The Groop

Last updated

The Groop (Australian band)
Also known asThe Wesley Three
Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres Folk, rock, R&B
Years active1964–1969, 1989
Labels CBS
Past membersPeter Bruce
Peter McKeddie
Max Ross
Richard Wright
Don Mudie
Brian Cadd
Ronnie Charles
WebsiteAxiom Bank

The Groop were an Australian folk, R&B and rock band formed in 1964 in Melbourne, Victoria and had their greatest chart success with their second line-up of Max Ross on bass, Richard Wright on drums and vocals, Don Mudie on lead guitar, Brian Cadd on keyboards and vocals, and Ronnie Charles on vocals. [1] [2] The Wesley Trio formed early in 1964 with Ross, Wright and Peter McKeddie on vocals; they were renamed The Groop at the end of the year. [1] [3]

Contents

The Groop's best known hit single "Woman You're Breaking Me" was released in 1967, [1] the band won a trip to United Kingdom but had little success there. Cadd later admitted that their style of music would have suited the US rather than the UK. [1] [3] [4] Other singles included "Ol' Hound Dog", "Best in Africa", "I'm Satisfied", "Sorry", "Seems More Important to Me" and "Such a Lovely Way". [1] [5]

When The Groop disbanded in 1969, Cadd and Mudie formed Axiom with Glenn Shorrock (later in Little River Band). [2] Cadd was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2007, for his work with The Groop, Axiom and as a solo artist. [6] [7]

History

1964–1966: The Groop mark I

The Wesley Trio was formed as a folk music group in 1964 with Peter McKeddie on vocals, Max Ross on bass guitar and Richard Wright on drums; all three were students from Wesley College, a private school in Melbourne. [3] The trio signed with CBS Records Melbourne, which released a single, an EP and an album. [1] [3]

They decided to become more R&B orientated and placed an ad for a guitarist, and, with Peter Bruce joining, they were renamed The Groop in late 1964. [1] [2] [3] At the time, Bruce (originally from England) claimed that he had been a member of UK pop group Dave Clark Five in their early years as Dave Clark Quintet in 1957. [1] [3] In a 2002 interview, Bruce admitted that he had only been in a support act, The Hill City Skiffle Group and never actually in Dave Clark's band. [3] The Groop had success on the Melbourne singles chart with "Ol' Hound Dog" reaching No. 13, "Best in Africa" No. 10 and "I'm Satisfied" No. 21 in 1966. [5] They were assisted by positive reviews from Ian "Molly" Meldrum writer for national pop magazine Go-Set who had earlier been their roadie. [3] This version of The Groop also recorded two albums, The Groop (1965) and I'm Satisfied (1966) both on CBS Records. [1] [3] In August 1966, founders McKeddie and Bruce left, but instead of disbanding the Rhythm section of Ross and Wright invited Don Mudie (ex-Sherwood Green) to join on guitars. At McKeddie's farewell party – he was travelling to UK – The Groop were supported by another R&B outfit The Jackson Kings. [3] The Groop invited their keyboardist Brian Cadd to join, Cadd insisted on bringing along bandmate Ronnie Charles (Ron Boromeo) as vocalist. [1]

1966–1969: The Groop mark II

The Groop were searching for a more Blues / Rock sound, [1] and when Cadd joined in October 1966 he used a pseudonym, Brian Caine, after advice from Meldrum that Cadd didn't sound good as a rock artist's name. [1] [3] [4] Cadd soon changed his name back after family protests. [1] [3] The new line-up of Cadd, Charles, Mudie, Ross and Wright, [2] [3] released "Sorry" which reached No. 12 on the Melbourne charts in January 1967. [5] [8] Their next single, released in May 1967, "Woman You're Breaking Me" (written by Cadd and Wright) [9] reached No. 4 in Melbourne, [5] No. 12 in Sydney, [1] and was their only national top ten hit. [10]

The band won a trip to UK from the 1967 Hoadley's National Battle of the Sounds in July, [1] [4] with "When I Was Six Years Old" written by Cadd and Ross. [9] Meldrum, writing for Go-Set reported:

"It was The Groop's day. Their performance was brilliant and they left no doubts in anyone's mind that they will be great ambassadors overseas, both with their music and their personalities." [3]

— Ian "Molly" Meldrum, July 1967

Publishers sent the song to England where it was recorded by Manfred Mann's lead vocalist Paul Jones. [3] Melbourne singer Ronnie Burns (close friend of Meldrum) had a local No. 22 hit with "When I Was Six Years Old" in 1968. [2] [5] Leaving the single "Seems More Important to Me" behind in Melbourne to reach No. 30 in early 1968, [5] The Groop travelled to UK on the Sitmar line cruiser "Castel Felice". They gave several onboard performances during the voyage.

