NICK HOWARD

 

Nick Howard was born in Australia and raised in Sydney, where the local music scene began to shape his early interests.  Signed to BMG, Arista UK (via Simon Cowell), and Ariola Germany in the early '90s, Nick released his debut album 'Sound of Breathing', recorded across New York, LA, and London. The album featured charting singles and a contribution from hitmaker Robbie Nevil. He is the father of singer The Kid LAROI. A prolific writer and producer, Nick has created music for major TV series like Popstars, Girl TV, and Gurls Wurld, and collaborated with artists including Delta Goodrem, Sophie Monk, and Sarah Geronimo. He has also worked with major publishers like Sony and served as Head of Music for talent development organizations.

SINGLES
"Everybody Needs Somebody" (#71) 1994 Ariola
"Who Fell in Love?" (#52) 1995 Ariola
"I'll Build You a Bridge" 1996 Ariola

ALBUMS
'Sound of Breathing' 1995 Ariola

MOTHER HUBBARD

 

By 1989 there were a bunch of great bands which made up a wave of indie rock that had actually grown up and lived in Balmain, mostly attending the local Balmain and Fort Street High Schools and most of these bands existed in some form into the 1990s. The evolution and success of these bands increased ten-fold in the early part of that decade. One of those bands being Mother Hubbard in particular, had emerged from the local school halls and had started to make some impact on the wider world of Sydney. Mother Hubbard enjoyed label success through Festival and Outlaw Records – all with high rotation airplay on Triple J throughout the early half of the 90s. Their sound was akin to a Black Crowes/Rolling Stones sing along – a full 10 years before the likes of Jet claimed it as their own, and again after a string of great singles and one album 'You Me She Him' produced by American guitar legend Louie Shelton. The band toured tirelessly until the band amicably split in 1998. Alex Lloyd would go on and carve out a successful solo career.

Members

Alex Lloyd (vocals), Andrew Dorman (guitar), Kinnon Holt (guitar), Fraser Brown (keyboards), David Reynolds (bass), Gary Synnerdahl (drums), Tewe Henare (drums)

SINGLES
''River'' 1994 Outlaw
''Running Away'' 1996 Outlaw

EPs
'Mother Hubbard' (#94) 1994 Outlaw

ALBUMS
'You Me She Him' 1996 Outlaw

References

https://australianmusichistory.com/the-balmain-sound-indie-rock-from-the-balmain-peninsula/

JOHN WILLIAMS (Country Artist)

John Williams was born in 1950 and raised on the family dairy farm at Torrumbarry, near Echuca, Victoria. His mother played piano in a dance band with her brother, and John was always going to sing. From the time he could talk he was singing to people. A big fan of ’60s music, he joined a band and played the hits of Normie Rowe and MPD Ltd. John idolised Johnny Chester and the Hawking Bros and became good mates with Reg Poole, travelling each month to Reg’s Woolshed Country Sundays. In 1977 with the sudden and unexpected passing of his father, he wrote ''A Tribute to My Old Dad''.

With the support of Reg Poole, he travelled to Tamworth in 1978 and recorded his first album 'Country From the Heart' at Hadley Studios. A call from John Minson and he was on the road with Rick & Thel Carey. The following year he appeared with American artist Don King and then toured NZ. He secured a guest spot at the Gore Gold Guitars Awards in New Zealand. In 1984 he recorded in Melbourne and teamed with leading producer Howard Gable and talented musician producer Peter Sullivan. From this session came his hit single, ''Lifting Me Up''. Two crossover albums were produced – 'Ride On Down This Road' and 'Two Sides of John Williams'. He had a handy group of musicians backing him including Gavin Anderson guitar and Roger McLaughlin on bass. John wrote the protest song ''Milk Blockade'' in support of struggling dairy farmers. With good mate Reg Poole he penned the very patriotic song ''I Love This Land Australia.'' After the Wimbledon win of Pat Cash, he wrote ''Pat Cash, You’re Our Hero''.

