Col Joye - 1967 - Gone Rockin

This Little Boy's Gone Rockin'/Stagger Lee/Pretty Girls Everywhere/Sixteen Candles



 Colin Frederick Jacobsen AM (born 13 April 1936 in Sydney), better known by his stage name Col Joye, is an Australian pioneer rock musician, popular entertainer and entrepreneur, (he has also recorded various other cross-over styles such as country music). Joye was the first Australian rock and roll singer to have a number one record Australia-wide and experienced a string of chart successes in the early Australian rock and roll scene.

Recording as a solo artist and with his backing band, The Joy Boys, which included his brothers Kevin and Keith, Joye enjoyed a string of hits on the local and national singles charts of Australia beginning in 1959. Joye's first single, "Stagger Lee" was a cover of the Lloyd Price US original. However, his third single "Bye Bye Baby" reached No.3 on the Australian Kent Music Report charts in 1959, followed by "Rockin Rollin Clementine" also peaking at No.3. His fifth single, "Oh Yeah Uh Huh", became his most successful, peaking at No.1. He also had other charting singles, including "Yes Sir That's My Baby" peaking at No.5 nationally. Joye was an original member of Brian Henderson's Bandstand television program, and appeared regularly on this show for fourteen years. Joye also toured Australia with fellow Bandstand acts, including Judy Stone, Sandy Scott, and Little Pattie. Joye's popularity leveled off with the changes to the music scene around the time of the rise of the British invasion, and especially The Beatles, and it was not until 1973 that he had another hit record, with "Heaven Is My Woman's Love" reaching No.1 on the Go-Set charts in 1973.

The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band - 1974 - Matchbox Madness FLAC

Wangaratta Wahine/My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes/Hernando's Hideaway


 The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band was an Australian band, active throughout the 1970s. It was based in Melbourne and centred on singer and multi-instrumentalist Mic Conway ("Captain Matchbox") and his brother Jim Conway, who is widely regarded as one of Australia's finest exponents of the blues harmonica.

Inspired by early jazz recordings and the jug band music they heard on reel-to-reel tapes as teenagers, they formed a band which grew within a couple of years from an underground art school band to a national icon, with film and television appearances and regular appearances in the charts. Their debut LP Smoke Dreams (1972) was released in the USA in the DynaQuad quadraphonic format. Their second LP Wangaratta Wahine featured a cover illustration by noted Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig.

The brothers continued the group through many lineup changes until a tragic truck crash while on tour in 1979 which ruined the band financially and emotionally, and after paying off their debts they disbanded.

 Mic Conway continues to record and perform regularly, both as a solo artist and with his National Junk Band. Jim Conway has also worked on many musical projects and remains a sought-after soloist, although in recent years his health (but not his playing) has been significantly affected by the onset of multiple sclerosis. He now uses a wheelchair and has formed his dream band Jim Conway's Big Wheel.

The band reformed in 1996 for the Port Fairy Folk Festival, and again in 2010 under the name "Captain Matchbox Re-Ignited" for the Woodford Folk Festival, with shows at Bluesfest and Sydney and Melbourne. Members: Mic Conway, Jim Conway, Jeremy Cook, Don Hopkins, Phil Donnison, Cazzbo Johns, Jess Green and George Washingmachine. In October 2010, Smoke Dreams (1973) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.

Thanks to sunshine 

MP3

Barry Crocker & Dave Clark - Whole Lotta Shakin' Volume 2

Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen/I'm Gonna Walk And Talk With The Lord/Lonesome Road/Mean Woman Blues


 Crocker and Clark were quite popular in Melbourne on the club and cabaret circuit in the late Fifties early Sixties. The duo appeared regularly on Melbourne TV shows such as In Melbourne Tonight and The Late show which after their first appearance were given a contract to appear as regulars. They also appeared on two Tivoli shows which was quite prestigious at the time one was the Tommy Steele Show. Around this time the boys were offered a great chance to travel to America but Dave had made up his mind to go solo so that was that the end of the duo.

Barry Crocker of course went on to a very successful singing career here in Australia  along with T.V. shows movies and stage.  Thanks to Geoff G. for both EP's.

Barry Crocker & Dave Clark - Whole Lotta Shakin' Vol.1

Venus/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On/It's Only Make Believe/Waltzing Matilda

Whirlywirld - 1978 - Whirlywirld

Window to the World/Moto/Signals

RE POST


 Whirlywirld was an Australian post punk band led by Ollie Olsen in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the first of his musical collaborations with drummer John Murphy. They played in Melbourne and Sydney and were supporters of the Melbourne little band scene.

In 1976, as a guitarist, Ollie Olsen formed one of the first punk crews in Melbourne, The Reals, who on occasion shared the bill at suburban dance halls with The Boys Next Door. The Reals would eventually evolved into The Negatives, but before that Olsen had become dissatisfied with their exclusively savage, guitar-based attack and left. Olsen went on to form The Young Charlatans. The Young Charlatans could be described as a seminal supergroup, consisting of Olsen, guitarist Rowland Howard (later of The Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party), drummer Jeffrey Wegener (Laughing Clowns) and bassist Janine Hall (later of The Saints). But if the volatile Charlatans were an extraordinary outfit - closer, earlier, to art-punk than almost anybody - their greater potential went unfulfilled. After a very brief, stormy existence, the band inevitably imploded. By then Ollie had met John Murphy. Murphy at the time was the drummer for another early Melbourne punk band, NEWS.

The pair forming Whirlwirld in 1978 with their stated priority, from the outset, to go electronic, determined as they were to take flight from the sonic limitations of the conventional, guitar-based rock format. Whirlywirld was completed by two keyboardists, who got credited with 'electronics', Andrew Duffield and Simon Smith (Olsen, by this point, had abandoned guitar in favour of 'electronics') together with guitarist Dean Richards. Whirlywirld refused to play live but they did rehearse religiously.

In June 1979 the band released a self-titled debut EP. Whirlywirld made their live debut at The Crystal Ballroom later that year, by which time Duffield left to join The Models and had been replaced by Philip Jackson.

Whirlywirld would go on to play only fourteen performances in their entire career. Gradually, the personal within the band changed, in accordance with a change in direction, Richards, Jackson and Smith departed. Richards went on to front a couple of cult combos, Equal Local and Hot Half Hour. Arnie Hanna came in on guitar and Greg Sun on bass. During this period Murphy played an array of percussion devices, natural, electronic or otherwise and Olsen even played saxophone as well as keyboards. This incarnation of the band recorded a number of tracks at York St. Studios in December, 1979. Four of these tracks came out on a 12" EP, again titled Whirlywirld in February 1980.

After the band split, Olsen and Murphy went on to form firstly The Beast Apparel, and then Hugo Klang, which performed a handful of gigs in England, and recorded a single, "Beat Up On The Old Shack", released in Australia on Prince Melon Records. Olsen and Murphy then went on to form Orchestra of Skin and Bone, before their musical partnership ended with Olsen going to form NO in the late 1980s.

Hanna and Murphy later played with Olsen and Michael Hutchence in the band Max Q. A version of one of Whirlywirld's songs, "Win/Lose", was re-recorded by Olsen in 1986 for inclusion in the film Dogs In Space. Hutchence sang the early Whirlywirld song, "Rooms for the Memory" on the soundtrack, being a hit on the mainstream Australian charts as a single in 1987. The remixed version of "Win/Lose" was also released as a single by Olsen.

Members
Andrew Duffield - synthesiser (1978–1979)
Arne Hanna - guitar (1979–1980)
Philip Jackson - synthesiser (1978–1979)
John Murphy - drums (1978–1980)
Ian 'Ollie' Olsen - vocals, synthesiser, saxophone (1978–1980)
Dean Richards - guitar (1978–1979)
Simon Smith - synthesiser (1978–1979)
Greg Sun - bass guitar (1979–1980)

Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs - On Stage FLAC

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah/I'm A Hog For You Baby/Jenny Jenny/What'd I Say

RE POST


 Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-1960s. The group enjoyed success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early 1970s to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period. Thorpe died from a heart attack in Sydney on 28 February 2007.

