Bryan Davies - 1965 - Bryan Davies REPOST

Dream Girl/ I'm Gonna Make You Cry/I Don't Like To Be Alone/Skinny Minnie




Bryan Davies (born in 1945) is an Australian singer from Sydney, who came to the attention of Australian rock fans in 1959. His clean-cut good looks and comparatively mellow rock style made him ideal for the TV pop shows of the era, such as Sing! Sing! Sing! and particularly Bandstand, on which Bryan became a regular. Bryan has had songs written for him by acclaimed songwriter, Jay Justin, who wrote songs for many other artists, including Little Pattie, Reg Lindsay and Slim Whitman.

Bryan's first television appearance was on teen music show, Teen Time on September 27, 1960 and he was then in his second last year of High School at Canterbury Boys' High School. He allegedly showed his appreciation of his backing band by bowing to them rather than to the audience after his performance. In spite of his singing career he successfully achieved his Leaving Certificate in 1961 when he was signed by the HMV label. Bryan released his first hit song, a cover version of Mark Wynter's "Dream Girl". Three more Top 40 contenders followed over the next twelve months. His version of "Dream Girl" outperformed the Wynter version on the Australian charts.

 Some of Bryan's others hits were "Five Foot Two", "I Don't Want To Be Alone", "Love and Money" and "Ten Pin Bowling".

After having featured on pop shows all over Australia, Bryan scored his own teen music TV series on ABC Television. At age 17, Bryan Davies became the youngest person in the world to host his own television show. The Bryan Davies Show (1962–1963) included regular guests, Neil Williams, Judy Cannon and the Don Burrows Sextet. Resident girl singer in the series was Coral Kelly who later went on to become Coral Drouyn, a well known scriptwriter. As an indication of his success was his purchase of a bright red Jaguar which featured in the opening titles of the program.

At the beginning of 1964 Bryan with The Delltones, Dig Richards, Justin and others including his then girlfriend Jacki Weaver performed in the youth oriented stage production produced and written by Bill Watson at the Palace Theatre in Sydney. The show surrounded the antics of Gadget, played by Weaver. It was a play on the then popular Sandra Dee Gidget films.

However Beatlemania was then the name of the game and the entire music industry world wide was in confusion as to the future of the industry. The emphasis had switched overnight from single performers (including Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard) to singing as distinct from instrumental, male groups, preferably British and London and even Liverpool the home of The Beatles, suddenly became the popular music capital of the world.

In 1963, Bryan had met Norrie Paramour, a top British composer, producer and conductor who produced Cliff Richard and the Shadows' recordings, during a visit to Sydney with actor/singer, Helen Shapiro famous for one hit "Walkin' Back to Happiness". Paramour was impressed with Bryan’s work and encouraged him to go to England which he did in February 1964. In May that year he began recording for Paramour

 Bryan achieved only moderate success in the UK and returned to Australia in October 1964 to re-kindle his already established recording career. He shocked his Australian fans after his first Bandstand appearance after his return. His hair was long and this was still a novelty for males in 1964 Australia and his dress, very Carnaby Street! One of Bryan's notable singles over this period was "I Need You", released in November 1965. However, it wasn’t until June 1967 that he re-entered the Australian charts with "Alberta", which became his last hit recording.

In the absence of further chart successes, Bryan has continued his singing career to this day, working mainly in the Sydney music scene.

During his career, Bryan diversified into acting and hosting roles for television shows. He was a cast member for two years on Australia's first major comedy satire program, The Mavis Bramston Show (1964–1968), and featured in the 7 Network's Anything Goes (1968). Bryan has had guest starring roles in other productions. He appeared in a Matlock Police episode, 'What's In It For Me' in 1973. In 1981 Bryan became the presenter of the short-lived Candid Camera -style game show, Catch Us If You Can.

More recently, Bryan has been involved in The Johnny O’Keefe Memorial Show, performing alongside other legends from the JOK era including Alan Dale, Vicki Forrest, Barry Stanton, Johnny Devlin and Adam. He is currently performing with Roland Storm and Lucky Starr in the "Golden Boys of Aussie Rock 'n' Roll" show.

