Thursday, October 12, 2023

DELORES FOXTONFINN

 


Vocalist and guitarist Delores Foxtonfinn was a member of Me Me Me a Newcastle band who described their music as "surfin' golgothabilly pop". in the 90s. The band released a couple of albums and EPs on the Phantom label. Before Me Me Me Delores wrote and sang with bands Run Rabbit Run, Dust and Chantry Barn. She also performed in 'A Coupla Hundred Hertz' and 'Golden Section'. She now lives in the Hunter Valley occasionally performing and painting.

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Tuesday, March 28, 2023

ANNE INFANTE


As a singer/songwriter, Anne has been performing traditional, contemporary and original music for many years. Based in Brisbane, she was born in Sydney and raised in Papua New Guinea. In the early seventies she ran her own folk club, The Barley Mow, in the late Cecil Hotel in George Street, Brisbane. Anne has performed at national folk festivals in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, New Zealand and Woodford. She has sung on national radio and television, enjoying a regular guest spot on the three series of ABC TV's top-rating 1970s show Around Folk.

Anne has recorded three albums of her new age songs - 'Think Of It This Way', 'The Four Dragons' and 'Flight' - as well as an album of positive singing affirmations for adults 'Sing Your Way To Health', 'Wealth & Happiness', and two albums of self-esteem and other positive affirmations for children - 'Special As I Can Be' (with accompanying songbook) and 'Love Is A Circle' (CD only). She has also released 'Season' and 'Women Do', two albums of her original folk songs. Anne has had five popular crime novels published by Collins Crime Club. Ulverscroft released three of these in large print and two were serialised in Australian Woman’s Day in 1991 and 1993.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

GENEVIEVE McGUCKIN



Genevieve McGuckin was born in Brisbane. She has been a long-time collaborator (both musically and romantically speaking, at various points) of rock musician, Rowland S. Howard. During 1980, in London, the pair co-wrote two tracks, "Capers" and "Ho-Ho", for his band, the Birthday Party's debut LP 'Prayers on Fire' (April 1981). In 1982 McGuckin provided piano and organ on Howard and Lydia Lunch's cover version of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra's "Some Velvet Morning" (1967), which later appeared on Lunch's album, 'Honeymoon in Red' (1987). She also wrote the track, "Three Kings", for the album.

In 1984 both McGuckin, on keyboards, piano and organ, and Howard on guitar were founding members of the post-punk group, These Immortal Souls. Other founders were Rowland's brother, Harry on bass guitar and Epic Soundtracks (AKA Kevin Godfrey) on drums. They issued two albums, 'Get Lost (Don't Lie)' in October 1987 and 'I'm Never Gonna Die Again' in October 1992, before relocating to Melbourne in 1994. While in the group she also wrote music and lyrics on both their albums and a single.

She also played organ on, and wrote the music for, the song "Silver Chain" on Howard's solo album 'Teenage Snuff Film'. She lived in London and Berlin from 1980 to 1994 and now lives in Melbourne, working in film graphics, web design, and animation. She was the graphic designer on the 2000 film Chopper. She has also played on an LP by The Devastations.




Sunday, August 7, 2022

VONNY JAY

 


Vonny Jay (born Yvonne George) was born in South Australia and was known as that's states version of Brenda Lee. When she left school, she took a clerical job and settled down in it for five years. Vonny didn't think she had a good voice until a friend heard her singing and suggested she have an audition. Vonny took her friends advice and to her amazement she was accepted to sing at a weekly dance. She did this for several months and she auditioned at ADS-7 amateur show Stairway To The Stars. The audition was a success. She then went onto sing at every major dance circuit and appeared on all three Adelaide TV stations most notably Channel Seven's Seventeeners. Vonny at times fronted The Penny Rockets. She also appeared on Johnny O'Keefe's Sing Sing Sing and Bandstand.


Friday, July 22, 2022

BERNADETTE HOLLOWAY

 


In the 80's Bernadette Holloway was in original bands Loose Change, Alice and the Alligators and Frenetics, fronting, singing, writing and performing. Loose Change's ''Hit Me With Another Double'' was performed on Countdown in 1980.  She has written several musicals including The Essence of Passion which was staged in 2014.

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Thursday, June 23, 2022

LOUISE LINCOLN

 

Louise Lincoln is a singer from Tasmania. In the late 60s she joined local band 1812 who won the Hoadleys Battle of the Sounds in Hobart in 1969. Louise went to Melbourne and joined Brian Cadd’s Bootleg Family in 1973, recording several singles of which some of them charted, and a film soundtrack Alvin Rides Again. Her career is unknown after this point until Cadd re-assembled the Bootleg Family Band in 2015 and recorded the studio album, 'Bulletproof' (November 2016). A brief tour supported its release.

