MICHAEL JOHN

 

Disk Jockey and Radio Announcer Michael John Fewster began his career at 5AK in Adelaide aged 18 followed by a permanent slot on the breakfast shift at 2CA in Canberra from the late 60s to the late 1970s. He was also a bookmaker at Canberra racecourse (Thoroughbred Park). Recording under the name Michael John he released some comedic singles in the 70s. His ''Australia's Santa Claus'' originally released on the PK label in 1973, and played mercilessly on 2CA was re released on the Rainbow label a year later and went to #1 on the 2CA Top 40 and charting nationally at #97.

SINGLES
''Australia's Santa Claus / Chewy On Ya Boot'' [as Michael John and The Lads?] 1973 PK
''Chewy On Yer Boot / Ossie The Football Hero'' 1974 Rainbow 
''Australia's Santa Claus (#97) / Sort Of Auld Lang Syne'' 1974 Rainbow Records 

MARK HEMBROW

 

Mark Hembrow (born 1955 in Brisbane) is an Australian actor, writer and musician. He has also worked as a producer and director. Mark first stepped on stage at age 16 at La Boîte Theatre Company as Barnaby Tucker in The Matchmaker and then Sandy in Hay Fever and Apollo in Fetch Me a Fig Leaf: The Musical, all directed by Graham Johnson. He then performed the lead in Once Upon a Mattress at the Brisbane Arts Theatre, which was to be his last amateur production at aged 17.

At 18 years of age, Mark first started working professionally for the main company at Queensland Theatre Company where he worked in productions over two years while doing in-service training. Productions included Springle a secondary school theatre and education production, written by Bille Brown to celebrate 100 years of education. He also performed in Equus, School for Scoundrels, Savages, Jumpers, The Department, Hamlet and Fourth of July before heading to Sydney.

His first professional jobs in Sydney were with the Old Tote Theatre Company (now Sydney Theatre Company) in a production of The Night of the Iguana, and on television series The Young Doctors as Georgie Saint. He released the single ''If I Had Time'' which went #58 nationally. It was produced by Mario Millo and arranged by John J Francis. This single was also released in NZ.

He then worked on two musicals, The Rocky Horror Show and Paradise Regained, followed by his first feature, Goodbye Paradise directed by Karl Schultz. Mark featured in many television shows and films over the years. Mark returned home from the USA, and decided to have a break from acting for a number of years, in order to raise his family. During this time, he wrote two feature film scripts and was composing music.

SINGLES
''If I Had Time (#58) / Sunday Evening Girl'' 1977 Living Sound 

''Street Kids / Moonflight'' 1979 Laser

MOTIVATION

 

When Managing Director of Ramrod Records Syd McDonogh was looking for new talent, the word spread quickly amongst bands around Sydney. Out of the 120 or so that rang Syd he thought there was only one group he considered good enough. Syd stated ''These five boys who called themselves the Motivation came along. They were clean cut, had a good sound and had original material. That was good enough for me''. He signed them up and they released their first single ''Running And Hiding (All The Time)'' backed by ''Boy Meets Girl''. Both sides were written by lead guitarist John Jackson. ''Running And Hiding'' picked up some solid airplay and charted. This was followed by two singles but none of them gained traction. All their singles were produced by Johnny Rebb. ''Can't You See'' made it onto the compilation album 'Upside Down Volume One (Coloured Dreams From The Underworld)' released in 2014. John Jackson would later join Doug Ashdown's band. Ivan Barrow would become a promoter. John Jackson died in 2015. It is unknown what happened to the rest. Please help

Members

John Jackson (guitar), Kevin McCormack, Ivan Barrow (guitar), Paul Norris, Derek Hobbs

SINGLES
''Boy Meets Girl / Running And Hiding (All Of The Time)'' (#52) 1968 Ramrod 
''Can't You See / Mr Lonelyheart'' 1968 Ramrod 
''Forty Years / Sympathy'' 1969 Ramrod 

JANZ

 

Janz were a funk, pop band formed by David Janz (or Jaanz) on lead vocals in 1988. Other original members were David Carr on guitar, Debbie Lavell on backing vocals, Phil Martin on bass guitar, Robert Parde on keyboards and Miles Stewart-Howie on drums. They won the 1988 Yamaha International Rock Music Competition in Japan for "Crime", which was co-written by Janz and Parde.

The group supported Womack & Womack on the Australian leg of their Celebrate the World tour in May 1989. The Australian Jewish News' Lahra Carey caught their performance at Melbourne's Metro Club and felt the support act were "far more uplifting" by presenting "energy and appeal." "Crime" was issued as Janz' debut single in June and reached #70 on Australian singles chart. In October they issued their second single, "Picture", with the line-up of Janz, Martin, Parde and Stewart-Howie. After disbanding the group's lead singer operated the David Jaanz School of Singing as a vocal coach. Parde continued as a songwriter and co-wrote Vanessa Amorosi's "Shine" and Tina Arena's "Wasn't It Good". 

Members

David Carr (guitar), David Janz (vocals), Debbie Lavell (backing vocals), Phil Martin (bass), Robert Parde (keyboards), Miles Stewart-Howie (drums), Vinnie Demore (guitar)

SINGLES
"Crime" (#70) 1989 CBS 
"Picture" 1989 CBS

GEORGE SMILOVICI

 

George Smilovici is a Cuban-born Australian comedian. He is the son of Romanian-Jewish immigrant parents who left Romania and first settled in Cuba, from 1946 till 1959 when they fled Fidel Castro's revolution to El Salvador, and Guatemala, and later moved to Sydney when Smilovici was six years old. Smilovici is best known for his comic monologue "I'm Tuff”, which peaked at number #10 on the Australian singles chart knocking off Stevie Wonder.

