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Countdown Spectacular
The ''Countdown Spectacular'' is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series ''Countdown''. Countdown Spectacular The first tour was staged from June to August 2006. It featured mainly Australian artists and groups, some re-forming specially for the tour, plus several international artists now living in Australia. Artists and groups performing on the tour included: * Joe Camilleri * Brian Canham from Pseudo Echo * Scott Carne from Kids in the Kitchen * Chantoozies * Cheetah * The Choirboys * Stephen Cummings of The Sports * Joe Dolce * Jon English * Grace Knight and Bernie Lynch of Eurogliders * Renée Geyer * Frankie J. Holden * Hush * Brian Mannix * Paul Norton * James Reyne * Leo Sayer * Sherbet * Alex Smith of Moving Pictures * Wendy Stapleton (Wendy & the ) * Dave Sterry from Real Life * Swanee * Wilbur Wilde * John Paul Young * Ross Wilson and Mondo Rock * Billy Miller of The Ferrets * Goanna The Melbourne concert was edited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Countdown (Australian TV Series)
''Countdown'' was a weekly Australian music television program that was broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987. It was created by Executive Producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes and record producer and music journalist Ian "Molly" Meldrum. Countdown was produced at the studios of the ABC in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea. It was screened Sunday night from 6:00pm to 7:00. ''Countdown'' was the most popular music program in Australian TV history. It was broadcast nationwide on Australia's government-owned broadcaster, the ABC, and commanded a huge and loyal audience. It soon exerted a strong influence on radio programmers because of its audience and the amount of Australian content it featured. The first half-hour episode went to air at 6.30pm on Friday, 8 November 1974, but for most of the time it was on air, it also gained double exposure throughout the country by screening a new episode each Sunda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Norton (musician)
Paul Norton (born 31 March 1961) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He fronted the band Runners before launching a solo career in 1988. Biography 1980–1987: The Runners Norton started playing bass in various bands in his teens, which led to the formation of Melbourne band ''The Runners'' which were signed to Mushroom Records in 1981. The group released their first single "Sure Fire Thing" in 1982 followed by an album ''Hitting the Wall'' and single "Endlessly". The Runners toured constantly throughout the early eighties and went through many line up changes before disbanding in 1985. Norton spent the next couple of years playing with various bands. 1988–1993: Solo career In 1988, Norton again signed with Mushroom Records Paul released his first single "Stuck On You" which peaked at number three on the Australian charts and was certified gold in 1989. Norton's debut album, ''Under a Southern Sky'' was released in August 1990, which peaked at number 44. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melbourne, Victoria
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropolitan area known as Greater Melbourne, comprising an urban agglomeration of Local Government Areas of Victoria#Municipalities of Greater Melbourne, 31 local municipalities, although the name is also used specifically for the local government area, local municipality of City of Melbourne based around Melbourne City Centre, its central business area. The metropolis occupies much of the northern and eastern coastlines of Port Phillip Bay and spreads into the Mornington Peninsula, part of West Gippsland, as well as the hinterlands towards the Yarra Valley, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ferrets (band)
The Ferrets were an Australian pop band. They are best known for their song "Don't Fall in Love" and album, '' Dreams of a Love'' which were both released in 1977. History 1975: Formation Ken Firth, Phil Eizenberg and William "Billy" Miller had been involved with the Australian stage production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (1972–1974) which also included singer-actors Jon English, John Paul Young and Rory O'Donoghue. Firth (bass guitar, backing vocals), Miller (vocals, guitar) and Dave Springfield (guitar, backing vocals) were all members of hard rockers Buster Brown (which also featured vocalist Angry Anderson later of Rose Tattoo).Spencer et al, (2007BUSTER BROWNentry. Retrieved 7 March 2010. In November 1975 the trio left Buster Brown to join guitarist Eizenberg and formed The Ferrets. Drummer Rick Brewer (ex- Zoot) joined in April 1976 followed by Miller's sisters Jane Miller (backing vocals, keyboard) and Pam Miller (backing vocals) in July—they were now a seven-piece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock are an Australian rock band, formed in November 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria. Singer-songwriter Ross Wilson founded the band, following the split of his previous band Daddy Cool. Guitarist Eric McCusker, who joined in 1980, wrote many of the band's hits, and along with Wilson formed the core of the group. They are best known for their second album, ''Chemistry'', which was released in July 1981 and peaked at number 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report. Their song " Come Said the Boy" peaked at number 2 in Australia in 1983. Mondo Rock disbanded in 1991, although they periodically appeared at reunion concerts, and reformed on a more-or-less continuing basis in 2014. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, "by way of ceaseless touring and the release of a series of sophisticated pop rock albums, he band wasone of the most popular acts in Australia during the early 1980s". The band had a national tour in 2019, and continues to play occasional dates. Histo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ross Wilson (musician)