Thursday, May 5, 2022

ANNE CONWAY


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Anne Conway (born Melbourne in 1952) is a Wergaia woman who started her musical career when she was still in her teens. She had a long-running showcase at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, was inducted into the city's Hands of Fame in 1997 and won a number of awards. She performed all throughout eastern Australia. Anne recorded many albums on different labels. After surgery in June 2013, she was left with a speech impediment, and it ended her singing career. Conway was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her contributions to the Bendigo community.




Sunday, April 10, 2022

CORAL KELLY



Coral Drouyn emigrated to Australia in the 1960s, and worked as a singer, whilst writing material for theatre restaurants. Her stage name was Coral Kelly and she was the resident female singer on The Bryan Davies Show which aired from 1962 to 1963 on ABC. Retiring from singing and acting, Drouyn began writing for television, working as a scriptwriter for Grundy Productions series such as The Restless Years, Prisoner and Neighbours. During her time on Prisoner, Drouyn worked her way up from freelance writer to in-house story editor, creating characters and stories before leaving the series prior to its 600th episode.

Drouyn subsequently was involved in the creation of serial Pacific Drive before performing story editor duties on Blue Heelers and Home and Away.Her book 'Big Screen, Small Screen', detailing the craft skills involved in screen-writing, was published in 1994. Drouyn now works as a theatre critic.


Saturday, February 5, 2022

JUDY BANKS



Born in Melbourne in 1935 Judy Banks was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School where she was a member of the School Dramatic Society. Whilst holidaying in North America and England she took a course as a model and finally became a model and an accounting machine operator. During her London stay she saw a musical called Salad Days and immediately bought the Galaxy record of the original cast little thinking that she would one day play the lead role in it. On return to Melbourne, she got the role and came to prominence playing the juvenile lead. In 1958 she recorded some songs from Salad Days for an EP released on the Planet label.

She quickly moved on to television with appearances in In Melbourne Tonight, Saturday Party, Personally Yours, Be My Guest, Musical Cashbox and hosting her own ABC series Four For The Show for four years. On the madcap ATV-0 daily morning show Fredd Bear’s Breakfast-a-Go-Go she teamed with Ted Dunn, from 1969 – 1971, featuring Michael McCarthy and Colin McEwan. Hosting studio segments, cartoons and competitions, the show built a fanbase of children who were all encouraged to take out show membership and win prizes. Wardrobe master Dunn has made the costume so large; he was the only person who could fit in it. 

In 1970 she recorded and album 'A Paw Full Of Songs' and a single ''Freddie / Live For Tomorrow'' on the Tempo label. She also acted in roles on Homicide, The Flying Doctors, City Homicide, Dalkeith and Dreams for Life. Banks later ran TV World, the Australian Museum of Modern Media, on the Mornington Peninsula with husband, producer Bob Phillips. Judy Banks died in 2022 aged 86.

Saturday, January 15, 2022

CANDY DEVINE



Candy Devine, MBE (born ca. 1939) is the stage name of Faye Ann McLeod a broadcaster, singer, and actress. Devine was educated at St Augustine's School, East Innisfail, a boarding school from 1948 – she provided "incidental music and accompaniments" at their 1952 break-up ceremony. For secondary education she attended Brisbane's Lourdes Hill College from the early 1950s. She furthered her interest in music while at college. Later she studied piano and cello at Queensland Conservatorium before taking to the stage in Sydney.

Devine's appearances on Australian television included music show Be Our Guest, the series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (1968) and fronting the ABC's, In Key. Devine travelled to Ireland in 1969 on what was intended to be a short visit. She was hired for a cabaret slot at the Talk of the Town club in Belfast. She married her promoter and booking agent, Donald McLeod, in Dublin in 1970. They lived in the Republic for five years and moved to Belfast in Northern Ireland in 1975. She recorded an album 'Candy Devine Sings with The Jim Doherty Sound' in 1970.

Devine began a long career with Downtown Radio in March 1976. They had four children, including Brisbane-based celebrity chef, Alastair McLeod. Candy Devine was awarded an MBE on The Queen's 2014 honours list. Her award was for "Services to Broadcasting and to the Community in Northern Ireland".She moved back to Australia in 2013 following the death of her husband, Donald McLeod, the previous year. As of September 2016 she lives in Brisbane, sharing a five-acre property with her son, Alastair and his family.



