Jak Housden

Last updated

Jak Housden
Birth nameJohn Paul Housden
Born (1969-06-12) 12 June 1969 (age 55)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1986–present
LabelsBoffin
Website jakhousden.com

John Paul "Jak" Housden (born 12 June 1969) is an Australian guitarist, singer, and composer. Best known as a long-standing member of or The Whitlams, he is also a founding member of The Badloves, appearing on all their classic 1990s releases. A revered session guitarist, Jak has performed and recorded with Barry Gibb, Olivia Newton-John, Richard Clapton, Steve Kilbey, Kate Ceberano, Jimmy Barnes, Daryl Braithwaite, and Steve Balbi. Since 2015, Jak has been involved with Tim Minchin, touring extensively and recording on the album Apart Together.

Contents

Early life and career

Jak Housden has played guitar since he was 11 years old. [1] He joined Melbourne band, Show of Hands, at 16, performing regularly around Melbourne, even flying to Tokyo to represent Australia in Yamaha's Band Explosion at the Budokan Stadium. In 1988, Housden began a spell of touring with Daryl Braithwaite. Also in the band, at the time, was Stephen O'Prey on bass guitar (also ex-Show of Hands) and Michael Spiby on lead guitar and backing vocals (ex-Screen Idols).

Housden, O'Prey, and Spiby (now on lead vocals) founded the Badloves in Melbourne with Chris Tabone on drums and initially Spiby's brother, John, on keyboards and saxophone. [2] [3] According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, they "became a popular live attraction courtesy of regular gigs and a fine set of laid-back, 1970s-styled blues, Memphis soul and New Orleans R&B material. The band's sound was simple, soulful and very funky. The Badloves were immediately labelled as 'organic', 'neo-hippies' and 'retro', which may have been the case, but at least it showed a band working within a rich musical tradition." [3] The group released two studio albums, Get on Board (June 1993) and Holy Roadside (September 1995), before disbanding in 1997. [2] [3]

In 1999, Jak was one of the session musicians on the Whitlams fourth studio album, Love This City . In 2001, he became a permanent band member, touring and recording the albums Torch the Moon (2002) and Little Cloud (2006), alongside founding mainstay lead vocalist and pianist, Tim Freedman, bass guitarist, Warwick Hornby and drummer, Terepai Richmond. [4] In February 2022, The Whitlams released their first album in 16 years, Sancho. Housden has remained a member of the Whitlams. [5] [6]

Solo material and other projects

Housden released his self-produced debut solo album, Mad About Disco, in 2004 through Boffin Records, which included the single, "To Die For" (2005). In 2020, Housden released the single Bombs on Triplespeak. Strong on melody, Bombs is a stomper with intoxicating harmonies, and the psychedelic guitar for which Housden has become famous. Produced by Housden, Bombs was mastered at Abbey Road Studios.

Housden has played in numerous bands including Clayton Doley (Hammond organ) Organ Donors and the Sydney psychedelic band, The Dolly Rocker Movement. in recent times, Jak has featured in various music videos for Tim Minchin, including '15 Minutes' and 'Leaving LA'. [7]

Housden's film & television credits include the Emmy Award-winning animated Beatles series, Beatbugs, for which Jak recorded on tracks featuring Rod Stewart, Chris Cornell and Regina Spektor. And in 2017, he was the guitarist and Music Advisor on the critically acclaimed ABC biopic Friday On My Mind - The Story of The Easybeats .

Genre and style

Housden is renowned for his bendy guitar style and highly distinctive tone, as well as his fervent falsetto vocals. He draws upon 1960s and '70s influences including The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and west coast rock bands like The Byrds and Jefferson Airplane.

Personal life

Jak Housden is married to singer and performer Robyn Loau, is the brother of Stephen Housden, the lead guitarist of Little River Band, and the uncle of composer Paul Housden, who was part of the now-defunct Pornland.

