Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in March 1973 by mainstays Greg Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks on drums. They were soon joined by Bob "Bongo" Starkie on guitar and backing vocals, and Red Symons on guitar, vocals and keyboards; and Steve Hill lead vocalist, Graeme "Shirley" Strachan became lead vocalist in March 1974. Described as a glam rock band, because of flamboyant costumes and make-up, Skyhooks addressed issues including buying drugs in "Carlton ", sex and commitment in "Balwyn Calling", the gay scene in "Toorak Cowboy" and loss of girlfriends in "Somewhere in Sydney" by namechecking Australian locales. According to music historian, Ian McFarlane "[Skyhooks] made an enormous impact on Australian social life".
Sherbet was one of the most successful Australian rock bands of the 1970s. The 'classic line-up' of Daryl Braithwaite on vocals, Tony Mitchell on bass guitar, Garth Porter on keyboards, Alan Sandow on drums, and Clive Shakespeare on guitar provided their teen-oriented pop style. In 1976 Shakespeare left and was soon replaced by Harvey James. Sherbet's biggest singles were "Summer Love" (1975) and "Howzat" (1976), both reaching number one in Australia. "Howzat" was also a top 5 hit in the United Kingdom. The band was less successful in the United States, where "Howzat" peaked at No. 61. As The Sherbs they also reached No. 61 in 1981 with "I Have the Skill". The group disbanded in 1984. Subsequent re-unions have occurred since 1998.
Daryl Braithwaite is an Australian singer. He was the lead vocalist of Sherbet. Braithwaite also has a solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including two number-one hits: "You're My World" and "The Horses". His second studio album, Edge, peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, No. 14 in Norway and No. 24 in Sweden.
Garth Ivan Richard Porter is a New Zealand-born Australian multi-instrumental musician, songwriter and record producer. He was a member, on keyboards and backing vocals, of the pop group, Sherbet (1970–84), and co-wrote both of their number-one singles, "Summer Love" and "Howzat". Porter is a co-writer and producer for country music singer Lee Kernaghan.
Another Passenger is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on June 5, 1976.
Tony Mitchell is a songwriter and bass guitarist who rose to fame in the 1970s with the Australian rock band Sherbet. Tony co-wrote some of Sherbet's biggest hits, including "Howzat" and "Magazine Madonna".
Clive Richard Shakespeare was an English-born Australian pop guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was a co-founder of pop rock group Sherbet, which had commercial success in the 1970s including their number-one single, "Summer Love" in 1975. The majority of Sherbet's original songs were co-written by Shakespeare with fellow band member Garth Porter. Other Sherbet singles co-written by Shakespeare include "Cassandra", "Slipstream" and "Silvery Moon". In January 1976 Shakespeare left the band citing dissatisfaction with touring, pressures of writing and concerns over the group's finances. Shakespeare produced albums for other artists including Post by Paul Kelly in 1985. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002 and died of the disease in 2012, aged 64.
From Now On is the debut studio album by English recording artist Will Young. It was released on 14 October 2002, eight months after he won the first series of Pop Idol. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, having sold 187,350 copies in its first week of sales. From Now On has now sold just over 880,000 copies.
Ariel were an Australian progressive rock band fronted by Mike Rudd and Bill Putt, who formed the band in 1973 after the breakup of their previous group Spectrum. The original Ariel line-up was Mike Rudd, Bill Putt (bass), Tim Gaze (guitar), John Mills (keyboards) and Nigel Macara (drums). Gaze and Macara were recruited from seminal Australian progressive rock band Tamam Shud. The band released three studio albums and two live albums between 1973 and 1977, during which there were several line-up changes, with Rudd and Putt the only permanent members. Other members of Ariel included guitarists Harvey James and Glyn Mason and keyboard player Tony Slavich.
"Summer Love" is a song by Australian pop group, Sherbet and was released in March 1975. It became their first number-one hit on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The song was promoted on the newly aired ABC TV pop series, Countdown, which gave it wide exposure. From early 1975 the group made more appearances on the show than any other band in the programme's history. In October, at the King of Pop Awards, "Summer Love" won the Most Popular Australian Single, the band won Most Popular Australian Group and their lead singer, Daryl Braithwaite, won the King of Pop award.
On with the Show is the second studio album by Australian band, Sherbet released in November 1973. The album spent 12 weeks in the Australian charts, peaking at number #6. "Cassandra" was the only single to be released.
The Skill is the eighth studio album by the Australian band Sherbet but also the first under their new name, The Sherbs. It was released in October 1980 and reached at number 85 on the Kent Music Report.
Harvey James born Harvey William James Harrop was an English-Australian rock guitarist. He was a member of the bands Mississippi (1973–74), Ariel (1974–75), Sherbet and the Party Boys (1982–83). James was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2010 and died on 15 January 2011, aged 58, leaving behind his three children, Gabriel, Alexandra and Joshua.
"Howzat" is a song by Australian band Sherbet, released in May 1976. The song reached number 1 in Australia on the Kent Music Report and it also reached number 1 in New Zealand on the Recorded Music NZ. It was released from Sherbet's album of the same name, Howzat. The song was written by band members Garth Porter and Tony Mitchell. The title track was also a number one hit and remains the group's biggest hit, especially outside of Australia, reaching the top 5 of the UK charts and also entering the lower end of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Can You Feel It, Baby?" is the second single by Australian band Sherbet, released in June 1971. It was released as the first single from Sherbet's debut studio album Time Change... A Natural Progression. The song charted at number 22 on Go-Set and it also peaked at number 16 on the Kent Music Report. The song was written by English songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway.
"Free the People" is a song by Australian band Sherbet. It was released in October 1971 as the second single from Sherbet's debut studio album Time Change... A Natural Progression. The song charted at number 33 on Go-Set and number 18 on the Kent Music Report.
"You're All Woman" is a song by Australian band Sherbet. It was released in June 1972 as the third single from Sherbet's debut studio album Time Change... A Natural Progression. The single reached at number 19 on the Kent Music Report and it also reached at number 13 on Go-Set.
"You've Got the Gun" is a song by Australian band Sherbet. It was released in October 1972 as the fourth and final single from Sherbet's debut studio album Time Change... A Natural Progression. The song was written by Sherbet band members Garth Porter, Clive Shakespeare, Daryl Braithwaite. The song reached at number 29 on Go-Set and number 27 on the Kent Music Report.
"Cassandra" is a song by Australian band Sherbet, released in September 1973 as the first and only single from Sherbet's second studio album, On with the Show. The song was written by Sherbet members Garth Porter and Clive Shakespeare. Cassandra peaked at number 5 on Go-Set and it also peaked at number 9 on the Kent Music Report.
The Fabulous Caprettos is an Australian supergroup consisting of Daryl Braithwaite, Jack Jones, Russell Morris and Rai Thistlethwayte. The band formed in 2020, when they began rehearsing and recording. They commenced touring in 2021. A further tour is planned for 2023.