A seminal influence on Australian comedy, he’s performed in every arena, from the Sydney Entertainment Centre to sports stadiums, theatres and concert halls, in festivals, intimate clubs, as well as on TV, Film and Radio. He’s shared the stage with greats like Joe Cocker, Talking Heads, Neil Sedaka, Midnight Oil, INXS, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Winslow, Joan Rivers and many more. Before his success, George tested his true grit as a high school English and History teacher. George realised that his pupils found him amusing so he left school for a different audience.

''They begged me to stay, they gave me presents and trinkets, they promised to behave, they actually cried''. So far he has released a few albums, singles, two concert videos, and has done too much to mention here. He even features as a question on the popular board game, Trivial Pursuit. George was the author and face of the award-winning “I’m Cool” Brut Faberge TV commercials. His wide appeal has allowed him to perform in many overseas markets including Britain, USA, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and for the coalition troops in Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar. These days George also spends time in his homeland, Havana, Cuba where he records with his own band, Frente Calient (Hot Front).

SINGLES
''I'm Tuff (#10) / The Routine I'm Doing When I'm Not Being Tuff'' 1984 Mushroom 
''Spewing / B Side'' 1985 Mushroom 
''Popularity / Americans Are Good At Everything'' 1985 Mushroom 
''Spewing / Americans Are Good At Everything'' 1985 Mushroom 
''Beyond Tuff / Are The Noises In My Head Bothering You?'' 1985 Mushroom 
''The Happiest Man / Come On In - Live In New Zealand'' 1987 Mushroom 
''Happiest Man / The World Is Really Screwed Up'' 1990 Polydor 

ALBUMS
'Uncensored' 1985 Festival
'Son of Tuff... Wimp' 1985 Mushroom
'Hot' 1990 Polydor

LAVISH

Lavish began in 1992 when Gary Beavis left Gold Coast band Art Collective and teamed up with guitarist Nigel Lacey to form Lavish. Early members included Brett Layton, Daniel Peterson, Michelle Wilson (later in the band Fur), and Richard Nixon. Eventually, Beavis and Lacey enlisted Nathan Thomas as singer following the breakup of his previous band Unloveable. His younger brother Luke was offered the position of bass player after Richard Nixon declined. The band relocated to Brisbane in 1995 and took on board drummer Justin Nelson. After initially being courted by Virgin Records in 1996, Lavish became one of the most in demand bands on the Brisbane rock music circuit in the wake of the Brisbane pop and rock market getting recognition by major record labels such as Savage Garden, Powderfinger, Custard, Regurgitator, Pangaea, Speedstar, and Aneiki.

Their music was a fusion of 80's New Wave pop, Australian classic rock, Britpop, and American alternative rock. In 1998, the band were signed with Festival Records and enlisted Jeff Lovejoy on production duties. The first single released was "Trashed", which received high rotation on local and national radio stations but was not a major hit. The lineup was :Nathan Thomas (vocals), Gary Beavis (guitar), Nigel Lacey (guitar), Luke Thomas (bass) and Justin Nelson (drums), It was later used in the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the episode The I In Team.

Shortly after its release, Nelson was dismissed from the band and replaced by Glen Gibson, who had recently departed from Savage Garden. A second single, "Good For Me", also failed to chart. Their third single was a hard rock cover of Pete Shelley's 1982 synthpop hit "Homosapien", which was featured in Jimoin's film The Craic about Irish immigration in Australia in the 1980s. It reached #72 on the ARIA charts and they promoted it on Hey Hey It's Saturday. The fourth and final single to be released was "She Said", in which the synthesiser hook eventually became the theme tune to open the Australian Top 50 countdown on Rage as well as used to denote chart placings where a video was either banned or not sanctioned.

Lavish recorded one album 'Polaroid' for Festival with Lovejoy and Clint Mansell (from Pop Will Eat Itself) sharing production duties, as well as Mansell writing one track "The Beats". The album was not a hit despite the publicity it had, and the band were dropped by Festival shortly afterwards. Nathan took up guitar duties, and Glen's brother Slade Gibson briefly joined the band as second guitarist. In mid 2000, Beavis and Lovejoy (who had replaced Lacey as guitarist in 1999) departed the band, leaving Lavish down to a trio of the Thomas brothers and Gibson. They signed with independent record company MGM Records to record the EP 'Accelerator'. Whilst it received positive reviews, it was not a hit and the band disbanded towards the end of the year with the Thomas brothers relocating to Melbourne.

