Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and that was still influencing contemporary Australian music in the 2000s. The term came from the venues where most of these bands originally played — inner-city and suburban pubs. These often noisy, hot, small and crowded venues were not always ideal as music venues and favoured loud, simple songs based on drums and electric guitar riffs.
Ian William Rilen was an Australian musician. He was bass guitarist and songwriter with Rock N' Roll band Rose Tattoo, and led punk rock group X while also providing lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals. Rilen was born in Bendigo, Victoria, started his musical career in Sydney and later lived in Melbourne.
Martin Albert Mulry professionally known as Ted Mulry, was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, bass player and guitarist. As a solo artist, his second single, "Falling in Love Again", reached No. 11 on the Go-Set National Top 60. From September 1972 he led his own band, Ted Mulry Gang, which were also credited as TMG. They had a number-one hit single on the Kent Music Report with "Jump in My Car" and top ten appearances with a cover version of "Darktown Strutters' Ball", and with "Jamaica Rum" and "My Little Girl" (May). Their second album, Struttin, also reached the top ten. The group disbanded in 1986, although periodically reformed. Mulry announced in February 2001 that he had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. In the next month numerous music artists responded with Gimme Ted, a series of benefit concerts, which were recorded for a 2×DVD video tribute album, Gimme Ted – The Ted Mulry Benefit Concerts. Mulry died of his brain tumour in September 2001.
Spectrum are an Australian progressive rock band which formed in April 1969 and broke up in April 1973. The original line-up was Mark Kennedy on drums, Lee Neale on organ (ex-Nineteen87), Bill Putt on bass guitar, and Mike Rudd on guitar and lead vocals. In August 1970 Kennedy was replaced by Ray Arnott on drums. These members also performed under the alter ego, Indelible Murtceps, from 1971 to 1973. Spectrum had a number-one hit, "I'll Be Gone", on the Go-Set National Top 60 singles chart. After Spectrum and Indelible Murtceps disbanded, Putt and Rudd formed Ariel. In 1999 the pair formed Spectrum Plays the Blues, which later trimmed their name back to Spectrum. On 7 August 2013 Bill Putt died, after a heart attack.
Blackfeather are an Australian rock group which formed in April 1970. The band has had numerous line-ups, mostly fronted by founding lead singer, Neale Johns. An early heavy rock version recorded their debut album, At the Mountains of Madness, which peaked at number seven on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums chart. It provided the single, "Seasons of Change", which was co-written by Johns with lead guitarist, John Robinson. In July 1972 a piano-based line-up led by Johns issued an Australian number-one single, "Boppin' the Blues".
Fraternity were an Australian rock band which formed in Sydney in 1970 and relocated to Adelaide in 1971. Former members include successive lead vocalists Bon Scott, John Swan, and his brother Jimmy Barnes. Their biggest local hit was a cover version of "Seasons of Change" which peaked at No. 1 in Adelaide, but nationally it was overrun by the original Blackfeather version. The group won the 1971 Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds with the prize being a free trip to London. Fraternity went through various line-ups and was renamed as Fang, Fraternity (again). In the late 70s some Fraternity former members created the bands Some Dream and Mickey Finn. Mickey Finn disbanded in 1992.
The Flying Circus were an Australian pop and country rock band with founding mainstays, Doug Rowe on lead guitar and vocals and Colin Walker on drums. They had three top 30 pop hits, "Hayride", "La La" and "Run Run Run", in Australia from 1968 to 1971. These were not typical of their live work nor later recordings. They re-located to Canada from 1971 to 1974 where they achieved chart success with "Old Enough " and "Maple Lady". Doug Rowe died in July 2015.
Douglas John Parkinson was an Australian pop and rock singer. He led the bands Strings and Things/A Sound (1965), the Questions (1966–1968), Doug Parkinson in Focus, Fanny Adams (1970–1971), the Life Organisation (1973), Southern Star Band (1978–1980) and Doug Parkinson Band (1981–1983). Doug Parkinson in Focus's cover version of the Beatles' track "Dear Prudence" peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set National Top 40. The follow up single, "Without You" / "Hair" (October), also reached No. 5. Parkinson released solo material and performed in musical theatre productions.
The Vibrants were an Australian pop rock group that started as Bobby James and the Vibrants in Adelaide in 1962. James, their lead vocalist, left in 1965 to form the Bobby James Syndicate. As the Vibrants, two of their singles peaked in Go-Set Australian National Charts top 20: their cover versions of "Something About You Baby" and "My Prayer" (September). At the end of 1973the Vibrants disbanded.
Kerryn William Tolhurst is an Australian country rock musician, songwriter and producer. He was based in the United States from late 1970s to the late 1990s, although he periodically returned to Australia. He was a founder of the Australian group, the Dingoes and co-wrote their top 40 hit single, "Way Out West". It was covered by fellow Australians, James Blundell and James Reyne in 1991, which reached No. 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart. He also formed a short-lived group, Rattling Sabres, and wrote their single, "All Fired Up" (1987). The track was reworked by Pat Benatar and released as her single in June 1988, which peaked at No. 2 in Australia and reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.
Band of Light were an Australian blues rock quartet formed in October 1972 by Tony Buettel on drums, Phil Key on lead vocals and guitar, Peter Roberts on bass guitar and Norm Roue on slide guitar. Roberts was soon replaced by Ian Rilen on bass guitar. They had a top 20 hit single, "The Destiny Song" on the Go-Set National Charts. The group released two albums, Total Union – which peaked at No. 13 – and The Archer (1974) before disbanding in late 1974. Phil Key died in May 1984 of a congenital heart condition; Ian Rilen died of bladder cancer in October 2006.