During the 1990s he released another single, the ’60s classic ''Goodbye Cruel World''. As one of his passions was football, John released a new version of all the AFL footy theme songs. He then recorded an album of old favourites with Reg Poole, 'Fireside Memories', which they marketed on television. In 1994 he was inducted into the Hands of Fame, Tamworth. Working with Nash and Bill Chambers he recorded the album, 'Back On The Border'. From that album came the country duet with Kasey, ''The Losing Side Of Love''. Williams was named Victorian Country Entertainer of the Year and became heavily involved in the growth of the Victorian & National CM Awards, acting as compere for many years. Williams was awarded an Honorary Life Govenor of the Royal Children’s Hospital for his work in organizing fund raising concerts. He has been the host of every Victoria/National Country Awards, they are broadcast live via satellite all over Australia.

During the 2000s he released the single ''Slow Motion''.Wrote a protest song, ''Who Gives a Stuff About the Farmer'', in support of rural Victoria as the government decided to take the irrigation water from the north of the state to Melbourne. Became known for his 25 years of radio, JR’s Country, on 1521 2QN that covered northern Victoria and southern NSW. Back with Bill Chambers and a group of Australia’s best country musicians and a handful of great songs were carefully selected, and a long-awaited album was released 'Mustering Time' in 2010. Another duet, this time with Bill, ''Truck Stop Girl'' was released. Over the years Williams  also recorded songs with Deniese Morrison, Tracy Lee Killeen and Renee Stewart.

In 2017 the album '2015' was released including some of John’s favourites, requested songs and singles that had never made albums. Williams’s love for the land continually keeps him close to the farm and has been one of the reasons he has not been able to give what he would love to have given to music. One of his great joys was to be able to continually play and promote young Aussie artists’ music through his radio show over the years as Australian country became commercial and of excellent quality.

SINGLES
''Follow Me To Tennessee / I've Already Loved You In My Mind'' 1979 Homestead 
''She's My Everything / Fifteen Years Of Hurt'' 1980 Homestead 
''Liftin' Me Up / Love, Love, Love'' 1981 RCA Victor
''Goodbye Cruel World / My Ding-A-Ling'' 1994 WDO

''When I Look Into Your Eyes / Ride On Down This Road'' Homestead

EPs

'Songs About Echuca Rich River Country' 1982 Homestead

ALBUMS
'Country From The Heart' 1978 Hadley 
'Music In My Veins' 1979 Homestead 
'Ride On Down This Road' 1984 Larrikin 
'Two Sides Of John Williams' 1986 EMI
'Back On The Border' 1996 WDO
'Kings Of Country' [with Jimmy Little and David Pincombe] Birubi
'Fireside Memories' [with Reg Poole] WDO

'Mustering Time' 2010 

'2015' 2015

References

https://ehive.com/collections/200851/objects/1461245/john-r-williams-jr

THE MIDNIGHT FIVE

 

A completely original group-singing sound was one of the many attributes of the folk group The Midnight Five. In addition to having excellent solo voices each member was an able instrumentalist. The band was formed in 1960 by Eric Wootten. Eric and Barry Wootten had been singing since the early 1950s as the famous Harmony Twins and had acquired a huge following for their highly precise vocal and classic yodelling duetting. Another top rated duo The Twilighters were incorporated into the band. Individually they were Ken Thomas and Barry Dean. Eric discovered the fifth voice Ken Newland at a concert they appeared on together and impressed by Ken's stage presentation outlined his plan for the proposed group. Ken said ''When do we start?'' and so began the traiblazing Midnight Five.

Tons of talent plus patient regular rehearsals were the keys to success that followed. The boys worked right through the night till dawn in order to develop their uncopied sound and add songs to their extensive repertoire. Unique was their ability to exchange vocal parts while singing even though they ranged from bass to tenor. The Midnight Five appeared on every Victorian TV channel where original versions of ''Shadrack'' and ''Drybones'' met with great success. Radio programmes, constant night spot engagements and recording sessions backing other artists (Colin James and Des Kelly). The Midnight Five released two EP's on the Crest label.