Members

Nathan Thomas (vocals, guitar), Gary Beavis (guitar), Nigel Lacey (guitar), Luke Thomas (bass), Justin Nelson (drums), Glen Gibson (drums), Slade Gibson (guitar), Jeff Lovejoy (guitar), Brett Layton, Daniel Peterson, Michelle Wilson (vocals), Richard Nixon (bass)

SINGLES

''Trashed'' 1998 Festival
''Good For Me'' 1998 Festival
''Homosapien'' (#72) 1999 Festival
''She Said'' 1999 Festival

EPs
'Accelerator' 2001 MGM

ALBUMS
'Polaroid' 1999 Festival

KULCHA

Making their debut in 1994 with a self-titled album that made them household names in Australia and New Zealand, R&B group Kulcha became one of the most beloved acts of the decade. Four vocalists: Joe Fidow, Richard Matila, Eric Palu and Jay Whitmore, all of Samoan or Māori ancestry, became household names with release of 'Kulcha' - an album that won them two ARIA Awards - Most Popular Australia New Act and Highest Selling Single for ''Shaka Jam''. Spawning four Top 30 singles and earning a Gold certification, Kulcha not only cemented Kulcha's presence as an Australian/NZ success story, but broke down a door for Polynesian representation and success in the 1990s. The group's second album, 'Take Your Time', followed in 1997 - a record that continued to fuse the members' love for groove, soul and vocal harmonies with added charm and charisma. 

As touring artists, the group performed with some international greats including Janet Jackson, The Fugees, KCi & Jojo and Boyz II Men. Their culture was never far away; whether it was in wearing lava-lavas in music videos, or in the name itself, Kulcha knew the space they were commanding as Pacific Islanders. Their songs featured on episodes 15 and 38 in Season 1 (1994) of TV series, Heartbreak High with "Shaka Jam", "Spend the Night", "Don't Be Shy" and "Fly Girl"; episode 62 of Season 2 (1995) with "Nasty" and episode 157 of Season 6 (1997) with "Do You Like It?".

Members

Joe Fidow, Richard Matila, Eric Palu, Jay Whitmore

SINGLES

"Shaka Jam" (#7) 1994 EastWest
"Don't Be Shy" (#13) 1994 EastWest
"Fly Girl" (#26) 1994 EastWest
"Soul Feeling" (#16) 1995 EastWest
"Everytime You Go Away" (#35) 1995 Warner Music
"Do You Like It?" (#18) 1996 Warner Music
"Always Be" (#25) 1997 EastWest
"Treat Her Like a Lady"1997 EastWest

ALBUMS
'Kulcha' (#13) 1994 EastWest 
'Take Your Time' (#40) 1997 EastWest

References

Sose Fuamoli

MIKE BRADY

 

Mike Brady was born in England in 1948 and migrated to Australia in the 1950s with his family aboard the Strathnaver. His first job was at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation factory in Port Melbourne, Victoria, as an apprentice sheet metal worker.Brady abandoned his apprenticeship and formed a garage band unpromisingly named the Hearsemen for a year or so. When The Phantoms lead guitarist Dave Lincoln broke his arm Brady filled in as a temporary member. In the band was bassist Pete Watson and the two decided to join forces and form a new band. Recruiting drummer Danny Finley from The Saxons they used their first initials to provide the name MPD Ltd. It didn't take them long to hit the recording studio. The trio were signed to Go!! Records by July 1965 to release their debut single, "Little Boy Sad". It was a cover version of Johnny Burnette's 1961 hit. MPD Ltd's rendition reached #1 in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, #5 in Sydney and top 10 in Adelaide. They appeared on TV pop programmes, The Go!! Show and Saturday Date, as well as touring Australia. In 1966 they relocated to the UK but made little headway and decided to return home. For additional info on MPD Ltd CLICK HERE.

By 1967 it was all over and Mike got an offer to join Johnny Young's old backing band Kompany. Danny Finlay also joined up and they recorded two singles on the Clarion label. ''The Family Way'' is a personal favourite of mine and I reckon its a forgotten gem. When Kompany disbanded Mike spent the majority of his time building his career as producer and writer of jingles for Television and Radio. One such jingle brought Mike back into the public spotlight. He was asked to record a promotional song for Channel Seven’s Football program. Under the moniker Two Man Band, ''Up There Cazaly'' went on to be the biggest selling local single of its time, with sales in excess of 250,000 and has become the unofficial Anthem of all Australian Rules Football Fans. For additional info on Two Man Band CLICK HERE

Over the years, he has been responsible for some of Australia’s most catchy advertising jingles. His jingles include; classics such as ''Lucky, Your with AAMI'' and ''Hard Yakka'' and many current music tracks on TV. Mike has written jingles for most of Australia’s famous brands. During the 70’s Mike formed his own Record Label and Record Production Company, Full Moon Records, and publishing company, Remix Publishing. Two hugely successful singles released by Full Moon were Mark Jackson’s ''I’m An Individual'' and Joe Dolce’s ''Shuddap You Face''. ''Shuddap You Face'' broke the record previously held by Mike’s ''Up There Cazaly'' as the biggest selling single in Australian History and has been translated into many different languages. Mike and his company have produced albums for artists such as Tina Arena, Colleen Hewett, Mark Gillespie and Mike Rudd and Bill Putt. Many of Mike’s songs have been recorded by leading artists including Tina Arena, and John Farnham.

2006 saw Mike in the home of country music, Nashville Tennessee. He had a swag of songs he’d written over the years that he had always wanted to record. 'Country To Country' was released later that year. In June 2013 Brady was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the community and to music as a composer and performer. On Monday 3rd July 2017 Mike was honored to be named Victorian of the Year in a ceremony in Melbourne.