Thanks to Brian for supplying me with the labels.

The Kravats - 1965 - We The Kravats FLAC

Big Ben/Can't Blame Me/Why Hide/Besame Mucho



Hobart's Spook Club and Beachcombers, Melbourne's Pinnochio's, Perth's Cannon Bridge Stomp! All Felt the impact of The Kravats.
Tasmania's premier rock export of the 1960's, The Kravats gegan in 1958, their first gig being guests on the Lee Gordon Big Show at the City Hall in Hobart supporting artists like Llord Price , Conway Twitty, The Kalin Twins, Col Joye and The Joy Boysand The Delltones and Johnny OKeefe and the DJ's and Johnny Devlin and Dig Richards.
The Personal for this first appearance were Noel Best, Ray Woodruff, Norm Walker, Max Johns and Clem Meehan (filling in for the injured Richard Millhouse who was suffering from a broken arm).

In 1963 the Spook Club began as a regular Saturday night entertainment venue in Hobart at what is now known as the Winjammer.
The Kravats became the resident band and in June 1964 received a recording contract with W&G Records in Melbourne. Paying their own expenses to undertake this venture, the first session in 1964 led to the release of the single Puppet Strings (written by Noel) b/w Bel Mir Bist Du Schoen wich sold well in Hobart reaching #2 on the local charts. The follow up single Fred b/w Jindivik both sides being written by Noel, was also recorded at this session.

3UZ Disc jockey John Vertigan (ex 7HO Hobart), a close acquaintance of the group, actively campaigned W&G's Ron Tudor for the audition session which led to the recording contract. By the middle of 1964, Beatlemania was alive and well in Tasmania and the band realised the need for a vocalist to progress to this Merseybeat-style as compared to the Shadows-style wich had been their trademark.

Barry Woodruff a younger brother of Ray was added to the band. A Friday night residencey at the popular Beachcomber at the San Carlo Hall in North Hobart and a second recording session in Melbourne followed. This recording session produced the Tasmanian #1 hit "Baby Let Me Take You Home", the top 10 follow up "It Must Be Jelly (Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That) and the EP We The Kravats which also made the singles charts.

 "Baby Let Me Take You Home" (originally released by the Animals) reached #1 in Hobart on the 5th of August 1965 ahead of the Beatles "Help" and Brendan Bowyer's "Hucklebuck".
Former Hobart D.J. Keith McGowan had moved to Perth and as a result of his efforts "Baby Let Me Take You Home" entered the top ten in Western Australia which resulted in tour to Perth which commenced in August of 1965. The visit was originally scheduled for 1 week but the Kravats were so well recieved that another week was agreed to.

The return of the band from this tour coincided with their release of "It Must Be Jelly (Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That) which reached #7 in Hobart and #2 in Launceston on the 20th November 1965.

Things were going from strenght to strenght and because of their strong popularity base in Tasmania coupled with family commitments the band made a conscious decision not to base itself on the mainland but to do short spells.

As 1965 drew to a close the EP We The Kravats became their 5th release and entered the Hobart singles charts immediatley. the standout track being "Why Hide"  written by Barry who was becoming something of a prolific writer. On this track Barry ovedubbed the harmonies himself. In 1965 this was ground breaking stuff indeed.

Just prior to their departure for W.A. Max Johns left the bamd and was replaced on drums by John McAbe from local band the Silhouettes. The third and final session with W&G followed this time with "Macka" on drums and resulted in the release of the singles "We're Gonna Howl Tonight" (1966) and "That's What I Want" (1967). The days of hitmaking were over though and these singles sank without a trace.

With legaslative changes allowing entry into hotels of 18 year olds tennage dances disappeared and a new era of cabaret entertainment commenced with the Kravats becoming the resident band at the Carlyle Hotel in Hobart. This trend continued with the move to the cabaret scene and the band worked with such artists as Kamal, John Farnham, Ross D. Wylie and the legedary Johnny O'Keefe. The Kravats continued the professional aproach to their work and this culminated in an invitation in November 1969 to provide entertainment on the P&O liner Himalaya.