Discography

Albums

  1. To Die For
  2. Mad About Disco
  3. I Want You Back (don't care what I have to do)
  4. Emily, I Stare
  5. The Hand of Ruby
  6. The Legendary Man from Decca
  7. Love Illusion
  8. Bus
  9. To Make a Fool of You
  10. Turn Around (bright eyes)

Singles

  1. To Die For (CD version)
  2. Your World/My World
  3. The Legendary Man from Decca (Original Version)
  4. To Die For (Acoustic Version)
  1. Bombs
  2. She Knows

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little River Band</span> Australian rock band

Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart including Diamantina Cocktail and First Under the Wire, which both peaked at No. 2. Nine singles appeared in the top 20 on the related singles chart, with "Help Is on Its Way" (1977) as their only number-one hit. Ten singles reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Reminiscing" their highest, peaking at No. 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Whitlams</span> Australian rock band

The Whitlams are an Australian Indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar and lead vocals. Other than mainstay Freedman, the line-up has changed numerous times. From 2001 to 2022, he was joined by Warwick Hornby on bass guitar, Jak Housden on guitar and Terepai Richmond on drums – forming the band's longest-lasting and best-known line-up. Four of their studio albums have reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 20: Eternal Nightcap, Love This City, Torch the Moon and Little Cloud. Their highest charting singles are "Blow Up the Pokies" and "Fall for You" – both reached number 21. The group's single, "No Aphrodisiac" was listed at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997 by listeners of national radio station, Triple J. In January 1996 Stevie Plunder was found dead at the base of Wentworth Falls. Andy Lewis died in February 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryl Braithwaite</span> Australian singer

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beeb Birtles</span> Musical artist

Beeb Birtles is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has been a member of various Australian groups including Zoot (1967–71), Mississippi (1972–74), Little River Band (1975–83) and Birtles Shorrock Goble (2002–07). He has also worked as a solo artist, including releasing an album, Driven by Dreams (2000). In 2004, Birtles and other members of the classic line-up of Little River Band were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Turner</span> Australian musician

Mick Turner is an Australian musician and artist. He is the founding mainstay guitarist for Dirty Three and has had art exhibitions around Australia and internationally. Previously he was a member of the Sick Things, the Moodists (1983–84) and Venom P. Stinger. He has released four solo studio albums, Tren Phantasma (1997), Marlan Rosa (1999), Moth (2003) and Don't tell the Driver (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevie Plunder</span> Musical artist

Stevie Plunder, born as Anthony Hayes, was an Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of the groups, The Plunderers (1984–1995) and The Whitlams (1992–1996).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Barker</span> Australian musician

Nicholas Paul Barker is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who formed a rock, power pop band, Nick Barker & the Reptiles, in March 1988. Their cover version of Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile " reached the top 30 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Chart in November 1989. They provided two top 40 albums on the related ARIA Albums Chart, Goin' to Pieces (1989) and After the Show (1991). He formed another group, Barker, in 1993, and their single, "Time Bomb", was listed at No. 20 on Triple J Hottest 100 for 1994. Barker then went solo from 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Victims (Australian band)</span> Australian punk band from Perth, active from 1977 to 1979

The Victims were an Australian punk band from Perth, Western Australia, active from 1977 to 1979. The founding mainstay members were James Baker on drums, Dave Flick on guitar and vocals, and Rudolph V on bass guitar. Their debut single, "Television Addict", was issued in April 1978 and was followed by a five-track extended play, The Victims, in August of that year. The group disbanded early in the next year. In 1989 Timberyard Records released a compilation album, All Loud on the Western Front, of their material. In late 2014 and early 2015 Baker and Faulkner were joined by Ray Ahn as the Television Addicts to perform the Victims material. The 2014 and 2015 shows were so well received that the trio assumed the band name The Victims and played sold-out shows at Rosemount Hotel and Mojo's Bar.

Timothy Michael Hemensley was an Australian bass guitarist and singer. He was the front man of Powder Monkeys (1991–2002), a punk, garage and hard rock band. He had been a member of GOD (1986–89), Bored! (1989–91) and the Yes-Men. Hemensley was in his first band at age ten. In 1996 he played bass guitar for Peter Wells. Hemensley died of a heroin overdose on 21 July 2003, aged 31. Hemensley was the son of the poet, Kris Hemensley.

Karma County are an Australian country, pop music trio which formed in 1995. They comprise Stuart Eadie on drums, percussion and backing vocals; Michael Galeazzi on bass guitar, double bass and backing vocals; and Brendan Gallagher on lead guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, bouzouki, percussion, drums and bass guitar. They have released five studio albums, Last Stop Heavenly Heights (1996), Olana, Into the Land of Promise, Happy Birthday Dear Customer and Pacifico. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2000, Into the Land of Promise won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.

