AYERS ROCK

Ayers Rock formed in Melbourne in August 1973. Ray Burton, Mark Kennedy, and Duncan McGuire, members of Leo de Castro and Friends, left in June to form the eponymous trio of Burton McGuire & Kennedy. Burton had played guitar with the Dave Bridge Quartet, the Delltones and the Executives, and co-wrote "I Am Woman" (May 1972) in the United States with Australian singer Helen Reddy. McGuire, on bass, was a recording engineer, producer, and a member of Australian groups since the late 1950s (including the Statesmen, the Epics, the Questions – which later became Doug Parkinson in Focus and King Harvest). Kennedy, on drums, had played in Spectrum, King Harvest, and Leo de Castro and Friends.

Burton McGuire & Kennedy were joined in August 1973 by Jimmy Doyle on guitar. Doyle had worked for the Delltones and Dig Richards, was musical director for pianist Winifred Atwell on her Australian tours and was a session player in Sydney on Neil Sedaka's 1969 album 'Workin' on a Groovy Thing'. In September 1973 Burton McGuire & Kennedy changed their name to Ayers Rock, using the European name for the sandstone rock formation sacred to local indigenous Australians. The group were nicknamed "the Rock" by the Australian press. Since 1993 the sandstone monolith has been called by its Pitjantjatjaran name, Uluru.

Doyle had worked sporadically for several years with multi-instrumentalist and arranger Col Loughnan, who joined London-based blues-pop group Kala in late 1972. Doyle invited his former bandmate to join in October 1973. With Ayers Rock, Loughnan played saxophones, flute, and electric piano. He had begun his career as lead vocalist for the Crescents in 1958, joining the Delltones in 1962. Loughnan diversified into arranging and playing jazz tenor saxophone with the Daly-Wilson Big Band. By December 1973 Ayers Rock had signed with Mushroom Records, which released their first single – "Rock 'n Roll Fight (Going On) / Sorrowful Eyes", one of the label's early records. Mushroom Records co-owner Michael Gudinski became their manager. In January 1974 Ayers Rock performed at the Sunbury Pop Festival and "Morning Magic" (written by Burton) appeared on the live album, 'Highlights of Sunbury '74 Part 2', released by Mushroom Records later that year. In March Burton returned to the US and was replaced on guitar and lead vocals by Chris Brown (ex-Phil Jones and The Unknown Blues). Loughnan and Brown had played together in London as members of Kala. The band traced their origins to rock or pop bands from Sydney, except for Kennedy (who was from Melbourne).

In 1974 Ayers Rock began recording their debut album, 'Big Red Rock', at Festival Records' 24-track studio in Sydney. 'Big Red Rock', released in November, peaked at #32 on the Kent Music Report album chart. The album had "a more jazz-rock edge" and its single, "Lady Montego" (written by McGuire), was a new version of a song originally performed by Leo de Castro and Friends. According to Juke Magazine, "the single lifted to push the album, 'Lady Montego' ... received three weeks airplay and was then dumped." "Lady Montego" was Ayers Rock's most-aired single in Australia, and Kennedy said: "Without AM radio support you can't sell too well in this country." Juke called their songs "lyrically banal" but said the group compensated with "sheer talent", instrumentally and electronically. In January 1975 the group performed at the fourth Sunbury Pop Festival, and 'Big Red Rock' and "Lady Montego" were released in the US on 28 February. On 20 April, they performed at a benefit concert for Bangladesh at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with the La De Das, Jim Keays, AC/DC, Phil Manning, Daddy Cool, Toulouse & Too Tight, the Dingoes, and the Moir Sisters.

From July to September, they promoted 'Big Red Rock' in the US and Vancouver. The band played to an audience of 35,000 at a stadium concert in Seattle, supporting Bachman–Turner Overdrive, on 27 July and opened for Status Quo, the J. Geils Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Nils Lofgren. According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, "Ayers Rock was the first Australian band to play to massive crowds on the USA touring circuit", years before fellow Australians the Little River Band, AC/DC, and Air Supply made their first US tours''.

At the end of their US tour in September 1975 Ayers Rock recorded their second album, 'Beyond', at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. The album, produced by the group and John Stronach, received a $60,000 advance from A&M Records. In late November Ayers Rock appeared at the final Reefer Cabaret event, at Ormond Hall in Prahran. The performance was recorded for a double album, 'A-Reefer-Derci' (1976). In January 1976, Rock Australia Magazine named Ayers Rock Musicians of the Year for 1975 in their "New Year's Honours List". Kennedy left to join Marcia Hines' backing band in February 1976, and they reportedly married late in the decade. In Ayers Rock, Kennedy was temporarily replaced by Doug Gallacher. In April 1976 'Beyond' was released in Australia and the US, making the Kent Music Report top 50. Two singles from the album were released: "Little Kings" (October 1975) and "Song for Darwin" (May 1976), but neither charted.

In May 1976 Gallacher was replaced by Russell Dunlop, (ex-Aesop's Fables, Levi Smith's Clefs, SCRA, Mother Earth, and the Johnny Rocco Band). In an interview with Greg Kelton of The Advertiser, Loughnan outlined the band's future: "If Beyond doesn't make it for us in the States we might as well forget all about Ayers Rock." From May to July they toured the US again, "only achieving limited success overseas." After the tour Dunlop and Loughnan left, and on 25 August Mushroom Records announced that Ayers Rock had broken up after Loughnan decided to remain in the US to study. Brown, Doyle, and McGuire indicated that they would revive the group with new members. 

In 1977 Brown and Doyle re-formed Ayers Rock with Bermuda-born Keith Caisey on percussion, Joe Tattersall (ex-Healing Force, Barry Leef Band) on drums, and John Young (formerly of Leo de Castro's eponymous group) on bass guitar. By 1978 Brown, Caisey and Doyle were joined by Andy Cowan (ex-Madder Lake) on keyboards and vocals, Steve Hogg (ex-Bakery) on bass guitar, and Hamish Stuart on drums. In March 1980 the band released another single, "On the Avenue", followed in May by their third LP – 'Hotspell' – on their own Red Rock Records (distributed by RCA Records). Recorded at the Music Farm in Byron Bay, it was engineered by former member Duncan McGuire.

In The Canberra Times, Luis Feliu noted the "new sounding" Ayers Rock and their "laid-back" style. There had been a major change in songwriting, with Brown contributing less (wrote one and co-wrote one with Doyle); Cowan was the most active (writing five tracks), and Stuart and Doyle co-wrote two. Doyle, with no writing credits on previous albums, wrote "On the Road" (which was included in the band's live sets from 1978). Jillian Burt of Juke Magazine described it as "reminiscent of the cool, calm, collectedness that typifies Steely Dan". Hotspell featured soft-rock songs with sophisticated, keyboard-centred arrangements. 'Hotspell' did not reach the Kent Music Report album top 100 and has not been released on CD. In July 1981 the group released a final single, "Lies", before disbanding later that year. Duncan McGuire died of a brain tumour in July 1989. James Doyle died in 2006 of liver cancer. Joe Tattersall died in 2022.

Members

Chris Brown (lead vocals, guitars, percussion), Col Loughnan (sax, flute, piano, percussion),
James Doyle (guitars, percussion), Duncan McGuire (bass, percussion), Mark Kennedy (drums),
Ray Burton (guitar, vocals), Keith Caisey (percussion), Andy Cowan (keyboards),
Russell Dunlop (drums), Doug Gallacher (drums), Steve Hogg (bass), Hamish Stuart (drums),
Phil Stone (guitar), Joe Tattersall (drums), John Young (bass)

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayers_Rock_%28band%29