SINGLES
''Finger Poppin' (#76) / Big White Bird'' 1970 Fable 
''Sympathy (#42) / Look At Me'' 1970 Fable 
''Oh Lord, Why Lord (#50) / I Have Changed [with Ticket] 1971 Fable 
''Hello Mum / I Wonder Why'' 1972 Fable 
''Dreamer / How Does It Feel'' 1980 Full Moon 
''The Cube [with The Cubettes] / The Headless Horsemen'' [with Peter Sullivan And The Cubettes] 1981 Full Moon 
''Up There For Sydney / There's A Little Bit Of Cazaly In Us All'' 1982 Full Moon 
''You're Here To Win (#49) / Advance Australia Fair'' 1982 Full Moon 
''We'll Be There / One Day In September'' 1988 Fable
"Up There Cazaly '99" (#78) [with Haley White]  1999 Shock
"Up There Cazaly" (re-release) 2014
"Come My Children" [live - featuring Russell Morris] 2017
"This Place" 2018
"When I Was Young" 2019

EPs
'Up There Mike Brady' 1982 Full Moon Records

ALBUMS
'Invisible Man' 1979 Full Moon 
'Mike Brady Presents: The Songs of Football's Greatest' (#44) 1981 Full Moon
'Country to Country' 2007 Bradyworks 
'Bloodlines (The Australian Irish Story)' 2014 Full Moon

HAPPYLAND

In 1996, Janet English of Spiderbait started dating Quan Yeomans of Regurgitator. During downtime from their respective main projects, in 1997 in Brisbane, the pair formed the Shits (later renamed as Happyland) as an art pop side project. As the Shits, English and Yeomans, provided the artwork for Regurgitor's album, 'Unit' (November 1997), at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998, the duo won the Best Cover Art category. Happyland's only album, 'Welcome to Happyland', was released on 25 August 1998 via Polydor Australia, which peaked at #18 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was recorded in Yeomans' home studio and produced by the duo, with all tracks co-written by English and Yeomans. AllMusic's Jody Macgregor opined that "The songs they recorded together combined the most hyper-kinetic and poppy sounds common to the two bands, with English's vocals at their most high-pitched and girlish, and Yeomans' melodies at their most twitchy and infectious." Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane felt it "boasted noisy modern fuzz-pop." At the ARIA Music Awards of 1999, English and Yeomans were nominated for Best Cover Art for 'Welcome to Happyland'.

"Don't You Know Who I Am?", the lead single from the album, peaked at #24 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was listed at #28 in Triple J's 1998 Hottest 100 music poll, while the follow-up single, "Hello!" (November 1998), was listed at #71. "Hello!", which did not peak in the ARIA Singles Chart top 50, was proposed for Regurgitator's Unit, but it did not fit with the rest of its content. McFarlane described "Hello" as "low-tech but snappy pop." Happyland toured Australia as part of the 1999 Big Day Out music festival, performing at the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide in late January and early February. In their live shows, the band members dressed in fluffy animal costumes. They provided a cover version of the Italian song, "Tintarella di luna" (written by Bruno de Filippi and Franco Migliacci), on the soundtrack for the feature film, Looking for Alibrandi, in 2000. The duo had disbanded in 1999, and each member had returned to their respective main project.

SINGLES
"Don't You Know Who I Am?" (#24) 1998 Polydor
"Hello!" (#79) 1998 Polydor

ALBUMS
'Welcome to Happyland' (#18) 1998 Polydor 

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happyland_(band)

WHITE CROSS

White Cross formed in Melbourne in late 1985, though all three musicians were from Perth and had traveled over separately. Singer and guitarist Peter Mather and drummer Ashley Davies were in the Soft Ones, bassist Nigel Harford was in locally renowned bands the Stray Tapes, German Humour and And An A. The band played locally for about four months and started to attract attention from bands like X and Hunters and Collectors who offered them support slots. Saxophonist Paula Henderson came on board and joined in early '86.

Monash Records approached the band and so they cut a six track mini album 'When The Fabric’s Torn'. It came out in late 1986 on Crash! Records, the label of distributors Monash. It attracted a lot of attention, and was played a whole lot on public radio. White Cross also backed Steve Lucas from X on his 1986 album 'Double Cross' — he wanted to do something that didn’t sound like X, and they were friends. White Cross would travel to Sydney a few times over the next five months and they also headed to Perth. Following this was the full album 'The Bride' in late 1987. The track ''It's All In Your Mind'' found its way onto the compilation album 'Used And Recommended By' released on the White label. ''Don’t Break Their Hearts'' and the live session for JJJ were the last things recorded by this lineup. The mini album 'White Boy' from 1991 was pretty much Peter Mather backed by local musicians including James Black (Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons, The Black Sorrows).

Members

Peter Mather (vocals, guitar), Ashley Davies (drums), Nigel Harford (bass), Paula Henderson (sax)

SINGLES
''Don't Break Their Hearts / Lonely Man'' 1988 Mighty Boy
''Deep Is The Ocean / Don't Break Their Hearts (II)'' 1991 Higher Love

ALBUMS
'When The Fabrics Torn' (mini album) 1986 Crash Records
'The Bride' 1987 Crash Records
'White Boy' (mini albums) 1991 Higher Love Records

References 

David Gerard

ELECTRIC HIPPIES

 

