Gaynor Bunning - Sings Her Six Big Hits

Milord/My First Love And Last Love/It’s You That I Love/Unlock Those Chains/Is It All Over Now/I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate


Born in Adelaide, South Australia.

Gaynor Bunning was one of the first of the Adelaide TV stars to travel interstate that included Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne sometimes twice a week singing at the leading hotels in Adelide and the other Ausralian states mentioned plus top TV programmes.

Gaynor appeared on Ernie Sigley's Teenage Mailbag, Sunnyside Up & Bandstand T.V. Shows. Bobby Limb placed Gaynor under contract as top vocalist. ADS7 featured her regularly in The Moores Show.

Gaynor is known for her spots at top line The Lido and Havana night clubs in Adelaide during her career. One of Adelaides best entertainers at the time.

Little Nell - The Musical World Of Little Nell

 1 Do The Swim/Stilettos And Lipstick/Dance That Cocktail Latin Way



"Little" Nell Campbell (born Laura Elizabeth Campbell; 24 May 1953) is an Australian actress, club owner and singer. She is best known for her role in The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show and her song "Do the Swim".

She was born in Sydney, to Ruth and Ross Campbell, a writer, who called her "Little Nell" (after a character in Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop) in his family life column in the Sydney Daily Telegraph. Campbell has three siblings: Sally, Patrick and Cressida. Her older sister, Sally, was a property master, set designer and subsequently a fashion designer. Her younger sister, Cressida Campbell, an artist, and her older brother, Patrick, a Solar Engineer for the University of New South Wales. She was called Laura E. Campbell until around 17, when she went by the nickname "Sonny" (pronounced to rhyme with "Donny"), short for "Sonata". She began dancing at the age of 10, after being diagnosed with Hepatitis A, to keep healthy. She attended high school at the Abbotsleigh School for Girls in Sydney, supporting herself as a waitress.
Campbell decided to use the name "Little Nell" as a stage name after her arrival in Britain in the early 1970s with her family. She sold clothes at Kensington Market; her stall was next to Freddie Mercury's. She also worked as a busker and her tap dancing is often noted as the reason why she was cast as Columbia in the original production of The Rocky Horror Show. She reprised the role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, released in 1975, and starred as Nurse Ansalong in the 1981 sequel, Shock Treatment.
After The Rocky Horror Picture Show, she signed a recording contract with A&M Records. Her debut single was "Stilettos and Lipstick" backed with "Do the Swim", released in 1975. She also created a disco version of the song "Fever" in 1976 which was again released backed with "Do the Swim". The b-side of both of these releases became better known, perhaps helped by a performance on British television in which she accidentally (and repeatedly) exposed her breasts. While edited out of the original broadcast in 1975, the unedited version was shown worldwide on bloopers shows (beginning with the British show It'll be Alright on the Night in 1977). Following this notoriety, another effort was made to promote the recordings made in 1975 and 1976. In 1978, a "triple B-side" titled The Musical World of Little Nell (Aquatic Teenage Sex & Squalor) was released which featured both "Do the Swim" and "Stillettos and Lipstick" along with the track "Dance that Cocktail Latin Way" (also known as "Tropical Isle") which originally appeared as the B-side of her second single from 1976. Following some success with the EP, the other two tracks, singles "Fever" and "See You Round like a Record", were released as a single but that was to be her last release on A&M. A final single, "Beauty Queen" from the film The Alternative Miss World, was released on PRE Records in 1980.
Campbell has also appeared in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway play You Should Be So Lucky and the Broadway musical NINE. She appeared as Sandra LeMon in the British TV series Rock Follies of '77.
From the mid-1980s to 1998, Campbell owned two nightclubs in New York: Kiosk, E&O, and most famously lent her name to Nell's. Nell's was sold in 1998 to Noel Ashman and his business partner actor Chris Noth, right before she gave birth to daughter Matilda Violet in June 1998 to ex-boyfriend and business partner Eamonn Roche.
Campbell has written several magazine articles, including regular segments called "MamaTalks" and "FirstLook" in the now defunct Talk magazine, starting in the December 1999 issue. She returned to Australia after selling her Boerum Hill house in Brooklyn in December 2005, and is now retired and living with her daughter.
The song 'Laura' by Bat for Lashes, is dedicated to Nell Campbell, who is friends with Natasha Khan.

Phil Jones and the Unknown Blues - 1966 - If I Had A Ticket

If I Had A Ticket/Comin' Home Baby/Sit Down Servant/300lb Of Joy


Chris Brown and Dave Rowlands had attended Heathcote High School in southern Sydney. They formed The Unknown Blues Band in 1965. Phil Jones joined in 1966, whereupon they billed themselves as Phil Jones and The Unknown Blues. They developed a sound initially influenced by Delta Blues, but quickly found that an electric, Chicago blues sound was more popular. In 1966-7, they obtained a Friday and Saturday night residency at Beethoven's.

In early 1967, the band signed to the Festival Records subsidiary Sunshine and scored a strong local hit with a bluesy cover of the traditional song "If I Had a Ticket". At Beethoven's in 1967 they were checked out by the visiting Yardbirds, with the band meeting Jimmy Page.

With the success of their single, the band toured in Brisbane and Melbourne.

After disbanding in 1968, Phil Jones issued 2 solo singles before moving to England and becoming involved in the progressive/underground rock scene in the Notting Hill/Ladbroke Grove area of London. Jones adopted the name Shiva Shankar Jones and joined Quintessence. After leaving them in 1971, Jones joined Kala, along with Chris Brown and David Bentley of Python Lee Jackson.

Brown returned to Australia to become the leader of jazz-rock fusionists Ayers Rock.

Mal Capewell played with many prominent Australian bands throughout the 1970s.

