It was mid 1975 when Carol Lloyd began having major throat problems during the last southern tour with Railroad Gin. She even missed what was supposed to have been her farewell performance with the group. Her tonsils were causing excruciating pain, every tooth in her head ached, and at times she was unable to swallow. It was only when her jaw locked that she wrote a note for one of the roadies to fetch a doctor. Rumours were rife that her career was at an end when the news leaked that she was scheduled to have major throat surgery which could adversely affect her singing voice.
Before the year was out not only was she back in fine voice, but she had managed to convince some top-notch studio musicians to join with her to become The Carol Lloyd Band and together they had signed a two-year worldwide recording contract with EMI Records. Colin Peterson, former member of the Bee Gees, was the man responsible for negotiating the contract and it was he who produced their first single "Storm In My Soul/Blue McKenzie". This song was a major hit, particularly in Queensland where Carol's fan base was strongest. It also afforded them the opportunity to appear on the national TV pop show Countdown to perform the song in front of a live studio audience and a viewing nation of pop music devotees.
The album 'Mother Was Asleep At The Time', having taken only nine days to record, was released on Oct 18, 1976. The single ''All The Good Things'' was lifted off the album and charted. Censors had a field day over-reacting to the original cover artwork for the album which showed a bowie knife severing the umbilical cord of an unborn foetus. The album was only permitted a release date once the offending knife was removed from the picture. Released in 17 countries the album sold quite well and it was therefore a huge surprise to everyone when less than a year later the band announced that it was splitting up. Carol Lloyd, the singer, former advertising executive and a long-time mentor to young singers died in Feb 2017 in the Wesley Hospital QLD after a long illness with pulmonary fibrosis. The disease was first diagnosed in April 2013.
Members
Carol Lloyd (vocals) Mark Moffat (guitar) Danny Simpson (drums) Gary Broadhurst (bass)
The Carol Lloyd Band rocked my sleepy hometown of Coolangatta on New Year's Eve 1977, as the featured entertainer to herald the new year She and her band delivered a rip-roaring set that provoked the longest congo line I have ever seen as literally thousands con-joined to form a vast snaking mass that seemed to stretch up the southern beaches. She worked with in the musical television industry in Brisbane, where her gifts at writing catchy advertising jingles and copy set to music gave her a second lucrative career. When I met her, she was of very different appearance, and gave concerts that were musical cabaret reminiscent of 1930's Berlin. She was an honest, warm woman who gave audiences, especially here in Brisbane, unforgettable musical memories.
The Carol Lloyd Band rocked my sleepy hometown of Coolangatta on New Year's Eve 1977, as the featured entertainer to herald the new year She and her band delivered a rip-roaring set that provoked the longest congo line I have ever seen as literally thousands con-joined to form a vast snaking mass that seemed to stretch up the southern beaches. She worked with in the musical television industry in Brisbane, where her gifts at writing catchy advertising jingles and copy set to music gave her a second lucrative career. When I met her, she was of very different appearance, and gave concerts that were musical cabaret reminiscent of 1930's Berlin. She was an honest, warm woman who gave audiences, especially here in Brisbane, unforgettable musical memories.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for that.
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