Members

Eric Wootten (vocals, guitar), Barry Wootten (vocals, banjo), Ken Newland (vocals, guitar), Barry Dean (vocals, bass), Ken Thomas (vocals, percussion)

EPs
'The Midnight Five' 1963 Crest
'Folk Gospel' 1963 Crest
'Colin Callin' [with Colin James and The Quiet Three] 1963 Crest
'Folk Songs From Ceylon' [with Des Kelly] 1964 Crest

NO YOUTUBE CLIPS UNFORTUNATELY

SHIFTERS

 

Tasmanian band formed in 1980 with their first gig being at the Sulphur Creek Hall. The band split their time between touring heavily in Tasmania and playing in Sydney before breaking up in 1985. The band put out two singles on the local Candle label in the early 80s. Their debut single ''Holdin' Out'' made it into the top 10 on the 7HT Top 40 chart. Driver, Reece and Robson stayed in Sydney and formed Bang the Drum. They got back together in 2016 for a reunion gig at Red Hot Music in Devonport and again in 2018.

Members

Steve Driver (vocals), Jim Reece (guitar), Geoff Robson (bass) Freddy Spiteri (drums)

SINGLES
''Holdin' Out (#86) / Public Man'' 1984 Candle 
''Sunday Night Blues / Desperate Life'' Candle 

DON GRESHAM

 

Don Gresham was born in 1931 in Murwillumbah, NSW. After leaving school, Don worked in the rural industry. He was very interested in country music and was influenced by Buddy Williams, Tex Morton, Ernest Tubb and Gene Autry.  After attending a Buddy Williams concert, his father bought him a Tex Morton guitar which he learnt to play by correspondence. In 1965 he recorded his first EP on the Sunset label. Don and wife Noela began publishing a quarterly newsletter, The Country Music Newsletter as a promotional aid for country music record releases, sent to 12 countries and many subscribers throughout Australia. In 1974 Don formed his own label, Koala Records and recorded more than 300 songs. Don and Noela presented the first country program on 2NCR-FM, which ran for six years. In 1981 The United Nations General Assembly had declared it to be the "International Year Of Disabled Persons". The aim was to increase awareness of the contributions which disabled people can make to the community...and, to encourage disabled people to find a voice. Don Gresham wrote and recorded ''I Have Good Health'' as his contribution to the celebrations. Don was joined by fellow artist Lynette Guest in expressing how fortunate he felt to have good health, and in doing so, empathising with those who weren't so blessed. 

In 1985 he was inducted into the Hands of Fame, Tamworth. Don was a passionate supporter of Australian wildlife in particular the koala. He recorded the single ''Little Koala / Save Our Koalas'' in 1988. All profits from the sale went to the World Research Corporation's Koala Hospital in Coomera QLD. In 1991 and 1997 Don visited Canada where he appeared on Earl and Martha Heywood’s Canadian Barn Dance Club. He met Wilf Carter during Wilf’s last tour. Don died October in 2001.

SINGLES

''The Ballad Of Pam O'Neill / Daredevil Duncan'' 1980 Koala
''Ram Chandra / I Have Good Health'' [with Lynette Guest] 1981 Koala
''Little Koala / Save Our Koalas'' 1988 Koala

EPs

'No One Knows Who's Who' Tamex

'Don Gresham' 1971 Hadley
'A Country Music Special Number One' 1974 Koala
'Iddy Biddy Puddy Tat' 1975 Koala

'The Bundaberg Special' 1977 Koala

'Songs About Life' 1983 Koala

'A Woman's World' [with Noela Gresham] 1983 Koala

'The First Twenty Years' 1985 Koala

'I'd Do Anything For A Stubbie' 1985 Koala

'The Cat Came Back' [with Bernadette Kilden] 1986 Koala

ALBUMS

'Fun in the Country' 1976 Koala
'The Aussie Boy' 1976 Koala
'On the Not So Quiet Side' 1977 Koala
'Sugar Sweet Country' 1978 Koala
'Travelling The Country' 1980 Koala
'This Australia That I Love' [with Ken Robertson] 1980 Koala
'Three Rivers In The Sun' 1981 Koala
'Some Country Favourites' 1982 Koala
'The Great Aussie Train' 1983 Koala
'Number Ten' 1984 Koala

