JANICE SLATER

Janice Slater born in Sydney in 1947 was one of the leading figures in Australian pop music in the 60’s and 70’s. She became a member of Sydney's Little Sammy and The In People during 1966-67 and 1969-70. With Janice on co-vocals the band became very popular with residencies at Adelaide's Big Daddy's and Kings Cross Whisky A Go Go. The group probably stood out more-so than most of the acts at the time. Also, in Australia during the 1960s, she worked with Billy Preston; Bobby Day; The Easybeats; The Four Tops; George Chakiris (West Side Story); The Hollies; Johnny O’Keefe; Lesley Gore (‘It’s My Party’); Lou Rawls; Phil Silvers (‘Sergeant Bilko’ in The Phil Silvers Show); Sammy Davis, Junior; Shirley Bassey; The Three Degrees; and Trini Lopez. Janice recorded on the Phillips, Spin and Polydor labels 

In the UK she worked on numerous recordings. From Cliff Richard to Cleo Laine as well as Olivia Newton John, Cilla Black and Petula Clark. With Glenn Shorrock, she was one of the founding members of the acclaimed 12-piece progressive rock band Esperanto Rock Orchestra. That band released an album on the A&M label in 1973. In the mid-seventies, still based in Sydney she formed a trio with her cousin, Rod Slater, guitarist who now lives in England and a bassist called John Blake. Later she remained in the music business for a further ten years - but as a session artist not a performer. She also appeared on The Graeme Kennedy Show, The Ernie Sigley Show and Bandstand.

In 1979, the Australia Council for the Arts awarded Janice a grant to study contemporary vocal techniques for singers and actors. She studied in the US, the UK and Australia with renowned voice teachers such as Cicely Berry, of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In Australia, she has attended workshops with Kristin Linklater, author of Freeing the Natural Voice, and Rowena Balos, author of Tune-ups for the Speaking Voice.

Now a vocal coach, soundscape composer and script editor, Janice has worked as a dramaturge for many theatre productions and as a script assessor for the Australian National Playwrights Association as well as for Playworks and ABC Radio, Drama and TV. She was the vocal coach for Starstruck, the Australian movie directed by Gillian Armstrong, and for the Grfiin & Sydney Theatre Companies production of Kafka Dances, the play written by Timothy Daly and starring Cate Blanchett.

Janice has presented vocal workshops for The Actors Centre, Colin Offord, The City Acting Studio, Drama Action, The Drama Studio (as the principal voice teacher); The Entr’acte Theatre Company, The Griffin Theatre Company, The Janice Breen School of Dancing, Leisa Shelton, Meryl Tankard, Nectar (in the Therapy through the Arts program), NIDA (The National Institute of Dramatic Art), The Nimrod Theatre (for The Teachers’ Workshop), The One Extra Dance Company, The Performance Space (in the Voice in Performance program), Side Effects (the Adolescent Unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital), The Sidetrack Theatre Company, The Spoleto Fringe Festival, SUDS (Sydney University Dramatic Society), SWIM (as a founding member of, and a teacher in, the Sydney Women in Jazz program), The Sydney Acting School, The Sydney Performing Arts Centre (in the Voice Production and Musicianship program), and Theatre of the Deaf.

SINGLES

''Wanting You / Summertime'' 1965 Philips
''I'm Gonna Live / He Really Cares'' 1965 Philips
''Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood / Let The Love Come Through'' 1967 Spin
''Lullaby / Die Like A Kelly'' 1974 Polydor

''Affluence / Mamma Maria'' [with Bobbi Marchini, Terry Kaff and Mickey Leyton] 1974 Festival

''To Know Him Is To Love Him / So Tough'' [as The Hooter Sisters] 1974 Alberts

References

Janice Slater