On Stage was the third EP released by Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs in April 1965 on Parlophone.

Ja Ar - 1967 - Please Help Me I'm Falling

Please Help Me I'm Falling/Girl Girl Girl/The End/You Still Love Him




John Rowles was born on 26th March 1947 in Whakatane and raised in Kawerau in the Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand. His parents were Eddie and Phyllis Rowles. Eddie played on the wing and three-quarter for the Maori All Black's in 1938, and was also a talented singer. John had five sisters, Georgina, Carol, Gabrielle, Cheryl and Tania, and two brothers, Edward and Wally. Edward unfortunately died when John was two, and out of respect for him, John adopted his name as his middle name throughout his career. Wally had a small singing career himself, originally going under the name Frankie Price, before changing to  Frankie Rowles.

John's musical background is quite extensive with his first performance being at the age of 10, when he entered a local talent quest and sang "All Shook Up", taking out first prize. Whilst still at school he organised a group called the Shadows, named after the original group, and John played lead guitar. His father managed the group and they played at local dances at weekends. He was encouraged by his father and he even bought him his first electric guitar.

In 1962, when he was 15, John left school and got a job in a forestry camp. However, music was of prime importance in John's life and when he was sixteen he moved to Auckland where he acquired a job as a guitar player in a club. When the vocalist there became ill, John took over the vocal duties as well. While in Auckland he had a short spell with Sonny Day and the Sundowners, and it was while with them that he met Eddie Low.

 John and Eddie moved to Australia in 1963 after signing a nine month contract to sing at the Riverside Inn in Melbourne. After that contract expired, John moved to Sydney and joined a group called the Dingdongers. John stayed with them for about a year and during his time with them, the group changed their name to the Sundowners.

By 1966, still in Australia, John had decided to go solo and secured the services of New Zealand promoter Graham Dent as his manager. Graham had previously been responsible for the successful career of Johnny Devlin and had also managed Max Merritt and the Meteors for a while. Graham gave John a new image, changed his hair style, new mod clothes and impressed upon him the importance of putting effort and action into his music and performances. Dent organised to have John appear on Australian television's "New Faces Of 1966". At this stage Dent had him performing under the name "The Secret", and he was so popular that there were huge numbers of offers for work. Dent kept him away from the promoters and press until after he had made an appearance on "Bandstand". He then launched John to the Australian music world as JA-AR and promoters were scrambling to sign him up.

John's first single as a soloist was released in 1966 on both the Sunshine and Kommotion labels in Australia as JA-AR and was called "The End (Of The Rainbow)"/"You Still Love Him". This was followed early in 1967 with "Please Help Me I'm Falling"/"Girl Girl Girl" just on the Sunshine label. Owing to his television exposure, both singles did quite well. I have found that these two singles are amongst the hardest to find these days.

In 1967, John went to England where he met up with producer Mike Leander. Mike was impressed with John and together they started planning John's attack on the British market. England already had Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, but with careful selection of songs, Mike was convinced that John could have the same level of impact. The first release in England came early in 1968 and was "If I Only Had Time"/"Now Is The Hour". This was a huge hit, reaching number 3 on the British charts, number 6 in Australia and number 2 in New Zealand. A self titled album containing the hit was also released.

The follow-up single, not from the album, later in 1968 was almost as popular as the first. "Hush Not A Word To Mary"/"The Night We Called It A Day" reached 12 on the British charts, 11 in Australia and number 9 in New Zealand. At the end of the year John returned to New Zealand and received a huge reception. He performed at sell-out concerts and had suddenly become New Zealand's largest international star. In 1968 John was awarded the NEBOA "Entertainer Of The Year". He returned to England and early in 1969, his second album "That Lovin' Feeling" was released.

There were no singles released from this album, but very close behind it in 1969 came another album, which was originally released as "The Exciting John Rowles" and used the same cover as his first two albums, with wording differences, as well as a new cover, but the entire album was re-released in late 1969 as "Cheryl Moana Marie". The only difference between the two albums, other than the covers, is the song "My Girl Maria" on the first, is replaced by "Cheryl Moana Marie" on the second.   

These albums were by far his best selling and from them came a number of successful singles. The first was "The Pain Goes On Forever"/"All My Love's Laughter" in 1969, and although it didn't chart in England, it was a number 4 hit in New Zealand. The next single was "M'Lady"/"Say Goodbye" and again this did well in New Zealand, reaching the top of the charts. This was followed by "One Day"/"I Must Have Been Out Of My Mind" and "It Takes A Fool Like Me"/"When You Walk Away".

John went on sell-out tours that included places like Italy, Germany and Spain. Also in 1969 John was invited to represent New Zealand in the Rio De Janeiro Song Festival. He wrote a song especially for the event and it was called "Cheryl Moana Marie", named after one of his sisters. There were 42 countries represented at the festival and John's song was voted in at number 5.

When released as a single, "Cheryl Moana Marie"/"I Was A Boy" again reached the number one position on the New Zealand charts, number 20 in Australia and was his first charted record in the USA, where it reached number 64. What was unusual was that it never charted in England. "Cheryl Moana Marie" has sold millions of copies over the years and is John's best selling single of all time. Another album was released called "John Rowles Sings Time For Love", but this was soon repackaged as "John Rowles Sings Cheryl Moana Marie" as the song began to sell all over the world.     
                                                                                                                                 
Although his singles and albums continued to be released in Britain, John only ever charted there with his first two singles. He never again graced their charts and found that his future was now in the USA. He started singing in the hotels all over the USA and appearing on television. He was likened to Elvis Presley and had no problem getting offers in any Las Vegas hotel. He also spent a lot of time performing in Hawaii and over the years, he based himself there, and was presented with Hawaii's highest entertainment award.

In 1971 came the release of "Saying Goodbyes" In 1972, still at the young age of 25, John signed a 5 year contract with the Royal Hawaiian Hotel to sing in their Monarch Room. This is the famous hotel in Waikiki also known as the Pink Palace. Hawaii was the perfect place for John to base himself, as it was halfway between New Zealand and the US mainland, both of which he traveled to frequently. During this period he didn't record very much new material and over the next few years there were a number of compilation albums released. In 1972 came "If I Only Had Time" and in 1973 the double album called "John Rowles Gold".     

In 1974 John was back in New Zealand and performed a most memorable concert which I had the pleasure of seeing. This concert was preserved on the album "Live Back Home".In 1976 came another compilation called "Rowled Gold", and it wasn't until 1978 that any real new material appeared. Another sister provided the inspiration for John to write a new single. Called "Tania", it was another massive hit around the world, reaching number one in New Zealand, and number 39 in Australia in 1978. An album of new material was released to take advantage of the success of the single and it was called "This Is My Life".     

1980 was a good year for John. He sang at a Royal Command Performance before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke Of Edinburgh in Auckland, and was also awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his contribution to the music industry and also as an ambassador, the promotion of New Zealand overseas. An album called "Rhythm Of The City" was also released that year. The album "Another Chapter" was released in 1982 and it contained an excellent version of "Island In The Sun", which had reached number 4 on the New Zealand charts in November 1981. At the same time there was another compilation released called "Gold". 1984 saw the release of "The Very Best Of John Rowles" and an album called "In The Portrait Of My Mind".    

  The albums kept coming over the next couple of years, with the release of "Pearls", "Love Songs", "Now and Then" and a compilation that was shared with Engelbert Humperdinck, whose name was miss-spelt on the cover. In 1988 came "In My Wildest Dreams" and then in 1990, John went to Auckland to perform a one-off concert at the Aotea Centre. It was a special night and there was a guest performance by his sister Tania, with whom he did a duet, and also featured a song written by John and a friend Dalvanius for his older sister Gabrielle, who had passed away. The night was captured on the CD "John Rowles Live In Concert". Tania Rowles had previously recorded a single herself in 1986 called "Don't Turn Around".      

