ERL DALBY

Erl Dalby (Erle Montaigue) began his music career in 1965 and had his first chart success in 1970, with ''Can’t Wait For September'', a Vanda/Young composition.

Glenn A Baker wrote: “Erl Dalby is the possessor of an absolutely amazing voice. He left the group Pyramid in 1971, recorded 3 solo singles and then disappeared as quickly as he came? When I sat in Erl’s dining room one rainy day last week and listened to ''Can’t Wait For September'', I was stunned by the richness of his voice. It wasn’t hard to see how this song, written by the famous team of Harry Vanda and George Young had made it to No. 2 on the Australian charts. Considering that Erl was only 19 at the time, it was quite frankly, quite astonishing.”

Erle was an eclectic and colorful figure who refused to be confined to any single art, pursuit, or career, always keeping music close to his heart. Known for marching to the beat of his own drum, his rebellious streak showed itself as early as 1966, when he was expelled from school for painting the building yellow, among other small acts. In 1967, he enrolled in a telephone maintenance course. By the late sixties, he was married to Cheryl Hidasi, had two children, Erl and Kristian, and was juggling work on telephones, acting in stage plays, and singing with his band, Earl’s Court. Erle: “Back in those days all the gear was packed in a Mini Minor and the rest of the band would take the bus to gigs. No roadies back then. The largest amp was a 30W Lennard which we called Big Boy”.

After being fired from his telephone job for dyeing his hair green and singing at work, he decided to pursue music full time. He left the Wollongong band Earl's Court in 1970 and recorded singles on the Du Monde and Banner labels, with "Can’t Wait For September" becoming his biggest hit. In 1972, he took on the role of Judas in the first Australian EMI recording of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and also lent his voice to the Nuclear soundtrack. By 1974, he had moved to England, where he continued acting in plays, musicals, and films before returning to Australia at the end of 1977.

Alongside his music career, Erle became one of the world’s most respected martial arts instructors, publishing 25 books in the UK and USA and producing numerous videos that sold worldwide. He started training at age 11 in karate and judo at local police Boys' Clubs in Australia, though his early specialty was wrestling, which eventually led him to a stint as a professional wrestler. Erle later served as head of the World Taiji Boxing Association (WTBA), with schools in over 30 countries.

He met his first Taijiquan teacher, Mr. Wong Eog, in 1967 while taking a telephone maintenance course, and from then on became an expert in the art. In 1982, he began teaching Taiji in Sydney, became Chief of Therapeutic Movement at the NSW College of Natural Therapies, and opened his own Taiji school there in 1983. In his spare time, Erle contributed a column to the renowned British martial arts magazine Fighting Arts International and wrote for the Australasian Fighting Arts Magazine, one of the longest-running quality martial arts publications.

Later in life, he led the Moontagu Band, a family group featuring Ben Montaigue on piano and keyboards, Eli Montaigue on drums and percussion, Kathleen Montaigue on vocals and percussion, and Erle Montaigue on vocals and guitar. Erle also wrote the band’s songs. In 2000, Ben earned honors at the Lismore Conservatorium of Music. Eli was selected from hundreds to perform at the Australian Federation Festival and studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Kathleen has been learning piano and singing since she was just six years old. Erle died in 2011 from an apparent heart attack.

SINGLES 
''Can't Wait For September (#25) / Let Me Be Yours Until Tomorrow'' [with Pyramid] 1970 du Monde 
''Send Susanna Home / Teach Me How To Fly'' 1971 Banner 
''Candy / Pasadena'' 1972 Banner 
''We Were Life / Daylight'' 1981 EMI Custom Records 

References

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/