6 March 2018 - JAMES REYNE

JAMES REYNE

G'day folks,

Welcome to some background on a well known Aussie singer and song writer.

I just feel that I’m getting better,” James Reyne says. “I’m a better singer and a better songwriter.”

It’s a simple statement, but also remarkable – considering that this is an artist who has sold more than two million albums and written some of the most memorable Australian songs of all time.

But as critic Ed Nimmervoll – who has followed James’ career since it started – remarked when he reviewed James’ 2012 album, Thirteen: “He’s a better singer today than ever, better songwriter, better lyricist. Every track on Thirteen tells you how important all three of those aspects of his craft are to him.”

James Reyne’s songs have provided the soundtrack to endless Australian summers, including “The Boys Light Up”, “Reckless”, “Beautiful People”, “Lakeside”, “Daughters Of The Northern Coast”, “Fall Of Rome”, “Hammerhead”, “Motor’s Too Fast” and “Slave”.

James has been a part of our lives since making an unforgettable debut on Countdown in 1979, with both arms in plaster (the result of being hit by a car, crossing Swanston Street in Melbourne).

“Lucky for the Australian music industry that James Reyne chose to strut through its door in 1979,” Wendy Milson and Helen Thomas wrote in their 1986 book Pay To Play. “His was exactly the profile … an injection of chutzpah to recharge a listless business burdened with hard-to-market punk acts.”

In her 1992 book Your Name’s On The Door, Tracee Hutchison noted that Australian Crawl “boldly explored an ‘Australian-ness’ that was unique at the time and which broke a lot of ground in the development of an Australian ‘sound’.”

As Ed St John declared in the liner notes for Australian Crawl’s farewell album, The Final Wave, “They had a distinctively Melbourne twang that recalled the sounds of many of that city’s great bands – Skyhooks, Jo Jo Zep and The Sports – whilst also stating a youthful, sexy confidence that was all their own.”

James was a member of Australian Crawl for seven years, releasing four studio albums in five frenetic years in the ’80s. He’s been a solo artist for the past 28 years, releasing eight studio albums, plus two acoustic collections, a covers album and two live albums.

Thirty years after it was released, Australian Crawl’s debut album, The Boys Light Up, was featured in The 100 Best Australian Albums. “Australian Crawl would never have gone much beyond their living rooms on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula,” the authors noted, “had it not been for singer/songwriter James Reyne … a keen observer of human nature and a man with a vitriolic wit.”

James’ distinctive diction has also attracted attention. Semantics producer Mark Opitz says: “No one else sings like James Reyne. He is unique, and you don’t want to lose that.” While Ed Nimmervoll says it’s a voice “as familiar to us as the taste of Vegemite, as essentially Australian”.

Australian Crawl sold more than one million albums in Australia, placing four albums in the Top 5, including 11 weeks at number one.

Only four local bands – Skyhooks, The Seekers, Savage Garden and Midnight Oil – have spent more time on top of the Australian albums chart.

James’ songs have been covered by Paul Kelly and John Farnham, and he’s had 19 Top 40 hits (seven with Australian Crawl, 12 solo) and 10 Top 10 albums.

Critic Craig Mathieson wrote about the enduring appeal of the chart-topping “Reckless” in his 2009 book Playlisted, calling it “as haunted and impervious an Australian classic as you will ever hear”.

But James has never been interested in accolades or awards. His most treasured musical possession is not a Countdown Award or a platinum album; it’s a photo with John Lee Hooker (the blues legend and James were both signed to the same US label in the ’90s).

Australian Crawl defiantly did things their own way. As the Rolling Stone editors explained in 1985’s The Big Australian Rock Book, “Australian Crawl has become a major fixture of the Australian music industry without ever really becoming a part of it.”

James Reyne continues to do things his own way.

“Regrets, you know I’ve had a few,” he confessed on Thirteeen, “but I don’t sweat ’em.”

“James is his own worst enemy,” younger brother David says, “and I’m proud of him for that. He’s unbelievably uncompromising, and all that matters to him is recording, writing and performing.”

“Any day above ground is a good day,” James observed on his third solo album. And every day, he is scavenging, foraging, searching, observing … confident that the next song he writes will be his best.

Clancy's comment: Go, James!

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20 March 2015 - JOE COCKER

JOE COCKER

G'day folks,

Time to say something about one of my favourite singers, who recently died.

Born in England in 1944, Joe Cocker was one of rock's most distinctive singers. He first rose to fame in the late 1960s with his cover of the Beatles' song "With a Little Help From My Friends." Cocker performed at the legendary Woodstock music festival in 1969. The following year, he released the album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which included such hits as "The Letter." More successful singles soon followed, including "Cry Me a River" and "Feeling Alright." Cocker won a Grammy Award in 1982 for "Up Where We Belong," his duet with Jennifer Warnes. Some of his later albums include Hard Knocks (2010) and Fire It Up (2012).

Early Career 

Born on May 20, 1944, in Sheffield, England, singer Joe Cocker counted Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan among his early influences. He made his debut with his brother Victor's skiffle band when he was only 12 years old, according to USA Today. Cocker later became a drummer and harmonica player for a band called the Cavaliers in 1959. Before long, however, Cocker took his position at the front of the stage as a singer. Still he held on to his day job as a gas fitter for the East Midlands Gas Board until he made it as a performer. 

Cocker tried his hand at pop music, performing as Vance Arnold for a time before returning to his own name. Cocker had more success working with his back-up group, the Grease Band. He landed a minor hit with "Marjorine" in the late 1960s. 

Rock Icon 

Cocker landed his first number-one single in his native England in 1968 with his rendition of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends." His cover of the iconic song was later featured as the theme song for the television series The Wonder Years. His album by the same name featured such guest performers as Jimmy Page and Steve Winwood. The following year, Cocker hit the British charts again with "Delta Lady." This rough yet soulful singer also toured the United States that same year. His time in America included a career-boosting performance at the famed Woodstock music festival. Cocker started to attract a quite following with his bluesy rock sound. He also became known for his unpredictable way of dancing on stage. 

 With 1970's Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Cocker rose to the top 10 of American pop charts with "The Letter." The album proved to be a huge success and also included several other hits such as "Cry Me a River." Over the next few years, he made the charts a few more times with such songs as "High Time We Went" and "Feeling Alright." As the 1970s progressed, however, Cocker's substance abuse began to affect his performances. He did, however, manage to make it back into the charts with "You Are So Beautiful" in 1975. 

Cocker had a career renaissance in the 1980s. His duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong," was the title track for the Richard Gere-Debra Winger drama An Officer and a Gentleman. This ballad became a number-one hit and earned the pair a Grammy Award win for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal in 1982. At the close of the decade, Cocker returned to the pop charts again with "When the Night Comes." 

Death and Legacy 

Cocker remained active on the music scene in his later years. He kept recording, releasing Hymn for My Soul in 2007 and Hard Knocks in 2010. In 2012, Cocker put out Fire It Up, which proved to be 23rd and final album. He died in Crawford, Colorado, on December 22, 2014. He had been battling lung cancer. The legendary singer was survived by his wife Pam, his stepdaughter Zoey and two grandchildren. 

Many members of the music world mourned Cocker's passing. Ringo Starr was just one of people who took to Twitter to express their sadness. He tweeted "Goodbye and God bless to Joe Cocker from one of his friends."

Clancy's comment: Interesting that he was a gas fitter and Rod Stewart was a grave digger. I guess there is hope for us.

Loved ya work, Joe!

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R.I.P