In 1991 he released the album "From A Distance", which was recorded in Sydney and produced by Mike Harvey. It is an inspirational album and has been a big seller in Australia. The next album was "Soul and Affection" and this came out in 1992. "Giver and Taker Of Love" is another fine album released in 1998. The millennium year saw the release of a collection consisting of 6 volumes, known as "Voice Of A Legend - The Millennium Collection". The set contains over 100 songs.

Crescents - 1960 - Hit for Six

Mr Blue/You Broke My Heart/How Important Can It Be/The Hand Of God/Everlovin'/When You Wish Upon A Star


The Crescents were a vocal harmony group which formed in Sydney, Australia in late 1958 under the name The 4 Tops (not associated with American quartet, the Four Tops). The Crescents were best known for their Top 10 hit "Mr. Blue" and for their tours with Lee Gordon's "Big Shows" supporting Johnnie Ray, Fabian, and Ricky Nelson.

Dennis O'Keefe, Kel Palace, Mike Downes, and Col Loughnan formed The 4 Tops, however a few months later O'Keefe left, and the remaining trio changed their name to The Crescents. Johnny O'Keefe became their manager, and promoted his young vocalists with live performances, appearances on his television program, "Six O'Clock Rock", in print media, and by signing them to Leedon Records. O'Keefe used his connection with Gordon to secure inclusion in the Big Shows. This move paid dividends when the audiences showed strong appreciation, in particular teenage girls.

The Crescents released seven singles, and two EPs, with "Mr. Blue" reaching the Top 10 in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, their only hit record. In 1962, Downes left the group, followed later the same year by Loughnan, who joined the Delltones. Shortly thereafter, the group disbanded.

Crescents - 1966 - Rock Time

Down By The Riverside/Why Do Fools Fall In Love/Sorry ( I Ran All The Way Home)/ Dreaming



Mike Downes, Col Loughnan, and Dennis O'Keefe attended Marist Brothers College, Randwick, where Downes and Loughnan sang in the school choir. They were joined by Kel Palace, who lived near O'Keefe, to form a vocal quartet, The 4 Tops. It should be noted that American vocal quartet, the Four Tops, were unknown in Australia at the time, and gained international recognition in 1964 with "Baby I Need Your Loving". The 4 Tops were regular performers, in late 1958, at the Leichhardt Police Boys Club dances, run by Johnny O'Keefe (no relation to Dennis O'Keefe).

In a matter of months, Dennis O'Keefe left the group to sign up for the Air Force, and the remaining trio changed their name to The Crescents. Johnny O'Keefe (widely known as J.O.K.) generously gave help, and advice to the young vocalists, as he had done for so many other young artists. He became their manager. Loughnan recalled that "he was very big on grooming, looking good and moving well. He taught us a lot. [He was] a great guy, ... [but he] would accept nothing less than professionalism from those he worked with." O'Keefe invited The Crescents to the "sheer terror" of performing live on television for the first time on his program "Six O'Clock Rock" on 7 March 1959. The group's first foray was a success, and lead to more television appearances.

 

 In popular music in the 50s, each performer had a specific task, and was expected to carry out only that task. The featured singer often didn't play an instrument, backing instrumentalists were not permitted to sing, and vocal harmony groups did just vocals, backing a big-name singer or on their own. Artists who attempted to cross over often faced a reprimand from their manager. As singers, The Crescents didn't play instruments, but specialised in vocal harmony, with Loughnan as lead singer, Palace singing tenor, and Downes as the baritone. For some of their performances, they provided harmonies for O'Keefe or performed on their own, with O'Keefe's backing band, The Dee Jays present in both cases.

The Crescents practised and worked on their arrangements at Palace's parents' house, with Loughnan on the piano. The group was influenced by The Diamonds, Danny & the Juniors, The Ames Brothers, and The Mills Brothers among others. Several more appearances on "Six O'Clock Rock", and more live performances created a fan base which promoter Lee Gordon couldn't ignore, signing The Crescents to his Leedon recording label. 

A feature of the Australian entertainment scene of this era was the "Big Shows" promoted by Gordon over many years. Each Big Show was a touring party with a North American headline act or acts, and local supporting artists. The Crescents were drafted into a Big Show in August 1959 featuring American singer Johnnie Ray who was often referred to as "Mr. Emotions". Supporting Ray were The Horrie Dargie Quintet, Johnny Rebb and The Rebels, O'Keefe, Shirley Simmons, The Crescents, and the Lee Sisters on a six day tour of Australian state capitals. Melbourne newspaper, The Age concluded that "O'Keefe almost stole the show", and "of the other supporting artists, The Crescents vocal group were the most popular" in a review of a concert at "The Stadium" (now known as Festival Hall).

The tour was so lucrative for the young singers that they gave notice to quit their jobs. This was a pivotal decision for Loughnan because he never worked outside the music industry again. 

The Crescents were invited to support Fabian in October 1959 at the Sydney Stadium Big Shows along with O'Keefe, Col Joye, Lonnie Lee, and Johnny Devlin among others. The stadium featured a revolving stage, which turned full circle in about three or four minutes. According to Johnstone, Fabian's biggest asset wasn't his singing ability, but his handsome appearance. Also, The Crescents were reported to be popular with the teenage girls, and all of the Australian support acts attracted positive responses from the audience.

Leedon released "Everlovin'"/"You Broke My Heart" in October 1959, the trio's first single. The B-side, "You Broke My Heart", was co-written by Loughnan and O'Keefe, and the record received radio airplay without making the charts. This exposure on radio reinforced The Crescents presence on television, in newspapers and magazines, and through live performances. In an interview with TV Week, Palace stated "we have been on 'Six O'Clock Rock' about six or seven times, TCN-9's 'Bandstand' once and ATN-7's 'Teen Time' twice".

The group recorded a cover of the Fleetwoods' hit, "Mr. Blue", written by Dewayne Blackwell, and backed with "How Important Can It Be". Released in December 1959, it became a Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 2 in Brisbane, No. 4 in Melbourne, and No. 8 in Sydney by January 1960, but it was their only chart success. With a hit record, The Crescents became the main competition for the Delltones, but it was quite amiable. The lead singer of the Delltones, Noel Widerberg, said "it was friendly rivalry. We'd get together and jam and sing together at parties".

"When You Wish upon a Star" backed with "The Hand of God" became the group's third single when it was released in April 1960. However, it didn't replicate the success of Mr. Blue, failing to reach the charts. 

 In November 1960, Loughnan (not the driver), Heffernan, Barry Stanton, and Ray Hoff were rounding a bend on a Victorian road, and a tyre blew out. The car rolled down an embankment, but they were able to walk off into the dark with only cuts, and bruises. Loughnan claimed: "I remember having nightmares for years after that. I just hated it."

Leedon released Rock Time, an EP covering other artists' songs: "Sorry (I ran all the way Home)", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", previously a hit for Frankie Lymon, "Down by the Riverside" (anonymous), and "Dreaming", written by Loughnan and Palace. Following a poll of Sydney viewers of Six O'Clock Rock rating the most popular artists of 1960, The Crescents placed a respectable fifth behind the top solo singers of the day. During 1960, many musicians and singers attended parties at Tom Hart's home, including O'Keefe, Lee, the Delltones, The Crescents, Judy Cannon, Rob EG, and many others.Activities included partying, and standing around the piano singing. This piano also was employed by The Crescents for practising their songs.

The Crescents released "One More Kiss" backed with "Picture of Love" in November 1960 on Lee Gordon Records, followed by "The Stars Will Remember" backed with "Love Love Love" in January 1961, which had been a hit for The Clovers. They chose a religious theme for their sixth single, "The Way of the Cross" backed with "The Story of the Cross" (June 1961). The B-side was narrated by Chris Christensen, with backing vocals from The Crescents. Leedon released the groups second EP, "The Crescents Hit it for Six" which was a compilation of previously released songs. The cover showed the group wearing baseball uniforms, and with baseball bats slung over their shoulders, despite the term "Hit it for Six" being derived from the game of cricket. 