Mississippi were an Australian soft rock band (1972–1975), which included Graham Goble on lead vocals and guitar, Beeb Birtles on lead vocals and guitar, and Derek Pellicci on drums. The band had started as Allison Gros in Adelaide in 1970 and moved to Melbourne in 1971 where they recorded as Allison Gros, Drummond and, early in 1972, became Mississippi. As Drummond they issued a cover version of "Daddy Cool", which peaked at No. 1 on the Go-Set National Top 40 for eight weeks. As Mississippi they reached No. 10 with "Kings of the World". In early 1975, with Birtles, Goble and Pellici aboard and the addition of Glenn Shorrock, the group were renamed, Little River Band.
John Howard Chester is an Australian singer-songwriter, who started his career in October 1959 with group The Jaywoods singing rock music and in 1969 changed to country music. He toured nationally with the Beatles, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette and Charley Pride. During his career he has led various groups including Johnny Chester and The Chessmen, Johnny Chester and Jigsaw, Johnny Chester and Hotspur. With Jigsaw he had five top 30 hit singles, "Gwen (Congratulations)" (1971), "Shame and Scandal", "Midnight Bus", "World's Greatest Mum" and "She's My Kind of Woman" (1974).
The Town Criers were an Australian pop band formed in 1964. By 1967 their line-up was Andy Agtoft on lead vocals, Mark Demajo on bass guitar, Sam Dunnin on lead guitar, Chris Easterby on drums, and George Kurtiss on keyboards. Their first single was a cover version of the Kinks' album track, "The World Keeps Going Round", which was issued in 1965 but did not chart.
The Groove was an Australian R&B, pop group which formed in early 1967 with the lineup of Geoff Bridgford on drums, Jamie Byrne on bass guitar, Tweed Harris on keyboards, Rod Stone on guitar and Peter Williams on lead vocals and guitar. In December 1967 their single, "Simon Says", peaked at No. 17 on the Go-Set National Top 40 Singles Chart. They followed with "Soothe Me", which peaked at No. 14 in April 1968. Also in April they released their self-titled debut album. In July that year they won the national final of the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds competition with the prize including a trip to London. They relocated there in March 1969, and early the following year they changed their name to Eureka Stockade, they disbanded in 1971. On 13 October 2004 Tweed Harris died of throat cancer, aged 63.
Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly or SCRA was an Australian jazz-rock group formed in mid-1971 by Sheryl Black on lead vocals, Ian Bloxsom on percussion, Russell Dunlop on drums, Dave Ellis on bass guitar, Greg Foster on trombone and harmonica, Mickey Leyton on lead vocals, Jim Kelly on lead guitar, Mike Kenny on trumpet, Peter Martin on guitar and vocals and Don Wright on tenor sax and flute.
Mark Kennedy is an Australian musician who has been the drummer for several artists including Spectrum (1969–70), Doug Parkinson in Focus (1971), Leo de Castro (1971–73), Ayers Rock (1973–76), Marcia Hines (1976–83), Men at Work (1985), Renée Geyer and Jimmy Barnes (2005).
Autumn was an Australian pop music band formed in 1969 with Glenn Beatson on drums, Rick Graham on bass guitar, Greg Jacques on organ, Steve McMurray on guitar and Tony Romeril on lead vocals. Their cover version of "Yellow River", released in August 1970, reached No. 1 on the Go-Set National Top 60 along with other versions of the same song recorded by United Kingdom band Christie, fellow Australian band Jigsaw, and English singer Leapy Lee. Autumn had top 40 hits with "Looking Through the Eyes of a Beautiful Girl", "She Works in a Woman's Way" (February) and "Falling" (May). They released two albums, Song to Raymondo and Comes Autumn, both in 1971 before disbanding in the UK early in the following year.
New Dream were an Australian pop music group formed in 1967 as The Dream when founding mainstays Jenny Johnston on organ and Alex Kadell on lead vocals joined with latter day members of the Final Four. The Dream's repertoire shifted to bubblegum pop and they changed their name in March 1969. Their most popular single, "Soft Delights", peaked at No. 21 on the Go-Set national top 40. They released a sole album, New Dream, in 1973 however they had disbanded late in the previous year. They briefly reformed in 1974 before breaking up again.
Dave Miller is a New Zealand former rock music singer-songwriter and journalist. He was the founding mainstay of Dave Miller Set, which were based in Australia. Long-term fellow members included Leith Corbett on bass guitar, Mike McCormack on drums and John Robinson on lead guitar. Their cover version of "Mr Guy Fawkes" peaked in the top 30 on the Go-Set national singles chart. The group disbanded early in 1970 and Corbett, McCormack and Robinson founded the fellow rock group, Blackfeather. Miller and Corbett combined for a studio album, Reflections of a Pioneer by Dave Miller/Leith Corbett and Friends. In February 1973 Miller and Robinson briefly revived Dave Miller Set. Before the end of that year Miller travelled to the United Kingdom and worked as a music journalist. He returned to Australia in 1980 and lived in New South Wales. In September 2017 Miller curated a compilation album, Mr Guy Fawkes: Complete Spin Recordings & More 1967-1970, which included tracks by Dave Miller Set and by Dave Miller/Leith Corbett and Friends on CD.
