 |
One
of the best hard rock bands in the country, Cold Chisel built their success
from live performances in the heyday of pub rock. Cold Chisel was formed in
Adelaide during September 1973. Influenced by the heavy rock sound of the
early '70s, their first album was released in April 1978. 'Khe Sanh', taken
from the album, was their first hit and has become their signature song and
an anthem of the '80s and '90s. Two ingredients have been identified in
the transformation of the band from strugglers to superstars - the quality
of their live shows, which owed much to lead singer Jimmy Barnes, and Don
Walker's song-writing. He helped to develop an interest in and awareness of
Australian themes in music.
Their third album, East, was released in 1980 and sold more than 200,000 copies,
pushing Cold Chisel out of the pubs and into larger venues. In 1980 they won
four Countdown awards and in 1982 were named the most consistent live act.
Cold Chisel announced they were breaking up on 22 August 1983 and played their
last concert in the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 15 December.
The group re-convened briefly after the release of a compilation album in
October 1991 in order to receive awards for sales of two million records and
reunited in 1998 for a new album and successful concert tour. In all, Cold
Chisel have sold over three million records, two-thirds after disbanding in
1983.
www.coldchisel.com.au
Men at Work achieved extraordinary
international success with a flippant pop style. The group's debut album sold
ten million copies around the world. They had no.1 hits in Australia, New
Zealand, Holland, Germany, the United Kingdom and the States. In 1982 they
won Best New Artist of the Year at the Grammy Awards and Best New Artist in
the US Rolling Stone readers' poll. They also won the 1982 Countdown Most
Outstanding Achievement Award and were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the
1993 Australian Record Industry Association awards.
'Down Under' was in the charts for 18 weeks in 1981-82, charted again in 1983
and once more in 1987 when it became the theme song for Australia's America's
Cup defence.
Their place in the record books has been ensured. In mid-1996 Colin Hay and
Greg Ham took a reformed version of the band on tour in Brazil and they performed
at the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
www.menatwork.com.au
Midnight Oil combine
outspoken politics and hard-driving rock'n'roll with international success.
The northern Sydney beach suburbs were the original base for Midnight Oil.
The group became a full-time operation in 1977 and quickly earned a reputation
on the pub circuit. Garrett proved to be a compelling frontman. By 1979 the
Oils were one of the top live acts in the country.
Their fourth album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 stayed in the charts for more than
three and a half years, and produced hit singles including 'Power and the
Passion' (1983). Midnight Oil won five Australian Record Industry Association
awards in 1990, including Best Group and Best Album.
'The Oils' have a special place in Australian rock history. Their music has
consistently dealt with issues of oppression, poverty and the environment.
www.midnightoil.com
INXS is one of the most
successful bands to emerge from Australia. In 1979 the newly named INXS left
Perth for Sydney to work the pub circuit. In 1980 they signed a record contract
and recorded a self-titled album. Melding rock, funk and modern dance rhythms
'Original Sin' (1984) was the band's first Australian no.1 single.
Worldwide success was assisted by the band's performance at the Australian
Live Aid concert, which was beamed across the globe in July 1986. Their album
Kick went multi-platinum in 1988 and lead singer Michael Hutchence became
the archetypal rock star.
INXS has won countless local and international awards and has sold more than
25 million records worldwide. The tragic premature death of lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997, just after he returned to Australia for a 20th anniversary tour, was felt throughout the rock world.
INXS performed at the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
www.inxs.com 
John Farnham is
the most successful solo artist in the history of Australian rock and pop.
Crowned King of Pop five years in a row from 1969-73, he has had an extraordinary
career. His first success came in the 1960s with the song 'Sadie, The Cleaning
Lady'. Over the next ten years, he issued a string of enormous hit singles.
During the 1970s he moved into cabaret and away from the pop field.
In the 1980s Farnham fronted the Little River Band for four years, then embarked
on a new solo career. The Whispering Jack album, released in October 1986,
was enormously successful. It was the first local album to sell over one million
copies in Australia alone. 'You're the Voice', the single from the album,
topped the charts in November 1986.
In 1988 Farnham was named Australian of the Year, the first pop artist to
achieve such an honour. Farnham's success has continued through the 1990s
with more albums and several more Australian Record Industry Association awards.
Farnham performed in Dili for the Australian Troops and was part of the Opening
Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
The first album
by Crowded House sold more than one million copies in America alone. 'Don't
Dream It's Over', released as the single, won Best Australian Song at the
1986 Australian Record Industry Association awards, the first of many such
accolades for the group.
Crowded House formed in 1985 when Neil Finn from Split Enz began a new group,
initially called the Mullanes. After touring Australia, the Mullanes moved
to Los Angeles to record and renamed themselves Crowded House.