Performing harmony vocals requires almost constant singing practise, and Downes became weary of it. About July 1961, he decided to leave The Crescents, and was replaced by Alan Roberts. The new line-up entered the studio to record "Get a Job"/"Silhouettes", both songs that had been in their live sets for quite some time. However, this was a low period for the trio. In a 1989 interview with Damian Johnstone, Loughnan stated that "morale was down. It wasn't as good or even the same once Mike (Downes) had left". Even so, they continued to work for another year, until events beyond their control changed everything. Their friend, Noel Widerberg, lead singer of the Delltones, died in a car crash at Brighton-Le-Sands, a suburb of Sydney, in July 1962.

A short time later, another friend from the Delltones, Warren Lucas advocated that Loughnan should be offered the opportunity to become the Delltones lead vocalist. Loughnan later recalled that the change occurred without any animosity. After a short time, the remaining members of the Crescents, Palace and Roberts, decided to disband the group.

Tony Worsley - 1965 - Velvet Waters

Velvet Waters/Rock A Billy/Missing You/All Over You


Tony was born Anthony Asheen Worsley in England in 1944 and emigrated with his family from his hometown of Hastings to the sunnier climes of Brisbane when he was 15. Tony had already set his sights on a show biz career. As a lad he won several amateur talent quests in England including one judged by Lonnie Donegan and Tommy Steele, which carried first prize of a Decca recording contract. Needless to say, his parents' decision to leave for Australia right at this point didn't go down too well with the ambitious young singer -- "I didn't get on with my parents too much on the ship for the first few weeks!" -- but he was determined to fulfill that dream in his adopted country. By day he worked as an apprentice rigger in the Brisbane dockyards, but at night he patrolled the dance halls, waiting for his chance to get up on stage. 

Tony quickly developed into a consummate performer, gigging around Brisbane's dance circuit with a variety of pick-up bands. His outrageously long collar-length hair, wild stage presence and repertoire of Merseybeat tunes (copped from imported records sent by his friends in England) which earned him his early nickname "Brisbane's Beatle". As early as 1961, Tony had come to the attention of Ivan Dayman, a pop entrepreneur, and a budding 'svengali' figure in the mould of Lee Gordon. Dayman -- who would soon also steer Normie Rowe and Mike Furber to national success -- was on the lookout for a suitable backing band for his young discovery and he believed he had found it when he made a new addition to the Sunshine roster, the popular Melbourne dance band The Blue Jays. Dayman's offer of AU£35 per week to sing with The Blue Jays was simply too good for the young singer to refuse. It was a huge salary for the times -- ten times what Tony was being paid as a sailmaker -- and as late as 1966, even the members of The Small Faces, then one of Britain's top bands, were being paid just UK£20 per week each! The teaming of Tony with this tight, professional outfit in early 1964 proved to be an inspired choice. 

 Dayman teamed The Blue Jays with Tony Worsley at the start of 1964, and with their name enhanced by the suitably glamorous prefix Fabulous the group immediately set about creating a dynamic stage show, centred on Tony's gritty tenor voice, good looks and dynamic showmanship. Tony's 'take-no-prisoners' attitude was backed up by one of the tightest and most competent bands in the country and the Blue Jays trademark 'fat' sound blended sax and guitar in a potent lead instrumental assault, giving them a powerful attack comparable to earlier rock'n'roll groups like Johnny O'Keefe's Dee Jays. From his recently acquired Brisbane HQ at the legendary Cloudland Ballroom (a landmark Queensland venue, sadly demolished in the 1980s) Dayman promoted the group in package extravaganzas up and down the coast, including appearances at his popular "Bowl" venues, and they soon earned a reputation for upstaging the main acts.

There were more lineup changes during 1964 as the Beat Boom hotted up and the band's frantic touring schedule took its toll, but by the end of the year the Blue Jays had settled into the first 'classic' lineup, each of whom earned their own nickname: Ray 'Screamy' Eames (lead guitar), Mal 'Beaky' Clarke (rhythm guitar), Paul 'Bingo' Shannon (sax and keyboards), and Royce 'Baby' Nicholls (bass), completed by the return of founding Blue Jays drummer Bobby 'Spider' Johnson. In mid-1964 Dayman took over the Saturday night lease on Melbourne's largest indoor venue, Festival Hall, renaming it "Mersey City". On 2 May 1964 he opened with Tony and the Fabulous Blue Jays. Over 4500 teenagers attended: "That was 500 more than saw the Beatles" according to Tony. Dayman also used them to open several other Queensland venues as his Sunshine empire exapnded to Bundaberg, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Inala and Surfers Paradise. 

In late 1964, Dayman formed the Sunshine record label (distributed by Festival) with partners Nat Kipner and Apt Aulton. The first single, released in October, was an original instrumental by The Blue Jays called "Jay Walker". The next (November) was the debut single by Tony Worsley & The Fabulous Blue Jays, and it was a killer combination: the A-side was a scorching version of "Sure Know A Lot About Love", backed by a terrific acoustic-driven original, "Me You Gotta Teach", composed by what soon developed into the bands resident writing partnership of Beaky Clarke and Baby Nicholls. 

 

 1965 was without doubt the peak of their meteoric career. February saw the release of the second Tony Worsley & The Blue Jays single and perhaps their best recording, a raucous, syncopated cover of Rosco Gordon's "Just A Little Bit", which broke through onto the national airwaves in early '65 and became a significant hit, charting particularly well in Melbourne and Brisbane. Tony and the Blue Jays had picked up on the song from a version by English band The Undertakers, but coincidentally it was also recorded at that time by The Animals (under the title "Don't Want Much"). The Animals' version was recorded during the sessions for their second LP Animal Tracks but it didn't make the funal cut and remained unreleased until The Complete Animals 2CD set was issued in 1990. It has to be said that The Animals' version sounds distinctly anaemic compared to the red-hot Worsley/Blue Jays version. Lobby Loyde's Purple Hearts covered it later a year or so later, but even their version pales by comarison.  (Bio Continued in post below)

Tony Worsley - 1966 - Raining In My Heart

Raining In My Heart/Knocking On Wood/Ready Steady Let's Go/Tell Me Why



Unfortunately, around this time Pat Aulton and guitarist Ray Eames had a major disagreement in the studio, and Eames was unceremoniously ousted from the group and replaced by Jimmy Cerezo, from The Pleazers. Jimmy fitted in well and also brought his own writing skills to the group, contributing the ska-flavoured "I Dream Of You" to the flip-side to their next single, a cover of Chuck Berry's "Talkin' 'Bout You" (April '65). Over the course of 1965 Tony and the Blue Jays reputedly sold over 70,000 records, climaxing in their biggest and best-remembered hit, a dreamy cover of the Australian pop ballad, "Velvet Waters".

 The song had first been recorded in the early Sixties as an instrumental by Perth band The Megatrons; this was followed by Bruce Gillespie's vocal version which featured lyrics penned by renowned Australian songwriter Dorothy Dodd, although neither of these versions had any success at the time. Near the end of a recording session in mid-1965, producer Nat Kipner asked the band if they had any other tracks they could record; Cerezo, who had learned the song from Gillepsie, suggested "Velvet Waters"; after a quick run-through, they cut the track in a matter of minutes.  

 Tony and the Blue Jays' version was released in September 1965 and it quickly shot into the national Top 5. The fact that one of the "softest" of their recordings became their biggest hit for our hard-rocking heroes was an irony that wasn't lost on the group, as Tony recalled in an interview with the late Dean Mittelhauser for the Born Loser fanzine:

"We were going leave the studios in Sydney, at Festival at Pyrmont and we'd just recorded an album ... oh, about twenty songs, and we thought, 'Oh, we're gonna go home now'. And Jimmy Cerezo, the guitarist said 'What about this?' And we did it in about ten minutes and of course the rest is history. You could spend, like, days on a song -- now they tend to spend years -- but in those days we spent days on a song and it went nowhere, and you'd do something in ten minutes and it just catches the public ear, y'know? It just took off; we were really thrilled about that! I remember getting back from a tour and hearing that it was number one somewhere, and I couldn't believe it. Our stage act was full of really wild tracks, both covers and originals, and I could never understand why our ballad records went so well."