Monday, December 20, 2021

MICHELLE JACKSON



Michelle Jackson was born at Noosa Heads, Queensland in 1956. She was interested in folk music at the age of 12 when she taught herself guitar before moving on later to fiddle and mandolin. She met Mike Jackson at the 1979 Kapunda Celtic Music Festival and married soon after. They toured Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S. almost non-stop for seven years and in between tours they created three songbooks, co-wrote an instruction book for string figure novices and recorded ten albums - two collections of Australian folk music for adults and eight for children. The bulk of their thousands of performances together were Arts in Education performances designed to introduce children to a wide range of unusual instruments and encourage them to play music.


Mike and Michelle's children's albums were a huge success with their second, 'Playmates' going platinum and the rest of their first four kids' discs going gold in Australia. They had two North American releases, 'Bunyips, Bunnies and Brumbies' and 'Playmates', which were released in Canada on Sharon, Lois and Bram's Elephant Records label, distributed by A&M Records. They were featured artists on the ABC TV program Playmates and regular contributors to many other 1980s Australian children's shows. In 1986, the pair went their separate ways. Mike Jackson has continued touring, writing and recording both in Australia and internationally. I have no information on Michelle after this time. Please help.



Friday, December 3, 2021

JOY DUNSTAN

 


Joy Dunstan (born 20 July 1951) is a retired Australian film and television actress. In 1976 the then 25-year-old former schoolteacher and part-time cabaret dancer had been working in a musical comedy act at Melbourne's Flying Trapeze Cafe when she was discovered by director Chris Löfvén. Löfvén's 1976 film 'Oz - A Rock'N'Roll Road Movie 'was a modern-day remake of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, with Graham Matters, Bruce Spence, Gary Waddell, and Robin Ramsay. In offering the part to Dunstan, he said to her "Come with me and I'll make you a star". Dunstan replied, "I don't believe it but yes". She had no prior experience in film or photographic modeling prior to the film. ''Warm Tender Love' from the soundtrack was her only recording. For the single the band comprised Gary Young, John Power, Jeff Burstin, Wayne Burt and Peter Jones, with Ross Wilson on backing vocals. In Australia it was LP-only but the US release, re-named '20th Century Oz', issued this song as a single on Celestial Records.

According to a Film Buffs Podcast interview on 21 November 2006, Dunstan currently lives in the United Kingdom. During that interview songwriter and musician Gary Young discussed his memories of working with Dunstan on the film. Young also claimed that following the film, his band the Rockin' Emus released their sole album with one of the songs he had written, ''Beautiful Joy'', having been about the actress.

Sunday, November 7, 2021

NIKKI NICHOLLS

 



Nikki’s career in the music industry has flourished over the many years since performing weekly on Channel 7’s Brian and the Juniors. After leaving secondary school, she joined John St. Peeters and the Shirelles on the cabaret circuit throughout Australia. In 1980, she became the original backing vocalist for the brand new John Farnham Band over a period of four years and recorded backing vocals on the 'Whispering Jack' album. Nikki was a renowned Melbourne session singer back in the days when the album recording and commercial industries were thriving.

She has toured Australia and New Zealand with Australian Crawl, Suzi Quatro, Lulu, Richard Clapton, toured the world with Kylie Minogue and whilst with Farnham supported Stevie Wonder throughout Australia.  After studying Japanese on and off for eight years, Nikki wrote and recorded an album called 'Yumi Ippai' (Full of Dreams). Each song was written in Japanese about different parts of Australia. She has recorded 'Misunderstood' an album of ‘rock classics’ by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Deep Purple and the Rolling Stones. Songs such as ''Foxy Lady'', ''Whole Lotta Love'', ''Smoke on the Water'', ''Tin Soldier'' and others.

In the early 2000’s, Nikki starred alongside Wendy Stapleton and Debra Byrne in a 10 year run of the much loved show “Girls, Girls, Girls.” In 2015, she released her new original album called 'Bridesmaid' produced by Nikki and Doug Brady. The album features tracks that are rock, blues, ballads and the title track has a “cute, quirkiness about it.”