In 1993 ex-Noiseworks members, Steve Balbi and Justin Stanley formed psychedelic pop group and production duo, Electric Hippies, which issued their debut extended play, 'It's Cool', in October of that year. It included the track, "Jonny Courageous"; according to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, it "was reputedly a swipe at former Noiseworks frontman Jon Stevens." They followed with a top 30 single, "Greedy People" (June 1994), and their debut album, 'The Electric Hippies' in October. For that album, Balbi provided lead guitar, bass guitar and lead vocals and Stanley provided vocals, drums, guitars and string arrangements. McFarlane opined that it "mixed Revolver-era Beatles melodies with a Ziggy Stardust-period David Bowie glam rock aesthetic''. There was also a limited edition version of the album which featured three-dimensional artwork à la The Rolling Stones' 1967 psychedelic album Their Satanic Majesties Request. As producers, Electric Hippies, worked on material by Pearls & Swine, Vincent Stone (singles: "Sunshine" and "Best of My Love"; album: Vincent Stone, all in 1993), Juice, Jenny Morris and Nikka Costa (who was married to Stanley). Costa and Stanley returned to the United States in 1996 and Electric Hippies disbanded.

SINGLES
"Greedy People" (#29) 1994 rooArt
"I Believe in You" (#76) 1994 rooArt
"Jonny Courageous" 1994 rooArt
"Didn't Mean to Make You Cry" 1994 WEA

EPs

'It's Cool' 1993 rooArt

ALBUMS
'The Electric Hippies' (#25) 1994 rooArt 

MUCKY DUCK BUSH BAND

Folk bush band formed in Perth in 1973 and still active today. The band was founded by Stan Hastings, who ran the folk club The Stables in Northbridge, and his son Greg Hastings. They turned professional in 1978, touring around Western Australia. In 1982 they performed a musical Moondyne Joe (about the bushranger of that name) at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco. The group had many lineup changes over the years and in 2003 it was revealed that English writers had made the dubious claim that their lineup had included Lord Lucan. Major WA events include the ANZAC Day Breakfast at Supreme Court Gardens in Perth, the Masters Swimming Championships and WAs biggest naturalisation ceremonies. The end of 2009 found the band at Government House for the Governor of WA and in early 2010 a function for the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during his visit to Perth. In 2013 Mucky Duck performed at the Australia Day Skyworks on Perth water.

Members

Greg Hastings (lagerphone), Stan Hastings Davey Browne (vocals, banjo, guitar, mandolin), Roger Montgomery (vocals, guitar, banjo), Butch Hooper (vocals, guitar, banjo), Rob Kay (vocals, bass, spoons), Jerry Everard (vocals, fiddle), Don Blue (guitar, whistle, vocals), John Perry (bass, vocals), Erik Kowarski (fiddle, guitar, vocals), Bob Emery (mandolin, guitar, vocals)

SINGLES

''Matt Savage:Boss Drover'' [with Ted Egan] 1982 Faces Of Australia

ALBUMS
'At Last The Mucky Duck Album', 1980 Grass Roots Productions
'From The Bush, 1985 Larrikin, 
'The Heart Of Duckness' 2014 , Pocket Universe

BIG FIVE

Big Five formed in Sydney and played between 1981 - 1984. Their music was a fusion of reggae, soul, ska and funk. They released their first cassette 'Big 5 Issue 1' recorded live at Now Studios in June 81 followed by a second cassette 'Issue no. Two' in 1982. They also released two singles on vinyl. They appeared at the Paddington Town Hall and other venues across the city

Members

Peter Tucker (drums), Mark Williams (bass), Mick Thornton (percussion), Chris Booth (percussion), Junior (guitar), Paul D'Adam (guitar), Pab (trumpet), Mark Fucilli (vocal), Stewart F (trombone)

SINGLES
''Hume Highway / Big Five Theme'' 1982 Rhythm Style Records
''Remember / Our Boy'' 1984 Green [G.R.E.E.N.] 

EPs
'Big 5 Issue 1' 1981 Rhythm Style Records
'Big 5 issue no. Two' 1982 Rhythm Style Records

 

ALTAR EGO

Post-punk band Altar Ego was active between 1983 and 1987. The band went through many lineup changes. During their career the band released a couple of  singles and EPs. Their song ''Maybe'' was featured on the compilation album The Nine O'Clock Muse, produced and released by Triple J.

Members

Peter Beulke (bass), Peter MacGregor (drums), Tim Fagan (keyboards, sax), Roshan Arulpragasam (keyboards, vocals), Tony Hill (vocals, guitar), Peter Adams (drums), Peter Morton (bass), David Hill (bass), Pat Fraser (drums)

SINGLES

''War / Sand'' 1983 EMI [Custom Pressing]
"Vancouver / She's An American" 1987 Hot Records

EPs
'Altar Ego' 1987 Hot Records
'Big Picture' 1987 Mighty Boy

JOSH MORGAN

Josh Morgan was an Irish- Australian cabaret singer who’d had great success in 1977 with his tribute song to the recently deceased Elvis Presley. ''Here’s To The King'' produced by former Loved One Ian Clyne reached the Top 40. There is very little info on this chap. Please help

SINGLES
''When We Were Young (#89) / All Shook Up'' 1977 Candle 
''Here's To The King (#22) / Feelings'' 1977 Fable 
''Whatever (Que Sera) / Cry'' 1978 Fable 
''Tas-a-mania / A Man In White'' 1979 Candle 

ALBUMS

'Josh Morgan In Tasmania' Candle

JAMIE DUNN

 

Jamie Dunn (born 12 August 1950) began his early performing days as a singer-songwriter and as drummer for the Brisbane band Hands Down. He then joined another Brisbane band Burke and Wills in 1969. They had a residency on the ABC TV show Eyeforce for one year in 1970 under the name The Platter Pushers. Under that moniker they recorded a single on RCA in 1971, ''As Long As There’s A Twinkle In Your Sprinkle / Make A Move''. The band worked locally until 1972 when they moved to Melbourne. The band played at the Mulwala Festival held at Yarrawonga in the same year. In 1973 they supported Lobo on his tour of Australia. They released two singles on the Image label before disbanding in 1974. Dunn signed on with the Astor label as a solo artist releasing five singles and an album from 1975 to 1980. During this period he also released a single on the Warner Bros label. 

