Carl Doy - WikiHQ

thumb|Carl Doy in 2017

Carl William Doy (born May 6, 1947) is a British-born New Zealand pianist, composer and arranger. One of New Zealand's most successful musicians, Doy is probably best known for his multi-platinum selling Piano By Candlelight albums.

Life and career

Doy was born in Camberley, Surrey, England.

In 1967, having achieved highest grades for theory in music, he joined the Arcadia cruise ship of P&O Cruises as its resident pianist. He spent the next few years playing between the cruise ship job and in UK clubs as well. In 1971, he was appointed the Musical Director aboard the Ocean Monarch cruise ship, which was one of the pioneers to have a full entertainment unit aboard. Thom heard something he knew would be a winner; Doy playing different kind of lounge music in the foyer and the two got talking. This was beginning of the ever popular Piano By Candlelight series, which made its entry to the NZ charts at number one in its first week. particularly in most European countries, the Far East, South America and Canada.

Eight more albums were recorded over the next twelve years under the same series. The second CD named Piano By Candlelight 2 created a record in 1989 for most copies sold in New Zealand of a locally recorded album. Oprah Winfrey is one of his fans and his Together Collection was featured in her Favourite Things show in 2002 where she said "It is so fabulous, I think it's the best."

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sang his arrangement of E te Tarakihi from Gisborne in the first live broadcast of the new millennium, to a worldwide television audience of over a hundred million people. Doy was also the music director/arranger of a series of CD albums created by another successful musician, NZ guitarist Martin Winch. One such album, "Espresso Guitar" released in 1998 has sold more than 100,000 copies in New Zealand alone.

In 1992, he received the Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc, the highest honour available to a New Zealand variety entertainer.

Doy has completed five series of TVNZ's Dancing with the Stars.

Doy is a patron of the National Youth Theatre Company of New Zealand (NYTC).

Discography

Albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

! rowspan="2" | Year

! rowspan="2" | Title

! rowspan="2" | Details

! colspan="2" | Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" | Certifications

! NZ

! AUS

| 1987

| Piano by Candlelight

Label: CBS
Catalogue: 460487-1

| align="center" | 3

| align="center" | 13

NZ: Platinum

| 1989

| Piano by Candlelight II

| align="center" | 1

| align="center" | 10

NZ: Platinum