HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN MUSIC FROM 1960 UNTIL 2000: THE SAME DAY TWINS

Tuesday 10 September 2013

THE SAME DAY TWINS

Perth brother and sister duo, John and Shirley Read (who were not twins) began their career in the music business in 1967. The Same Day Twins won the 'Festival of Perth Talent Quest' and they performed around Perth with such acts as The Shadows and Billy Thorpe and appeared on Club 17, the local teenage TV Show. In 1968 they toured South Vietnam with the first West Australian Concert Party, sponsored by Channel 9 and AFOF (Australian Forces Overseas Fund). Upon their return, they moved to Sydney where they became Robert Stigwood’s only Australian-based act. They appeared on Bandstand, The John Laws Show, The Gordon Chater Show, This Day Tonight, The Bob Rogers Show, The Brisbane Tonight Show, The Dick McCann Show, Celebrity Blind Date, The Easybeats Special, and were regulars on Rex Mossop’s Club Show.

The duo also supported many local and international touring acts including Billy Preston, Matt Munro, Winifred Atwell. They recorded their debut single for Festival Records "Walking And Talking / A Little Bit Afraid" (FK-2511) produced by the late Pat Aulton in 1968. This single was also released in NZ. Various PR blurbs claim this as a national top ten hit, but the reality was rather more low-key: the single entered the Perth charts in October 1968 and peaked at # 24 but did nothing nationally. In 1969 they released their followup ''Call My Brother Back / Living Is Not Easy'' which failed to chart. In 1970 John Read returned to Perth whilst Shirley toured with acts including Normie Rowe, Johnny O’Keefe and Freddy Hampton, with whom she formed Trik, releasing two singles. In 1973 Shirley moved to Melbourne and joined Brian Cadd and the Bootleg Family, for their national tour.

During this time Shirley also appeared on recordings by Billy Thorpe, Colleen Hewitt, Kevin Borich and Ross Wilson. In 1975 she toured nationally with The Renee Geyer Band. Her next projects were with her then husband, Russell Smith, in a revival of 70’s cult band Company Caine and with reggae outfit Billy T, producing the album 'No Definitions' on CBS and co-writing the single ''Gotta Keep On Dancin''. In 1998 Shirley’s career took a turn when she was elected Secretary of the Musician’s Union, Sydney Branch, NSW District, a position she held for four years. She is credited with rebuilding the Union, which was about to close its doors. In 2002 she decided to return to her first love, performing and returned once more to the Perth Blues Club and recorded her first solo CD.