Jamie Dunn moved into television, working the puppet Agro on Agro's Cartoon Connection, Seven's Super Saturday and The Super Sunday Show. Dunn's creative range extended beyond his work with Agro. In 1996, he created the children's series Spuds In Duds, a parody of Bananas in Pyjamas, and later served as the narrator for the series Snake Boss. His willingness to experiment with characters and formats was further evidenced by his appearances as Hector Pascals in 1997, illustrating a performer who was constantly seeking new ways to engage and surprise his audience. He released the single ''It's Raining Men'' which charted and an album under this guise. Jamie Dunn died in 2026.

SINGLES
''Jamie Come Home (#42) / When You Walk In The Room'' 1975 Astor 
''Mr. Rock And Roll / Easy Money'' 1976 Astor 
''Once I Had A Friend / Raggedy Anne'' 1976 Astor 
''Another Sunday Afternoon / By The Light Of The Moon'' 1977 Astor 
''Fun Fun Fun (#79) / Any Street'' 1978 Warner Bros. 
''She'd Rather Be With Me / Dreamtime Lover'' 1980 Astor 

''It's Raining Men'' (#85) [as Hector Pascals] 1995 Columbia

EPs

'Hector's Fourplay' [as Hector Pascals] 1995 Columbia

ALBUMS
'Thankyou Linesmen Thankyou Ballboys' 1979 Astor

'Hector's Closet Clasics' [as Hector Pascals] 1996 Sony 

FRANK HYDE

 

Francis Patrick Aloysius Hyde MBE, OAM born 7 February 1916 was an Australian rugby league footballer, coach and radio caller. A New South Wales representative three-quarter, Hyde played his club football in Sydney for NSWRFL Premiership clubs Newtown, Balmain (with whom he won the 1939 Premiership) and North Sydney. Following his playing career, Hyde enjoyed even greater success as a commentator, earning him membership in the Order of the British Empire and a place in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the Australian Commercial Radio Industry Hall of Fame. Hyde's contribution to Rugby League is celebrated each year with the Frank Hyde Shield, a three match tournament played between the Newtown Jets and North Sydney Bears.

During the 1970s, Hyde signed on with the EMI label and recorded three albums. His famous rendition of the Irish classic ''Danny Boy'', with ''Try a Little Kindness'' as the B Side were released in 1973 and peaked at #69 on the Kent Music Report. Frank Hyde died in 2007 at age 91.

SINGLES
''Danny Boy (#69) / Try A Little Kindness'' 1973 Parlophone 
''Smoke Gets In Your Eyes / And I Love You So'' 1976 Parlophone 
''Ballad Of Dally M / The Legend Of Dally M'' 1981 Festival 

ALBUMS
'Frank Hyde Sings' 1973 Parlophone
'The Frank Hyde Party Sing-a-Long' 1973 Parlophone
'Frank Hyde Sings For The Good Times' (#84) 1976 Parlophone

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Hyde

GRANDMA'S TONIC

In late 1966 ex-Fabulous Blue Jays members drummer Bob Johnson and multi-instrumentalist Paul Shannon formed Grandma's Tonic with guitarist Dennis Whitehead. Soon after they added their old mate Ray Houston from the Fabulous Blue Jays on bass. They became the backing band for popular vocalist Peter Doyle, and they backed him on two singles, ''If You Can Put That In A Bottle / I’m Not The Boy You’re After'' and ''Plastic Dreams And Toy Balloons / You’re My Remedy''. The band also recorded a couple of singles on the Astor label with The Troggs cover ''Hi Hi Hazel'' being the most successful. Paul Shannon was the lead vocalist. The band dissolved in 1968 when Ray Houston joined Melbourne pub band The Escorts.

Members

Paul Shannon (vocals, bass, sax, keyboards), Dennis Whitehead (guitar), Ray Houston (bass), Bobby Johnson (drums)

SINGLES
''Hi Hi Hazel (#95) / Johnny The Hummer'' 1966 Astor 
''I Know / Lost Girl'' 1967 Astor 

KEN SPARKES

Ken Sparkes (born 20 July 1940) was an Australian radio presenter, television personality, actor, singer, host, disc jockey and voice-over artist. In the late 1950s, while working as a DJ at 2MG Mudgee, and later at 2GB Sydney, Sparkes began recording rock and country songs for Festival Records, including ''I Remember Christmas at Home'' (1959) backed by The New Notes and The Band-Its and ''Ride Wide'' (planned release in 1960 but never saw the light of day).  By the mid 1960s Sparkes had taken over the night time slot on 3UZ Melbourne, which was then the dominant radio force in that city. He performed as an actor, singer and host on many pop and late-night Australian shows including Bandstand, Hi Fi Club, Kommotion, Australian Pop Music Awards, Homicide, Bellbird and The Johnny O’ Keefe Show.

