The Phantoms - 1963 - Instrumental Hits By The Phantoms

 Southern Cross/Dance On/Apache/Ridin' The Wind/Spring Is Nearly Here/The Two Forty-Two




The Phantoms began their career in early 1960. The band consisted of Dave Lincoln (Lead Guitar) Gene Taylor (Rhythm Guitar) Pete Wason (Bass Guitar) and Alan "Ollie" Fenton (Drums). Under the management off Bruce Stewart (who saw the playing at The Malvern Town Hall approached them after the show and asked if he could manage them) the band began to increase their popularity around the Melbourne scene.

They backed all the major solo artists on the various weekly shows at The Malvern Town Hall, Preston Town Hall, Springvale Town Hall, The Mechanics Town Hall Frankston, Cogurg Town Hall and other one off events like the Royal Melbourne Show, Moomba and the 3DB Lunchtime Concert at the Melbourne Town Hall. These Concerts Gave The Phantoms the chance to really excell and improve their skills and back the superstars of the day like Johnny O'Keefe, Johnny Chester and many others.  

 In November 1962 the Phantoms released their single on W & G titled "Stampede"/"Midnight" #27 in Melbourne. April 1963 their second single was a terrific version of "The Rumble" backed with "The Two Forty-Two" around Victoria these two singles sold well this kept the band in demand not only in demand in Victoria but N.S.W and Queensland as well.

W & G as a follow up released the six track EP Instrumental Hits By The Phantons which these days has become a collectors item changing hans for hundreds of dollars the release was not promoted and soon disappered from the the record stores. In April 1964 their next single for W & G wa released "Hava Nagila" with the popular tune "Round and Round" sales for this release were good.

The Beatles Touring Party The Phantoms back row with Johnny Chester and Johnny Devlin.

 The band was then selected as one of the support acts fot the Beatles tour of Australia Iin May they also supported Johnny Chester and Johnny Devlin. The Phantoms started each show with two songs "Hava Nagila" and "Round and Round". Members of the group for the tour were Dave Lincoln,Bob Garde, Pete Watson, Alan Fenton and Alan Tresider.

June 1964 saw the release of their album "The Two Sides Of The Phantoms" after being cast as Shadows clones the approched the album with the intent of throwing of that mantle. They decide that they would record vocals for the first time Pete Watson and Dave Lincoln took up the task.

 

Some months after the release of the album W & G issued anothe single in August  "I Want You"/"Move It" W & G then issued their final single "The Cruel Sea" with "My Babe" on the flipside. The "The Cruel Sea" was also issued in the USA on the Ford label reaching #137 on their charts.

Around this time Dave Lincoln was hit by a car and badly injured so the band advertised for a replacement and chose Mike Brady of the Hearsmen Pete and Mike hit it off and after a coupe of months they decided to pusue a more contemporary beat style of musuc this was the virtual end of the Phantoms. Pete and Mike recruited Danny Finley of The Saxons and M.P.D. Limited was born.

Essendon Airport - Sonic Investigations (Of The Trivial)

Runway Rock/How Low Can You Go/Wallpaper Music/Three Against Four




Essendon Airport was an Australian post-punk group from 1978 to 1983 who explored experimental minimalist, electronic, and funk music. They reformed in the original duo lineup for occasional performances in 2003 following the re issue of Sonic Investigations of the Trivial. A new double CD reissue of Palimpsest and other live material was released by Chapter Music in August 2011.

Based in Melbourne, Essendon Airport began as an instrumental duo in 1978 with Robert Goodge on guitar and David Chesworth on Wurlitzer electric piano along with a homemade drum machine bought from the Trading Post. Both members lived in or near the suburb of Essendon, and took the name of Essendon Airport which since 1971 was no longer an international terminal (replaced by Melbourne Airport in Tullamarine).

 

 They later became a four-piece, adding drums – Paul Fletcher, and saxophone – Ian Cox, and finally a five-piece with bass player Barbara Hogarth in 1982. The group disbanded in 1983. Each of these three line-ups produced quite different music. Essendon Airport performed around Melbourne's newly emerging post-punk inner-city venues such as The Crystal Ballroom, various galleries such as the George Paton and the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre (CHCMC), a venue for experimental music, performance and film during this time. They were also closely associated with performance group → ↑ →.

