COLE PATERSON / PATERSON

Born in 1949, Cole Paterson has been part of the music scene since the early ’60s. He began as a bass player and vocalist with The Main Theme before moving on to become the vocalist for The Nimrods around 1964. By 1966, he had joined The Four, a five-piece rock band that played at top Melbourne clubs like The Thumping Tum, Opus, and The Pink Elephant. After The Four disbanded in 1968, he joined Molten Hue, and not long after, formed his own group, Cole Paterson’s People. He toured Australia extensively with the Ivan Dayman/Sunshine Records Stable of Stars, mixing in TV appearances, cruise ship gigs, and tours across the USA, Europe, and Asia, enjoying modest recording success along the way.

In 1978, he released the album 'Beautiful Alternative' on the Laser/RCA label, produced by Mario Millo. That same year, two singles came out: ''Superstar / Looking Forward'' and ''Marmaduke / No No Nina''. The video for ''Marmaduke'', shown on Sounds Unlimited and Countdown, was directed by Russell Mulcahy—known for his work with The Saints, Dragon, Duran Duran, Elton John, and more—and helped him gain MTV exposure for the USA ’84 Thunder From Down Under tour, reaching the top 20 in several countries. In 1982, after facing much harassment over his triple-gold single/anthem ''Bong On Aussie'', he moved to the USA, where he hosted and co-produced the cable TV shows People Places and Paterson and Variety I/L: The Reel Spice of Life. The show ran for seven years in prime time across 28 states, reaching an audience of 80 million.

Cole’s recorded works and two books, Thoughts as Thought 1 and 2, are housed in Australia’s National Sound Archives in Canberra and have since been supplemented with additional pieces. He continues to perform with Sydney’s Manik Rok, as well as solo on ships, in clubs, and at resorts across Australia and Asia. Currently, he also hosts and produces a YouTube/cable nostalgic variety show for aged care facilities called The Happy Hour, while producing TV commercials for the group.

SINGLES

''Superstar / Looking Forward'' 1978 Laser
''Marmaduke / No No Nina'' 1978 Laser
''Bong On Aussie'' 1980 Repeal

EPs
'Requests' 1977 Sputnik

ALBUMS
'Beautiful Alternative' Laser 1977

References

Cole Paterson