The Groop arrived in the UK as Paul Jones' cover of "When I Was Six Years Old" was released and they secured a deal with CBS in England, then toured there and in Germany. [4] Band members had written most of their hits in Australia, but CBS decided they would cover an Italian ballad, "What's The Good of Goodbye", which failed to chart. The Groop returned to Australia by October 1968 and Ross left the band. [4] They released two more singles, but only "Such A Lovely Way" reached the national top 20 [10] before they disbanded in May 1969. [4] Their last recorded work was an uncredited appearance as instrumental support on Russell Morris' No. 1 single "The Real Thing". [2] [3] [4] [10] Cadd and Mudie were eager to explore a more rock sound and so disbanded The Groop to form Axiom. [1] The second version of The Groop had recorded the studio album Woman You're Breaking Me (1967), whilst the compilation Great Hits from The Groop (1968) was released while they were in UK. [3]

After The Groop

Following the break-up of The Groop, Cadd and Mudie formed Axiom in May 1969 with Glenn Shorrock (ex-The Twilights) on vocals, Doug Lavery (ex-The Valentines) on drums and Chris Stockley (ex-Cam-Pact) on guitar. [1] [2] [3] Cadd and Mudie were the primary songwriters for Axiom including their three hit singles, "Arkansas Grass", "A Little Ray of Sunshine" and "My Baby's Gone". [3] [9] [10] After Axiom disbanded in 1971, Cadd and Mudie had a No. 15 single in early 1972 with "Show Me the Way". [1] [10] Cadd then pursued a solo career as a performer, songwriter, record producer, label owner and film and TV score composer. [3] In 2007 Cadd was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, which acknowledged his iconic status including his work for The Groop. [11]

1988–1989: Brief reformation

The Groop reformed for a national tour from late 1988 to early 1989, with members from both versions: Bruce, Charles, McKeddie, Mudie and Wright; plus Rob Glover on bass (ex-Sports) and Tweed Harris on keyboards (ex-Groove). [1] [3] A CD compilation was released by CBS in 1989, The Best and The Rest. [2]

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsLabel
AU
1965"Mojo"-W&G
"Ol' Hound Dog"30CBS
1966"The Best in Africa"32CBS
"I'm Satisfied"53CBS
"Empty Words"99CBS
1967"Sorry" / "Who Do You Love"34CBS
"Woman You're Breaking Me" / "Mad Over You"6CBS
"Annabelle Lee" / "Seems More Important To Me"40CBS
1968"Lovin' Tree" / "Nite Life"65CBS
1969"Such a Lovely Way" / "We Can Talk"13CBS
"You Gotta Live Love" / "Sally's Mine"92CBS


Awards and nominations

Go-Set Pop Poll

The Go-Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper, Go-Set and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities. [12]

YearNominee / workAwardResult
1967themselvesTop Australian Group3rd

Related Research Articles

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.

Maxwell James Merritt was a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who was renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B. As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors, his best known hits are "Slippin' Away", which reached No. 2 on the 1976 Australian singles charts, and "Hey, Western Union Man" which reached No. 13. Merritt rose to prominence in New Zealand from 1958 and relocated to Sydney, Australia, in December 1964. Merritt was acknowledged as one of the best local performers of the 1960s and 1970s and his influence did much to popularise soul music / R&B and rock in New Zealand and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Morris</span> Australian singer-songwriter (born 1948)

Russell Norman Morris is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who had five Australian Top 10 singles during the late 1960s and early 1970s. On 1 July 2008, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recognised Morris' status when he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Shorrock</span> Musical artist

Glenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of rock bands the Twilights, Axiom, Little River Band and post LRB spin-off trio Birtles Shorrock Goble, as well as being a solo performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Twilights</span> Australian rock band (1964–1969)

The Twilights were an Australian rock band that formed in Adelaide in 1964. The band developed from a three-piece acapella group consisting of Glenn Shorrock, Mike Sykes and Clem "Paddy" McCartney, who merged with instrumental group the Hurricanes. Heavily influenced by the British Invasion, they were one of the most significant Australian bands of the 1960s. They were noted for their musicianship, on-stage humor, and adoption of overseas sounds and trends.

"The Real Thing" is the debut single by Australian singer Russell Morris, released in 1969. Written by Johnny Young and produced by Ian "Molly" Meldrum, it was a huge hit in Australia and has become an Australian rock classic. It also achieved success in the United States, reaching the top of the charts in Chicago, Houston, and New York City.

Axiom was an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1969 that included former Twilights frontman Glenn Shorrock and Brian Cadd, formerly of The Groop.

