Wickety Wak

Last updated

Wickety Wak
Origin Brisbane, Queensland
Genres comedy, pop, folk, rock
Years active1975-1990, 1997, 2006-2015
LabelsHot Wax Records [1]
Past membersGreg Doolan
Tony Jeffrey
Pahnie Jantzen
Rob Rosenlund
Peter Mackay
Tony Hogan
Peter Smith
Website wicketywak.com.au

Wickety Wak were a comedy show band from Queensland, Australia. The band formed in 1975 and were known for their comedic live shows and their work on Australian television. The band split in 1990 and have reformed sporadically from 1997.

Contents

History

Early years (1975–1990)

Prior to Wickety Wak's formation, guitarist Greg Doolan and drummer Peter Mackay had previously been active in numerous Australian pub rock bands, while Irish-born vocalist Tony Jeffrey had once represented Australia at the 1970 Eurovision song contest. [2] After leaving previous band Winston County, Doolan formed Wickety Wak in 1975 with Jeffrey on lead vocals, New Zealand-born bassist Pahnie Jantzen, drummer Peter Smith and keyboardist Tony Hogan. A line-up change followed in 1976, with former Winston County keyboardist Rob Rosenlund replacing Hogan and Mackay replacing Smith on drums. [2]

Wickety Wak's first performances were at the Kuraby Hotel in 1975. The troupe quickly gained notoriety for their variety shows spanning from melodic covers of Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Tom Jones and The Beach Boys, to comedic parodies of Dolly Parton, Cher and Kermit the Frog. Shortly after, the band began playing at Brisbane's National Hotel, pretending to be a touring band from Perth to boost their local profile. [3] In 1978, Wickety Wak became the show band for Jacki MacDonald's morning television show The Jacki Mac Brekkie Show on Brisbane television channel TVQ. Their 1980 debut album Love Me, Love My Dog was a result of the band's appearance on the show. [4]

Throughout the 1980s, Wickety Wak enjoyed a successful period of activity with extensive touring of Australia and the United States and numerous television appearances. In 1982, Wickety Wak entered the Australian Charts with their Moonlight Marvel single, followed by albums New Horizons (1983) and Second Helpings (1985). [5] [1] From 1983, Wickety Wak co-produced a series of television specials on BTQ7 titled Wak's Works, [6] and an on-the-road TV special for the Australian Bicentennary called Wak About Australia in 1988. [5] In 1990, Wickety Wak announced their separation with the 11-month "Last Laugh" tour, culminating with a finale show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. [7]

After Wickety Wak's breakup, Tony Jeffrey undertook management of several Queensland hotels and performed for numerous local groups. Greg Doolan and Pahnie Jantzen undertook their own solo careers. Jahntzen would occasionally perform Wickety Wak material with Rob Rosenlund and Peter Mackay under the title "Out of Wak". Greg Doolan also continued commercial work, recording jingles for XXXX and Tooheys. [8]

Reunions (1997–2015)

In 1997, Wickety Wak reformed for a three-month Australian tour, titled "Boys Are Back" and were inducted into the Queensland Hall of Fame that same year. [9] The band reformed again for a performance at the 2006 Gympie Music Muster, with the "Lock Up Your Grandmothers" tour following soon after. [10] [11] The band would tour Australia again in 2009 and 2013. [12] [13] This would be the band's final tour with the full line-up. On 31 March 2013, Wickety Wak bassist and vocalist Pahnie Jantzen died, aged 73. [3]

In 2015, Wickety Wak performed the "Forty Years Young" anniversary concert tour, combining live performance with archived footage of the band to include Pahnie Jantzen's vocals. [14] In 2017, Wickety Wak guitarist and founding member Greg Doolan died following a short battle with cancer, aged 65. Peter Mackay had retired from the band shortly before. Presently, keyboardist Ron Rosenlund and Tony Jeffrey continue to perform Wickety Wak material under the "Outtawak" banner alongside Australian performer Dave "Davo" Mitchell. [15]