 With a major hit coming almost out of nowhere, Sunshine hoped they'd hit on a winning formula, so they immediately followed it up with another finely-arranged ballad, "Missing You", but this only managed to get into the lower reaches of the some charts, with its best placing being #28 in Sydney. But The Blue Jays continued to draw a healthy following, particularly among young female admirers, and Tony and pals developed a certain notoriety for their off-stage antics as well. (The old chestnut, "lock up your daughters!" should suffice as an explanation!) and the records kept coming, including a second LP, My Time of Day. This included a cover of the song "How Can It Be", originally recorded by UK band The Birds, and the Worsley-Blue Jay is considered by many to be superior to the original.

During 1965, the group won prestigious support slots with The Seekers, Johnny O'Keefe and Johnny Farham, as well as supporting the 1965 Australian tour by Britain's Dave Clark Five. Probably the most notorious show from this period was the now-legendary 4BC Sound Spectacular concert in Brisbane in December 1965. The first half of the show, featuring MPD Ltd, went smoothly enough, but when Tony and The Blue Jays hit the stage things had started to get out of hand, and by the time headliners The Easybeats came on a full-scale riot had broken out, with kids breaking down barriers, repeatedly storming the stage and smashing chairs and equipment. 

Police stopped the Easys after only 17 minutes and halted the show. In the melee that followed, the Easybeats only barely escaped the frantic fans, who stopped their 'getaway' car and stomped all over it, puncturing the roof and bonnet with their heels and doing hundreds of pounds' worth of damage. Tony himself nominates the January '65 tour with The Kinks, Manfred Mann, The Honeycombs and Tony Sheveton as the highlight of the band's career -- even though he copped some flak from the irascible Manfred Mann, who was apparently rather jealous of the frenzied fan reaction Tony & the Blue Jays were generating, both on and off stage.

(Bio continued in post below)

Tony Worsley - 1966 - Something's Got A Hold On Me

Something's Got A Hold Of Me/Something/My Friend/With You By My Side


 The group continued performing into 1966 with their popularity unabated, and for their first single of the year they got back to business in a big way with a barnstorming cover of Etta James' "Something's Got A Hold On Me". (80s indie icons The Reels' also covered this song in tribute to Tony & The Blue Jays' effort.) Regrettably, this was to be the last single billed to Tony and The Blue Jays. Just as he did with Mike Furber and The Bowery Boys, Ivan Dayman was intent on promoting the singer at the expense of the group. He pushed the Blue Jays further and further into the background and it wasn't long before the 'original' Blue Jays split, although this was also partly due to family pressures on some of the members:

"Bobby Johnson and Ray Eames left ... they were married and when Beatlemania spread to Australia, of course we'd be gettin' publicity with girls in your rooms and all that -- their wives called 'em home so they left the band."

The significant factor in the split was Tony's spiralling drug and alcohol intake and his increasing unreliability. Fellow performer (and future Uptight host) Ross D. Wylie recalled the hazards of touring with Tony at this time:

"Anything he could swill, swallow or smoke. Poke for that matter. Out of control was Woozle. I’m designated Bus Driver due for the five hours drive to the next up-country gig. 9am start we’re delayed. Worsley’s’ wrecked the toilet again, the tour manager’s’ arguing with the publican about if only gold plating will replace it. Worsley he’s got a hot slab and his usual back row seat. We’re driving. Woozle starts up wanting to use his nozzle. Pit stop Tony must be shy, starts thrashing his way out of sight up through this banana plantation. Next thing, this brumbie horse charges out pursued by Tony. 'Must be a mare' says Marcie (Jones & The Cookies). Antics like that, catch up with you. That’s unreliability."

Over the next few months, Tony's brief solo career continued as Sunshine released a string of solo singles -- a lovely version of Buddy Holly's "Raining In My Heart" (May '66), followed by "No Worries" / "Humpy Dumpy" (Jan. '67); his final single, released in October 1967 and with backing by The Escorts, featured Lionel Bart's "Do You Mind" backed by the soulful Penn-Oldham number "Reaching Out".

Late in 1966 Tony put together a "New" Blue Jays, which included such future OzRock luminaries as Vince Maloney (ex-Aztec and future Bee Gee), John A. Bird (Country Radio) and Phil Manning (Chain). In December, they played at a huge Dayman-promoted event, 'The Johnny Young Show', at Brisbane Festival Hall, sharing the bill with virtually the entire Sunshine roster -- Johnny Young, Ronnie Burns, Peter Doyle, Mike Furber, Ross D. Wylie, Thursday's Children, Graham Chpaman, Greg Anderson, The Escorts, Marcie & The Cookies, The Pleazers, and Julien Jones & The Breed. Tony managed to steal the show with his version of James Brown's famous fainting routine. in which he pretended to collapse and have to be led off-stage, only to only to be doused with water, revive and return for encore after encore.

Unfortunately, The Johnny Young Show show effectively became the wake for the the ailing Sunshine empire -- by the end of 1966 the company was in serious financial trouble, its resources severely strained by Normie Rowe's attempt to break into the English pop scene, and its reputation compromised by Dayman's allegedly dubious financial practices. In early 1967 Dayman was forced to close his shortlived Kommotion label and soon after Sunshine was taken over by its major creditor, Festival Records.

Tony himself was exhausted and close to burn-out point -- he was using speed heavily (which he spoke about quite openly, even then) his weight had dropped by almost half, and he had gained a reputation for unreliability.

  Dayman put Tony on the oft-derided tent show circuit -- where Johnny O'Keefe was plying his trade at the same time -- performing all over northern Australia including Brisbane, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Camooweal, Longreach, Mt Isa, Winton, and even Darwin. While touring in Adelaide in late 1966, Tony cut a cover of Jagger and Richards "So Much In Love", which featured Terry Britten of The Twilights providing the distinctive 12-string Rickenbacker riff, but this remained unrelased at the time. One of Tony's last major public appearances was at the 1967 Sydney Royal Easter Show, performing in a Sunshine Records package show with Mike Furber.
Not long after, Tony dropped out of performing for a couple of years. He resurfaced in 1969 when he joined Brisbane's Hands Down, a band which aimed for a Small Faces sound, and rivalled teen-pop outfit, The (Brisbane) Avengers for popularity. After Tony left in 1969, the group changed its name to Burke & Wills. Tony completed a short solo tour in Germany which was well-received by punters, but failed to make any significant inroads in Europe. He also visited the US in the early Seventies but was somewhat dispirited by having to tackle it alone and quickly returned to home turf.

 Tony spent most of the '70s getting his life and health back in order, working variously as a water ski instructor, a waiter, and occasionally performing on the club circuit before he took up an enviable existence singing at major resorts in the South Pacific, Hawaii, and America. Heading down to Sydney, he put together a new band called Tony Worsley & The Decades in the late '80s, and he has recorded sporadically over the years, releasing three singles on the Enrec imprint in the early 90s. Plans were afoot for a fresh spate of recording in 2000, this time in the currently in-vogue Latin style.

Tony has lost none of the magic or charisma he exhibited in his youth; he has performed regularly in club shows whenever he was not busy as "mine host" and number one entertainer at his own in Caloundra (Sunshine Coast) restaurant called -- of course -- "Velvet Waters", and decked out, appropriately, with rock memorabilia. Tony continued to run the restaurant very successfully until late 2007, when it was purchased by another company. Tony was also one of the many  luminaries who attended George Crotty's now-legendary Sixties Reunion Party in Sydney in 2001.

Drummond - 1973 - Drummond

Daddy Cool/For You Blue/You Talk Too Much/ Singin' The Blues


Drummond was one of the most prominent one-hit wonders of the 1970s in Australia. This fictitious studio band was created by Ron Tudor, owner of Melbourne-based indendent label Fable Records. The main musicians who recorded the first two Drummond singles were Graeham Goble, Russ Johnson and John Mower, the members of Alison Gros, the trio which was renamed Mississippi in 1972 (and which evolved into Little River Band in 1975).