Duo 1978–79

The duo released the EP Sonic Investigations of the Trivial and the single Talking To Cleopatra with Anne Cessna both on Innocent Records.

                                                                                             David Chesworth and Robert Goodge 1979


Their EP was described at the time by Essendon Airport as .... songs which combine many of the most facile and insipid kinds of music in a redeemingly dignified manner.... creating new trivia out of old. All this takes place along with a kind of pedantic fetishism for small-repetition games - the music travels in circles, spirals and solid blocks of sameness and difference. This manifestation of Essendon Airport is perhaps less well known than the later ones but played some memorable performances around Melbourne including the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre and supports at the Crystal Ballroom in front of bemused punters waiting for bands like Midnight Oil and Jimmy and the Boys

Quartet 1980–81

Embellished with the arrhythmic drumming of Paul Fletcher and the often sweet, often brittle saxophone of Ian Cox. The four-piece performed a range of material from extreme minimalism to plundering the hidden resonances of the popular song. Examples can be heard on the album Palimpsest (Innocent Records). The group also made recordings for Fast Forward cassette magazine and a disc give-away for the Art Network magazine.

Quintet 1982–83

Adding bass player Barabara Hogarth (from the funky band 'Government Drums' featuring Willy Zygier and Richard Pleasance) the group developed material with an art/funk feel and performed many headliners at the Jump Club, Crystal Ballroom and toured to Sydney. No recordings by the quintet were released until 2011, when the 2-CD release of Palimpsest included live an studio tracks, including a Live-to-Air performances on 3RRR FM including their final performance at the Crystal Ballroom.

After the dissolution of Essendon Airport, Chesworth continued performing as a soloist and with a new group entitled Whaddya Want? (with Phillip Jackson ex Whirlywirld, Equal Local) Goodge, Cox and Hogarth formed the nucleus of the successful pop-funk band I'm Talking which featured Kate Ceberano as lead vocalist. After the dissolution of I'm Talking, Goodge, Cox and Chesworth collaborated again in 1990 in the group "Power Trip featuring Mr Larry Weems".  Chesworth later formed the instrumental group the David Chesworth Ensemble, in which Goodge has occasionally performed.

Maria Dallas - 1966 - Encore

Changing All Those Changes/I'll Cry Tomorrow/ I Don't Have A Penny/Ballin' The Jack


For a time in the mid-sixties life was a fairytale come true for a young woman from Morrinsville named Marina Devcich. One minute there she was the second youngest of twelve children working as a hairdresser in her home town. Eighteen months later she had won the Loxene Golden Disc Award with her first record, and had just returned from four months in the USA, recording with Chet Atkins and appearing on the Grand Ole Opry.

It all started in 1964 when Marina and Isabel Leigh won a Johnny Cooper talent quest in Morrinsville. Further solo performances with the Lew Manson Band around the Waikato area followed. One night in 1965 she was booked to appear in a Morrinsville hotel with Howard Morrison and Auckland bandleader Mike Perjanik. Mike went straight back to Auckland to tell Viking Records' chief Ron Dalton that he'd found his next star in the Waikato. Almost overnight the girl with the power packed voice was in an Auckland recording studio, recording Jay Epae's "Tumblin' Down". Ron Dalton decided to rename her Maria Dallas. 

 

 "Tumblin' Down" backed with "When I Get Through With You" was a very infectious number. Released in 1966, the song made it to number 11 on the national charts and was entered into the Loxene Golden Disc Awards, where it took first place. Despite this success, Maria never felt at home as a pop singer and soon returned to her country music roots.           

Viking churned out six albums during 1966 and 1967, and a similar number of singles. None of the singles faired as well as the first.                                            
Later in 1967 she moved to Australia, before venturing to Nashville, where she did a considerable amount of recording. Although singles were still released during her absence, New Zealanders had almost forgotten about her until she returned in 1970 with a song called "Pinocchio" which went all the way to number 1 on the national charts.

Again she couldn't reproduce her success after that, but Viking capitalised by releasing another album in 1971 and a follow up in 1972. Maria married an Australian and has lived there for many years.

