Johnny Dole & The Scabs

Last updated

Johnny Dole & The Scabs Johnny Dole & The Scabs.jpg
Johnny Dole & The Scabs
Johnny Dole & the Scabs
OriginSydney, New South Wales, Australia
GenresPunk rock
Years active1976 (1976)–1979 (1979), 2013 (2013)–2013 (2013)
LabelsAberrant Records, Brain Salad Surgery, Buckwheat Headlock Productions, Murder Punk Inc, Shock Records
Past members

Johnny Dole & the Scabs were an early Australian punk rock group formed in 1976 by Terry Walsh (a.k.a. Johnny Dole) on lead vocals, Dave Berry on bass guitar and vocals, Peter Mullany on guitar and Greg Morris on drums and vocals. They disbanded mid 1979. A compilation album, Scab Animal 1977, was released in 1996. Terry Walsh died on 9 August 1987, aged 33.

Contents

History

The four founding members of Johnny Dole & the Scabs had all been members of a Sydney-based covers band, the Strays. By early 1977 that group were playing some original material including punk rock tracks. Their guitarist, Mark Wong See, left and Johnny Dole & the Scabs were formed by Terry Walsh (a.k.a. Johnny Dole) on lead vocals, Dave Berry on bass guitar and vocals, Peter Mullany on guitar and Greg Morris on drums and vocals. [1] Most of the group's original tracks were co-written by Mullany and Walsh. [2]

Punk rock was not welcomed at most venues, so they approached ones that supported the genre. George Kringus, the manager of Radio Birdman, booked them at the Oxford Funhouse, Taylor Square, Sydney, with their first gig on 15 April 1977. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, "Alongside the Hellcats and Johnny Dole and the Scabs, Psycho-Surgeons were one of the first bands to become associated with the scene that grew up around the Oxford Funhouse, the legendary venue in inner-city Sydney." [3]

Ray Walsh, Terry's brother, managed them. He had gathered contacts whilst a professional wrestler, under the stage name, Butcher Brown, and secured interviews with newspapers, including The Daily Mirror , The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald . A recording session with Sydney radio station, 2JJ's producer, Keith Walker led to interviews and songs being played. An interview on Channel 9's TV programme, A Current Affair , with Mike Carlton aired in January 1978. They supported the Saints at the Refectory, Sydney University.

Peita Letchford, a student at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), made a music video for their track, "Aggro". It was shot in Woolloomooloo in old factories, due to be demolished, it was not shown publicly at that time. Letchford died of cancer in the late 1990s, but the video was located in the AFTRS archives 30 years after it was made.

Grand Hotel, Broadway, Sydney, circa 1970s The Grand Hotel - Broadway Sydney.jpg
Grand Hotel, Broadway, Sydney, circa 1970s

After the closure of the Oxford Funhouse Johnny Dole & the Scabs approached publicans at other pubs. The owner of the Grand Hotel, Broadway agreed to let them use the back room. On 16 September 1977, Johnny Dole & the Scabs opened the venue. Other bands which played there including Rocks, Tommy & the Dipsticks, Blackrunner (with Danny Rumour later a member of Sekret Sekret and then the Cruel Sea), Shock Treatment, Society Blitz, Subversion, Psychosurgeons, the Press, Mental As Anything, the Mangrove Boogie Kings, and World War IV.

Johnny Dole & the Scabs' last gig with the original line-up was at the Bondi Lifesaver, Bondi Junction, on 9 February 1978, supporting Cold Chisel. Not long after Greg Morris was asked to leave, and Dave Berry also left. The band did not last much longer but did a few gigs with new personnel. Dole and Mullany later joined with Tommy & the Dipsticks to form the Crooked Hearts.

After the Crooked Hearts, Mullany formed Sekret Sekret with David Virgin and released a number of singles. He is no longer involved in punk rock and lives in the north coast. Dave Berry moved down the south coast and was playing in a covers band, the Nashberries. After Johnny Dole & the Scabs, Morris joined another punk band, Rocks, and soon after recorded the EP You'r So Boring. Later he played in a covers band, Mad Cow Party Band. Terry Walsh died on 9 August 1987, aged 33.