Drummond's first single, released in June 1970, was "For You Blue" / "The Grasshopper". The A-side is a cover of the George Harrison track from the Let It Bealbum. This debut single evidently sank without trace, but their second single became one of the surprise hits of 1971. In a shameless cash-in on the massive success of Daddy Cool, Drummond recorded a novelty 'chipmunk' version of the Slay-Crewe standard "Daddy Cool" -- which DC themselves had recorded for their hugely successful debut album. Remarkably, the Drummond version of "Daddy Cool" became a massive national hit, rocketing up the charts and knocking Daddy Cool's "Eagle Rock" off the top spot. It was at #1 for eight weeks on the Go-Set national chart and spent a staggering total of 34 weeks on the Top 40 in the second half of 1971 and into early 1972, becoming one of the biggest selling Australian singles of the year. It is now rated #87 in the list of the 100 longest-charting #1 singles on the Australian Top 40.


Fable subsequently released three more singles under the Drummond pseudonym, but none of these were successful and it is understood that the Goble, Johnson and Mower were not involved in these recordings.

Town Criers - 1970 - Love Me Again

Love Me Again/Hey Girl/Any Old Time/Rene



 Popular Melbourne band The Town Criers formed around 1965. Their first single, a cover of The Kinks' "The World Keeps Going Round", was released on the Melbourne independent label Trend but didn't make any impression on the local charts. The B-side, a great 'garage-punk' number called "Big Deal", was included on the bootleg Oz '60s compilation CD It's A Kave-In, which also features another Criers rarity from this period, a version of the blues standard "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut".

 The Criers gigged consistently around Melbourne over the next two years, and in late 1967 they were signed to the Astor label by A&R manager Ron Tudor. Their second single, released in February 1968 and nominally produced by Geoffrey Edelsten, was a strong version of "Everlasting Love", the much-covered hit originally recorded by American singer Robert Knight in 1967 and also released in 1968 in the UK by The Love Affair. The song was penned by pop songwriters Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, who also wrote "Hayride" and "La La" (both hits for The Flying Circus) and "Groupie" (covered by The New Dream). It was an immediate success and became a big hit in Melbourne, reaching #2 and also charted in Sydney (#16) and Adelaide (#33) in April-May 1968, and this success proplelled it into thethe Go-Set Top 20; it peaked at #18 and consistently out-charted the Love Affair version. The song has been covered many times since then, including a 1990s version by U2.

 George Kurtiss left the band in May 1968 and was replaced by John Taylor (ex Strings Unlimited). Their second Astor single, "Unexpectedly" / "It's Hurting Badly" was released in September, but failed to chart. Astor also compiled the two Town Criers singles for an EP, Everlasting Love, released during 1968.

During the latter half of 1968 the Town Criers travelled to South East Asia where they entertained Australian and American troops stationed in Vietnam. This was followed by a trip to the USA, where they appeared on the Bob Hope Christmas Special. In early 1969 founding vocalist Andy Agtoft and John Taylor both left the group. Agtoft was replaced by singer Barry Smith from Adelaide; this raised the band's profile in Adelaide, but it may also have led some fans to think that the band itself was from Adelaide. It's also possible there was some confusion with The London Criers, a well-known late-60s Adelaide show band. Taylor subsequently joined the Sydney band Daisy Clover, who released two singles on Festival.

Now a four-piece, The Town Criers signed with Festival and released three more singles over the next year, "Any Old Time" / "Rene" (March 1969), "Love Me Again" / "Hey Girl" (Oct. 1969) and  "Living In A World Of Love" / "Roundabout" (May 1970), which just missed out on the Top 40. The next single "Love Me Again" (Oct. 1969) managed to get into the lower end of the Melbourne Top 40 (#35). In October 1970 the group moved to EMI's HMV label, for whom they recorded their last two singles.  "Laughing Man" / "Living In A Dream World" was issued in May 1971 and  "Love, Love, Love" / "Chorus Girl" came out in November, but neither release made any impression on the charts and the group had split up by the end of 1971. 

In the late 1970s Andy Agtoft joined Scandinavian band Soames Electric, singing with them and writing English lyrics for their songs. After he left that group he joined another Scandinavian band, Churchill, before returning to Australia. Andy and Barry Smith have collaborated on a history of The Town Criers called Everlasting Pop, published by Chris Spencer's Moonlight Publications.

Dig Richards - 1960 - Ain't She Sweet

Ain't She Sweet/Sweet Sue, Just You/What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For/Love Is Just Around The Corner



Digby George Richards (1940-1983), singer and composer, was born on 12 September 1940 at Dunedoo, New South Wales, elder child of New South Wales-born parents Gordon Forrest Richards, policeman, and his wife Mona, née Dennis. Dig attended Narooma Central and Moruya High schools. After completing the Leaving certificate in 1957 he worked at Waltons-Sears Ltd in Sydney.

His family and American rock’n’roll music were major influences on Dig. His brother Doug learned melody lines on their father’s guitar and started writing songs. Dig abandoned his retail traineeship for music, after becoming the vocalist for the band ‘The R-Jays’, which sought a recording contract. Ken Taylor of Festival Records auditioned the band in 1959 and, largely on the strength of Doug’s song I Wanna Love You, signed them. They became the third local artists, following Johnny O’Keefe and Col Joye, to gain a contract with Festival Records. The song entered radio 2UE’s Top 40 on 25 July 1959, and spent seventeen weeks on the charts, reaching number eight. Between his first hit and May 1960, Dig recorded more songs with ‘The R-Jays’, three of which—I’m Through, (Real Gone) Annie Laurie and Comin’ Down with Love—entered the charts, but did not have the success of their first record.

A handsome man with a good stage personality, Dig Richards was a popular performer who supported American singers including Ricky Nelson and Crash Craddock. Television shows such as ‘Bandstand’, from 1958, and O’Keefe’s ‘Six O’Clock Rock’, from 1959, extended his audience and popularity beyond dances and live performances. From August 1959 ‘The R-Jays’ were the studio band for ‘Teen Time’ on Channel 7.

Richards’ career was threatened as a result of injuries he sustained in a car accident in October 1959. A couple of years later he and ‘The R-Jays’ parted amicably and he began to write his own material. While he kept his early fans, he wanted to broaden his appeal. He took voice and guitar lessons and developed a new image. A comeback single in 1962, Raincoat in the River, defined his change from rock’n’roller to a slightly folky, country singer. On 10 July 1964 at the Church of St John the Baptist, Milsons Point, he married with Anglican rites Susan (Suzanne) Margaret Clark, a telephonist. That year he hosted the ‘Ampol Stamp Quiz’, a television show for children. Often performing in clubs, he sought new markets in South-East Asia, touring there—including Vietnam—in the late 1960s. 

  In 1970 Dig went to England he returned to Australia in 1971 and, as Digby Richards, continued performing and recording with a mainly country style. That year his next album, Harlequin, appeared on RCA. It provided four singles, "A Little Piece of Peace" (June 1971) No. 28, "Just Loving You" (September), "People Call Me Country" (February 1972) No. 24, and "Dirty River" (May). In 1973
he travelled to Los Angeles where he recorded his next album, Digby Richards (February 1974). Four singles were issued from the album, "If I Could Write a Love Song" (December 1973), "New York City (Send My Baby Home)" (No. 35, April 1974), "Do the Spunky Monkey" (No. 21, June) and "Be My Day" (September).

 Richards next album, Collection (1975) provided three singles, "Mr Hard Times" (January 1975), "Little Suzuki" (May) and a re-recorded version of "Raincoat in the River" (August). By 1977 Richards had relocated to the UK again.[27] His 1978 album, Whiskey Sundown, appeared in December and from late that year into the next year he toured Europe as the support act for Dolly Parton, including shows in London. His next album, The Thing is ...?, appeared in January 1981 and was followed by If You Could Read My Mind in December the following year. On 17 February 1983 Digby Richards died of pancreatic cancer, aged 42.