'Our Big Country Songs' 1987 Koala

'Country Folk Songs' 1988 Koala

'The Country Music Special' 1990 Koala

'The World Of Country Music' 1992 Koala

References

https://ehive.com/collections/200851/objects/1461183/don-gresham

NOEL WATSON

Noel Alexander Watson was born 1942 in Melbourne, Australia. At 16 he joined his first group, the Tridents. In 1959 when he was 17, he signed a three-year contract with Kevin McLellan, who was the biggest dance promoter/talent agent in Melbourne at the time. McLellan’s top group were the Thunderbirds, and Noel was one of the four or five featured vocalists. Noel was included as one of the featured singers along with Johnny Chester and Jillian Buckley on a live recording 'Quite A Party' backed by The Thunderbirds on the Gem label. His contributions were ''Let The Four Winds Blow'' and ''Crying''. Noel went into songwriting and wrote songs for Merv Benton: ''Be Sweet'' and ''Sell My Soul''. In early 1965 Merv Benton formed his own backing band and he wanted Noel to be part of it. The band was called the Tamlas. While touring with the band in Perth in early 1968, Noel enlisted in the Royal Australian Army. In 1969 he was sent on a tour of duty to Vietnam. 

One of the most popular bands on the Melbourne pub circuit in the mid 70s was Country/Bluegrass outfit Saltbush and they would always ask Noel to get up to do a couple of songs with them, which always went down well. Noel was invited to play at the 1979 Broadford Rock Concert, a three day outdoor music festival organised by the Hell’s Angels. When Ross Nicholson left Saltbush, Noel was asked to take his place. He wrote the A side ''Razorback Mountain Blockade'' on the single released in 1979 on the Infinity label. When Saltbush disbanded Noel began working in a duo with Bernie O’Brien performing at various pubs around Melbourne. They started to build up a collection of songs that each had written and decided to record an album together titled 'Pickin’ The Pieces Up' released in 1980 on Renegade Records.. 

1988 was Bicentennial year in Australia. A two hour documentary Australia – A Celebration of a Nation was broadcast nationally on ABC TV and Noel’s recording of ''Waltzing Matilda'' was chosen for the closing credits and was asked to sing ''Waltzing Matilda'' at the 1988 VFL Grand Final. The Grand Final appearance turned Noel’s life around, all of sudden he was in high demand for pub gigs, corporate functions and television shows.

Noel toured Australia extensively, singing his own brand of Australian music and telling his stories. He supported overseas artist such as Charley Pride and Irish comedian Hal Roach, and performed in Nashville, Bahrain, Brazil, Bali, Hong Kong and San Diego. He appeared regularly on national television shows such as The Midday Show and Good Morning Australia and he recorded a number of albums. In 2001 following an operation he lost sense to his extremities, he had difficulty walking and his fingers did not work, which meant that he could no longer play the guitar. In 2011 Noel was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which unfortunately spread to other parts of his body. Sadly, Noel died on October 10th, 2013 aged 70.

SINGLES
''Matilda / Hold On Me'' 1988 Big Time 

''I'm Falling / Vietnam'' 1988 Big Time
''You'll Never Walk Alone / In The City'' 1990 Musicland
''Blue Gum Christmas Tree / Little Drummer Boy'' 1990 Musicland

ALBUMS
'Pickin The Pieces Up' [with Bernie O'Brien] 1980 Renegade Records

'Noel Watson' 1988 Big Time

'Yesterday' 1990 Musicland

'Blue Gum Christmas' 1990 Musicland

'Georgia' 1990 Redwood

'Spirit Of Australia' 1993 Ritz

'Banjo, Jim And Me' 1995 Goat Shed

'All For Being Alive' 1998 Goat Shed

References

 https://www.sunshinesecrets.com.au/post/that-bloke-with-the-beard-that-sang-waltzing-matilda-the-noel-watson-story

HELEN DRIESSEN TRIO

The Helen Driessen Trio were a close harmony folk pop trio from Melbourne. All three members were siblings who had migrated to Australia from Holland in the mid 1950s. From their first appearances at impromptu parties in 1961 they became very popular playing at venues and supper clubs around Australia. Helen had an unusual but appealing style of singing (similar to Judith Durham) backed by her brothers Herbert on upright bass and Anton on 12 string guitar. In 1967 they cut an EP with Melbourne's W& G label produced by Jack Varney. They appeared on several TV shows including In Melbourne Tonight, In Adelaide Tonight and Bandstand. They supported Tony Hancock, Johnny Ray and Shirley Bassey. They toured Vietnam in 1968 entertaining troops, and then commenced a three year tour of the UK. They added another brother (David) to the band and played under the name the Driessens. 