In 1997 the group issued a compilation, Scab Animal 1977, via Brain Salad Surgery. [1] [4] Eight tracks had been recorded at ABC Studios 201 in 1977 with Keith Walker producing. Col Gray of Vicious Kitten, described the band as, "Australia's answer to the Pistols... [providing] more a backlash against established and commercially dominant rock artists... [the tracks] sound vital and relevant, oozing with energy and conviction. Eight songs of raw edged aggression, as menacing and snarling as any other punk sound around at that time. The songs are an exercise in hi-energy, structurally sound, with copious amounts of originality in the song writing department." [4] Bonus material for the CD version include four live tracks and an unlisted track providing various radio interviews.

Reunion

Reunion Gig Bald Faced Stag Hotel Leichhardt 2013 The Scabs Reunion Gig - Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt April 2013.jpg
Reunion Gig Bald Faced Stag Hotel Leichhardt 2013

With the release of a documentary, Distorted: Reflections on Early Sydney Punk (2013), by Des Devlin (of Sekret Sekret), the surviving members of the original line-up: Berry, Morris and Mullany, reformed for a one-off gig. Billed as A Grand Night of Original Punk, on 19 April 2013, at the Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. It was the first time they had appeared together on stage since 1978. Other bands that had played at the Grand Hotel in the late 1970s also performed: Tommy & the Dipsticks, Rejex, the Urban Guerillas, the Crooked Hearts and Rocks.

Former Members

Timeline

Johnny Dole & The Scabs

Discography

Albums

Original Songs

(*Recorded at ABC Studio 221 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst NSW Australia produced and engineered by Keith Walker – released on both Scab Animal 1977 LP and CD)

Known Performances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Television (band)</span> American rock band

Television was an American rock band from New York City, most notably active in the 1970s. The group's most prominent lineup consisted of Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd (guitar), Billy Ficca (drums), and Fred Smith (bass). An early fixture of CBGB and the 1970s New York rock scene, the band is considered influential in the development of punk and alternative rock.

<i>Midnight Oil</i> (Midnight Oil album) 1978 studio album by Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil is the debut album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil which was recorded in 1977 and released in November 1978 on the band's independent Powderworks label. It reached the top 50 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. The album was later distributed by CBS Records and issued as a CD. The LP has a blue cover, however, the CD has a black cover. Because of the blue cover, the former version is often referred to, by fans, as the "blue album" or "the Blue Meanie". The lead single, "Run by Night", became the band's first minor hit in Australia and appeared on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart Top 100. It also had a video clip.

<i>Head Injuries</i> 1979 studio album by Midnight Oil

Head Injuries is the second studio album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in October 1979 on their own Powderworks label and distributed by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Leszek J. Karski, recorded at 'Trafalgar Studios' in Sydney. It was the last Midnight Oil album to feature founding bass guitarist Andrew James, who quit the band due to illness. It peaked at No. 36 on the Australian Kent Music Report and by mid-1980 had achieved gold status in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magazine (band)</span> British post-punk band

Magazine were a British rock band formed in 1977 in Manchester in England by singer Howard Devoto and guitarist John McGeoch. After leaving the punk group Buzzcocks in early 1977, Devoto decided to create a more progressive and less "traditional" rock band. The original lineup of Magazine was composed of Devoto, McGeoch, Barry Adamson on bass, Bob Dickinson on keyboards and Martin Jackson on drums.

The Heartbreakers, sometimes referred to as Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon (band)</span> New Zealand rock band

Dragon is a New Zealand rock band which was formed in Auckland in January 1972, and, from 1975, based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The band was originally fronted by singer Graeme Collins, but rose to fame with singer Marc Hunter and is currently led by his brother, bass player and co-founder Todd Hunter. The group performed, and released material, under the name Hunter in Europe and the United States during 1987.

The Cruel Sea are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, formed in late 1987. Originally an instrumental band, they became more popular when fronted by vocalist Tex Perkins. For the majority of the band's tenure, the band has featured Jim Elliott on drums, Ken Gormly on bass guitar, Dan Rumour on guitar and James Cruickshank on guitar and keyboards. Between 1990 and 2001, the band released six studio albums – three of which were certified platinum by ARIA. The band are also known for their music having featured on television, such as "Better Get a Lawyer" soundtracking an RTA ad targeting drink driving, and "Reckless Eyeballin'" – an instrumental track from their debut album Down Below – becoming the theme of Australian TV police drama Blue Heelers. The band has won eight ARIA Music Awards, including five in 1994 for work associated with The Honeymoon Is Over.