Tommy Leonetti - 1970 - Tommy Leonetti Sings

Kumbaya/Hands/My City Of Sydney/Till I See You Again



Anyone who lived in Sydney during the 60’s and 70’s would surely remember the days when the television stations did the nightly close-down. Unlike today when you can watch TV all through the night, sometime between 10.30pm and midnight each channel did their own particular close-down and from then until the next morning all you got was a test signal on the screen.

The ABC (Channel Two) played ‘Advance Australia Fair’ – I cannot recall what Channel Nine or Ten did – but who from that time does not recall the wonderful entertainer Tommy Leonetti singing ‘My City of Sydney’ at the end of the night’s broadcasting on Channel Seven ?

As a backdrop to the song there is a clip of Tommy wandering around Sydney and along the beaches – now this was filmed back in the very early 70’s so you do notice a huge difference in the Sydney skyline; the hydrofoils, the old ferries, there’s no Centrepoint Tower and even the Opera House is still in it’s final stage of construction…

The bikini’s on the girls, the cars, the fashions of the day. The absence of all those five star hotels, the Australia Square building dominating the skyline.  Back then you drove over the Harbour Bridge – only the bridge workers walked over it and I would bet that if the camera had lingered long enough on the bridge you would see Paul Hogan working as a rigger there somewhere.

Tommy Leonetti was actually an American entertainer who came to Australia and quickly became a favourite with audiences on TV (The Tommy Leonetti Show) and around the clubs as a singer. He had a wonderful voice and during his TV show endeared himself to his colleagues for his habit of missing camera cues and forgetting his lines and did you know that Gary McDonald based his character ‘Norman Gunston’ on Tommy’s endearingly clumsy style of interviewing…? but it was as a singer in front of a live audience that Tommy was at his best.

Jay Justin - 1963 - Proud Of You

Proud Of You/Promise Me/Why Don't You Try/ Love Me Love Me Baby Darling



 Jay Justin a shoe salesman-cum-pop singer, Justin first hit the Australian charts in 1961 with his second record, "Why Don't You Try". The popularity of this hit helped Justin to become a regular on national TV shows Bandstand and the Johnny O'Keefe Show. More small local hits

followed until Justin recorded the biggest hit of his singing career in 1963, the smash "Proud of You" his own composition it reached # 3 in Brisbane & Sydney , & # 2 in Melbourne , April 1963, it was also released in the USA, (though failing to chart in that country).

In addition to recording, Justin has also written songs for other artists, such as Bryan Davies, Little Pattie, and Patsy Ann Noble. 'He’s My Blond Headed Stompie Wompie Real Gone Surfer Boy’ by the 14-year-old Little Pattie. It got to No. 2 in the Sydney charts and got her a best female Vocalist Award for 1963. The B side was 'Stompin’ at Maroubra’ and both songs were written by producer Joe Halford and singer Jay Justin. 

The Scientists - 1980 - The Scientists

Last Night/Bet Ya Lyin' (Slink City Lee)/It's For Real/Pissed On Another Planet


The Scientists are an influential post-punk band from Perth, Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as the Exterminators and then the Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk band of the late 1970s and the Sydney/London-based swamp rock band of the 1980s. The Scientists were much more influential than their minimal commercial success would indicate, lending their influence to artists such as Mudhoney and New York's downtown indie scene of the early 1990s.

Dig Richards - 1962 - Raincoat In The River

Raincoat In The River/A Long Way From Home/Do Re Mi/Dear Lady Twist



 Digby George Richards was born on 12 September 1940 in Dunedoo. His father, Gordon Forrest Richards, was a rural-based policeman, and his mother was Mona, (née Dennis). His younger brother is Douglas Ryman Richards (born ca. 1944). Gordon was later an oyster farmer in Narooma. Richards attended Narooma Central and Moruya High schools, where he completed his Leaving Certificate. At the age of 17 he travelled to Sydney to work in a large department store.