EPs

'The Helen Driessen Trio' 1967 W&G

No YouTube clip but you can here this track on Soundcloud. CLICK HERE

THE QUAREFELLAS

 

The Quarefellas were four immigrants who met by accident at Mulligan's Irish Restaurant in Perth in 1972. Mick McAuley from Ireland was the restaurants bouncer and spent much of his time bouncing out the rabble. Londoner Anita Blacker worked as a kitchen hand and helped to serve the Irish stew. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Alan Ferguson a Scot, was there mainly because he maintained the beer at Mulligans which was the cheapest in town! Fred Rae another Irishman collected the cover charge on the door. The four came together musically after members of the restaurants resident band ended up in hospital following one of the typical brawls at the venue.

The new group previously unknown to each other as musicians named themselves after Brendan Behan's book The Quarefellas (Irish slang for an itinerant musician). The Quarefellas were an instant success . From Mulligan's they went on to cover the Western Australian scene with concert, TV and radio appearances, including an ABC special and much acclaimed appearances at the Perth Concert Hall. The group had a popular residency at Albert's Tavern. They added Colin Merrey before they recorded their first album 'The Quarefellas First (Governor Broome Folk Club)' on the Clarion label in 1974. It was highly successful with the traditional and contemporary folk scene in WA. Merrey left the band before they recorded their second album 'Bottom Of The Punchbowl' the following year. It is unknown how long they soldiered on for.

Members

Mick McAuley (vocals, lagerphone), Fred Rae (guitar, vocals), Anita Blacker (fiddle, vocals), Alan Ferguson (bass, guitar, flute, vocals), Colin Merrey (mandolin, banjo)

SINGLES
''Put A Light In Every Country Window / Bricks And Mortar'' 1974 Clarion 

ALBUMS
'The Quarefella First' (Governor Broome Folk Club) 1974 Clarion 
'Bottom Of the Punchbowl' 1975 Clarion 

BARRY PILKINGTON

 

Barry Pilkington from New Town in Tasmania picked up a guitar when he was four years old. He led his own rock n roll group The G-Men around Hobart in the 50s. Pilkington won a recording contract after appearing on a Tex Morton Show in Hobart in 1959. In 1960 he traveled to Sydney and cut three songs at Festival Studios. ''The Shape I'm In / (You're So Square (Baby, I Don't Care)'' made it on to a various artists EP called 'Rex 4 Star'. The third track ''Be Bop A Lula'' missed the cut. On these tracks he was backed by The Joy Boys. A while later he moved to the mainland because he could go only so far if he stayed. He appeared as a support act for Col Joye, Lonnie Lee, Johhny O'Keefe and Cliff Richard. He appeared on television shows such as Six O'Clock Rock and Sing, Sing, Sing. He also hosted his own TV show in Tasmania called The Teenage Show. It was a long time between drinks before Barry would record again. Tasmanian based label Van Dieman, co-owned by Peter Richman and Nick Armstrong would release two singles (all sides written and produced by Lonnie Lee) by Barry in the early 70s. He fronted The Breakaways for many years. Barry died in 2018.

SINGLES
''Love Everybody / On The Midnight Train'' 1971 Van Diemen 
''She Sings My Song / Darlin' Lady'' 1971 Van Diemen 

EPs
'Rex 4 Star' 1960 Rex

Barry has two songs on this various artists EP -(A) The Shape I'm In / (B) You're So Square (Baby, I Don't Care)

RAY BURTON

 

Ray Burton was born in 1945. He joined Dave Bridge Quartet as a rhythm guitarist in 1961 in Sydney. The instrumental band included Bridge (ex-Col Joye and the Joy Boys) on lead guitar, Warren Foley on drums and Ken White on bass guitar. They were signed to His Master's Voice which issued two singles, "Skip to My Lou" (1961) and "San Fernando Valley" (1962) before disbanding early in the next year. After leaving that band he formed instrumental band The Telstars in Sydney with drummer Sunny Pratt (ex Vibratones), rhythm guitarist Bob Van Eckeres and bass player Ken White. The band signed to the CBS label and released five singles all produced by Sven Libaek between 1963 and 64. Burton composed his songs under the name Ray Doughty. 'Reef Ride’ was the most successful reaching #1 in Switzerland.He joined vocal harmony, rock 'n' roll group, the Delltones, for a year from 1965 to 1966.