Although guest appearances in mainland venues continued periodically it was the cabaret scene in Hobart that the Kravats returned, providing entertaiment for a further two decades.

Mike Furber - 1966 - Just A Poor Boy FLAC

Just A Poor Boy/Mailman Bring Me No More Blues/You're Back Again/Love Talk


Just A Poor Boy by Paul Wade,Robbie van Delft and Neville Peard The writers are three members of The Bowery Boys released in 1965 it charted #25 Melbourne #21 Brisbane #5 Adelaide #42 Perth. A single on Sunshine label, also released on Kommotion. Its main chart action was in early 1966, but it appears to have been released at the end of 1965.The Bowery Boys were formed in Brisbane in 1965. Lead singer Mike Furber was given top billing after they were signed to Ivan Dayman's Sunshine label and management. After the band broke up in 1966, Mike Furber pursued an under-appreciated solo career, but in the early 70s he appeared to good notices in the gospel rock musical Godspell.   Lyn Nuttall

Mike Furber - 1967 - It's Too Late FLAC

It's Too Late/I'm So Glad/If You Need Me/Take This Hammer


Mike Furber was born on 28 September 1948 in London, England. His father was Ed Furber and Furber was raised with a sister Marian. When he was 10, his family emigrated to Brisbane, Australia. In mid-1965 Furber as lead vocalist joined local pop band The Bowery Boys which consisted of Robbie van Delft on lead guitar and vocals, Neville Peard on drums, Paul Wade on bass guitar and vocals, and Greg Walker on rhythm guitar. The group signed with Sunshine Records and were managed by label boss Ivan Dayman. Dayman promoted the group as Mike Furber and the Bowery Boys.

In late 1965 their debut single, "Just a Poor Boy", was released and in early 1966 it became a top 5 hit in Adelaide and top 30 in both Melbourne and Sydney. The song was written by Wade, van Delft and Peard. In February 1966, their second single, "You Stole My Love", was released – it is a cover version of The Mockingbird's 1965 song and was written by Graham Gouldman. Furber's version was a top 10 hit in Melbourne and peaked at No. 12 in Adelaide. The Kommotion label released the group's debut album, Just a Poor Boy. In July, a third single, "That's When Happiness Began" was issued but the group disbanded in August.

Dayman was keen to promote Furber as a solo artist and organised appearances on local television shows: The Go!! Show and Kommotion. Furber released three solo singles in 1967, "Where Were You?" (January), "I'm So Glad" (August) and "Bring Your Love Back Home" (October) but none of them charted. National teen pop music newspaper, Go-Set, praised "Bring Your Love Back Home" as "the best disc he has ever had. It could be the break he has been waiting for to put him right back on top". Furber was one of a number of popular artists who wrote in Go-Set against Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, "you can't find an excuse for forcing a man to give up his chosen career to go into the army and fight a war in what would be one of the most dubious conflicts of all times". In Go-Set's Pop Poll, Furber was voted in the top 5 as most popular Male Vocalist in both 1966 and 1967. Furber's label, Sunshine collapsed in 1967 and Furber had a nervous breakdown at about that time.In 1969, Furber signed with Columbia Records and released "There's No Love Left" in June. This was followed in November by "I'm on Fire" / "Watch Me Burn", which were both written by Vanda & Young (ex-The Easybeats) as a two-part pop suite. According to Iain McIntyre's Tommorrow Is Today (2006) "'I'm on Fire' is scintillating pop track underscored by a ripping lead fuzz guitar line and a solid rhythm section" however "'Watch Me Burn' is even wilder, with TWIN lead guitars (one fuzz and one wah-wah) wailing away beneath Furber's excellent vocal performance". Nevertheless neither of the singles charted and Furber was dropped by Columbia.