The Johnnys are an Australian pub rock band from Sydney forming in 1982 and still active today that combines country and punk musical styles. Members are Graham Hood, Billy Pommer Jr and Slim Doherty and have included founder, Roddy Ray'da and Spencer P. Jones.

<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.

Australian musicians played and recorded some of the earliest punk rock, led by The Saints who released their first single in 1976. Subgenres of punk music, such as local hardcore acts, still have a strong cult following throughout Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Baker (musician)</span> Australian musician

James Lawrence Baker is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of various rock and punk rock groups, including the Victims, the Scientists, Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and the Dubrovniks. In 2006 Baker was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Hall of Fame. The following year, Hoodoo Gurus were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run from 1977 to 1984. They regrouped under a new name, Hitmen DTK, between 1989 and 1992. They have issued three studio albums, Hitmen, It Is What It Is and Moronic Inferno. The Hitmen reformed in 2007; Masuak left in 2015.

Mullany is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Demob are an English punk rock band from Gloucester, England.

The Thought Criminals were an influential and enterprising Australian punk band based in Sydney. They formed in late 1977 and disbanded in late 1981. The "angular, fast and quirky punk rock" of the Thought Criminals "was a fixture in the burgeoning Sydney underground scene." The band's name was derived from the concept of 'thoughtcrimes' from George Orwell's book, Nineteen Eighty-Four. The Thought Criminals exemplified the do-it-yourself punk ethos of the late 1970s, with which they combined considerable business acumen. The band members formed the Doublethink record label and agency which provided recording and live performance opportunities for other new bands.

The Leftovers is an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1976 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Original band members were Warren Lamond on vocals, Ed Wreckage on guitar, Jim Shoebridge on guitar, Glenn Smith on bass guitar and Graeme 'Hutch' Hutchinson on drums. Constant members of the original band (1976–1979) were Lamond and Smith, whilst other members were replaced at various times by a host of others including Michael Hiron, Johnny 'Burnaway' Gorman, Mal ' Malcontent' Skewis, David 'Dodo'Donald and Ed Wreckage's son, Ché Wreckage, who joined the group in 2012 along with Michael Gilmore. The group existed from 1976 to 1979 with reformations in 1983 and 2012.

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">Grand Hotel, Broadway</span> Former pub in Sydney, Australia

The Grand Hotel was a pub located at Broadway, Railway Square, in the suburb of Haymarket, Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Virgin</span> Musician, songwriter and producer

David Anthony Healy, who performs as David Virgin, is an Irish-born Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. In the 1980s he was a member of punk industrial noise group SPK, and later formed a post-punk band, Sekret Sekret. He was active in the 1990s and 2000s touring Australia and Europe. He performed and recorded both as a solo artist and as a member of numerous bands. Virgin is the owner of Beardfire Recording Studios in Dublin, Ireland where he has produced music for artists including Ailsha, All The Queen's Horses, RUNAH, Patricia Lalor, and SPK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrence Michael Walsh</span> Musical artist

Terrence Michael Walsh was a singer, song writer and musician. Born in Liverpool, England and migrated to Sydney with his mother and father in early 1962. He is best known as Johnny Dole, lead singer and one of the founding members of the Sydney punk rock band Johnny Dole & The Scabs (1977–78).

References

  1. 1 2 McFarlane, Ian (31 March 2017). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Rocks'". The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . Jenkins, Jeff (Foreword) (2nd ed.). Gisborne, VIC: Third Stone Press (published 2017). pp. 402–403. ISBN   978-0-9953856-0-3.
  2. "'Psycho Analyst' at APRA-AMCOS Australia Search". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) . Retrieved 15 November 2019. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'
  3. McFarlane, Ian (31 March 2017). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Lipstick Killers'". The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Jenkins, Jeff (Foreword) (2nd ed.). Gisborne, VIC: Third Stone Press (published 2017). p. 279. ISBN   978-0-9953856-0-3.
  4. 1 2 Gray, Col. "Fresh Grooves". Vicious Kitten. No. 8. Archived from the original on 26 July 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2019 via National Library of Australia.