Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly | |
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Genres | Jazz-rock |
Years active | 1971 | –1972
Labels | M7, Atlantic |
Associated acts | Levi Smith's Clefs, Mother Earth, Crossfire |
Past members |
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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 (ex-Aesop's Fable, Levi Smith's Clefs), Dave Ellis on bass guitar, Greg Foster on trombone and harmonica (ex-Heart 'n' Soul), Mickey Leyton (aka Michael Puddyfoot) on lead vocals, Jim Kelly on lead guitar (ex-Affair, Levi Smith's Clefs), Mike Kenny on trumpet (Levi Smith's Clefs), Peter Martin on guitar and vocals (ex-Little Sammy and the in People) and Don Wright on tenor sax and flute (ex-Ram Jam Big Band). [1] [2] [3]
In December 1971 the band issued the debut album, SCRA, which Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, compared to their regular "brash, commercial sound" when performing live – the album was "more restrained and slickly arranged." [1] It was produced by Allan Crawford and issued on M7 Records and provided three singles including their debut, "C C Rider", which was a cover version of Ma Rainey's original. In September 1971 they performed it live-in-the-studio for Australian Broadcasting Corporation's TV programme, GTK . Their second single, "Roly Poly", was released in December which peaked at No. 27 on the Go-Set National Top 40, and No. 28 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, in April of the following year. [1] [4] [5]
SCRA appeared at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1972 and provided a live version of "Roly Poly" for a double album, Sunbury, by various artists on EMI/HMV. [1] John Dixon directed and produced a documentary film of the festival, Sunbury (1972), which includes footage of SCRA's version of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" with Black on lead vocals. McFarlane praised her as a "gutsy blues singer of rare talent." [1] By April the group had relocated to the United States. [1] Ian Saxon joined as their third lead vocalist. [1] [3] Also in April SCRA members appeared as the studio backing band for Dig Richards' country music album, Harlequin. [1]
SCRA recorded their second album, The Ship Album (1972), at The Hit Factory in New York; [1] and at United Sound Studios, Sydney. [3] It was produced by Martin and issued by Atlantic Records. McFarlane felt they had "dispensed with the lighter pop moments of the debut to concentrate on a more innovative and bluesy progressive jazz-rock sound". [1] The group disbanded by the end of that year. [1] Black, Dunlop, Ellis, Foster, Kelly, Kenny and Martin all did session work in subsequent years. [1] Dunlop and Kelly both joined Mother Earth; Dunlop was later a member of Johnny Rocco Band and then Ayers Rock; Bloxsom, Kelly, and Kenny were members of Crossfire. [1]
The Dingoes are an Australian country rock band. They were initially active from 1973 to 1979, and reformed in 2009. Initially based in Melbourne, the band relocated to the United States from 1976. The most stable line-up comprised John Bois on bass guitar, John Lee on drums, Broderick Smith on vocals and harmonica, Chris Stockley on guitar, and Kerryn Tolhurst on guitar. Mal Logan on keyboards joined after Stockley was hospitalised when shot in the stomach by Melbourne drug-dealer, Dennis Allen, who was attempting to gate crash a party. The Dingoes' debut single, "Way Out West", was released in November 1973, and peaked in the top 40 of the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart. Subsequent singles were "Boy on the Run", "Smooth Sailing", and "Into the Night", which did not reach the top 50. They had three top 40 albums, The Dingoes in 1974, Five Times the Sun in 1977, and Orphans of the Storm in 1979.
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.
Company Caine, also styled as Co. Caine and Company Kane, were an Australian progressive rock band. They were formed in March 1970 by Ray Arnott on drums, Cliff Edwards on bass guitar (ex-Cam-Pact), Jeremy Noone on saxophone and keyboards, Gulliver Smith on lead vocals and Russell Smith on guitar and vocals (ex-Cam-Pact).
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.
Broderick Smith is an English-born Australian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and sometime actor. He was a member of 1970s bands Sundown, Carson and the Dingoes, 1980s Broderick Smith's Big Combo and he has recorded and performed solo and in duos. He acted on stage in the 1973 Australian version of the rock opera, Tommy, and in minor roles in 1990s TV series, Blue Heelers, Snowy River: The McGregor Saga and State Coroner. Smith has been involved with the writing of some 200 songs and has run workshops on song writing, harmonica and vocals. He is the father of Ambrose Kenny-Smith, who has provided vocals, harmonica and keyboards for the rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard since their formation in 2010.
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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.
The 69'ers were an Australian rock, pop, jug and country band formed in 1969. They released two albums, The 69er's Album (1971) and Francis Butlers 69er's Live (1974). The group toured Australia and appeared at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1973 and 1974. The ensemble went through numerous different members, including two competing line-ups, before finally disbanding in February 1976. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, they played a "good-time mix of vintage rock'n'roll, jugband music and country-swing" and were able to "capture the humour and downright silliness of the form in such a boisterous, zany and garrulous fashion".