The band reformed briefly in 2011 to play at the Byron Bay Blues Festival and several other gigs. Jones' son Krishna played guitar in this line-up.

Jeff St.John And Copperwine - Sing A Simple Song

 Sing A Simple Song/Fanciful Flights/Reach Out/
Train



Jeff St John (born Jeffrey Leo Newton in 1946, in Newtown, Sydney) is an Australian singer who gained fame for top ten hits with Teach Me How to Fly, Big Time Operator and Fool in Love. St John was born with spina bifida.
He appeared with a number of bands during the late 1960s and early 1970s including; John The Syndicate aka The Wild Oats (1965), The Id (1966–67) with Bob Bertles (tenor sax '67), Jeff St John & Yama (1967–68), Jeff St John & Copperwine (1969-72), with Harry Brus (bass 70-72) and Wendy Saddington (co-lead vocals 70-71), Jeff St John Band (1972–73) and, Red Cloud (1975-76)
In 1988 as part of Australian Bicentenary celebrations along with many other Australian celebrities St John took part in a video shot at Ayers Rock called Celebration of a Nation.
St John has been involved in educating people about disabilities and is a member of spina bifida support group MOSAIC. He appeared at the opening of the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney where he sang the Australian National Anthem.

St John unveiled his new band, Copperwine (aka Jeff St John's Copperwine), in early 1969 with low-key dates in Perth, before returning to Sydney. Copperwine soon commanded a rabid following in that city's fast-developing 'head' scene. Around the time of the new band's formation, guitarist Ross East was also invited to join the revised Masters Apprentices line-up by Jim Keays, but he turned it down, opting to stay with Jeff.
Aided by East and Peter Figures, plus Alan Ingram on bass and keyboardist Barry Kelly (from Marty Rhone's Soul Agents), St John wowed punters at the Ourimbah "Pilgrimage For Pop", Australia's first major outdoor rock festival, hedl at Ourimbah, NSW at the end of January 1970. The band's dynamic repertoire mixed quality prog-flavoured group originals with powerful renditions of Sly & the Family Stone's funk classic "Sing A Simple Song" (a stage fave for many Australian acts of the time including Southern Comfort and The Affair), a storming version of The Temptations' psych-soul masterpiece "Cloud Nine" and Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home."
This body of songs was captured by producer Pat Aulton in superb that remains one of the most accomplished and musically adventurous long players of the time. The punningly-titled Joint Effort won considerable critical acclaim, but failed to generate significant sales. A similar fate befell the great single lifted from the album, "Cloud Nine" / "Days To Come" (Feb. 1970). An EP, Sing A Simple Song, which featured four selections from its parent album, came out in May 1970.

Col Joye - 1958 - Joyride

Colonel Bogey/I'm Thinkin' Tonight Of My Blue Eyes/Worried Mind/I Miss You So


 Col Joye AM (b.1938) (Colin Jacobsen), entertainer and impresario, was the first Australian pop performer to reach number 1 on the local charts. Joye started his music career in his brother Kevin's band, the KJ Quintet, in Sydney in 1957. For a gig at the Manly Jazzerama they impulsively changed their name to Col Joye and the Joy Boys, a decision they are said to have regretted. Joined by younger brother Keith on bass, the Joy Boys began performing regularly in Bankstown. Their first record was the EP Joyride in 1958. This, and subsequent efforts, made little impact, but in 1959 their second single, 'Bye Bye Baby' made the top spot on the Sydney charts. Three further top ten hits followed, and the band became regulars on Bandstand and Six O'Clock Rock.

Merv Benton - Rockin' Hot

I Got Burned/When I Get Paid/Shake, Rattle And Roll/Sell My Soul


 The Merv Benton (real name Mervyn Bonson. b. 12 August 1942) story is a fascinating chapter of the Beat Boom in Australia. From his base on the Melbourne dance circuit, Merv gained national attention and quickly became one of the most popular male singers in the country. In early 1964 he signed with Melbourne's W&G Records and became one of their most prolific artists, releasing seventeen singles, six EPs, and three LPs between 1964 and 1967, and scoring an impressive run of fifteen Top 40 singles in his hometown (several of which also charted in other cities). But in 1967, at the height of his popularity, Merv was struck down by throat problems that ended his singing career

Barry Stanton - Teenage Idol

I Don't Want To Be A Teenage Idol/Indeed I Do/
Beggin' On My Knees/Solitary Confinement


