The original dudes were the legendary band The band was formed by Morris, Urlich, Coleman and Dobbyn, who attended Sacred Heart College in Auckland. It was the same school that Neil (Crowded House) and Tim Finn went to. The band name derived from a comic strip in the English music paper, New Musical Express called Th' Lone Groover and the band's sound was heavily influenced by the British scene, especially The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Starting off as a covers band that played surf clubs and private parties, Th' Dudes quickly earned a reputation as an energetic and skilful outfit featuring dual guitar work from Dobbyn and Morris, a tight no-nonsense rhythm section (Peter Coleman on bass, later replaced by Lez White, and drummer Bruce Hambling) and charismatic vocalist Urlich. Slowly the repertoire featured more originals and their status rose to the point where Th' Dudes were acclaimed NZ Group of the Year in 1979 (although it took until 2005 for Dave Dobbyn to actually receive his award). They eventually disbanded in mid 1980 which allowed Dobbyn to shape a spectacular solo career.mid-1990s saw a resurgence in interest in Th' Dudes in New Zealand, owing perhaps by the release of the Bliss: 20 Essential New Zealand Classics and other compilations showcasing the group of New Zealand post-punk acts which epitomize the Kiwi rock genre. Their song, Bliss, attained particular popularity and has since established itself as New Zealand's unofficial national drinking song. The song is also commonly played (and sung) following the dismissal of an opposing batsman at New Zealand national cricket games.

Unfortunately, none of the members got royalties for their music due to their songs being recorded in downtime at Stebbings Studios, Auckland. Studio owner Eldred Stebbing claimed production costs had not been met. In 2008 the band sued Stebbing for non-payment of royalties, with the case going before the courts in April 2008.

Recently one of the band members known as "The Man on Black" Ian Morris died 2010.

After 26 year's Th'Dudes got together to perform a nationwide tour to celebrate Radio Hauraki's 40th Aniversary, it was a sell out.
New Zealand and Radio Hauraki likes to thank Lindsay Joyce from Lectro in Papatoetoe and Smokin "Smokey" for making it possible.