Dee Jays - Off Shore and Toy Balloons

Off Shore/What'd I Say/Toy Balloons/One Mint Julep


In September 1956 Johnny O'Keefe and his friend Dave Owen (an American-born tenor sax player) formed Australia's first rock'n'roll band, The Dee Jays. The original lineup of the group was ), Kevin Norton (guitar), Keith Williams (bass) and Johnny "Catfish" Purser (drums). Norton left soon after the band formed and he was replaced by Indonesian-born guitarist Lou Casch. Johnny Greenan joined the Dee Jays on tenor saxophone, replacing John Balkin. This was the band that supported a tour by Little Richard and his band.

Casch was a remarkable figure background and his contribution to O'Keefe's sound, both live and on record, was considerable. He was born in Ambon in 1924, grew up in Aceh and Jakarta, began playing guitar at an early age, and became a dedicated jazz musician. He came to Australia under the Colombo Plan in 1952 to study Medicine at the University of Sydney. He was introduced to O'Keefe by Keith Williams, whom he had known from a jazz trio in which they played. At their first meeting O'Keefe played Casch a selection of rock'n'roll records and asked him to imitate the guitar playing, which he was easily able to do. Impressed, O'Keefe offered him the job and handed him a pile of records, saying "Here, learn these. The dance is on Saturday night."

Their first performance was at Stones Cabaret in the beach side suburb of Coogee, and by early 1957 they were playing four dances a week and also performing on Saturdays in the interval between films at the Embassy Theatre, Manly. O'Keefe and the Dee Jays quickly attracted a strong local following, due in large measure to O'Keefe's magnetic personality and his dynamic stage performances.

Tony Barber - 1966 - Someday

Someday/I Want Her Too/Is It Raining/What Now


Guitarist, singer, songwriter and author Tony Barber is one of the unsing heroes of the Beat Boom in Australia. Rock historian Dean Mittelhauser considered him "one of our most underrated performers from the Sixties" and felt that Tony had "played a bigger part in the success of Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs that has been generally credited".

Tony was one of the many music-crazy young migrants who arrived in Australia in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and he had played in a minor band called The Electrons before leaving the UK. Within weeks of his arrival in Australia in 1964 he met a cocky young singer called Billy Thorpe in Kings Cross and he was immediately drafted in as the fifth member of Billy's backing band, The Aztecs. Tony was already developing into a competent pop writer and he composed both sides of the Aztec's first single "Blue Day" / You don't love me", released on the Linda Lee label in April 1964.

      Left to right Colin Balgent, Tony Barber, Vince Melouney, John Watson, Billy Thorpe seated.

Two days before The Aztecs' next recording session, Tony received a 'care package' from his brother in the UK that contained the Rolling Stones' first EP. Afer hearing The Stones' version of Lieber & Stoller's "Poison Ivy", Tthe Aztecs decided to record the song on their next single. It's now a matter of history that their version (widely regarded as being superior to The Stones') shot to #1, became one of the biggest Australian pop hits of the year, kept The Beatles out of the top spot in the Sydney charts in the very midst of their tour, and made Billy and The Aztecs into national stars. Tony featured on the next three Aztecs singles, "Mashed Potato" "Sick and Tired" and "Over The rainbow" -- all of which were major hits -- but in late 1965 Tony and the rest of The Aztecs quit en masse, mainly because of ongoing financial wrangles with manager John Harrigan.
After leaving The Aztecs, Tony and fellow Aztec Vince Maloney formed the shortlived Vince & Tony's Two, with John Shields on bass and Jimmy Thompson on drums. In late 1965 Tony was signed as a solo artist to the newly formed Everybody's label, which had been established by Clyde Packer's Consolidated Press. Tony's solo debut single (produced by Nat Kipner) was a thumping beat original called "Someday", which it was one of the first (and only) four singles issued on Everybody's. None of these singles -- including Tony's -- was unsuccessful on first release because of resistance from radio DJs who (not unreasonably) regarded the label as blatant cross-promotion for Packer's Everybody's magazine and refused to name it on air.

 The label was hastily rebadged as Spin Records and Tony's single was re-issued in February 1966. This time it took off, becoming a major hit that peaked at #7 in Sydney and #11 in Melbourne. Tony released four more singles on Spin -- "Wait By The Water" (Apr. 1966), "Wondrous Place" (July '66), "Lookin' for a better day" (Jan. 1967) and "Bird's Eye View", which was written for a long-forgotten TV documentary. Tony was also granted the rare privilege of recording an entire LP, entitled Someday ... Now!, on which he was backed by labelmates Steve & The Board and The Bee Gees.

 Although he was signed to Spin as a recording artist, Tony also worked with another independent label during this period, the Melbourne-based Phono Vox. He produced several singles by Phon Vox artists, including Denise Drysdale and The Bentbeaks, and he also wrote the A-side of Denise's single "Sunshine Shadow". In late 1967, after his Spin contract had ended, Tony released one single under his own name on Phono Vox, but this proved to be his swansong as a recording artist. During 1967 Tony married his girlfriend Sue Peck, a staffer with Go-Set magazine, and soon after he left the pop scene to concentrate on business ventures and raising a family. In the 1980s he reunited with his old friend Billy Thorpe in the successful 'Sunshine Friends' soft toy enterprise.

 In 2002, after more than thirty years away from the limelight, Tony reunited with Billy and the original Aztecs for the historic Long Way To The Top concert tours. His experiences inspired him to write a memoir of the tour and his early days as a pop musician, entitled Long Way Til You Drop. Regrettably, there was opposition to the book from some of those involved in the LWTTT tour, fuelled by pre-publication media hype that suggested it would be a tell-all exposé. In the event, Tony's book proved to be an entertaining, witty and affectionate account of an important chapter in Australian rock history.

Tony Barber - 1966 - Wait By The Water

Wait By The Water/What Now/No More Moanin'/You Can't Lie To A Liar


Anthony Arthur Barber, known as Tony Barber (born 3 December 1942, Norwich, Norfolk) is an English-born Australian public speaker and a diverse, innovative creator. Musician, singer, songwriter, author, plush toy designer, gift and craft tool product designer, paper sculptor, artist, teacher and mentor. He arrived in Australia in 1963.

He was a member of the hugely popular Australian band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs in the 1960s and then as a solo artist. As a solo artist his biggest hit was "Someday" (Aust #13/1966). He wrote 35 children's books under the name A. A. Barber and Tony Barber and appeared on the children's television show The Music Shop as Tony the Toymaker.

In 2009, he theorized that if you were to re design the traditional A and H Frame easels to a stage where you removed all the visual and physical impediments and barriers that those easels place in front of an artist, not only would all artists feel better when they painted but their art would actually improve. He then proceeded to prove this theory to be true by inventing a totally new type of easel he called the ARTristic Easel. Artists that use it say it is a revolutionary and indispensable piece of artists equipment and is the most versatile easel in the history of art.

A popular fantasy character he created, named, designed the soft toy of and that appeared in many of his books, was taken and used to name the Australian baby Echidna.

Valentines - 1968 - The Valentines

 I Can Hear The Raindrops/ Why Me/She Said/To Know You Is To Love You


Alongside their Adelaide contemporaries Zoot, Perth pop group The Valentines was, for a brief period, one of the most popular bands in the country. Although they started out a energetic soul/R&B band, their best known image was associated with the so-called "bubblegum pop" phenomenon of 1968-70. But there was a wild side to the band which was evident in their live performances (and their off-stage carousing). These days, of course, they're best known by reference to the fact that one of the singers ended up in a little band called AC/DC -- although the enormous interest in them has resulted in many previously unreleased tracks becoming available in recent years.

The Valentines formed in Perth in mid-1966, bringing together members of three leading local beat groups: Scott and Milson were from The Spektors, Lovegrove, Ward and Cooksey from The Winztons, and Findlay from top WA band Ray Hoff & The Off Beats. Playing a mixture of soul, R&B and mod covers, by the start of 1967 they were already Perth's top group. A major drawcard was the double-vocal attack of dynamic frontmen Bon Scott and Vince Lovegrove, and within a few weeks of their live debut they were packing in crowds at their shows at venues like Canterbury Court and the Swanbourne Surf Livesaving Club (known locally as the Swanbourne Stomp). 