Born on 23rd January 1941 in England, Barry's parents immigrated to Australia when he was five years old. He grew up in the Sydney suburb of Cremorne and while at school he was given a guitar as a birthday present. After graduating from high school in 1957, he got a job as an apprentice motor mechanic. Inspired by Elvis Presley, he began singing occasionally with a group called Deke Drew and the Rebels at their weekly dance at Warringah Hall in Neutral Bay. He then formed his own group called Barry Stanton and the Boppers but by the end of 1958 the group had folded. Barry then formed a new backing group called the Bel Aires.
A serious car accident in 1959 resulted in Stanton suffering a fractured skull and being hospitalised for several months. After recovering from his injuries Barry and the Bel Aires first engagement was playing during the interval at the Embassy Picture Theatre in Manly. A few weeks later they were invited back to the Embassy by the manager to play at a rock 'n' roll concert. This led to Barry being invited by Johnny O'Keefe to appear on Six O'Clock Rock. Barry, with his Elvis Presley looks and singing style, was so popular with the live audience and viewers that he became a regular on the show. He also became a regular on the radio program Rockville Junction, which Johnny also hosted.
As his popularity continued to soar he began appearing regularly on Bandstand as well. He was also making short, mainly overnight, tours around New South Wales. After parting company with the Bel Aires Barry regularly performed as a guest artist at dances run by a group called the Ark Royales. Barry eventually replaced their lead singer when he left the group. Barry's first big break came in 1960 when Johnny O'Keefe signed him to a recording contract with Leedon Records. His debut single in April failed to chart. In May, he headed off on his first interstate tour with Johnny, Lonnie Lee and Booka Hyland, Ray Hoff and Laurel Lee.
The tour became infamous as it nearly claimed the lives of Johnny and his two passengers, Dee Jays' saxophonist John Greenan and his wife Jan, in a car accident. But by the time of the accident Barry had already left the tour due to exhaustion. His second single Don't You Worry 'Bout That, which was written by Johnny O'Keefe, was released in September and made the charts in most states. When his follow-up flopped he turned to his younger brother Rod, who dabbled in songwriting, for his fourth single. The song, Beggin' On My Knees, was to be his biggest hit, spending twelve weeks in the charts and reaching the Top 20 nationally in November 1961.
Barry continued recording with Leedon until 1964 and then switched to RCA Records in 1965. While he didn't have much success on the recording side he was still appearing regularly on television. Eventually, his lack of record success forced him to give up his rock 'n' roll career for that of an electrician. Between 1974 and 1977 he toured around Australia with Johnny O'Keefe's packaged show The Good Old Boys of Rock 'n' Roll. Stanton continued to perform well into the Eighties, which included a stint overseas in Las Vegas at the famous Sahara Casino Nightclub. He continues to appear regularly at Melbourne's Annual Concert and also at the Wintersun Festival.

Jigsaw - 1973 - Jigsaw

Mademoiselle Ninette/To Love Means To Be Free/How Do You Do/Yellow River


Country-pop band Jigsaw formed in Melbourne in 1968 with foundation members who had been in The Tamlas, The Fabulous Blue Jays and The Phantoms. They were originally Johnny Chester's backing band and were heard on many of his hits in the 1970s. They later became one of Melbourne's most popular pub bands, enjoying considerable commercial success, including two Top 10 hits with Yellow River and How Do You Do. 

Vince Maloney - This Is The Vince Maloney Sect

No Good Without You/She's A Yum Yum/Sticks And Stones/Watch Your Step


Vince Melouney (born 18 August 1945) is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He joined the bands Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Vince & Tony's Two, Bee Gees, Fanny Adams and The Vince Maloney Sect. In 1971, he was replaced by Alan Kendall as the lead guitarist of the Bee Gees.

Melouney was born in Sydney. He was a founder member of Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, playing with the band as lead guitarist from 1963 to 1965, which was followed by a short-lived duo with fellow Aztec Tony Barber, called Vince & Tony's Two. Early 1966 Vince Melouney formed another group, The Vince Maloney Sect. Their first single release was a moderate hit, especially in the Melbourne area. She's A Yum Yum (Frazier) b/w No Good Without You (Stevenson) (Kommotion KK 1265) The single was followed by an EP, which had two new songs in addition to the two original single tracks. In 1966, he released "I Need Your Lovin' Tonight" and its B-side, "Mystery Train"; Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, and Maurice Gibb sing backup vocals on both songs.

In 1967, after moving to the UK, he was invited to join the Bee Gees. He was the lead guitarist on their first three albums; Bee Gees' 1st, Horizontal, and Idea. In June 1968, while he was a Bee Gee he wrote and performed "Such a Shame" (the only track that was not written by one of the Gibb brothers). The song was released on the UK version of the album Idea, but on the US version, it was replaced by "I've Gotta Get a Message to You". Melouney prefers the Gibson ES-355 guitar and can be seen in several Bee Gees videos and live performances from 1967 to 1968. In November 1968, it was reported by the UK music magazine, NME, that Melouney's final concert with the Bee Gees would be on 1 December, following the end of their current German tour.

In 1969, he formed a short-lived supergroup, Fanny Adams, with Doug Parkinson on lead vocals, Teddy Toi on bass, and Johnny Dick on drums who recorded one album also called Fanny Adams. In the summer of 1976, he met up with Bee Gee Barry Gibb and they wrote "Let It Ride" and "Morning Rain", but both songs were not recorded. He rejoined the Bee Gees for the "One Night Only" Concert held in Sydney, Australia, in 1999, and rejoined Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs for a tour in 2002/3. At the completion of that tour, he completed his first solo album, released with the title "Covers" which had ten cover versions of songs, including Love Her Madly, Come Together, and Lay Down Sally.

Max Merritt - Shake

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)/ I Want So Much to Know You/Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah/Shake


Max Merritt (born Maxwell James Merritt in Christchurch, New Zealand on 30 April 1941) is a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who is renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B. As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors his best known hits are "Slippin' Away", which reached #2 on the 1976 Australian singles charts, and "Hey, Western Union Man" which reached #13. Merritt rose to prominence in New Zealand from 1958 and relocated to Sydney Australia in December 1964. Merritt was acknowledged as one of the best local performers of the 1960s and 1970s and his influence did much to popularise soul music / R&B and rock in New Zealand and Australia.
Merritt is a venerable pioneer of rock in Australasia who produced crowd pleasing shows for over 50 years. He has engendered respect and affection over generations of performers which was evident at the 2007 Concert for Max to provide financial support after it was announced he had Goodpasture's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recognised Merritt's iconic status on 1 July 2008 when he was inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Groop - Woman You're Breaking Me (Raven EP)

Woman You're Breaking Me/Sorry/Mad Over You/Such A Lovely Way/Who Do You Love/The Best In Africa

1964–1966: The Groop mark I

The Wesley Trio was formed as a folk music group in 1964 with Peter McKeddie on vocals, Max Ross on bass guitar and Richard Wright on drums; all three were students from Wesley College, a private school in Melbourne. The trio signed with CBS Records Melbourne, which released a single, an EP and an album.