The group was successful in the States, the UK and Europe. At the end of 1992
Crowded House took out Best International Group at the prestigious United
Kingdom Music Awards, the BRITS, and won Best Band at the 1992 Australian
Record Industry Association awards.
Crowded House broke up in June 1996. Their farewell concert, on the steps
of the Sydney Opera House, attracted an estimated crowd of 250,000.
Yothu Yindi combine
rock'n'roll music with ancient song cycles and traditional dance performances.
Their single 'Treaty' reached no.1 on the Australian charts and won Best Australian
Single and Australian Song of the Year at the 1991 Australian Record Industry
Association awards. The lead singer, Mandawuy Yunupingu, was named as Australian
of the Year on Australia Day 1993 in recognition of his commitment to forging
greater understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
Yothu Yindi hail from the north-eastern Arnhem Land community of Yirrkala.
The band consists of both Yolngu (Aboriginal Australians) and Balanda (non-Aboriginal)
musicians, and embodies a sharing of cultures. The name Yothu Yindi translates
as 'child and mother' or 'children of the earth' and is essentially a kinship
term referring to the connection that the Yolngu clans of north-east Arnhem
Land have between themselves. In his role as principal of the Yirrkala Community
School, lead singer Mandawuy Yunupingu implemented a radical two-way curriculum
which combined western and Aboriginal educational processes designed to present
students with the best aspects of both cultures.
Yothu Yindi gained national recognition when they became the first Aboriginal
band to achieve a Top 40 hit in Australia with 'Treaty'. Mandawuy Yunupingu
collaborated with Paul Kelly and Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett to write it.
Yothu Yindi played at the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
and the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
www.yothuyindi.com
The most successful
Australian rock band of the 1990s, silverchair has achieved world-wide album
sales approaching six million. Their no.1 single 'Tomorrow' (1994) received
Australian Record Industry Association awards for Best Single, Best Debut
Single and Highest Selling Single. Still schoolboys in Newcastle at the time,
the group also scored the Best New Talent award.
Formed in 1992, the three schoolmates were just fifteen when their debut album,
Frogstomp, became an international hit in 1995. The album entered the Australian
charts at no.1 and achieved equal success in America. The band has maintained
a massive following. In 1999, with all three members having finished school
and concentrating full-time on music, they released a new album and undertook
a taxing world tour. The group took some time out in 2000, playing only one
concert - the 8th Falls Festival near Lorne in Victoria. In January 2001 the
band performed at "Rock in Rio", the world's biggest music festival, entertaining
some 250,000 people.
In 2000, for the fourth year in a row, silverchair were voted Australian Artists
of the Year, the only publicly voted category in the Australian Record Industry
Association awards.
www.chairpage.com 
Kylie Minogue
is one of Australia's most successful pop exports. Kylie began her career
with roles in television shows. Her part as tomboy mechanic Charlene Mitchell
in popular television soapie Neighbours during 1986 brought her to the attention
of a much wider audience.
In 1987 Mushroom issued Kylie's first single, a cover of 'Locomotion', which
became a no.1 Australian hit (and the best-selling single for the year). International
success followed with the release of the single 'I Should Be So Lucky', which
simultaneously went to no.1 in Australia, the UK and Japan during January
1988. In the United Kingdom alone Kylie has had nineteen Top 10 hits including
five no.1 singles.
In a career that has seen many changes in image, the 1994 dance anthem 'Confide
In Me' marked her arrival as the 'dance diva' and was her first Australian
no.1 since 1988. Kylie won Best Pop Release for her hit single 'Spinning Around'
at the 2000 Australian Record Industry Association awards.
Kylie Minogue performed in Dili for the Australian Troops, at the Closing
Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the Opening Ceremony of the
Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
www.kylie.com 
Savage Garden
came together in 1994. The pair spent almost twelve months in a home studio
writing and recording. They sent more than 150 unsolicited demonstration tapes
to record companies and publishers, which resulted in a management deal and
record contract. Their first album made its debut at no.1 on the National
ARIA Chart in 1996. It stayed there for nineteen weeks, the longest stay at
no.1 for an Australian album since Skyhook's Living in the 70s in 1974.
Three hit singles were released. 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' topped the charts
in the USA as well as Australia. The song was certified as the most played
song on American radio for 1998.
Savage Garden won an unprecedented ten Australian Record Industry Association
awards in 1997. At the 2000 awards Savage Garden won Highest Selling Australian
Album for Affirmation. The duo performed at the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney
2000 Olympic Games.
www.savagegarden.com.au