 It wasn't long before their local popularity came to the attention of Martin Clarke, who operated Perth's only record label in the 1960's, Clarion. The Valentines signed to Clarion in March 1967 and released their first single in May. The single was a good indication of where their early influences lay - the A-side was a cover of Arthur Alexander's "Every Day I Have To Cry", and backed by a cover of "I Can't Dance With You", an early track by British mod icons The Small Faces. It was a strong beginning, sellling well locally and peaking at #5 on the Perth charts.

The second single was a Beatlesque Vanda & Young composition, "She Said", released in August '67. It didn't do quite as well but still made the lower reaches of the Perth Top 40. The song came their way because The Valentines had become friends with The Easybeats, whom they supported when they toured Western Australia. Vanda and Young went on to write two more Singles specially for them.

In early 1967 they won the Perth heats of the Hoadleys Battle Of The Sounds, and in July they flew to Melbourne to compete in the national finals, where they came in runners-up to The Groop. In October '67, encouraged by their reception there, they made the inevitable they moved to Australia's pop Mecca and they soon became a popular attraction on the booming local disco circuit.

 The third Clarion single, released in February 1968, was also their first original effort. "I Can Hear The Raindrops" / "Why Me?" were both Lovegrove-Ward compositions. Promoted as a double A-side release, loyal Perth fans boosted the record to number 30 on the local charts, but again it failed to chart in other cities. There was also a lineup change in early '68: original drummer Warrick Findlay quit, and he was briefly replaced by Brian Abbot, but in July '68 the lineup stabilized with Bon, Ted, Wyn, Vince and hot-shot drummer Doug Lavery, whose sterling credentials included stints The Questions, Andy James Asylum, Running Jumping Standing Still and Doug Parkinson In Focus.

Despite press reports in April 1968 that the Valentines would join Ivan Dayman's Sunshine label, this never eventuated. In July they released their fourth and last single for Clarion; the A-side was a faithful cover of The Easybeats' 1967 psychedelic nugget "Peculiar Hole In The Sky". The flip side was a cover of the only single ever released by avant-guarde British outfit Soft Machine, "Love Makes Sweet Music", a track which had been brought to their attention by top Melbourne DJ Stan "The Man" Rofe. Both tracks were produced on Martin Clarke's behalf by the great Pat Aulton (Normie Rowe, Dave Miller Set, Kahvas Jute), and they're both fine recordings, but regrettably the single never made it into the charts. The original Easybeats version was not released in Australia until 1969, much to the chagrin of the band, who had only ever intended it as a demo for The Valentines, and they saw it's released as a cynical attempt to cash in on their reluctant Australian tour. It sank without trace.)

 Their breakthrough finally came in 1969. At the end of 1968 they signed to Ron Tudor's June Productions, who recorded them and then leased the singles to Philips (in the same manner that Albert Productions recorded The Easybeats and then leased the records to EMI). The "bubblegum" craze was by then in full swing and local bands -- or at least their managers and labels -- were enthusiasically embracing the new fad. Bands like Zoot and The New Dream were donning matching coloured outfits, and churning out catchy slices of sugary pop confections like riding high on the teenybopper success of their "Think Pink" campaign, with matching pink outfits, pink guitars etc. Many otherwise repectable bands were lured into the squishy clutches of bubblegum pop -- pioneering country rockers Flying Circus were diverted down this path for some time, scoring two major national bubblegum hits with the American song "Hayride" and Doug Rowe's delightfully vacuous "La La". Even the redoubtable Masters Apprentices seemed in some danger of succumbing to the insidious trend (under pressure from then-manager Daryl Sambell), as evidenced by their less-then-crucial 1969 single "Linda Linda".

In the same vein, The Valentines completely overhauled their stage act to include matching scarlet outfits, co-ordinated stage moves, exploding coloured smoke bombs and sparklers. On Valentines Day (February 14) they released their next single through Philips, "My Old Man's A Groovy Old Man" / "Ebeneezer" (another Vanda/ Young composition); the formula seemed to be working -- at first -- and it went on to become their first Australia-wide Top 40 hit. The single launch was reported by Go-Set who excitedly related the tales of fan frenzy which resulted in Bon's clothes being almost completely torn off during the show!

 In May '69 Doug Lavery was poached by Brian Cadd, to join to join his new country-rock supergroup Axiom; Doug was replaced by Paddy Beach (ex-Compulsion). In September John Cooksey also left, so Ted Ward took over on bass, reducing the band to a five piece. Later that month they made headlines when they became the first major Australian group to be arrested for the possession of marijuana -- although they were not the first, as is often reported -- members of The Id had been busted in Sydney a couple of years earlier. Luckily for the Valentines, they were treated rather leniently by the standards of the day -- they were each fined $150 and placed on good behaviour bonds. They were unrepentant, however, and made an open statement in Go-Set in favour of the legalisation of pot -- quite a controversial move at the time.

In July '69 The Valentines had their second stab at the Hoadleys, but again they were runners-up, this time to Doug Parkinson In Focus. In September they released their next single, which was an updated version of "Nick Nack Paddy Wack", and then took part in the historic Operation Starlift tour, which featured most of the leading acts of the day - Russell Morris, Johnny Farnham, Ronnie Burns, Johnny Young, Doug Parkinson In Focus, Zoot, and The Masters Apprentices. Needless to say The Valentines led the way in after-hours hijinks, with points being awarded for the most depsicable acts. Some of the more outrageous incidents have since passed into Aussie rock legend (one in particular which involved the daughter of the mayor of a country town). For those who are interested, the incident is recounted in detail Jim Keays' memoir His Master's Voice.

 By early 1970 the group was close to splitting up, but they solidiered on for several more months. As the bubblegum fad faded out, The Valentines and Zoot both jettisoned the matching outfits and dinky tunes, and went for a more streetwise image, and a heavier sound (e.g. Zoot's version of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby). The Valentines released their last single in March '70; "Juliette" / "Hoochie Coochie Billy". It was a local hit in Melbourne in April, reaching #28, but four months later, in August, the band split up.

After The Valentines ...

- Bon Scott went to Sydney where he joined Fraternity (1970-73) who enjoyed moderate success. After recuperating from a near-fatal motorbike accident in Adelaide he was invited to replace original AC/DC lead singer Dave Evans in late 1974. The band shot to national and then international fame making Bon a bona-fide rock legend. Bon fronted the band from Spetember 1974 until his untimely death in 1980.

- Wyn Milson became a live sound engineer and pioneered the use of large-scale sound systems in Australia

- John Lockery later joined Rock Revival.

- Paddy Beach joined Wholly Black and later moved to South Africa

- Doug Lavery moved to America after the split of Axiom, and at last report he was teaching drums in Los Angeles 

Vince Lovegrove worked as a writer for Go-Set, compered a television show in Adelaide called Move and issued a couple of solo singles in 1971 and 1972. He worked as a booking agent in Adelaide where, in September 1974 he introduced Bon Scott to the members of AC/DC - the rest is History. In the late '70s he worked on the Nine Network's A Current Affair covering stories on youth and the rock scene, and he was producer of The Don Lane Show for some time. In the '80s he continued his work as a rock writer and went into management; he managed The Divinyls until 1984. In the late 1980s, it was discovered that Vince's second wife Susie had unknowingly been infected by the HIV virus before the couple had met. As if that was not bad enough, the Lovegroves then discovered that their infant son Troy, who had been born just before his mother's disease was diagnosed, had also been infected. Vince produced a deeply moving documentary, Susie's Story, which charted the course of her illness and eventual death. After Suzi's death, Vince produced an equally heart-rending follow-up, A Kid Called Troy, which doumented their son's courageous battle against AIDS. Both programs were of enormous importance in raising public awareness in Australia about AIDS and HIV, and it's a lasting tribute to Vince and his family that they went through with the films in spite of such overwhelming personal tragedies. After Troy's death, Vince moved to London, where he wrote for several years for the Australian online music magazine Immedia.  Vince Lovegrove died after rolling his Kombi van just outside of Byron Bay in 2012.