They decided to become more R&B orientated and placed an ad for a guitarist, and, with Peter Bruce joining, they were renamed The Groop in late 1964. At the time, Bruce (originally from England) claimed that he had been a member of UK pop group Dave Clark Five in their early years as Dave Clark Quintet in 1957. In a 2002 interview, Bruce admitted that he had only been in a support act, The Hill City Skiffle Group and never actually in Dave Clark's band. The Groop had success on the Melbourne singles chart with "Ol' Hound Dog" reaching No. 13, "Best in Africa" No. 10 and "I'm Satisfied" No. 21 in 1966. They were assisted by positive reviews from Ian "Molly" Meldrum writer for national pop magazine Go-Set who had earlier been their roadie. This version of The Groop also recorded two albums, The Groop (1965) and I'm Satisfied (1966) both on CBS Records. In August 1966, founders McKeddie and Bruce left, but instead of disbanding the Rhythm section of Ross and Wright invited Don Mudie (ex-Sherwood Green) to join on guitars. At McKeddie's farewell party – he was travelling to UK – The Groop were supported by another R&B outfit The Jackson Kings. The Groop invited their keyboardist Brian Cadd to join, Cadd insisted on bringing along bandmate Ronnie Charles (Ron Boromeo) as vocalist.

1966–1969: The Groop mark II

The Groop were searching for a more Blues / Rock sound, and when Cadd joined in October 1966 he used a pseudonym, Brian Caine, after advice from Meldrum that Cadd didn't sound good as a rock artist's name. Cadd soon changed his name back after family protests. The new line-up of Cadd, Charles, Mudie, Ross and Wright, released "Sorry" which reached No. 12 on the Melbourne charts in January 1967. Their next single, released in May 1967, "Woman You're Breaking Me" (written by Cadd and Wright) reached No. 4 in Melbourne, No. 12 in Sydney, and was their only national top ten hit.

The band won a trip to UK from the 1967 Hoadley's National Battle of the Sounds in July, with "When I Was Six Years Old" written by Cadd and Ross. Meldrum, writing for Go-Set reported: "It was The Groop's day. Their performance was brilliant and they left no doubts in anyone's mind that they will be great ambassadors overseas, both with their music and their personalities."

—Ian "Molly" Meldrum ,  Jul 1967


Publishers sent the song to England where it was recorded by Manfred Mann's lead vocalist Paul Jones. Melbourne singer Ronnie Burns (close friend of Meldrum) had a local No. 22 hit with "When I Was Six Years Old" in 1968. Leaving the single "Seems More Important to Me" behind in Melbourne to reach No. 30 in early 1968, The Groop travelled to UK on the Sitmar line cruiser "Castel Felice'". They gave several onboard performances during the voyage.

The Groop arrived in the UK as Paul Jones' cover of "When I Was Six Years Old" was released and they secured a deal with CBS in England, then toured there and in Germany. Band members had written most of their hits in Australia, but CBS decided they would cover an Italian ballad, "What's The Good of Goodbye", which failed to chart. The Groop returned to Australia by October 1968 and Ross left the band. They released two more singles, but only "Such A Lovely Way" reached the national top 20 before they disbanded in May 1969. Their last recorded work was an uncredited appearance as instrumental support on Russell Morris' No. 1 single "The Real Thing". Cadd and Mudie were eager to explore a more rock sound and so disbanded The Groop to form Axiom. The second version of The Groop had recorded the studio album Woman You're Breaking Me (1967), whilst the compilation Great Hits from The Groop (1968) was released while they were in UK.

After The Groop

Axiom (Australian band) and Brian Cadd

Following the break-up of The Groop, Cadd and Mudie formed Axiom in May 1969 with Glenn Shorrock (ex-The Twilights) on vocals, Doug Lavery (ex-The Valentines) on drums and Chris Stockley (ex-Cam-Pact) on guitar. Cadd and Mudie were the primary songwriters for Axiom including their three hit singles, "Arkansas Grass", "A Little Ray of Sunshine" and "My Baby's Gone". After Axiom disbanded in 1971, Cadd and Mudie had a No. 15 single in early 1972 with "Show Me the Way". Cadd then pursued a solo career as a performer, songwriter, record producer, label owner and film and TV score composer. In 2007 Cadd was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, which acknowledged his iconic status including his work for The Groop.

1988–1989: Brief reformation

The Groop reformed for a national tour from late 1988 to early 1989, with members from both versions: Bruce, Charles, McKeddie, Mudie and Wright; plus Rob Glover on bass (ex-Sports) and Tweed Harris on keyboards (ex-Groove). A CD compilation was released by CBS in 1989, The Best and The Rest.

Noeleen Batley - 1965 - Little Treasure From Japan

Little Treasure From Japan/Don't Say Good Night And Mean Goodbye/03 She's A Fool/Then He Kissed Me



Noeleen Batley born in Sydney on Christmas Day 1944, was one of the pioneering female stars of Australian Sixties pop. Nicknamed "Australia's Little Miss Sweetheart", her pleasing voice and demure girl-next-door image endeared her to teenagers and parents alike, and she is fondly remembered as a leading member of TV's "Bandstand Family" during the early Sixties. Compared to many other Australian acts, Noeleen enjoyed a very prolific recording career, with around 20 singles, at least eight EPs and three LPs to her credit, most of them recorded during the peak period of her career between 1960 and 1965.