Members

Former members

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected details and chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart
positions
AUS
[16]
Love Me Love My Dog
(with Jacki Mac)
  • Released: 1980
  • Format: LP, Cassette
  • Label: EMI (YPRX-1627)
New Horizons
  • Released: 1983
  • Format: LP, cassette
  • Label: Hot Wax (WAX-200)
69
Second Helpings
  • Released: 1985
  • Format: LP, cassette
  • Label: Hot Wax (WAX 201)
73
Wak About Australia
  • Released: 1988
  • Format: LP, cassette, CD
  • Label: Hot Wax (WAX 202)

Live albums

TitleAlbum details
Wak's Last Laugh
  • Released: 1990
  • Format: Cassette
Live at Rumours Toowoomba
  • Released: 2007
  • Format: CD

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
YearTitlePeak chart positions
AUS
[16]
1982"Moonlight Marvel"
"Give the Children a Chance"/"Queensland Medley"74
1983"Christmas Needs Love"
"Girl on My Street"
"You'll Never Get Away with It"
1985"Everlasting Love"
"Bend Me Shape Me"

Awards

Mo Awards

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. Wickety Wak won ?? awards in that time. [17]

YearNominee / workAwardResult (wins only)
1983Wickety Wak ShowgroupInstrumental / Vocal of the YearWon
1984Wickety Wak ShowgroupInstrumental / Vocal of the YearWon
1986Wickety WakShowgroup of the YearWon
1987Wickety WakMost Outstanding Showgroup of the YearWon
1989Wickety WakComedy Group of the YearWon

Related Research Articles

Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in March 1973 by mainstays Greg Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks on drums. They were soon joined by Bob "Bongo" Starkie on guitar and backing vocals, and Red Symons on guitar, vocals and keyboards; and Steve Hill lead vocalist, Graeme "Shirley" Strachan became lead vocalist in March 1974. Described as a glam rock band, because of flamboyant costumes and make-up, Skyhooks addressed issues including buying drugs in "Carlton ", sex and commitment in "Balwyn Calling", the gay scene in "Toorak Cowboy" and loss of girlfriends in "Somewhere in Sydney" by namechecking Australian locales. According to music historian, Ian McFarlane "[Skyhooks] made an enormous impact on Australian social life".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Highway</span> Highway in Queensland, Australia

The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1, the longest highway route in Australia. Its length is approximately 1,679 kilometres (1,043 mi); it is entirely sealed with bitumen. The highway is named after a popular former Queensland and federal politician, Harry Bruce. Bruce was the state Minister for Works in the mid-1930s when the highway was named after him. The highway once passed through Brisbane, but was truncated at Bald Hills when the Gateway Motorway became National Highway 1 upon its opening in December 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland cricket team</span> Australian cricket team

The Queensland men's cricket team or the Queensland Bulls is the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket side in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:

TVQ is the Brisbane television station of Network 10 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon English</span> Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor (1949–2016)

Jonathan James English was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Sebastian Hardie but left to take on the role of Judas Iscariot in the Australian version of the stage musical Jesus Christ Superstar from May 1972, which was broadcast on television. English was also a noted solo singer; his Australian top twenty hit singles include "Turn the Page", "Hollywood Seven", "Words are Not Enough", "Six Ribbons" and "Hot Town".

Jacki MacDonald is a former Australian television personality from Blackall, Queensland, who now works in radio broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Thorpe</span> Australian singer-songwriter from New South Wales

William Richard Thorpe AM was an English-born Australian singer-songwriter, and record producer. As lead singer of his band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, he had success in the 1960s with "Blue Day", "Poison Ivy", "Over the Rainbow", "Sick and Tired", "Baby, Hold Me Close" and "Mashed Potato"; and in the 1970s with "Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy". Featuring in concerts at Sunbury Pop Festivals and Myer Music Bowl in the early 1970s, the Aztecs also developed the pub rock scene and were one of the loudest groups in Australia.

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.

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016.

Delvene Delaney is an Australian actress of soap opera and film, television presenter and singer.

