THE BITTER LEMONS

The band formed around 1965 in Australia's capital city under the name The Orgasms but changed it to the less provocative Bitter Lemons soon after. The group set up a residency in a long and narrow upstairs room in the Monaro Mall in Civic Centre, Canberra, which by day served as the Mal Strahan Studio for ballroom dancing and on Friday nights was transformed into The Lemon Tree, which rapidly became the most popular teenage haunt in Canberra. Each week, between 300 and 400 youngsters aged 15 to 20 turned out to dance to the insistent beat of The Bitter Lemons’ rhythm and blues sound.

This venue will be well-known to Canberrans and others under its name in the '70s and '80s, the Boot & Flogger. The group were evidently well-regarded and popular on the local scene, and they recorded one independently released single, "Canberra Blues / One More Chance", during 1965. Their band came to an abrupt halt in late 1965 after the untimely and tragic death of bassist Graeme Harding -- he died after accidentally falling from a ferry during a party cruise on Lake Burley Griffin and drowned, and the group evidently broke up soon after. Vocalist Paul Lyneham later joined commercial television, working for Channel Seven as a foreign correspondent including reporting on the Falklands War. After returning to Australia Lyneham worked on Sydney radio station 2BL. He also reported for the 7.30 Report before joining Channel Nine and 60 Minutes. Other members of note included guitarist Dave Kain who went on to join Melbourne band Company Caine in the early 70s, and Rex Bullen, who joined renowned W.A. prog-rock band Bakery. Rex Bullen died in 1983. Lyneham died in 2000 of lung cancer. Dave Kain died in 2023.

Members

Paul Lyneham (vocals), Nicky Arndt (guitar), Martin Berry (guitar, trumpet), Rex Bullen (guitar, trumpet), Dave Kain (guitar), Graeme Harding (bass), Tony Hayes (bass), Steve Senz (drums)

SINGLES
''Canberra Blues / One More Chance'' 1965 EMI




References

http://www.milesago.com/artists/bitter.htm