Noeleen's catalogue exemplifies Festival Records' mainstream pop output in the period preceding the cataclysmic changes of the "Beat Boom". She recorded mainly 'middle of the-road' material, including many standards and show tunes and even the odd novelty song; the rockiest' number is probably her cover of The Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me". As singer Dave Miller observed (when speaking of Dinah Lee's early career in New Zealand) the repertoire choices for female singers in that period were very limited, and it's doubtful that Noeleen herself was ever given much say in what she recorded. Nevertheless Noeleen remains a significant figure in Australian pop history -- she was our first modern female pop star, the first Australian female singer to have a national hit and most remarkable of all, Noeleen was the first Australian performer to have a hit record and tour in Japan.

Noeleen's recordings are also of interest to Bee Gees aficionados -- she was friends with the group in the early 1960s and was one of the first artists to cover Barry Gibb's work, recording four of his songs in 1964-65.



 

Ray Columbus And The Art Collection - 1967 - Kick Me

Kick Me (I Think I'm Dreaming)/Millicent/Snap,Crackle & Pop/I'm A Boy & You're A Girl



Ray had been trying to get to America for some time as he believed that was were his future lay he eventually married an American citizen, Levonne, and had now secured his green card to move to the US. In July 1966 he flew to San Francisco and set up home in the south bay area of San Jose. Ray managed to get a few solo outings, before linking up with a group called the Newcastle Five, and with him they renamed themselves to the Art Collection.

In early 1967, Ray Columbus and the Art Collection recorded a single "Kick Me" backed with a reworking of "She's A Mod". It was a Bay Area classic and unheard of in New Zealand until its appearance on the second "Ugly Things" compilation in the late eighties. Recorded at the same session was "Snap, Crackle and Pop", a bubblegum ditty Columbus had written to pitch to Kelloggs.

In July, a follow-up single was released. It contained his previous two New Zealand A-Singles on one record, "We Want A Beat"/"I Need You". The band continued to play around the Bay Area, with the highlight being able to play on the same show as Eric Burdon and the Animals. In October, Ray Columbus and the Art Collection were an attraction at the San Francisco International Pop Festival. The festival wasn't huge, but from it came a compilation album which featured several Columbus tracks, including "East Pinkerton Street" and "Polka Dot Resistance" and several tracks written or produced by Columbus. One was "I'm Good For You" for Oakland R&B group, Fire. The song later became a 1969 New Zealand chart hit for Troubled Mind. Ray's association with Art Collection came to an end at the close of 1967.


 

Various

The Flying Circus - Shame Shame/The Groove - Stubborn Kind Of Fellow/Johnny Farnham - Everybody Oughta Sing A Song/Little Pattie -WhatThe World Needs Now/Johnny Ashcroft and Katthleen McCormack - By The TimeI Get To Phoenix/Twilight - Once Upon A Twilight


I presume this was sold at the Easter Show back in 1969 EMI were kind enough to donate all profits to the Heart Fund Appeal.

Craig Scott - 1972 - Four More Hits

Smiley/Ciao Baby/One More Mountain To Climb/C'est La Vie


Scott is a former banker from Dunedin who started his music career in the late 1960s. After involvement in the bands Klap and Fantasy, Scott joined the band Revival who won a Battle of the Bands contest in May 1969, releasing Viva Joe Bobby which peaked at #14 on the related singles chart. He later left the band, and released a series of commercially successful singles beginning with a cover version of Australian pop star Ronnie Burns Smiley which got to #3 on the New Zealand pop chart. He then released the single Star Crossed Lovers which was his only number one single, Let's Get A Little Sentimental, and then Ciao Baby, of which the singer Lynne Randell later performed a cover version which made the top ten, and When Jojo Runs. Around 1975, his last single to be successful was Wind and Rain, peaking at #11 on the New Zealand pop chart.

Anne & Johnny Hawker - Best Of

Cinderella Rockefella/Lovin' Season/I Got You/You're Out Of Your Mind


Johnny Hawker achieved success with the Johnny Hawker's Band. After he married singer Anne Hathaway it was natural for them to record together. They hit the charts in 1968 with "Cinderella Rockefella" which had been a number 1 hit for another husband & wife duo Esther & Abi Ofarim. The record boosted them to be a sought after act for club and TV appearances. This single was followed in 1969 with another hit "Dear World" and "Real True Loving". After moving to Festival Records they released the single "Felix & Delilah" in 1973.

Angels - 1991 - Bleeding with the Times

Bleeding with the Times/Blood on the Moon/ Don't Waste My Time (re-mix)/When the Time Comes (re-mix)



The Angels are an Australian rock band that formed in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1974. The band later relocated to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success, clocking up hit singles across four decades, including "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", "Take a Long Line", "Marseilles", "Shadow Boxer", "No Secrets", "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", "Let The Night Roll On", and "Dogs Are Talking".

The Angels were cited by Guns N' Roses and a number of Seattle grunge bands, including Pearl Jam and Nirvana, as having influenced their music. In the international market, to avoid legal problems with the Casablanca Records' act Angel, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The Angels from Angel City.

Lead singer Doc Neeson who fronted the band from 1974-1999 left pre-Millenium due to spinal injuries sustained in a car accident. After spending most of the 2000s apart, in April 2008, the original 1970s line-up of The Angels reformed for a series of tours.

In January 2013 it was announced that lead singer Doc Neeson had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and would undergo immediate treatment. Neeson died aged 67.

It was also revealed that bassist Chris Bailey (1950–2013) had been battling an aggressive cancer. Bailey died on 4 April 2013; a benefit concert was held at Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide on 17 April.

The Dargie Quintet -1955 - Dargie Favourites

The Three Bears/I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles/The Broken Record/Is It Any Wonder


Horace Andrew Dargie (7 July 1917 – 30 August 1999) was an Australian musician and harmonicist. Horrie Dargie was born in Whyalla, South Australia, the second son of Andrew Dargie and Adelaide (née Sargent). His older brother Sir William Dargie was a noted Australian portrait artist.