 In June 1970 Furber toured Australia with The Sect, and Doug Parkinson in Focus as support acts to United States group The Four Tops. In the early 1970s he was conscripted for National Service in the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. At the time of his service Furber had been involved in stage musicals: Godspell and Nuclear (1973). He was fired from Nuclear.

According to music historian Ian McFarlane, he was "never a strong-willed person to begin with, Furber continued to suffer bouts of depression". Furber committed suicide on 10 May 1973; he was found hanged in the garage of his Sydney home. According to McFarlane, "reputedly in the depths of depression, he hanged himself ... It has been suggested, however, that Furber was actually murdered because he had befriended a King's Cross prostitute".

Simple Image - 1969 - Four Hits From The Simple Image

Michael & The Slipper Tree/Ulla/Spinning Spinning Spinning/Grooviest Girl In The World



The original line-up of the Simple Image is as listed above, but Allan Gordon didn't stay very long and he was replaced by Gordon Wylie on drums. Barry, Harry and Gordon were all employees of Todd Motors in Wellington when they first started playing together. Harry had been around the music scene for a while, originally starting out in a group called the Young Ones, which after Harry left, went on to eventually become Larry's Rebels. Ron Gascoigne had originally played with South Island band, the Termites, before joining the Insect for six months. He left them at the end of 1966 to join the Simple Image. The Insect eventually evolved into the Fourmyula. Original drummer Allan also came from a South Island band called the Vaqueros.

Much of Simple Image's initial repertoire was strictly middle-of-the-road, and able to cross the age barrier, they soon proved popular on the wedding reception trail, while at the same time appearing in the Pantomime, Dick Whittington. After accepting an offer as ship's band, they then spent a month touring the islands aboard Arcadia before their road to fame began when booking agent Tom McDonald added the group to his booking agent roster. With him they began to get plum gigs. National support tours with Maria Dallas and Gerry Merito followed and in 1968 they signed a five year recording contract with HMV.

Their first single was "Two Kinds Of Lovers"/"Summer Wine", and released with little fanfare, it spent four weeks in the national charts in March 1968, peaking at number 11. It was their second single which really established Simple Image outside their hometown. Producer Howard Gable used a phasing technique in the mix and it gave the song a very distinctive sound. "Spinning Spinning Spinning"/"Shy Boy" climbed to number one on the charts and spent two weeks in that position in July 1968. "Spinning" was entered into the 1968 Loxene Gold Disc Awards and narrowly missed winning the top spot.

 The follow-up single showed they weren't a one-hit wonder, as "Little Bell That Cried"/"I Wanna Go To Heaven" also made the top 10, peaking at number 9. A self-titled album was also released and sold very well. It had some very striking artwork on its cover. Another single was released from the album, called "Hold Me Tight"/"Tomorrow Is Another Day" it didn't feature on the charts. The group adopted a very 'mod' image, with their stage uniform always consisting of navy blue capes with pink lining, floral shirts, bell-bottomed trousers and Cuban-heel boots. Moving into 1969 they released another huge single. This was "Grooviest Girl In The World"/"Make Time Stand Still" and it made it to number 3 on the charts. Bruce Walker, formerly from a group called Soul Sect, was added to the line-up on organ. The next single was "Ulla"/"Tomorrow Today", but it didn't make the charts.

Barry Leef left the group in June 1969 and had a short spell in a group called Retaliation, before he headed to Australia. He joined up with fellow Kiwis, Jack Stradwick, Mike Wilson and Mike Darby to form Straw Patch. They had a minor hit with a song called "Send Me No More Flowers". Barry's replacement in the Simple Image was Doug Smith and with him they chose to do a cover of a song by the Equals called "Michael and the Slipper Tree". Backed with "Mean So Much", the single was another top 10 hit, reaching number 7 in September. It was the last time the group featured on the charts. The Simple Image won the "Group Award" at the 1969 NEBOA Entertainer Of The Year Awards. Also in 1969 the group released an EP called "Four Hits From The Simple Image" and it contained "Michael and the Slipper Tree", "Ulla", "Spinning Spinning Spinning" and "Grooviest Girl In The World".

