Joe Camilleri | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Joseph Vincent Camilleri |
Also known as | Jo Jo Zep |
Born | Crown Colony of Malta | 21 May 1948
Genres | Rock, R&B, blues |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, saxophone, guitar |
Years active | 1964–present |
Website | Joe Camilleri.com.au |
Joseph Vincent Camilleri, [1] (born 21 May 1948) aka Jo Jo Zep, is a Maltese Australian singer-songwriter and musician. [2] [3] Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows. [2] [4] Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons' highest-charting single was "Hit & Run" from June 1979, which peaked at #12; [5] Jo Jo Zep's "Taxi Mary" peaked at No. 11 in September 1982; [5] and The Black Sorrows top single, "Chained to the Wheel", peaked at No. 9 in March 1989. [6]
Camilleri has also produced records for The Sports, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Paul Kelly & the Dots, The Black Sorrows, Renée Geyer, and Ross Wilson. [4] Australian music journalist, Ian McFarlane, described him as "one of the most genuinely talented figures in Australian music", [3] and, as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Camilleri was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2007. [7] [8]
The Black Sorrows' Saint Georges Road (2021) represented Camilleri's 50th career release. [9]
Joe Camilleri was born the third of ten children in Malta in 1948. The family migrated to Australia when he was two. [10] Camilleri grew up in Port Melbourne and listened to rock music on the radio. [10] His mother called him Zep and he became known as Jo Zep. He has five children. Camilleri began his music career in 1964 when literally thrown onstage to sing with The Drollies. [10] He played blues and R&B in the mid-1960s with The King Bees, [4] [10] and was then a member of Adderley Smith Blues Band. [4] [11] [12] In 1968, lead singer for the band, Broderick Smith had been conscripted for National Service during the Vietnam War. [10] Camilleri lasted a year with Adderley Smith, and enjoyed working with the band including guitarist Kerryn Tolhurst (later in The Dingoes with Smith). [10] According to Australian music journalist Ed Nimmervoll, Camilleri was sacked for sounding too much like Mick Jagger and upstaging other band members. [11] After Adderley Smith, Camilleri was a member of various bands, including The Pelaco Brothers during 1974–1975. [4] [10]
Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons formed in 1975 and Camilleri gained national prominence as the group's lead singer, co-songwriter and saxophonist. [2] Other members (from 1976 on) included Jeff Burstin (guitar, vocals), John Power (bass guitar, vocals), Gary Young (drums), Tony Faehse (guitar, vocals) and Wilbur Wilde on sax. [2] [4] Incorporating influences from blues, R&B, soul, punk rock, new wave and reggae, the group achieved considerable commercial and critical success in Australia. [2] Hit singles for Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons included "Shape I'm In" and "Puppet on a String"; their highest-charting single was "Hit & Run" from June 1979 which peaked at No. 12.
In 1981, most of The Falcons left the group, and the act's name was shortened to Jo Jo Zep. "Taxi Mary", credited to Jo Jo Zep, peaked at No. 11 in September 1982. [5] The Jo Jo Zep ensemble became unwieldy with, at its peak, a roster of 11 members and disbanded in 1983. [2]
The classic 1976–1981 group reformed in 2001 for a one-off gig, but stayed together to release an album of new material, Ricochet, in 2003. [10] [13] As a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Camilleri was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2007. [7] [8] The group continues to tour and play live dates.
After the demise of Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons in 1983, Camilleri achieved his greatest success with another long-running group The Black Sorrows, which began in 1984 as an informal semi-acoustic band playing blues, R&B and zydeco. [3] The Black Sorrows had a shifting line-up and at various points included three ex-Falcons: Jeff Burstin, Wayne Burt, and Gary Young. [3] Later additions to the band included sisters Vika and Linda Bull on vocals, and backing vocalist and lyricist Nick Smith. Camilleri himself has been the only constant member of the group.
The Black Sorrows developed a strong fan following and garnered wide critical acclaim for their recordings and superb live performances. [3] After starting life as an acoustic cover band, they evolved into a full electric ensemble that wrote their own material, releasing a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed albums in the 1980s and 1990s. These albums included A Place in the World , Dear Children (an Australian Top 20 album in 1987), [5] Hold On to Me (peaked at No. 7, 1988), Harley & Rose (peaked at No. 3, 1990), Better Times (peaked at No. 13, 1992) and compilation The Chosen Ones – Greatest Hits (peaked at No. 4, 1993). [6] Top 30 hit singles by the band were "Chained to the Wheel" (which peaked at No. 9 in 1989), "Harley + Rose" (1990) "Never Let Me Go" (1990), and "Snake Skin Shoes" (1994). [6]
For the first several years the band was in existence, Camilleri performed under the pseudonym "Joey Vincent" (a name he had previously used for a solo single), although he wrote and produced material for the group using his real name. The "Joey Vincent" persona was finally dropped in time for the release of 1990's Harley & Rose .
