The First

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. The awards were introduced by ARIA Chairman, Paul Turner, who explained the nomination and voting procedures. Presenters of the 20 awards included

Slim Dusty Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars ...

, Basia Bonkowski and

Donnie Sutherland Donald Sutherland OAM (born 22 December 1946) is an Australian radio and television presenter. He was the host of TV pop music show ''Sounds'' between 1975 and 1987. Sutherland has also worked as a TV producer and music journalist, and is asso ...

. The ceremony was not televised. The most successful artist was John Farnham with his album (''

Whispering Jack ''Whispering Jack'' is the twelfth studio album by Australian adult contemporary pop singer John Farnham. It was produced by Ross Fraser, and released on 20 October 1986, peaking at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Album Charts. NOTE: ...

'') and its associated single, "

You're the Voice "You're the Voice" is a song written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson, and recorded by the Australian singer John Farnham and released as a single in September 1986 ahead of his album '' Whispering Jack''. "You're t ...

" helping him win six awards.

History

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' was an Australian

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974–1987, it presented music awards from 1979–1987, initially in conjunction with magazine ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

'' which had sponsored the previously existing 'King of Pop' Awards. After Cold Chisel performed at the 1980 awards ceremony, and then trashed their instruments and the set, sponsors ''TV Week'' withdrew their support and ''Countdown'' held its own awards ceremonies until the 1986 awards which were broadcast in 1987. The awards ceremony was co-produced by Carolyn James (aka Carolyn Bailey) during 1981–1984 in collaboration with the

(ARIA), which provided peer voting for some awards. ''Countdown'' provided coupons in the related ''Countdown Magazine'' for viewers to vote for some awards including 'Most Popular Male Performer', 'Most Popular Female Performer', 'Most Popular Group' and 'Most Popular International Act'. At the 1985 awards ceremony (held in April 1986) fans of INXS and

Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X- ...

scuffled and as a result ARIA decided to hold their own awards. ARIA instituted its own entirely peer-voted Australian Record Industry Awards. The first awards ceremony was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. The awards were introduced by ARIA Chairman, Paul Turner, who explained the nomination and voting procedures. The eligibility period was for material released in the previous calendar year with the final five nominees determined by independent auditors, Deloitte, Haskin & Sells. Presenters of the 20 awards included John, Turner, promoter-manager Glenn Wheatley,

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

veteran

, ''Music Around the World'' host Basia Bonkowski, and ''Sounds Unlimited'' host

. The 1987 ceremony was not televised, host John recommended that it not be televised in future: Anthony O'Grady, an Australian music journalist, cited ARIA founder and spokesperson Peter Rix, "Not that the first awards would have been allowed on TV ... The boys and girls really let their hair down that night – every acceptance speech was crammed with expletive-deletives." John Farnham was the most successful artist on the night, with his album ''

'' and its associated single, "

" winning six awards from ten nominations.

Awards and nominations

Winners are listed first and bolded, other final nominees (where known) are listed alphabetically.

ARIA Awards

*Album of the Year ** John Farnham –''

'' *** Crowded House – '' Crowded House'' *** Hunters & Collectors – ''

Human Frailty ''Human Frailty'' is the fourth studio album by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors, which was released on 7 April 1986. It was a commercial and critical success. The album peaked at No. 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums C ...

'' *** Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls – ''

Gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...

'' ***

Spy vs Spy ''Spy vs. Spy'' is a wordless comic strip published in '' Mad'' magazine. It features two agents involved in stereotypical and comical espionage activities. One is dressed in white, and the other in black, but they are otherwise identical, and ...

– '' A.O. Mod. TV. Vers.'' *Single of the Year ** John Farnham – "

" *** Crowded House – "

Don't Dream It's Over "Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn, and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...

" *** Hunters & Collectors – " Say Goodbye" *** INXS &

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best- ...

– " Good Times" *** Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls – "

Before Too Long "Before Too Long" is a song by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, released as the first single from their debut double album, ''Gossip''. It was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushr ...

" *Highest Selling Album ** John Farnham – ''

'' *** Dragon – '' Dreams of Ordinary Men'' *** Icehouse - '' Measure for Measure'' *** Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson – '' Kev's Back'' ***

Rodney Rude Rodney Rude (born Rodney Malcolm Keft, 29 January 1943 in Nowra, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian-born blue stand-up comedian, poet, writer, and musician. Rude is best known for his bawdy humour and has released 12 albums and fi ...

– ''

Rude Rides Again Rude Rides Again is an Australian comedy album performed by Rodney Rude and released in 1986. The album was recorded in front of a live audience at the Gold Coast. In 1987 the album was nominated for 2 Aria Awards, Best Comedy Release & Highes ...