 At the end of 1969 they decided to make an assault on the Australian market. They accepted a residency at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, a prestigious venue that they inherited from the now defunct Avengers. They had only been there a few weeks when Barry Leef rejoined them in place of Doug, but despite their popularity, they were unable to find a single to break them into the Australian charts. Over the next two years they went through a number of dramatic musical changes to meet the demands of the Whiskey clientele. They also found a liking to some artificial stimulants and as a result, Harry Leki's behaviour became quite bizarre and this eventually led to the group's demise in late 1971. Before disbanding, one final single called "Goodbye Birds"/"Send Me No More Letters" was released in 1971.

 Harry Leki returned to New Zealand and joined Arkastra. He also had a very short spell with Quincy Conserve. Barry Leef joined West Australian band Bakery as lead singer. He also formed the Barry Leef Band, which included Billy Williams, Steve Hopes, Mick Kenny, and Tim Partridge. They released one single in 1976 called "To Be Back Home"/"What Do You Wanna Do". Over the next twelve years he released four more solo singles, and was also a member of a jazz group called Crossfire in the eighties. Erana Clarke became a member of that group and by the end of the eighties her and Barry had married.

In 2001 EMI released a CD called "Spinning Spinning Spinning - The Complete Simple Image" which, using the cover from their original album, contains the entire album, plus every single they did and two previously unreleased songs.

Julie Anthony - 1978 - Something Special FLAC

My Day/Lady Bug/Everything Old Is New Again/Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Promotional release available only from the Max Factor counter at MYER stores.

 Julie Moncrieff Anthony, 23 August 1951, Galga, South Australia. Anthony was born in Galga (population 15) and raised on the family farm. In her teens she began singing with a local band and in 1970 won an amateur television talent quest. Her victory and the first prize ($600 and a trip to Tasmania) led to regular appearances on the Adelaide Tonight Show. She moved to Sydney, making television appearances and performing on the club and cabaret circuit, and eventually embarking on international tours. An engagement at the Hong Kong Hilton in 1973 was followed by the lead role in the Australian production of Irene. Three years later she starred in the UK version at the Adelphi Theatre. The Play and Players of London honoured her with the Best Newcomer (Actress) award for 1976. She returned to Australian television and appeared in three national specials, and in the same year she married her manager Eddie Natt. In 1977 she won the Sammy and Penquin awards for Best Television Variety Performer. Tours of America followed and Anthony worked with Bill Cosby, Roy Clarke and Merv Griffin. In 1980 she was awarded an OBE for services to the entertainment industry. Three years later she accepted the role of Maria in The Sound Of Music; following a season in Sydney, the show successfully toured major and regional centres.

For the 1988 World Expo held in Brisbane, Anthony was invited to sing with the re-formed Seekers, joining the group as lead singer from 1988-89. In 1988 she sang the national anthem at the official opening of Australia’s new Parliament House. The same year she returned to the stage in I Do!, I Do! In 1990, she was awarded AM in the Order of Australia for services to the entertainment industry. In 1994, Anthony further demonstrated her versatility by teaming with jazz musician Don Burrows (reeds/flute) for tours, including a successful appearance at the Jazz and Blues Festival at the Gold Coast International Hotel in 1995. A year later she returned to cabaret with a season at the Tilbury Hotel in Sydney. In her extensive repertoire she demonstrated great conviction, whether singing ‘Amazing Grace’ or material ranging from Stephen Sondheim to the Beatles. In June 1996 she accepted a cameo role as a band singer in the Bruce Beresford film Paradise Road, starring Glenn Close and Jean Simmons. Julie Anthony is one of the best and most durable theatre and variety performers in the post-war Australian entertainment industry. She has won the prestigious Mo Award for Entertainer Of The Year three times, and Best Female Variety Performer nine times. An admirable singer and engaging personality, she has successfully blended her career and family duties.