BULLAMAKANKA

A leading Australian country band, Bullamakanka was formed in 1978 on the country’s Gold Coast by Ray Young, Dave Ovenden (ex-The Richard Wright Group) and Rex Radonich. Starting out as a part-time trio, the band toured extensively and their distinctive melding of Australian bush music with American bluegrass gained them a large following. By the early 80s the band was touring full time and extending their audience across musical boundaries. When Young opted not to tour so much after Radonich died in a car accident in 1986, Rod McCormack joined the band.

Others who have played with Bullamakanka, sometimes just on record, sometimes as full band members, include Jeff McCormack, Stuart Watson, Mal Clarke, Russell Hinton (ex-Elliot Gordon Union, Moonstone) and Jimmy Duke-Yonge (ex-Pirana). The band’s hit single, ''Home Amongst The Gum Trees'', brought them a considerable measure of crossover success. During Bullamakanka’s career it received five Golden Guitars, the Australasian Country Music Award as Best Group.

In 1983 Bullamakanka appeared in the USA, playing at Fort Worth, Texas, where the International Country & Western Music Association named them as Australian Group Entertainer Of The Year. The group has remained most popular in Australia, playing countless venues from clubs to festivals, the latter including 2001’s Gympie Music Muster. Co-founder Young had a successful Gold Coast career as a solo act, dying of cancer in 2004 at the age of 53. The band’s name is Australian slang for a mythical place of good fortune located at the farthermost point in the bush, a sort of Oz Oz. Jim Duke-Yonge died in 2019. Dave Ovenden died in 2020.

Members

Ray Young (guitar, vocals), Mal Clarke (bass, vocals), Jim Duke-Yonge (drums, vocals), Stuart Watson (violin), Dave Ovenden (mandolin, harmonica, lagerphone, vocals),Rex Radonich (banjo, Dobro), Rod McCormack (guitar vocals), Jeff McCormack (guitar vocals), Russell Hinton (guitar, vocals)

SINGLES

Home Among the Gum Trees

3 MAY '82

#88