Brian George Cadd AM is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboardist, producer and record label founder, a staple of Australian entertainment for over 50 years. As well as working internationally throughout Europe and the United States, he has performed as a member of numerous bands including the Groop, Axiom, the Bootleg Family Band and in America with the Flying Burrito Brothers before carving out a solo career in 1972. He briefly went under the pseudonym of Brian Caine in late 1966, when first joining the Groop.

Ronald Leslie BurnsAM is an Australian retired rock singer-songwriter and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Parkinson</span> Australian singer (1946–2021)

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.

Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan, Ross Hannaford, Ross Wilson and Gary Young. Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks. Their debut July 1971 LP Daddy Who? Daddy Cool also reached number 1 and became the first Australian album to sell more than 100,000 copies. The group's name came from the 1957 song "Daddy Cool" by US rock group The Rays. Daddy Cool included their version of this song on Daddy Who? Daddy Cool.

Somebody's Image was a short lived rock and pop Australian band, most famous for the Joe South's cover "Hush" which peaked at number 15 in Australia in 1967.

The Groove was an Australian R&B, pop group which formed in early 1967 with the lineup of Geoff Bridgford on drums, Jamie Byrne on bass guitar, Tweed Harris on keyboards, Rod Stone on guitar and Peter Williams on lead vocals and guitar. In December 1967 their single, "Simon Says", peaked at No. 17 on the Go-Set National Top 40 Singles Chart. They followed with "Soothe Me", which peaked at No. 14 in April 1968. Also in April they released their self-titled debut album. In July that year they won the national final of the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds competition with the prize including a trip to London. They relocated there in March 1969, and early the following year they changed their name to Eureka Stockade, they disbanded in 1971. On 13 October 2004 Tweed Harris died of throat cancer, aged 63.

Gregory John Macainsh is an Australian former musician and songwriter. He provided bass guitar and backing vocals for pop rockers, Skyhooks from 1973 to 1980 and subsequently for various reformations. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, "Macainsh's biting, provocative songs were the perfect expression of adolescent obsessions and frustrations. With those songs, the band made an enormous impact on Australian social life." Macainsh became an intellectual property lawyer.

The Masters Apprentices are an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals, which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria, in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970 before disbanding in 1972. Their popular Australian singles are "Undecided", "Living in a Child's Dream", "5:10 Man", "Think About Tomorrow Today", "Turn Up Your Radio" and "Because I Love You". The band launched the career of bass guitarist Glenn Wheatley, who later became a music industry entrepreneur and an artist talent manager for both Little River Band and John Farnham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molly Meldrum</span> Australian music journalist and media personality (born 1943)

Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM is an Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent coordinator, on-air interviewer, and music news presenter on the former popular music program Countdown (1974–87) and is widely recognised for his trademark Stetson hat, which he has regularly worn in public since the 1980s.

The discography of Brian Cadd, an Australian singer-songwriter, who had four Australian Top 20 singles and three Top 20 albums in the early 1970s. Cadd was also the lead singer of bands such as The Groop, Axiom, The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Blazing Salads. On 18 July 2007, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recognised Cadd's iconic status when he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

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, Tony Naylor on lead guitar, 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 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.

"A Little Ray of Sunshine" is a song by Australian country rock band Axiom. The track was co-written by band members, Brian Cadd and Don Mudie. It was released as a single in March 1970 and peaked at number 5 on the Go-Set National Top 40 in May 1970. The song was celebrated with its own stamp in Australia Post's 1998 Australian Rock stamp series.

Fable Records was an Australian independent record company which operated from 1970 to 1984. It was one of the most successful and productive Australian 'indie' labels of the period, issuing over 300 singles and dozens of EPs and LPs. Fable made a significant initial impact in Australia in 1970-71, scoring a string of hits by new Australian artists, and throughout its history the company discovered and promoted local talent. Fable enjoyed further success between 1972 and 1975 through its subsidiary label Bootleg Records, which racked up a string of hit albums and singles by artists including Brian Cadd, the Bootleg Family Band and Kerrie Biddell.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Groop'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86448-768-2 . Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Holmgren, Magnus. "The Groop". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Culnane, Paul (2007). "The Groop". Milesago. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Groop". Nostalgia Central. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Guest, Thomas J. (1991). Thirty Years of Hits. Collingwood, Melbourne: M. J. Maloney. ISBN   0-646-04633-0.
  6. ↑ "ARIA 2008 Hall of Fame inductees listing". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
  7. ↑ "Winners by Award: Hall of Fame". ARIA . Retrieved 25 May 2008.
  8. ↑ "The Groop "Sorry"". PopArchives. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 "Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)". APRA . Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book (1940–1969). Turramurra, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book, 2005. ISBN   0-646-44439-5.
  11. ↑ Pope, Mark (14 June 2007). "Radios appear! More musicians to enter ARIA's Hall of Fame" (PDF). ARIA . Retrieved 27 May 2008.
  12. ↑ "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
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.