Bourbon Street made their live debut on February 20, 1987, at the Top Pub in Byron Bay, NSW, now called the Beach Hotel. The four-piece rock group was formed from two dissolved Northern Rivers bands, The Blest and Rockola. The members were: Colin Germano (aka: Col Meredith) on guitar and lead vocals, Horace Bevan on guitar, Simon Dundon (aka: Simon de Avalon) on bass, and Lenny Reilly on drums.
Bourbon Street’s popularity blossomed early in their local area, and the band quickly became a regular fixture on the Northern Rivers live circuit. Their reputation soon generated interest in Sydney and by the end of their first year, the band’s geographical horizons had expanded. Sydney proved to be a rewarding stomping ground for Bourbon Street. As the crowds swelled, so did the demand for original material. In late '87, the band released a single titled "Eyes The Size Of Stars" on the Sundown label. The Germano-penned single slowly crept the local charts in early '88 and peaked at # 9 on the Lismore-based 2LM radio station.
Their debut LP followed in late 1988. 'Stronger Than Dirt', featured six original songs and five covers. The first song on side-one was a cover of Neil Young's "Powder Finger", which became the band's traditional opener for live shows. A Brisbane-based group largely influenced by Bourbon Street, chose the song’s title as their band's namesake. 'Stronger Than Dirt' although independently released, eventually became a cult classic. It was re-pressed four times and still remains a collector's item.
In August of '90, they recorded a live show in Nimbin, parts of which were released late that year as 'Live By Night', the band's first all-original album. This was followed up with extensive tours of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In July of ’91, the band toured parts of the US, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and Las Vegas. It was in Hollywood that Bourbon Street were courted by Capital Records. After capturing the hearts of Capital's, A & R department during several live shows in the area, the group was on the verge of signing a lucrative contract with the recording giant when negotiations broke down with the band's management. The group returned to Australia later that year with broken dreams and a large debt.
Early '92 saw the band touring hard as usual, paying off monies owed from the US tour. They headlined an outdoor festival in Nimbin called The Rage of Aquarius. The festival featured guitar legend Kevin Borich, who joined Bourbon Street on stage that night. He later joined the band on various tours throughout the coming months. On a road trip to Sydney, the band was asked to play with the Eagle's Joe Walsh and Doobie Brothers’ Skunk Baxter for a live performance at the Dee Why Venue for the "Long Live the Leadbreak" competition. The national morning show Good Morning Australia filmed the event. After a brief rehearsal with the two guitar legends, the six-piece played to a packed house and were featured on national television the next morning.
Later that year, Bourbon Street relocated in Sydney's Bondi Beach, playing their usual haunts while breaking in material for what would become their third album. 'Time Flies' released in late '92 and spawned a hit single in the title track. A video accompanied the release and the band found new life on the road again. Footage for another video, the intended second single, "When You're Broke", recorded with Kevin Borich, was filmed but never released.
When the excitement for 'Time Flies' died down in mid-’93 and record sales levelled off, the band decided to call it quits. Their last gig was the already-booked Chincogan Supercharge on September 11th of that year. The band headlined a bill that included Things of Stone and Wood, Phil Emmanuel and a host of touring acts. A crowd of more than 3000 attended Bourbon Street's last official appearance, which extended well into the wee hours. It was the police who finally ended the marathon performance by escorting the band offstage as the dawn was breaking.
It would be three years before Bourbon Street were lured back to performing live, as a series of reunion tours ensued around ’96. These continued uneventfully until 2004 when the band began work on a fourth album. With the assistance and encouragement of Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug, Bourbon Street recorded what was to be their finest piece of work. 'Banned for Life', The band continues to play live shows to this day and prefer to do select gigs a few times a year at their favourite venues.
Members
References
https://www.facebook.com/pg/bourbon.street.theband/about/?ref=page_internal
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