Cover by band with South in their blood

 

A rock band with passionate links to Oamaru is about to release their own version of celebrated song Southern Man.

The four-piece band, Mighty South, originally from the South Island, consists of Ben Ward and brothers Mark, Grant and Anton Ranger.

Southern Man, written by ad agency creative director Roy Meares and produced and sung by Murray Grindlay, was an ode to the pride and loyalty of the Southern way of life.

The song became synonymous with Otago rugby and was heard by many rugby fans when musician Denis Henderson sang it at Carisbrook. It became the unofficial anthem of a generation in the 1990s when adopted by Speight’s Breweries in its beer ads.

Mighty South front man Anton Ranger said the group "put their own spin" on a song that held "a lot of significance" to them.

"This is our first cover and we came up with the idea to record it from our heritage, as my brothers Mark and Grant and I were born in Oamaru and Ben in Winton.

"We’ve travelled around the world and had the realisation that home really is where the heart is.

" For each of us that is Otago and Southland and we will always have that feeling of connection to home, for what we believe to be the best part of New Zealand, if not the world," he said.

The song focuses on the singer’s identity as a proud Southern man, who values the simple things in life, like good company and good beer, over the glamour and glitz of the city.

Ranger said the song’s lyrics still held up for the group.

Paralleling the singer in the song, being from the South was something all the members carried with them, even though Anton and his brothers now live in Brisbane, and Grant is based in Christchurch.

"It’s always been a favourite track of ours, not only due to its catchy melody but the deep meaning of the song."

The band formed "many years ago" The group went in "separate directions" before reforming in 2022.

Mighty South has recorded songs that are available on Spotify and Apple Music.

True to their roots, Ranger said they continued to write and produce music with a bit of "backyard cricket" during a break in recording.

Mighty South’s cover of Southern Man will be available online from October 25.