In 1967 Burton (under the name Raymond Doughty) was enlisted by pop group, the Executives, on lead guitar. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, they had, "scored a run of hit singles" in Sydney with "My Aim Is to Please You'" (June 1967), "Sit Down I Think I Love You" (August), "It's a Happening World" (March 1968), "Windy Day" (June) and "Summerhill Road" (December). The group toured the United States in 1968 and again in the following year (under the name Inner Sense), McFarlane observed, "by that stage, however, their breezy pop had become outmoded in the face of rock's new progressive phase and the band quietly folded." Most of the members returned to Australia.

While in the US Inner Sense had worked with the talent management company, DiBlasio, Wald & Day, in Los Angeles, which led to Burton collaborating with fellow Australian, Helen Reddy (her then-husband and manager was Jeff Wald), in early 1971. Two of their co-written tracks, "I Am Woman" and "Best Friend", appeared on her debut album, 'I Don't Know How to Love Him' (May 1971). Paramount Records had Ray in their New York studios writing more chart makers - ‘World Of Fantasy’, ‘Dream For A Love’, ‘Astral Plane Ride’ – recorded and performed by Burton and his ex -Executives bandmate Gino Cunico on the album 'Strive, Seek, Find'. The album was voted #1 best album of the month toppling Sly and The Family Stone. A single was released off the album ''Run For Your Life / Grandfathers. Burton's work permit had expired and he returned to Australia. By December 1972 "I Am Woman" had become a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In February of the following year it peaked at #2 on the Go-Set Australian National Charts top 40.

Burton traveled to Melbourne where he joined funk, soul and country music group, Leo de Castro and Friends, in April 1973 on guitar, alongside de Castro on lead vocals, Mark Kennedy on drums and Duncan McGuire on bass guitar. Burton McGuire & Kennedy formed their own eponymous group in June and added Jimmy Doyle (ex-the Delltones, Dig Richards) on guitar in August. In September they were renamed, Ayers Rock, as a jazz fusion, progressive rock group and in the next month, Col Loughnan joined on saxophones. Burton left the group in March 1974 and travelled to the US, "to push his claim for unpaid royalties due from the sales of ''I Am Woman'."

In the US he worked as a session musician for Billy Joel, Dave Mason and Jimmy Webb. He returned to Australia in 1977 where he formed a rock group, the Nightflyers, with Rex Bullen on keyboards (ex-Bakery, Jim Keays' Southern Cross), Ian Davidson on guitar and synthesiser, Gus Fenwick on bass guitar (ex-Pleazers, Band of Talabene, Healing Force), Steve Hopes on drums and John Pugh on guitar (ex-Eighteenth Century Quartet, Cam-Pact, James Taylor Move, Healing Force). They recorded his debut solo album, 'Dreamers and Nightflyers', and two associated singles, "Too Hard to Handle" and "Paddington Green", in 1978, which was produced by Charles Fisher via Warner Records. He returned to the US where he worked as a song writer. His movie credits include: Warner Bros Rabbit Run starring James Caan, two songs ''Hey Man'' and ''You’re Going To Love Me''; Airport 75, song ''Best Friend'' performed by Helen Reddy; My Best Friend’s Wedding starring Julia Roberts. Short films: Lilian – theme song ''Lilian''. Theatre: Of note – worked with the renowned Sam Shepard on the entire score for ‘Melodrama Play’ a musical staged in Sydney.Advertising clients: include Coca-Cola, Revlon, P&O, and of late – in the US the Burger King Ad – “I Am Man”.As of June 2003 Burton was living in Queensland's Gold Coast, where he would occasionally perform at local venues.

SINGLES
''Too Hard To Handle (#50) / Lady Of The Morning'' 1978 Warner Bros
''Paddington Green (#97) / Ain't It Funny'' 1978 Warner Bros

ALBUMS
'Dreamers And Nightflyers' 1978 Warner Bros

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