'' ***

– '' A.O. Mod. TV. Vers.'' ***

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...

– '' Big Canoe'' *Highest Selling Single ** John Farnham – "

" *** Boom Crash Opera – "

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups ...

" ***

Do-Re-Mi "Do-Re-Mi" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''The Sound of Music''. Each syllable of the musical solfège system appears in the song's lyrics, sung on the pitch it names. Rodgers was helped in its creation by long-time ...

– " Guns and Butter" *** Dragon – " Dreams of Ordinary Men" *** INXS &

– " Good Times" ***

Pseudo Echo Pseudo Echo are an Australian new wave band that formed in 1982 by founding mainstay Brian Canham on vocals, guitar and keyboards. Other original members were Pierre Gigliotti (as Pierre Pierre) on bass keyboards and bass guitar, and Tony Lugt ...

– " Funky Town" ***

Wa Wa Nee Wa Wa Nee was a 1980s Australian funk band. Career Singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams formed the band in 1982. They were joined by Geoff Lundren (bass), Elizabeth Lord (keyboards, backing vocals) and Chris Sweeney (drums) ...

– " Stimulation" *Best Group ** INXS – " Listen Like Thieves" *** Crowded House – "

" *** Hunters & Collectors – ''

'' *** Midnight Oil – '' The Dead Heart'' ***

– " Funky Town" *Best Female Artist ** Jenny Morris – " You're Gonna Get Hurt" ***

Jean Stafford Jean Stafford (July 1, 1915 – March 26, 1979) was an American short story writer and novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for '' The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford'' in 1970. Biography She was born in Covina, California, to M ...

– ''Burning Bright'' ***

Jo Kennedy Jo Kennedy (born 1962) is an Australian actress, singer, film director and screenwriter. She is best known for playing Jackie in the 1982 film '' Starstruck.'' Even though the film never had a proper US release, it found a cult following o ...

– ''

The Pack of Women ''The Pack of Woman'' was a cabaret devised by Australian performer and director Robyn Archer, first performed in London in 1981. Although funny and entertaining, the work also set out to shock audiences into examining the role of women in Wester ...

'' ***

Renée Geyer Renée Rebecca Geyer (born 11 September 1953) is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with " It's a Man's Man's ...

– '' Renée Live at the Basement'' ***

Wendy Matthews Wendy Joan Matthews (born 13 January 1960) is a Canadian-born Australian singer-songwriter who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in the 1990s including " Token Angels", " ...

– " Dancing Daze" *Best Male Artist ** John Farnham – ''

'' ***

– " Good Times" ***

Martin Plaza Martin Edward Murphy (born 1 January 1956), commonly known by the pseudonym Martin Plaza, is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and visual artist who is a founding member and vocalist and guitarist of the new wave band Mental As Anything. ...

– ''Plaza Suite'' *** Paul Kelly – ''

'' ***

– '' Big Canoe'' *Best New Talent ** Crowded House – "

" ***

Big Pig Big Pig was an Australian funk, rock and pop band that existed from 1985 to 1991. An early line-up was Sherine Abeyratne on lead vocals and percussion (ex-Editions, Bang); Tony Antoniades on vocals and harmonica; Neil Baker on drums; Nick Disb ...

– "Hungry Town" *** Boom Crash Opera – "

", " Hands up in the Air" *** Ups and Downs – " The Living Kind" ***

– " Stimulation" *Best Country Album ** John Williamson – '' Mallee Boy'' ***

– ''Burning Bright'' ***

Johnny Chester John Howard Chester (born 26 December 1941) is an Australian singer-songwriter, who started his career in October 1959 with group The Jaywoods singing rock music and in 1969 changed to country music. He toured nationally with the Beatles, Roy ...

– ''There's a Shadow on the Moon Tonight'' ***

– ''Stories I Wanted to Tell'' *** The Three Chord Wonders – ''Try Change'' *Best Indigenous Release **

Coloured Stone Coloured Stone is an Aboriginal Australian band whose members originate from the Koonibba Mission, west of Ceduna, South Australia. The band performs using guitar, bass, drums, and Aboriginal instruments – didjeridu, bundawuthada (gong st ...

– '' Human Love'' *** Dave de Hugard – ''The Magpie in the Wattle'' *** John Williamson – '' Mallee Boy'' ***

Sirocco Sirocco ( ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. Names ''Sirocco'' derives from ...

– ''Voyage'' *** The Three Chord Wonders – ''Try Change'' *Best Adult Contemporary Album ** John Farnham – ''

'' *** Dragon – '' Dreams of Ordinary Men'' ***

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 man ...