Michael Robert "Mojo" Webb is a multi-instrumentalist blues musician, based in Brisbane, Australia. On 8 February 2007, Mojo Webb was awarded the Australian Blues Music Chain Award for 'New Talent of the Year'.

Peter John Doyle was an Australian pop singer who had success with a number of Top 40 hits in Australia in the 1960s, then success internationally as a member of the New Seekers in the early 1970s, before resuming a solo career in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TCB Band</span> Elvis Presleys tour band from the 1970s

The TCB Band is a group of musicians who formed the rhythm section of Elvis Presley’s band from August 1969 until his death in 1977.. The initials TCB stand for Taking Care of Business, a personal motto Presley adopted in the early 1970s. Although personnel changed over the years, the original members were James Burton, Jerry Scheff (bass), John Wilkinson, Larry Muhoberac (keyboards) and Ron Tutt (drums). They first appeared live at Presley’s first Las Vegas performance at what was then known as the International Hotel on July 31, 1969.

David Hirschfelder is an Australian musician, film score composer and performer. As a musician he has been a member of Little River Band and John Farnham Band. He has composed film scores for many films, including Strictly Ballroom, Australia, The Railway Man, The Water Diviner and The Dressmaker. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his scores for Shine and Elizabeth.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26 (band)</span> Australian band

26 (also written as 26 (The Band), [26] and 26(Twenty Six)) is an Australian musical outfit founded in 2004 by friends Nick O'Donnell (lead vocals/guitar) and Drew Fellows (keyboardist/vocals), who later recruited Ross Duckworth (bass/vocals) and Iain Wilson (drums/vocals). Originally categorised as indie rock, 26 has since employed a variety of guest artists and choirs to produce a sound that is unique to the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacki Weaver</span> Australian actress

Jacqueline Ruth Weaver is an Australian theatre, film, and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as Stork (1971), Alvin Purple (1973), and Petersen (1974). She later starred in Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Caddie (1976), Squizzy Taylor (1982), and a number of television films, miniseries, and Australian productions of plays such as Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire.

The Wolverines were an Australian country rock band formed in 1994 from Tamworth, New South Wales by Darcy Leyear, John Clinton, and Chris Doyle. The band were active between 1994 and 2012 and were known by some as "The Bad Boys of Country."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Gympie</span>

The City of Gympie is a former local government area in the south-east of Queensland, Australia, responsible for governing Gympie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Lloyd (Australian singer)</span> Australian musician

Carol Ann Lloyd (1948–2017), born as Carol Ann Cramb, was an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, and advertising executive. She was described as "Australia's original rock chick" for her role in the Brisbane-based bands Railroad Gin (1973–75) and Carol Lloyd Band, as well as her solo career. She was recognised for her long, curly red hair, which was insured with Lloyd's of London for $100,000. Carol Ann Lloyd died on 13 February 2017 due to complications from her interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diagnosed four years earlier.

References

  1. 1 2 "Wickety Wak Discography". Discogs.
  2. 1 2 "The Boys | Wickety Wak® – Official Site".
  3. 1 2 Bochenski, Natalie (29 March 2013). "Wickety Wak member passes away". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. "Wickety Wak". Wickety Wak Official Site. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Wickety Wak Albums".
  6. "Wickety Wak TV Show".
  7. "Wickety Wak Call it Stumps".
  8. "Public tribute planned for Greg Doolan". goldcoastbulletin.com.au. 17 February 2017.
  9. "Mourning loss of talented Wickety Wak frontman". Sunshine Coast Daily.
  10. "WICKETY WAK – (Queensland)". 9 December 2014.
  11. "Wickety Wak frontman Greg Doolan dies age 73". Starts at 60. 17 February 2017.
  12. "Wickety Wak brings mayhem back". Morning Bulletin.
  13. "Wickety Wak back". Gympie Times.
  14. "Wickety Wak going high-tech for anniversary". Sunshine Coast Daily.
  15. "Sing a song and have a dance! - LifestyleQld".
  16. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 337. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  17. "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.