Cheetah were an Australian hard rock band, active between 1976 and 1984.

<i>Flesh and Wood</i> 1993 studio album by Jimmy Barnes

Flesh and Wood is the seventh album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes, which was issued in December 1993. It was recorded by Barnes and Don Gehman co-producing and used only acoustic instruments. On eight of its fifteen tracks, Barnes duets with various artists: Diesel, Archie Roach, Joe Cocker, Ross Wilson, Tommy Emmanuel, Don Walker, Deborah Conway, and the Badloves. It reached No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

<i>Monsoon</i> (Little River Band album) 1988 studio album by Little River Band

Monsoon is the tenth studio album by Australian group, Little River Band, with Glenn Shorrock returning as lead singer after John Farnham left the group to release his solo album Whispering Jack. The album was released in May 1988 and peaked at number nine on the Kent Music Report albums chart.

Goh Tee Huat, known professionally as Rex Goh, is a Singaporean-born Australian rock guitarist. In 1972 Goh moved to Australia. He has been a band member of various groups including Air Supply, QED (1983–85), and Eurogliders.

The Badloves are an Australian R&B, soul band that formed as DC3 in 1990 by founding mainstay member Michael Spiby on guitar and lead vocals. They changed their name after a year. Their debut studio album, Get on Board, was issued in July 1993, which peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1994 they won Best New Talent and Breakthrough Artist – Album for Get on Board and Breakthrough Artist – Single for its first single, "Lost" (1993). The Badloves' second album, Holy Roadside, reached the top 20. Their highest-charting single, "The Weight" (1993), is a cover version of the Band's 1968 single and features Jimmy Barnes on co-lead vocals. It reached the ARIA singles chart top 10.

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.

Paul Adrian Christie is an Australian rock bassist and vocalist. He was a member of various groups including Kevin Borich Express (1978–79), Mondo Rock (1980–82) and the Party Boys. As a member of Mondo Rock he performed on the tracks, "State of the Heart", "Cool World", "Summer of '81", "Chemistry", "No Time", "The Queen and Me" and "In Another Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Hussey</span> Musical artist

Simon Cyril Hussey is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter-arranger, record producer and audio engineer. In 1984 he formed Cats Under Pressure on keyboards with David Reyne on vocals and Mark Greig on guitar. On the Australian Crawl album Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Hussey co-wrote four tracks with the band's lead singer, James Reyne. In 1987 when James undertook his solo career, Hussey joined his backing band on keyboards, and co-wrote six tracks for James' debut self-titled album including top 10 hit singles, "Hammerhead" (October) and "Motor's Too Fast". In May 1988 Hussey was the producer, and provided keyboards and song writing, for Edge (November), the comeback album by Daryl Braithwaite (ex-Sherbet), which peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart for three weeks in mid-1989.

<i>Get on Board</i> 1993 studio album by The Badloves

Get on Board is the debut studio album by Australian band The Badloves. released in July 1993. The album peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Albums chart and was certified double platinum by ARIA. It was re-released in 1994 with a bonus 8-track disc.

Stephen Frank Housden is an English-born Australian musician. He joined the rock group Little River Band (LRB) in 1981 on lead guitar and vocals and ceased performing with them in 2006. Previously, Housden had worked as a session musician for various Australian artists. During the 1970s he was a member of Stevie Wright's band and Marcia Hines' touring and session bands. Housden released his debut solo album, New World Groove, in 1993.

References

  1. ↑ "'I Want You Back' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015. Note: User may have to click "Search again" and provide details at "Enter a title:" e.g. I Want You Back; or at "Performer:" Jak Housden
  2. 1 2 Holmgren, Magnus. "The Badloves". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Badloves'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004.
  4. ↑ Bolger, Clayton. "Torch the Moon – The Whitlams". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Clarke, Kathy (18 September 2015). "The Whitlams Tour 2015 – Adelaide". Adelaide City Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Roberts, Jo (26 July 2002). "Of love and drinking". The Age . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "15 Minutes by Tim Minchin - Youtube". Youtube. In the 'about' of the video, Jak is credited. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.