Joe Cocker was a rocker who sang one of the most tender hits of all time. Hear how his take on a Beatles' song broke new ground and that his career longevity defied expectations. In the 70's he was known for his hard living and was once deported for his behaviour. Joe also tells what it was like being in New York City on September 11, 2001.
Many remember Australian singer/songwriter Kevin Johnson for just one song. It's not that he hasn't had success with other songs, it's just that one of his songs goes down in history as one of the most covered songs EVER written by an Australian. In the USA a major hit for Mac Davis whilst in Australia and the UK it was Kevin who made it famous.
For a time during the 1970's in Australia it appeared that John Paul Young could do no wrong. Hit after hit came easily with the help of producers/songwriters Harry Vanda and George Young. You can hear some of Harry's recollections here but DON'T miss any of JPY's own hit stories of the time. Especially interesting is the tale behind his very first chart success.
The stories on the career of Australian supergroup INXS are numerous. Many were told in the TV mini-series "Never Tear Us Apart". You may have read even more of those stories in books and magazines articles on the band, but there's bound to be some you've missed in Ian Keenan's interview with INXS founder Tim Farriss.
How easy is growing up in the glare of the spotlight? Rabid fans and the never ending demands of media and management - how difficult is that for a child to deal with? Leif Garrett was just 16 when he had his first hit record and much younger when his acting career got underway with the movie "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice".
Far too often our heroes are lost to us suddenly. Jon English was just 66 years old when surgery complications took his life in March of 2016. The Australian singer/songwriter was best known downunder but thanks to his role in a 70's TV mini series called "Against The Wind", the theme song "Six Ribbons" (which he helped write), gave him a degree of international fame.
There are plenty of great rock and roll bands but not many have created a new genre. Status Quo are acclaimed as the kings of "boogie rock". In the 70's they were distinctive for their denim, their singers' long blonde hair AND for their music. They've broken so many British chart records over the years that Francis Rossi almost gets embarrassed by it!
"Clair", "Get Down", "Ooh Wakka Doo Wakka Day" and "Alone Again (Naturally)" were just some of the hits of Gilbert O'Sullivan.....but there could have been many more! Gilbert tells how ground-breaking legal action put his career on hold for a number of years and made him an "outsider" in the music industry, BUT permanently changed things for the better.
Three times (1976 - 78) she was "Australian Queen of Pop". Not a bad achievement for a girl who landed in Australia from Boston USA at just 16 years of age. Marcia Hines came half way around the world, alone, to star in the debut Australian version of the rock musical "Hair". It was just the first step in her pathway to Aussie stardom.
In Australia Graham Bonnet is best remembered as a solo artist, however internationally his biggest successes came with bands. In the 60's with The Marbles and then in 1979/80 as lead singer for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Two of his greatest hits came courtesy of Bee Gee Barry Gibb and the stories behind those hits are worth hearing!