Dargie began his musical career as a diatonica harmonica player. He joined the Yarraville Mouth Organ Band, which practised in a shoe repairshop. Later he joined William Ketterer's "Victorian Mouth Organ Band". This band consisted of the most promising players in the state of Victoria.

In the early 1930s he took up the chromatic harmonica and won a variety competition on a local radio station in 1937. In 1938 he moved to Sydney. Dargie studied clarinet and orchestration and started his own harmonica school in Sydney. With Williamson, Lois, and Metcalfe on chromatics, and Shea on chords and Bertram on bass he started a harmonica group, The Rockin' Reeds.

Horrie Dargie joined the Australian Army in 1941 and served in New Guinea and later in the occupational forces in Japan. He returned to Melbourne in 1947 and subsequently formed the famous Horrie Dargie Quintet. By 1952 the Quintet had risen in popularity by dint of hard work, and played their farewell concert at the Sydney Town Hall in 1952 before leaving for England. By chance, a recording was made of the performance on a wire recorder using just one microphone. The 10″ record of the farewell concert became Australia's first Gold Record, selling 75,000 copies. Upon arrival in England the Quintet performed at the Empire in London and an agent recognised the group's performance as unique because of their distinctive sound, humour, and individual style. They never copied or made renditions of numbers by overseas performers. Whilst on tour in London Horrie contracted polio – apparently he collapsed on stage. The disease affected his diaphragm and legs, at the time he was told he would not be able to play a wind instrument again. He once described the illness as a 'bit of a problem' – he was paralysed except for his right arm and he could swallow. With persistence he recovered and the Quintet later performed upon their return at the Tivoli in 1958. One of their more well known numbers was "Green Door" which become a hit in its own right.

In 1958 Dargie returned to Australia where he took up a position at Channel 9, where he was in charge of the talent division – variety was very popular at the time and Dargie did four or five shows a week. He compered the BP Super Show and also was responsible for the Delo and Daly Show, He was the first Australian compere of the show The Price Is Right[ and managed the The Go!! Show, a pop music show that regularly featured entertainers such as Johnny Young, Ian Turpie and Olivia Newton-John. Dargie also established Go!! Records in 1964 to promote artists who appeared on the show. In August 1967 Channel 0 Melbourne abruptly cancelled The Go!! Show and the loss of its major promotional outlet led to the demise of the Go!! record label.

Dargie is also remembered for his musical arrangements for the film Crocodile Dundee and the TV show The Leyland Brothers. He also played the background music for the TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.

Thanks to Brian for this one.

Johnny O'keefe - 1964 - You Excite Me

You Excite Me/Lawdy Miss Clawdy/Over The Mountain Across The Sea/What Do Ya Know




Born John Michael O'Keefe in Sydney on January 19, 1935, into a musical family, Johnny O'Keefe's career took off in the mid to late 1950's when, together with American born entrepreneur Lee Gordon, he pioneered Rock'N'Roll in Australia. Sharing the bill with the greatest names of the rock era, O'Keefe invariably blasted the overseas acts off the stages of Stadiums right throughout the country with his frantic stage act; an act that earned him the title 'The Wild One'. His 1959 recording 'Shout' became the Australian Rock 'N'Roll' National Anthem.  

      Johnny O'Keefe almost single handedly established the Australian recording industry. He won over a very cynical recording company, radio stations and the Australian record buying public and his second to none career 29 Top 40 hits says it all. But for Johnny O'Keefe, it is fair to say that we would not have the record industry in Australia that exists today. He fought long and hard till the day he died to promote Australian talent and to ensure that Australian artists were afforded the opportunity to record. 

      His battle to ensure that radio stations gave Australian artists equal time to their overseas contemporaries is legendary. He gave Australians the opportunity to gain invaluable experience on Australian television before heading overseas. Olivia Newton John, Helen Reddy and Peter Allen are prime examples of artists who benefited from his support. They in turn paved the way for today's artists to be accepted on their merits. All this at a time when we Australians were very slow to recognise the wonderful talent that we had in our own back yard. 

      Johnny O'Keefe had a fierce determination to succeed and to help others succeed. He had a work ethic that would have destroyed most. He had an amazing capacity to bounce back from the many adversities that beset his career, such as a near fatal car accident, and a series of breakdowns. It was as if he was living the old adage - 'the show must go on'.

      His achievements in a 25 year career are staggering. He was the first Australian artist to ever make the Australian Top 40 charts, with "Wild One". He was the first Australian artist to be signed by and record for a major international label - the US Liberty based label. Out of that association came US sales in excess of 100, 000 copies of 'She's My Baby' and two No. I hits and a No. 2 hit in this country. In all, he released over 50 singles, 50 EP's and 100 albums. He wrote and produced hits for other Australian artists; managed the careers of a number of others; compared 4 highly successful television entertainment programs; performed to millions in all corners of this huge continent; toured America, performing in 36 major cities and appearing on the top rating 'American Bandstand' and 'Ed Sullivan Shows' - all firsts for an Australian entertainer; entertained troops in Vietnam; proved to be the major attraction at the three day Sunbury Outdoor Music Festival in 1973; and played a key role in the introduction of the national 'Mo' entertainment awards.

      Australians were stunned at the news of his death on October 6, 1978, but he has left a wonderful legacy in the form of such classic songs as "Shout', "She's My Baby", "I'm Counting On You" and "She Wears My Ring". Johnny O'Keefe was a Superstar and truly an Australian Entertainment Legend.