In 1965 under the alias K.J.S  he released a version of the Jesse Stone track ''Don't Let Go'', backed by popular Melbourne band The Strangers. The song did not chart but has been praised as one of the best in the DJs on Disc genre. In 1967, Sparkes released a single, featuring "Lonely Weekends" by Charlie Rich on the A side, and the Chiffons song, "One Fine Day", written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, on the B side. In 1969, Sparkes co-founded the record label Sparmac. One of its first signings was the group Daddy Cool, whose first single, "Eagle Rock", was a #1 smash hit, and whose debut album 'Daddy Who? Daddy Cool!' was the biggest-selling Australian pop LP ever released up to that time. The label also launched the career of Rick Springfield, Healing Force and Gerry & The Joy Band. Sparkes won numerous international and Australian radio & TV awards including gold medals at the New York Radio Festival, Hollywood Broadcasters Awards & Australia's Rawards (Australian Commercial Radio Awards). Sparkes died in 2016.

SINGLES
''I Remember Christmas At Home'' 1959 Festival
''Don't Let Go / What Have I Got Of My Own'' 1965 Parlophone 
''One Fine Day (#86) / Lonely Weekends'' 1967 Parlophone 

ALBUMS
'Songs & Poems Of Australia' [with The Hawking Brothers and Terry McDermott] 1979 Harbour

References

Ken Sparkes - Wikipedia

CULTURE SHOCK

 

Culture Shock were a short-lived Australian dance trio consisting of Lorena Novoa (an ex-member of Johnny Young's Young Talent Team), Paul Brandoli and Victoria Wu. Culture Shock became a staple in the nation’s dance scene. They rose to prominence with their unique blend of Euro House, Eurodance, and Hard Trance, earning a place in Australia’s charts. Their success allowed the group to reach wider audiences and create memorable performances on stage, where they opened for international acts like Culture Club, D:REAM, Culture Beat, Cut 'n Move, Pauline Henry, and Des’ree.

The group’s momentum also brought them to the forefront of the media circuit, with appearances at major music festivals, on television, and in radio interviews that showcased their electrifying style. The trio’s dynamic was fueled by Paul’s production mastery, Lorena’s Latin-infused vocals, and Victoria’s classical training, resulting in a sound that resonated deeply with fans. Culture Shock released one studio album, released in 1993 on the Footprintz Productionz label. The album was re-released in September 1994 on Dance Pool/Columbia following the success of "Satisfy the Groove".

SINGLES

"Satisfy the Groove" (#31) 1994 Footprintz Productionz

"My Enemy" (#40) 1994 Footprintz Productionz

"Amor Serenade" 1994 Footprintz Productionz
"Who's Gonna Cry for You" 1995 Laser Music

ALBUMS
'Culture Shock' (#33) 1993 Footprintz Productionz

ROGER CARDWELL

 

Roger Cardwell, born on July 19, 1934, in Adelaide, began his early gigs singing folk music at the Folk Hut coffee lounge. In the 1960s, he hosted and performed on Nine’s national show Country and Western Hour and Channel 7’s Country Style. Country and Western Hour was a top-rated program that won two Logie awards. When Cardwell left in the mid-60s to join Channel 10, Reg Lindsay took over as compere. In 1996, he was inducted into the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame as a pioneer of country music television. Over a five-decade media career, Cardwell became a household name, presenting news bulletins for all major Adelaide commercial TV networks. He died on October 26, 2019, in Adelaide.

SINGLES
''Black Jack County Chain / Storybook Children'' 1968 RCA

ALBUMS

'Country Style' 1967 Parlophone

JOHNNY DIESEL AND THE INJECTORS

 

By June 1986, Diesel had returned to Perth and parted ways with Innocent Bystanders, leaving behind Ross Watson but bringing along saxophonist Bernie Bremond, bassist John Dalzell, and drummer John Sherritt. Together, they formed Johnny Diesel & the Injectors with George Dalstrom as a second guitarist. The group played a blend of R&B, blues, and Southern rock, building a local fan base in Perth before deciding to move to Sydney in September 1987. Dalstrom left the band by the end of 1986.

Music journalist Ed Nimmervoll suggested that the name Johnny Diesel either came from Lizotte’s time working as a petrol pump attendant or from a mistaken twist on John Dalzell’s name applied to him as the lead singer. According to Lizotte, though, the truth was the name was never meant to last—it started as a casual joke about the band’s bass player, John Dalzell. “John had one kid and another on the way,” Mark said. “A friend used to call them ‘Johnny Diesel and his little injectors,’ which I thought was hilarious. Then a woman from the [Perth] venue where we played weekly rang me up and said, ‘You’re starting to draw a crowd. I’m putting an ad in the paper—does this nameless band have a name?’ I told her we were ‘Johnny Diesel and the Injectors.’ It was just for a laugh, to amuse John, but the name stuck. When we got to Sydney, management said, ‘Everyone will think you’re Johnny Diesel. Are you okay with that?’ I wasn’t going to make a fuss, so I said, sure, whatever.”

In September, Johnny Diesel & the Injectors moved to Sydney under the management of Brent Eccles, drummer for The Angels. They started playing support gigs for The Choirboys and The Radiators. Jane Barnes, wife of rocker Jimmy Barnes (ex-Cold Chisel), noticed them and recommended Diesel for work on Barnes’ third solo album, 'Freight Train Heart'. When Barnes toured the album in November, Diesel stayed on as lead guitarist, with his band opening the shows. This marked the start of a lasting professional and personal connection between Diesel and Barnes, which became family when Diesel married Jep, Jane Barnes’ sister, in 1989.