With a number of different line-ups, the band has continued to release material through the 1990s and 2000s.
While with The Black Sorrows, Camilleri also performed with The Revelators. The Revelators returned to the Black Sorrows roots of playing mostly covers of country/R&B style music, and had virtually the same line-up as The Black Sorrows. They released their first album in 1991 called Amazing Stories and followed it up with two others, The Adventures of The Amazing Revelators (2000) and The Revelators (2002). [3] [10] [13] The Revelators were active as a live group from circa 1989 through about 2012.
Bakelite Radio was another side project from the early 2000s. This particular group focussed on more acoustically-oriented music, though still in a country/R&B mould. The repertoire consisted mostly (but not exclusively) of cover songs, and the line-up—as is characteristic of Camilleri's bands—was fairly fluid.
The group released four albums between 2003 and 2009: in order of release, they were Bakelite Radio Volume II (2003), Bakelite Radio Volume III (2004) Bakelite Radio Volume IV (2007), and Bakelite Radio Volume I (2009). [13] As a live act, Bakelite Radio was active from 2001 to 2007.
After a long hiatus, the group (with a largely modified line-up, save Camilleri) returned in 2020, issuing their fifth album Rosary of Tears as a combined vinyl and CD package.
The Voodoo Sheiks are a ten-piece ensemble led by Camilleri and John McAll that celebrates the musical heritage of New Orleans. The band features a large brass section, and a repertoire of cover songs. They started playing gigs circa 2011, and for a time supplanted Camilleri's previous side projects The Revelators and Bakelite Radio. The Voodoo Sheiks have yet to record under their own name, although one track on The Black Sorrows' 2014 album Certified Blue is called "The Return Of The Voodoo Sheiks" and was played by the then-current Voodoo Sheiks line-up. The Voodoo Sheiks horns include Julien Wilson, Tim Wilson, Greg Clarkson on saxophone, James Mustafa and Travis Woods on trumpet and Ben Gillespie on trombone.
Here Comes The Night is a Van Morrison tribute project, spearheaded by Camilleri in association with Vince Jones and Vika Bull. Beginning in 2013, the group has performed several live shows throughout Australia. [14]
Beginning in the late 1970s, Camilleri also produced recordings for other artists including The Sports, Paul Kelly & the Dots, Renée Geyer, and Ross Wilson. [4] He can also be heard as a session musician and/or vocalist on recordings by numerous Australian recording acts, including Skyhooks, Tim Finn, Icehouse, and Mondo Rock. [4]
Camilleri has only infrequently released material with solo billing. A 1980 single credited to "Joey Vincent" was his first solo project; two additional singles from the 1980s and a 1995 maxi single called "All Saint's Hotel" are his only other solo releases of original material. [4]
Title | Details |
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Limestone (with Nicky Bomba) |
Title | Details |
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I Believe to My Soul - The Best of 1977-2003 |
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45 Years |
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Time of My Life |
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Title | Year |
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"Nosey Parker" (as Joey Vincent) | 1980 |
"Celebrate (This Must Be the Day)" | 1986 |
"Angel Dove" | 1989 |
"All Saints Hotel" | 1995 |
"A Little Love" (with The Black Sorrows and Darlinghurst) [17] | 2023 |
The Black Sorrows' Saint Georges Road (2021) represented Camilleri's 50th career release. [9]
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Joe Camilleri was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 as part of Jo Jo Zep. [18]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2007 | Joe Camilleri (as part of Jo Jo Zep) | ARIA Hall of Fame | inductee |
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Joe Camilleri won one award in that time. [19]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
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1990 | Joe Camilleri | Rock Performer of the Year | Won |
The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2020 | Rosary of Tears (as Joey Vincent's Bakelite Radio) | Best Blues Album | Nominated | [20] [21] |
Stephen Donald Cummings is an Australian rock singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from 1976 to 1981, followed by a solo career which has met with critical acclaim but has had limited commercial success. He has written two novels, Wonderboy (1996) and Stay Away from Lightning Girl (1999), and a memoir, Will It Be Funny Tomorrow, Billy (2009). In 2014 a documentary film, Don't Throw Stones, based on his memoir premiered as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Jane Clifton is a Gibraltar-born Australian actress, singer, writer and former radio and voice artist.
The Black Sorrows are an Australian blues rock band formed in 1983 by mainstay vocalist Joe Camilleri, who also plays saxophone and guitar. Camilleri has used various line-ups to record 17 albums, with five reaching the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Charts: Hold on to Me, Harley and Rose, Better Times, The Chosen Ones - Greatest Hits and Lucky Charm. Their top 40 singles are "Chained to the Wheel", "Harley + Rose" and "Snake Skin Shoes".
Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues and rock band that features the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri. The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had several Australian chart hits including "Hit and Run", "Shape I'm In" and "All I Wanna Do". The Falcons dissolved in 1981 and the group's biggest Australian hit, 1982's "Taxi Mary", as well as the New Zealand top ten hit "Walk on By", were both credited simply to "Jo Jo Zep". In 1983, Camilleri and other members of the Falcons formed the Black Sorrows.