He formed the R'Jays as lead singer with Jon Hayton (ex-Red Jeans) on lead guitar. The band played their first dance in August 1958 with a line-up of Richards and Hayton joined by Kenny Conyard on rhythm guitar, Barry Lewis on drums, Peter Morris on saxophone, and Roger Paulfreman on tea chest bass. They auditioned with Festival Records in 1959 and were the third rock and roll act to be signed to a recording contract; the previous two were Johnny O'Keefe, and Col Joye and the Joy Boys.

In July 1959 Dig Richards and the R'Jays released their first single, "I Wanna Love You", which was written by Richards' 15-year-old brother, Douglas. It peaked at No. 8 on the local radio station, 2UE's Top 40 records chart. By that time the line-up was Richards, Hayton, and Lewis with Jay Boogie on piano and Peter Baker on electric bass. The group's second single, "I'm Through", also written by Doug, followed in September and reached the Top 40.

Dig Richards and the R'Jays were the first group to play live on Brian Henderson's TV pop music show, Bandstand, and became one of the regular performers. They were also regulars on rival TV show, Six O'Clock Rock, hosted by O'Keefe. From August 1959 they were the house band on music TV show, Teen Time, which ran on Sydney's ATN-7 until about 1962. In mid-October 1959 they were due to support United States singer, Fabian, on his tour of Australia However, Richards was hospitalised after a car accident and was unable to tour for months.

Richards became the first Australian rock and roll artist to record a 12" LP record when Dig Richards was released in November 1959. Australian Women's Weekly's entertainment reporter, Ainslie Baker, felt it had "tunes nicely judged to show off the paces of this young rocker". Richards was backed on most tracks by the R'Jays but on four tracks he used The New Notes. In January 1960 Richards supported a tour by US rocker, Billy "Crash" Craddock, promoted by Lee Gordon. Also that month Richards and the R'Jays issued a single, "(Real Gone) Annie Laurie", on Festival Records' label, Rex. Leon Isackson replaced Lewis on drums. The group, with Richards, issued three further singles on Rex. In September 1960 they supported visiting US singer-actor, Ricky Nelson. Richards' second solo album, Bad Boy, appeared in November. In the studio, for different tracks, he was backed by the R'Jays, The Crescents, or The Graduates. Richards also released solo singles, "You Gotta Love Me" in December 1960, and "Alice (In Wonderland)", which reached No. 33 in June 1961.

After 1962 Richards became a solo performer and taught himself to play guitar. In August he released an extended play, Dig Richards Gets out of the Groove, with guitar supplied by Douglas. Also that month he formed a commercial venture, All Star Promotions, with fellow pop artists Rob E. G. and Johnny Devlin, which ran teenage dance venues. Richards then undertook two review show tours with Ted Quig to "gain more experience in stage work and comedy sketches". His next single, "Raincoat in the River", reached No. 19 in October 1962. He had a four-week tour of rural areas working as a comedy singing duo with Clarence "Buster" Noble, where "One of the things he taught me was facial expression". In December Richards took the lead role in the musical theatre production of Melody Fair at the Elizabethan Theatre, Sydney. He followed with singing and dancing lessons.

In May 1963 he issued another single, "The Love Express", which Baker noted had "a perky girl chorus, train sounds, and the come-hither note in Dig's voice make [it] a train not to be missed, and there's plenty of intimate appeal in the other song ["The Whole Wide World"] – which Dig wrote himself". It was followed in December with "Comin' Down". In December he had a role, Dig the Beatnik, in Once Upon a Surfie, a surf musical farce at the Palace Theatre, Sydney. Also in the musical were Bryan Davies, Rob E. G., Jay Justin, Lucky Starr and Jackie Weaver.

Richards' next four singles for Festival were "Come on and Dance with Me" (May 1964), "Mary from the Dairy" (December), "Puff (The Tragic Wagon)" (June 1965) and "I was Yesterday's Hero, Today I'm a Broken Hearted Clown". From October 1964 to January 1965 Richards compered a weekly children's TV general knowledge quiz show, Ampol Stamp Quiz, with co-host and fellow pop singer Little Pattie. He then worked on the club circuit and in 1966 he toured South East Asia and performed for Australian troops in Vietnam. During 1970 he relocated to the United Kingdom to work the club circuit there.

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. 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

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.