Diesel’s band signed with Chrysalis Records, and their self-titled debut album, 'Johnny Diesel & the Injectors', was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee with producer Terry Manning between August 1988 and March 1989. It hit #2 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Chart. The first single, ''Don’t Need Love'', came out in October 1988 and reached #10 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The follow-up, ''Soul Revival'', dropped in February 1989 and climbed to #9, while the third single, ''Cry In Shame'', matched the debut’s peak at #10 in May. In total, five singles were released from the album—''Looking for Love'' also made the Top 40, but the final single, ''Since I Fell for You'', underperformed, peaking at just #83.

During their mid-1989 UK tour, they performed live on 14 May for BBC Radio 1’s Tommy Vance Sessions, produced by Tony Wilson. That performance was released in August as a four-track EP, 'Live in London', which made it into the ARIA top 30. At the 1990 ARIA Music Awards, Johnny Diesel & the Injectors took home the award for Highest Selling Album, with over 280,000 copies sold. In 1989, Diesel appeared on Barnes’ live album 'Barnestorming' and later collaborated on his 1990 studio album 'Two Fires'. The band’s only 1990 release was a cover of Percy Mayfield’s ''Please Send Me Someone to Love'' for the Kylie Minogue film The Delinquents, which hit #11 on the ARIA singles chart. Early in 1991, Diesel decided to go solo, leading to the band’s breakup. John Dalzell died in 2025.

Members

Johnny Diesel [Mark Lizotte] (vocals, guitar), Bernie Bremond (sax, vocals), John Dalzell (bass), George Dalstrom (guitar), John Sherritt (drums)

SINGLES
''Don't Need Love (#10) / Never Last'' 1988 Chrysalis
''Soul Revival (#9) / Who's For Better'' 1989 Chrysalis
''Cry In Shame (#10) / Dry Tears'' 1989 Chrysalis
''Lookin' For Love (#28) / Cut Back'' 1989 Chrysalis
''Since I Fell For You (#83)/ Comin' Home'' 1989 Chrysalis
''Please Send Me Someone To Love (#11) / Who's For Better (Live)'' 1990 Mushroom

ALBUMS
'Johnny Diesel and The Injectors' (#2) 1989 Chrysalis




References

Diesel (musician) - Wikipedia

BLACKFIRE

 

When Blackfire formed in 1992 they immediately attracted the attention of well-known musicians and journalists who sang the band’s praises and offered support gigs. Members had all previously played in Melbourne based and national bands. The lineup was: Bradley Brown (ex-Watbalimba, Interaction) on bass guitar, drums and vocals; Selwyn Burns (ex-Coloured Stone, Mixed Relations, No Fixed Address) on lead guitar and vocals; Kutcha Edwards on lead vocals, Grant Hansen (ex-Interaction, Mercury Blues) on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Kelli McGuinness (ex-Dr Koori, Interaction, Watbalimba) on drums, bass guitar, guitar and vocals. In 1993 they were awarded NAIDOC Artists of the Year.

Their first album, 'A Time to Dream', was released in 1994 by Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA). The album was full of powerful gritty rock and roll songs making a strong political statement about these changing times. Leroy Cummins (ex-Christine Anu Band) joined the group on guitar in 1997 to expand the line-up, as did Corey Noll later on. Blackfire toured extensively throughout Australia before travelling to Asia (Japan, China and Taiwan), alongside Archie Roach and the Naroo Dancers. 

In 1996 they teamed up with Crowded House drummer Paul Hester who produced there second album 'Night Vision'. Paul was still playing in Crowded House and when he left the Crowdies, Blackfire was the first band that Paul joined. 'Night Vision' was released through Cannon Music to critical acclaim. The guys then made TV appearances on Recovery, SBS Icam and Good Morning Australia. These appearances took Blackfire to a much bigger mainstream audience. In 1998 Blackfire toured Australia with Carlos Santana to rave reviews. Blackfire often played at many Indigenous Festivals with other contemporary Indigenous acts of the time including, Yothu Yindi, Christine Anu & Kev Carmody. In 2006 Blackfire decided to take a well-earned break. 

The band released their third album ‘Re-Generation’in 2023. Songs on the album were written back before the band went off the road; however, they are still relevant today. They also wrote some new tunes and before they knew it, they had 12 songs.  The band reformed in 2023 with a new line up. David Leha, Rod Crundwell, Peter Moore, Daniel Jauregui, Leonie Whyman and Monica Mc Donald were added with original members Grant Hansen, Brad Brown Selwyn Burns.

Members

Bradley Brown (bass, drums, vocals), Selwyn Burns (guitar, vocals), Kutcha Edwards (vocals), Grant Hansen (guitar, vocals), Kelli McGuinness (drums, bass, guitar, vocals), Leroy Cummins (guitar), Corey Noll (guitar), David Leha (vocals), Rod Crundwell (keyboards), Peter Moore, Daniel Jauregui, Leonie Whyman (vocals), Monica Mc Donald (vocals)

 

ALBUMS

' A Time to Dream' 1994 CAAMA
'Night Vision' 1998 Cannon Music

'Re-Generation' 2023