Cleves - 1970 - Music From Michael

Opening/(a) Merivale  (b) Whispers/(a) Nowhere (b )Down On The Farm (c) Don't Turn Your Back


The core members of The Cleves were New Zealand born Gaye Brown and her brothers Ron and Graham. All three studied music and formed their own group while in their teens. After adding local lad Milton Lane (rhythm guitar) they became The Clevedonaires ca. 1964. The band's name was taken from their home town of Clevedon, just south of Auckland. According to Bruce Sergent, Lane was replaced by Rob Aicken a few months later, although Vernon Joyson's listing for the group suggests that he came in later.

The Clevedonaires originally played "lightweight folksy music", covering acts like The Seekers, Donovan and the Byrds, and playing church halls and school dances around the South Auckland area. By 1965 they had toughened up their style and were covering tracks by The Who, The Small Faces and The Beatles. Gaye had now started playing organ, allowing Rob Aicken to switch to bass, and they started working the Auckland club circuit.

In 1966 Auckland promoter Benny Levin signed them to his Impact label. "How You Lied" / "Rooftops And Chimneys" came out in 1966, and "He's Ready" / "Lost Women" and "Funny How Love Can Be" / "Don't Ask Me What To Say" in 1967. To promote the singles, the band appeared on local TV shows The We Three Show and C'Mon. Their final Impact single, a cover of Donovan's "Sunny Goodge Street", backed by the Small Faces' "Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire" was released in 1968, just before they relocated to Australia.

Now renamed The Cleves, they were one of several polished Sydney pop bands of the period (e.g. The Executives, The Affair, Aesop's Fables, The Clik) who featured tight harmonies, sophisticated arrangements and relatively light, pop-oriented repertoire. The Cleves' first Australian single appears to have been a promotional recording made for the Marionette Theatre of Australia's long-running children's production of The Tintookies. This enduringly popular children's show was based on Peter Scriven's 1946 book Little Fella Bindi and The Tintookies. (Scriven also created and performed the puppets for the Sixties TV series Sebastian The Fox and the 1968 short film The Painter). The single was issued on the Marionette label in 1968.

In 1969 the group signed with Festival and issued two singles, "Sticks and Stones" / "Don't Turn Your Back" (September 1969) and "You and Me" / "Cassie" (May 1970), plus two EPs, A Taste of Energy and Music from Michael on Festival's newly formed 'prog' subsidiary Infinity in 1970. Music From Michael  was a sixteen-minute, ten-part suite recorded for the soundtrack of the "Michael" episode of the three-part Australian film Three to Go. "Michael", directed by Peter Weir, won the Grand Prix at the 1970 AFI Awards and it has recently been included on the DVD release of four short films by Peter Weir. (Another segment, "Toula" featured music by Graheme Bond and Rory O'Donohue). Along with the Bee Gees-like track "Don't Turn Your Back", the EP featured songs recorded for the soundtrack, segued together to form a thematic whole, which "combined certain elements of the British music hall tradition (as espoused by The Beatles) with a more esoteric pop flavour a la The Move".

By this time the band was heading in a more progressive musical direction, and they recorded their highly regarded LP, produced by Richard Batchens, in late 1970. Just before it was released (as part of Infinity's first batch of releases in January 1971) The Cleves backed Sydney DJ Donnie Sutherland on a bubblegum pop single with the outlandish title "Bonnie Bonnie Bonnie Na Na Kiss Him Goodbye" (b/w "I Don't Mind") which came out on Martin Erdman's Violet's Holiday label.

The LP, the highly collectable Cleves has been described by Ian McFarlane as "a prime example of where psychedelic pop gave way to a more progressive aesthetic". The album is dominated by "longer tracks, atmospheric organ/fuzzed guitar interplay and tight vocal harmonies (similar to UK bands on the Vertigo label like Cressida and Affinity)". The highlight was their impressive reading of the George Gershwin classic "Summertime". The album has since become one of the most collectible artefacts of Australia's progressive rock era.


After the album came out The Cleves were joined for a short time by guitarist Vince Meloney (guitar; ex-Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Bee Gees, Fanny Adams). Not long after, Ace Follington (ex-Chain, Country Radio) subsequently replaced Graham Brown on drums. In October 1971, The Cleves moved to the UK (minus Meloney who had by then formed Flite with Leo De Castro) where they became known as Bitch. Before breaking up the band issued three singles, "Laughing", "Good Time Coming" and "Wildcat". These were apparently released  on the Anchor label, distributed by Warner Brothers in the USA. What became of the group members after this time is not known.

Rob E.G - 1965 - Hawaii Tattoo

Hawaii Tattoo/Pagan Love Song/Sweet Leilani/Blue Hawaii



 Robie Porter (born Robert George Porter 4 June 1942) is an Australian country, pop-rock musician, producer and record label owner.

Beginning in 1959 he performed under the stage name Rob E.G. and recorded lap steel guitar instrumentals or covers of country-style vocals. On the local Sydney music charts he provided four top ten hits including two No. 1 hits with "Si Senor" and "55 Days at Peking". From 1970 Porter ran an independent record label, Sparmac, and produced three LPs for Daddy Cool.


Robert George Porter was born in 1942 and raised in Ashfield, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney. He reluctantly took steel guitar lessons from the age of eight – he wanted to play football instead. Sydney TV show Bandstand featured hits from the UK and US played by Australian artists. As Rob E.G., Porter made his TV debut in 1959 performing the lap steel guitar instrumental "Sleep Walk" (originally by Santo & Johnny); he was soon signed to Rex Records and became a Bandstand regular. His first single, "Your Cheatin' Heart", a cover of the Hank Williams hit, appeared in February 1960. In 1961, Porter received severe spinal injuries in a car accident, he adapted his playing style and continued to record. Top ten hits in Sydney include, instrumentals "Si Senor (I Theenk)" which peaked at No. 1 in May 1962, "Jezabel" at No. 2 in May 1963, and "55 Days at Peking" at No. 1 in July; and the vocal single "When You're Not Near" at No. 7 in August 1964. Although not as popular in Melbourne, these four singles also peaked into the top ten.