Russell James Dunlop was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and record producer-engineer. From the late 1970s he collaborated with Bruce Brown in a production company for albums and singles by Australian performers including Mental As Anything, The Reels and Machinations. As a musician he was a member of various groups such as Aesop's Fables (1968–70), Levi Smith's Clefs (1971), Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (SCRA) (1971–72) and Ayers Rock (1976).
Levi Smith's Clefs, originally The Clefs, were an Australian R&B, pop rock group, which formed in Adelaide in 1963. Lead vocalist, Barrie "The Bear" McAskill, joined in 1965. In 1967 he took over and renamed the group after founding keyboardist, Winston "Tweed" Harris, left. They released a sole studio album, Empty Monkey, in March 1970 and underwent numerous line-up changes until they disbanded in 1972. After their time in the band various members formed the groups: Tully, Fraternity and Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (SCRA). Winston Harris (1941–2004) died of throat cancer, aged 63. A drummer from 1970 to 1971, Russell Dunlop (1945–2009), died after a seizure, aged 63. Richard Lockwood, flautist and saxophonist in 1968, died in 2012 of bowel cancer.
Carson was an Australian blues rock and boogie rock band, which formed in January 1970 in Melbourne as Carson County Band. They had a top 30 hit single on the Go-Set National Top 40 with "Boogie" in September 1972. The group released their debut studio album, Blown, in November on EMI and Harvest Records, which peaked at No. 14 on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums. Their performance at the second Sunbury Pop Festival in late January 1973 was issued as a live album, On the Air, in April but the group had already disbanded.
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Sid Rumpo were an Australian R&B group which formed in Perth in November 1971. They issued their debut album, First Offense, in April 1974 on Mushroom Records/Festival Records but disbanded by the end of that year. The band were formed by John Hood on lead guitar and harmonica ; Noel Herridge on drums ; Owen Hughes on bass guitar ; Robert Searls on lead guitar and vocals; and Ken Wallace on piano. In 1972 they won the Western Australian state final in the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds. They appeared at both the 1973 and 1974 Sunbury Pop Festivals. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, "[o]ne of the unique features of the band's sound was the use of dual, harmony guitar lines which had the effect of enhancing the natural spaciousness of the music. To top it off, Searls was one of the great gravel-throated blues wailers of the day".
Crossfire was an Australian jazz-fusion band active from 1974 to 1991, which recorded five studio albums. The primary composers of the group were founding members Jim Kelly (guitars) and Michael Kenny. Other members of Crossfire included Ian Bloxsom, Greg Lyon and Phil Scorgie, Don Reid and Tony Buchanan, John Proud, Doug Gallacher, Steve Hopes, and Mark Riley (drums).
Leo de Castro was a New Zealander funk and soul singer-guitarist. From 1969 to 1995 he worked in Australia in a variety of bands before returning to Auckland. He contributed to Rocco (1976), as a member of Johnny Rocco Band; Voodoo Soul – Live at The Basement, by Leo de Castro and Friends; a live album, Long White Clouds (2007), which had been recorded in January 1988 using two separate backing bands, The Dancehall Racketeers and Roger Janes Band.
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).
Kevin Gullifer Hopkins-Smith, who performed as Little Gulliver and Gulliver Smith, was an Australian singer and songwriter from the early 1960s to mid-2000s. He was the front man and founding mainstay vocalist of Company Caine. In 1976 he and Ross Wilson co-wrote "A Touch of Paradise" for Wilson's group, Mondo Rock, which appeared on their third album, Nuovo Mondo. It was covered by John Farnham on his album, Whispering Jack, and was issued as its third single in February 1987, which reached the top 30 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart.
The Bootleg Family Band were an Australian folk, R&B and rock band formed in 1973 by Brian Cadd on lead vocals with Geoff Cox on drums, Penny Dyer on backing vocals, Gus Fenwick on bass guitar, Brian Fitzgerald on keyboards, Angela Jones on lead and backing vocals, Louise Lincoln on backing vocals, Tony Naylor on lead guitar and Russell Smith on trumpet. The group became the in-house band for Cadd's label, Bootleg Records. They also released their own material and had chart success with cover versions of "Your Mama Don't Dance" and "The Shoop Shoop Song ", which both reached the top 10 on Australian singles charts. The group toured the United States and performed on the TV shows, The Midnight Special and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1974. Early in the following year they trimmed back to a five-piece line-up as The Bootleg Band. Late that year, Cadd left to work in the US and the remaining members renamed themselves as Avalanche. That group issued a self-titled album in September 1976 and disbanded in 1978. Cadd reassembled the Bootleg Family Band in 2015 to release a studio album, Bulletproof, which was supported by a short tour.
Band of Talabene were a briefly existing Australian blues rock band formed in April 1972 as Willy & the Philtones by Tony Buettel on drums, Phil Gaunt on bass guitar, Phil Manning on lead guitar and lead vocals, and Tony Naylor on guitar and vocals. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, their name was both, "[a] homage to bands like Derek and the Dominoes and because it comprised two Phils and two Tonys." In July Gaunt was replaced on bass guitar by Gus Fenwick (ex-Pleazers) and they were renamed as Band of Talabene. Manning explained that his young daughter had dreamt of a band, Talabene, with pumpkins playing guitars.