Ross Andrew Wilson (born 18 November 1947) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is the co-founder and frontman of the long-standing rock groups Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock, as well as a number of other former bands, in addition to performing solo. He has produced records for bands such as Skyhooks and Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons, as well as for those of his own bands. He appeared as a judge on celebrity singing TV series '' It Takes Two'' from 2005. Wilson was individually inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1989 and again as a member of Daddy Cool in 2006. Ross currently resides in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne. Biography Early years Wilson's father was an amateur jazz musician and his mother would play classical music on the piano at their home in the Melbourne suburb of Hampton. Wilson learnt to sing harmonies with the local Anglican church choir and was selected as a boy soprano wedding singer. In 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Paul Young
John Inglis Young, OAM (born 21 June 1950), known professionally as John Paul Young, is a Scottish-born Australian pop singer who had his 1978 worldwide hit with " Love Is in the Air". His career was boosted by regular appearances as a performer and guest host on national broadcaster, ABC's 1974–1987 TV series, ''Countdown''. Besides "Love Is in the Air", Young had top ten chart success in Germany and the Netherlands with " Standing in the Rain" and four other top ten hits in South Africa, including No. 1 hits with "I Hate the Music" in 1976 and "Yesterday's Hero" in 1975. On 27 August 2009, Young was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. Career 1950–1974: Early life and early career Young was born John Inglis Young in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland to James and Agnes (nee Inglis) Young. Together with his parents, two sisters and a brother, Young emigrated to Australia on board the , arriving in Sydney on Australia Day (26 J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilbur Wilde
Wilbur Wilde (born Nicholas Robert Aitken on 5 October 1955) is an Australian saxophonist, television personality and radio presenter. He is best known for his work on ''Hey Hey It's Saturday''. He rose to prominence with the bands Ol' 55 and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. Career Music career Wilde was the tenor saxophonist (and did some vocals) with Ol' 55 from 1975 until 1977. Wilde then joined Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons in 1977 as saxophonist and backing singer. He still remains in that role to this date. Television career He is most famous for appearing as part of the house band on ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' from 1984 until 1999, and again from 2009 until 2010. Wilde has made numerous other TV appearances throughout his career on shows including ''The Flying Doctors'', MDA, ''The Paul Hogan Show'', ''Blankety Blanks'', ''Sale of the Century'', ''Celebrity Squares'', MTV, '' Getaway'', ''Postcards'', ''Prisoner'', ''Temptation'', '' Spicks and Specks'', ''The Russell Gilbert Show'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swanee (singer)
John Swan (born 15 March 1952), better known as Swanee, is an Australian rock singer. He was born John Archibold Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952. He is the older brother of singer-songwriter Jimmy Barnes, and an uncle of stage performer David Campbell. In 2015, Swan was announced as South Australia's Senior Australian of the Year australianoftheyear.org.au, 12 November 2014 and in 2017 was appointed an Order of Australia Medal (OAM). Career 1952–1978: Early life and bands John Swan migrated to Australia with his family in 1961. When his mother remarried in the mid-1960s, he was the only child to keep the surname of his bi ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Real Life (band)
Real Life are an Australian new wave and synth-pop band that achieved international chart success with their 1983 singles " Send Me an Angel" and " Catch Me I'm Falling", both of which were taken from their debut studio album, ''Heartland'' (1983). The band originally consisted of David Sterry (lead vocals and guitar), Richard Zatorski (keyboards and violin), Allan Johnson (bass), and Danny Simcic (drums). Steve Williams (keyboards) replaced Zatorski in 1986, and was replaced by George Pappas in 1995 after a long hiatus of band activity. History 1980–1984: ''Heartland'' In late 1980, Richard Zatorski placed an ad in a Melbourne newspaper as a keyboard player looking for a guitarist with whom to write songs, and David Sterry responded. The two formed a writing partnership and began work on the material that would eventually become the first songs by Real Life. First using the name The Wires, Sterry and Zatorski started doing gigs accompanied by a primitive drum machine they n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wendy Stapleton
Wendy Anne-Marie Stapleton (born 8 July 1954) is an Australian pop/rock singer-songwriter, musical theatre performer and television actress and presenter Stapleton has performed as a backing singer, session musician and a solo artist; she fronted various Melbourne-based groups including Wendy Stapleton Band (1976–1978)Spencer et al, (2007STAPLETON, Wendy BANDentry. Retrieved 15 January 2010. and Wendy & the Rocketts (1980–1985)Spencer et al, (2007WENDY AND THE ROCKETTSentry. Retrieved 15 January 2010. which had a top 30 hit single with "Play the Game" in June 1983. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974. Biography 1954–1978: Early years Wendy Stapleton was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. At nine years old, Stapleton appeared in J. C. Williamson’s 1963 production of Noël Coward's '' Sail Away'' at Her Majesty's Theatre which star ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moving Pictures (band)
Moving Pictures are an Australian rock music band formed in 1980. Their debut album, '' Days of Innocence'', was issued in October 1981 and eventually peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart in February the following year. In January 1982, they released their single, "What About Me", which reached No. 1 on the Kent Singles Chart. Later that year, Elektra Records issued ''Days of Innocence'' and "What About Me" in North America. The single reached No. 29 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and appeared on the associated year-end Hot 100 list for 1983. A proposed series of United States performances supporting REO Speedwagon, Tom Petty, and Hall & Oates fell through when Elektra was substantially reorganised. In November 1982, another single, "Winners", peaked at No. 12 in Australia. In October 1983, their second album, ''Matinee'', was released. It reached No. 16 and, of its four singles, only the lead single, "Back to the Streets", reached the Top ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