John McAll is an Australian pianist, composer, arranger and producer, with experience ranging from jazz, pop, blues, rock contemporary classical, afrobeat and theatre.
"Billy Baxter" is a song by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Dots, released on 20 October 1980 as the lead single from the album Talk (1981). It was written by band members Paul Kelly and Chris Langman. It peaked at No. 38 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The song was produced by Joe Camilleri for Mushroom Records. In early November the group performed the track on national pop music TV show, Countdown – it was Kelly's first TV appearance. The song's subject, Billy Baxter, is an Australian musician and was a long term member of Coodabeens Footy Show on ABC Radio National.
The Pelaco Brothers were an Australian rockabilly band formed in 1974, with Joe Camilleri on saxophone and vocals, Stephen Cummings on lead vocals, Peter Lillie on guitar and vocals, Johnny Topper on bass guitar, Karl Wolfe (Sharks) on drums and Chris Worrall on guitar. Later members included Ed Bates on guitar and Peter Martin on slide guitar. The group only existed for 18 months, however according to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, they "virtually defined a scene that encompassed a new musical aesthetic ... [they] sang about truck drivers, roadhouses and endless highways" and although American-influenced they "presented a fiercely Australian outlook". They disbanded by late 1975 leaving behind a six-track extended play, The Pelaco Bros., which appeared the following year. Camilleri formed a blues and rock music band, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons; while Cummings and Bates formed a new wave group, the Sports in 1976.
Better Times is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band The Black Sorrows. The album was released in September 1992 and peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming the band's third consecutive top-twenty album.
The Revelators is an Australian blues rock band formed in 1989 by Joe Camilleri, James Black, Joe Creighton and Peter Luscome. Jeff Burstin joined in 1990. In Camilleri's own words, their desire was to "blow out the serious days' work with people who shared the same interest in music and who simply wanted to play it".
Amazing Stories is the debut studio album by Australian blues-rock band The Revelators. The album was released in 1991 and consisted of cover versions of soul and blues songs. The album was re-released in March 1993 as a 2CD pack with The Black Sorrows' Better Times and peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Chart. The album was re-released in 2002 with two additional tracks from the original sessions that were not included on the first pressing, Those being "Honest I Do" and "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down"
Endless Sleep Chapter 46 is the fifteenth studio album Australian blues rock band, The Black Sorrows. The album was the first of two simultaneously-released limited edition vinyl in Australia in April 2015. It was later released as a digital download and compact disc in Europe.
Endless Sleep Chapter 47 is the sixteenth studio album Australian blues rock band, The Black Sorrows. The album was the second of two simultaneously-released limited edition vinyl in Australia in April 2015. It was later released on digital download and compact disc in Europe.
Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues, rock and R&B band. The band released eight studio albums. The band were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007.
Don't Waste It is the debut studio album by Australian band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. Released in February 1977, the album peaked at number 37 on the Australian Kent Music Report.
"So Young" is a pop song written by Joe Camilleri, Jeff Burstin and Tony Faehse and recorded by Australian blues, rock and R&B band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. The song was the group's fifth single, released in September 1978 as the lead single from a 12" EP also entitled So Young (1978).
Screaming Targets is the fourth studio album by Australian pop rock band Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons. The album was the band's first via Mushroom Records. Released in July 1979, the album peaked at number 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report, becoming the band's first top twenty album. The album was released with a limited edition bonus record featuring songs recorded live at Sentimental Bloke Hotel, Bombay Rock, Melbourne, April 1979.
"Puppet on a String" is a pop song written by Joe Camilleri, Jeff Burstin and Tony Faehse and recorded by Australian blues and rock band Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons. The song was released in July 1980 as the second single from the band's fifth studio album Hats Off Step Lively (1980).
Cha is the seventh studio album by Australian band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, but first and only to be credited as Jo Jo Zep. It is also the final studio album by the band until Ricochet in 2003. The album was released in November 1982 and peaked at number 28 on the Australian Kent Music Report. David Nichols called Cha primarily a "latin-based dance record".
Ricochet is the eighth and final studio album by Australian band Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons. It is the first studio album from the band in over 20 years. The album featured the "classic" line-up of the Falcons: Joe Camilleri on vocals and sax, Jeff Burstin on guitar, Tony Faeshe on guitar, Wilbur Wilde on sax, John Power on bass, and Gary Young on drums. Ricochet was released in September 2003. The album was supported with a national tour in early 2004.
Saint Georges Road is the nineteenth studio album by Australian blues rock band, The Black Sorrows. The album was released on 10 September 2021. The album sees the band reunite with English producer Peter Solley, who produced Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons' 1979 album, Screaming Targets, which featured Joe Camilleri's first Top 40 hits "Hit and Run" and "Shape I'm In".