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Following the break up of Th' Dudes, Dave Dobbyn forms DD Smash with drummer Peter Warn in 1981. DD Smash where briefly known as Dave Dobbyyn's Divers. -
In 1982 at the Aotearoa Music Awards (AMA) DD Smash win big with best group, and debut album Cool Bananas winning best album. Dave Dobbyn would go on to win best best male music artist and most promising male. -
In 1982 DD Smash released their debut album Cool Bananas. Cool Bananas shot to 1# in the national charts, and where it remained in the charts for 24 weeks going triple gold. -
1983 Dave Dobbyn and DD Smash release single 'Outlook for Thursday' whihc debuts to number 3 on the charts and spends 23 weeks charting and reached gold status. -
Following the Queen Street Riot DD Smash would break up.
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By 1984 and the release of The Optimist DD Smash had become firmly Australian based playing out of Sydney. The Optimist contained a New Zealand top 10 hit in 'Magic (what she do)', and the smash hit 'Whaling' -
On the 7th of December 1984 the free concert 'Thank God it's over' took place in Aotea Sqaure. Following a set by the Herbs DD Smash took the stage to no power. While waiting for the power to be restored some of the crowd started throwing bottles at police. Allegedly David Dobbyn said to the crowd "I wish those riot squad guys would stop wanking and put thier little battons away." It was then annouced the concert would stop at request of the police. Violence ensued -
June 1985 Dave Dobbyn goes to court over charges that he incited the Queen Street Riot. However he was found not guilty. -
Dave Dobbyn returns after the break up of DD Smash following the Queen St Riot. Dobbyn returns as the composer and perfomer for the soundtrack of the animated cartoon Footrot Flats. 'Slice of Heaven' which featured in the films trailer. 'Slice of Heaven' would go on to be a smash hit selling 100,000 copies and shooting to number 1 on the Australian charts, where it would remain for a month. -
Dobbyn returns with his first album as a solo artist called Loyal. Loyal gave another Dobbyn hit in 'Loyal' however it failed to live up to the same success as 'Slice of Heaven'. However following this album Dobbyn would retreat and have a 5 year period of relative silence. -
The 1988-1993 stretch would be Dobbyn's least active part of his career. Altough he was involved with producing two solo albums for Grant (GW) McLennan from The Go-Betweens, he would not release music until 1993.
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In 1992 Warner Music sent Dave Dobbyn to to Los Angeles to work with artist Froom, in hopes it would spark something. However Dobbyn arrived in city undergoing the Rodney King riots, and a Dobbyn who was heavily drinking. -
Following his five year hiatus Dobbyn returned to the music scene with the release his album Lament For The Numb. Bollinger from Audioculture describing the album as providing a "jaded view of humanity." Despite this 'Belle Of The Ball' would go on to win New Zealand song of the year, and win a APRA Silver Scroll Award. -
Following the commercialy lackluster Lament For The Number, Dobbyn returned to live in Auckland with his wife and one year old daughter. Working in Auckland with engineer Tchad Blake Dobbyn recorded and released his third album Twist. -
With a four year break between albums Dobbyn releases his fourth album the Islander. The most critically sucessful song on the album being 'Beside You' for which he won a Silver Scroll. However this album hinted at a major change for Dobbyn with 'Hallelujah Song'. In late 1998 Dobbyn revealed in an interview that he was a born again christian, and had quit drinking. -
In 2000 Dave Dobbyn released his fifth album Hopetown building on upbeat tone in Islander. Unlike the Islander where Dobbyn self produce, Hopetown was produced with former Th Dudes bandmate Ian Morris. -
In 2000 Dave Dobbyn, Tim Finn and Bic Runga performed a cross New Zealand tour culminating in a four day concert at Auckland's Civic Theater.