The past few years have seen Nikki performing in awesome bands such as Jam the Funk, The Ritual of Rock and The Dreamroom alongside acclaimed musicians; Eric McCusker (Mondo Rock), Danny Simcic (Real Life), Rick Petropoulos (The Ferrets), Paula Reid (Vanessa Amorosi), John Grant (Brian Cadd, Mike Brady, Eurogliders) Lisa Bade, Paul Gildea (Icehouse), Dave Leslie (Baby Animals), Scott Griffiths (Chantoozies) and John ‘Watto’ Watson (Everyone!!.) Nikki has also been performing her show ''You’ve Got a Friend'' the songs and story of Carole King with a touch of James Taylor receiving rave reviews from audiences at The Palms, Crown and Performing Art Centres throughout the country.


Thursday, October 14, 2021

PENNY PARSONS

 


Penny Parsons was a lead vocalist with 60s bands The All Stars and The Vibrants. After going solo she appeared on TV shows like The Ernie Sigley Show and The Don Lane Show

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Saturday, September 25, 2021

SHERRY WHEELER

 


Berta (Sherry) arrived in Melbourne with her mother and sister Sonja from the Netherlands. They travelled by boat as did many migrants from that time. Her father had arrived about eight months earlier to secure a job and when they were reunited they moved to Brisbane. They stayed in the Rocklea Migrant Centre for some time along with many others.

Berta began singing on Channel 9 with Billy Thorpe on the show Teen Beat. She performed on this TV show once a fortnight from the age of 16. The producer of the show thought that her name was "too ethnic"and suggested Sherry as a stage name. Along with her TV commitments she was a regular performer at Brisbane venue Teen City appearing alongside Tony Worsley. Wheeler recorded one single on the Sunshine label titled ''Single Girl'' in 1967.

She completed her education at Salisbury High school and applied for a teacher scholarship to become a teacher.  She moved to Channel 0 (now 10) and began compering the new children's show called The Channel 0 Saturday Show with Danny O'Dibble (Darryl Boyd) and The Wicked Witch (Babs Wheelton) both Babs and Darryl were well known stage actors in Brisbane at that time. The show was a three hour live show which had a number of different segments and a different story line each week. The writer of the show was Martin Overson.

Sherry also compered an other children's show on Channel 0 called Kindy. She became the producer of this show and sold it nationally. She then became the producer of The Saturday Show and sold this nationally as well. At this time there were only two women television producers in Australia. 

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

JUDY KENNY


Daughter of an Anglican Clergyman Judy Kenny was born in Croydon, Victoria. It was whilst living in Geelong that Judy came to the notice of record label W & G after winning a talent quest at High School which entitled her to an audition. In 1969 she recorded her debut album, 'Colonial Australia' a collection of Australian folk songs. After the album was released that's where the trail goes cold. Any info on Judy would be greatly appreciated. 



Monday, August 2, 2021

LORRAINE GARNESS

 


Lorraine Garness appeared on Bandstand in the 60s and ended up marrying a Mormon and moved to the USA. I have no other info on this singer. Please help.

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Wednesday, July 21, 2021

JAN CARTER

 


Jan Carter was born in the late 1930s. She states her career started when she was discovered by Jack Neary (who also managed Bobby Limb, John Laws and Barry Humphries) at an amateur show in Sydney at the tender age of 17. She reflected ''They had to put my age up when he started to produce me for pantomimes, theatre, TV and night clubs." Carter did a course at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) and later spent five years at the Academy of Music in Sydney where she learnt to sing Bel Canto (an Italian opera term). At around the same time, she did a radio show on 3AW with Bert Newton. Carter sang all over the world and did a royal command performance for Prince Philip in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympic Games. She appeared on many TV shows including Bandstand and Showcase. She recorded on the HMV label in the early 60s.



Wednesday, July 14, 2021

CHERYL BRACKEN

 

Indigenous woman Cecelia Brackenridge born in 1942 was from Palm Island in North QLD. She appeared a few times under the name of Cheryl Bracken on Brian Henderson’s TV music show Bandstand from 1963 - 65. Her brother was boxer George Bracken who held the Australian lightweight title and who also had a recording career with the W&G label. I have no further info on her career after Bandstand. Please help



Wednesday, July 7, 2021

LEE SANDERS

 


Lee Sanders was a 60s singer who appeared on TV shows like Bandstand, In Melbourne Tonight and The Mike Walsh Show. She also gigged in Asia as lead vocalist with the In People appearing at the Hong Kong Hilton. On return to Australia she joined Sydney band Multiple Balloon as a co-lead vocalist with Joan Lozelle. The band cut a version of ''Fool On The Hill''. After that the scent runs cold. Any further info would be appreciated. Lee died in November 2021

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