", he has worked with a wide range of musicians: with the Warratahs, on their album 'One of Two Things'; with Gareth Farr on 'Baxter'; with Split Enz and the NZSO on 'Enzso'; Anthony Ritchie and the Wellington Symphonia on 'Coming to it' - and so on! In early 2009 Sam was special guest for two highly acclaimed Leonard Cohen shows in
New Zealand

Currently Sam is working with David Kilgour and his band, Heavy 8s. In 2009 they did an album ‘Falling Debris’ - Sam’s lyrics, dk's Band's music. Upcoming is a second album together, this time Hunt on lead vocals - an arrangement that came from their live shows together. Listen for Hunt, dk & 8s,
on 'Wavesong'!

Sam was awarded a QSM - "quiet sober man" he reckons - in recognition of
his services to poetry in 1986.

In the last few years, Sam has produced two highly successful volumes - a third, 'Chords' soon to happen - with Craig Potton Publishers: 'Doubtless' - new and selected poems; and 'Backroads' - charting a poet's life.

A constant in Sam Hunt's often bizarre, always interesting life, is his living by his own maxim,
just three lines:

Tell the story,
tell it true -
charm it crazy.