On the advice of The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, Porter moved to the UK in 1964 where he wrote and recorded singles for Festival Records but had no chart success. During 1967 he moved to the USA and appeared in several television shows: Malibu U, Popendity, Daniel Boone, Mannix and The Immortal. In 1969 Porter co-starred in the movie Three.

In 1970, Porter was back in Australia where he purchased a controlling share of independent record label, Sparmac. He recorded three of his own singles for Sparmac before focusing on managing and promoting bands and producing records. Porter produced three of doo wop rock band Daddy Cool's LPs including their debut 1971 album, Daddy Who? Daddy Cool, which peaked at No. 1 and became the highest selling Australian album at the time. Other Sparmac artists included Rick Springfield and Healing Force. In 1973 Porter started a new label, Wizard in partnership with Steve Binder, with Daddy Cool and Springfield the new label also signed Hush, Mighty Kong and Marcia Hines. He co-wrote the song "Shining" with Jill Wagner-Porter, which was recorded by Marcia Hines on her 1976 LP album Shining, and also wrote "Empty" and "A Love Story" on that album.

In the 1980s, Porter produced albums for Air Supply, Tommy Emmanuel and The Nauts. He returned to the US to live and worked in television production and as a horse breeder. During 2006 Porter formed another record label named, Musique, with flautist Jane Rutter.

The Joy Boys - 1963 - Waltz Of The Flowers

Waltz Of The Flowers/Gavotte Espresso/Xmas Guitar/Wild Love


Col Joye's backing band, The Joy Boys, which included his brothers Kevin and Keith, The Joy Boys released several of their own singles, many of which charted, especially in Sydney where nine made the Top 40 from 1960 to 1963. They had several Top 40 entries in most of the major capital cities. Smoky Mokes was their biggest hit, followed by Southern 'Rora, an original instrumental in honour of the Southern Aurora, a new Sydney-Melbourne express train (1962, #5 Sydney #5 Melbourne #5 Brisbane #2 Adelaide).

Members

Kevin Jacobsen (piano), Keith Jacobsen (bass), John Bogie (drums), Laurie Erwin (saxophone), Norm Day (lead guitar), Dave Bridge (guitar), Bruce Gurr (keyboards), Ron Patton (saxophone)

Lonnie Lee - 1961 - I Found A New Love

I Found A New Love/Sit Around and Talk/Defenceless/Baby Baby Bye Bye


Lonnie Lee (born 18 September 1940) is an Australian singer. He was raised on sheep property in Rowena, New South Wales and has been performing since the mid-1950s. A Pioneer of early Australian rockabilly music, at the peak of his career, Lee had eight top 100 singles on the national charts. Seven of them peaked in the top 40, including three top 20's and two top tens. His highest peaking song on the national charts was a #2. He achieved five Gold Records. He had his last hit with 'Sad Over Someone' in (1969), but still continues to tour and perform.

Lee got his first break in 1956 with a performance on radio 2UW's talent search, Alan Toohey's Amateur Hour where he came second. In February 1957, he won an MGM contest for 'Australia's own Elvis Presley' and in 1959 recorded his first record for Leedon Records called Ain't it so, which he wrote with Johnny O'Keefe and which became his first national hit. He also formed started Sydney's first Rockabilly trio. At this time, Lee made his first of many television appearances on the ABC's rock and roll television show Six O'Clock Rock as well as Bandstand compered by Brian Henderson.

Other hits were Starlight Starbright (1959), Yes Indeed I Do (1960), I Found A New Love, Defenceless (1960). In 1961 and 1962 he made Sit Around And Talk, When The Bells Stop Ringing, Sitting By The River and Don't You Know Pretty Baby.

His last hit was in 1969 with his own song Sad Over Someone. Lonnie Lee continues to tour and perform regularly both national and internationally.



Lee's recording career achieved a number of notable firsts including

1. The first Australian to have a full colour album cover.
2. The first Australian to record a stereo album.
3. The first Australian to have a double sided #1 record.
4. The first Australian to have a #1 from an album.

Flying Circus - Frontier

I Remember Jo-anne/I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight/The Day The Rains Came Down/When Will I See You As You


 Following the addition of Red McKelvie to the band, this EP released in April 1970 was something of a stop gap measure between the debut album that had the bubblegum hits & the band's landmark Prepared In Peace album. It was also a way to introduce the band's more focused country rock sound to the Aussie public and although not a success, it did the trick. Even so it hardly prepared anyone for the entirely original follow up album. All are exclusive tracks to the EP & show a definite country influence

Billy Thorpe - 1967 - Love Letters

Wee Bit More of Your Lovin'/Love Letters/The New Breed/Dancing in the Street



 By 1966 many pundits were predicting that the so-called "Beat Boom" was coming to an to end. Sensing the change, Billy decided to expand his horizons to become an all-round entertainer. Backed by the "Mark II" Aztecs, he notched up further hits with "Twilight Time", "Hallelujah I Love Her So", "Love Letters" and "Word For Today".

 Released in Australia in 1965 "Love Letters" reached #2 in Sydney, #2 in Melbourne, #6 in Brisbane, #3 in Adelaide and #3 in Perth - a double-sided hit in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth with 'Dancing In The Street'. "The New Breed" released 1966 hit #11 Sydney #20 Brisbane #5 Perth Double-sided hit in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth with The Word For Today which charted alone in Melbourne and Adelaide. "Wee Bit More Of Your Lovin'" also released in 1966 only charted in Perth at #58