– '' Boom Baby Boom'' ***

The Reels The Reels was an Australian rock band which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976. It disbanded in 1991, and reformed in 2007. Its 1981 song " Quasimodo's Dream" was voted one of the top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel ...

– "

Bad Moon Rising "Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album '' Green River'' and was released in April 16, 1969 four months before the album. The song peaked at No. ...

" ***

Vince Jones Vincent Hugh Jones (born 24 March 1954) is an Australian jazz singer, songwriter, and trumpet, flugelhorn and flumpet player. His music includes both original material and new contemporary versions of jazz standards. His themes are often lov ...

– '' Tell Me a Secret'' *Best Comedy Release ** Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson – '' Kev's Back'' *** Austen Tayshus – "Do the Pope" ***Mary Kenneally, Steve Blackburn – '' Australia You're Standing In It'' ***

– ''

'' ***

Vince Sorrenti Vince Sorrenti (born 21 March 1961) is an Australian stand-up comedian, writer and television presenter from Punchbowl, New South Wales. He is of Italian descent. Sorrenti performs nationally and internationally. He performs at sports hospitalit ...

– ''Unbelievable''

Fine Arts Awards

*Best Jazz Album ** The George Golla Orchestra – '' Lush Life'' *** Dick Hughes – ''The Last Train for Casablanca Leaves Once in a Blue Moon'' *** Maree Montgomery – ''Woman of Mystery'' ***Various Artists – '' The Esso Australian Jazz Summit'' ***

– '' Tell Me a Secret'' *Best Classical Album ** Barry Conyngham – ''Southern Cross / Ice Carving'' ***

Australian Chamber Orchestra The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975.Verghis, Sharon"Bach with more bite pays off" ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 September 2005. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appo ...

– ''Mozart in Delphi'' *** Grant Foster – ''Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra'' *** Robert Allworth - ''Last Look at Bronte'' *** Sydney University Chamber Choir – ''The Victoria Requiem'' *Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Recording **

Robyn Archer Robyn Archer, AO, CdOAL (born 1948) is an Australian singer, writer, stage director, artistic director, and public advocate of the arts, in Australia and internationally. Life Archer was born Robyn Smith in Prospect, South Australia. She b ...

– ''

'' *** Martin Armiger – '' Dancing Daze'' *** Nathan Waks – '' For Love Alone'' *** Peter Best – '' "Crocodile" Dundee'' *** Peter Carey, Martin Armiger – ''

Illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may oc ...

Artisan Awards

*Best Songwriter **

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

– Crowded House – " Mean to Me", "

", " Now We're Getting Somewhere" ***Eric McCusker –

– "Rule of Three", John Farnham – "No One Comes Close" ***

Garry Gary Beers Garry William Beers (born 22 June 1957), known as Garry Gary Beers, is an Australian musician and was the bass guitarist for the new wave rock group INXS. Career Garry William Beers was born to Lola (died 2011) and William Beers. William Beer ...

Andrew Farriss Andrew Charles Farriss (born 27 March 1959) is an Australian rock musician and multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist, backing vocalist, and main composer for rock band INXS. Farriss released his debut studio album in 2021. Caree ...

Jon Farriss Jonathan James Farriss (born 10 August 1961) is an Australian drummer and founding member of rock band INXS. Biography Jon Farriss was born to Dennis and Jill Farriss, and is the second youngest of four children: brothers and fellow band me ...

Tim Farriss Timothy William Farriss (born 16 August 1957) is an Australian musician, founding member and the lead guitarist of the rock band :INXS. Early life and the formation of INXS Farriss was born in Perth, Western Australia, to Dennis and Jill F ...

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Hutchence co-founded the rock band INXS, which sold over 75 million records worldwide and was inducted into th ...

Kirk Pengilly Kirk Pengilly ( ; born 4 July 1958) is an Australian musician and member of the Australian rock group INXS. Kirk plays saxophone, guitar and also performs as a backing vocalist. Early career Pengilly moved to Sydney in 1966, and became best fri ...

– INXS – "Listen Like Thieves" ***Paul Gray –

– "Stimulation", "I Could Make You Love Me" *** Paul Kelly – "

" *Producer of the Year **

Mark Opitz Mark Opitz (born 1952) is an Australian record producer and audio engineer. He started his career with Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in 1971. He has produced AC/DC, the Angels, Australian Crawl, Cold Chisel, Divinyls and INXS. He ...

– Models – '' Models' Media'',

– "Bad Moon Rising", INXS &

– "Good Times",

Noiseworks Noiseworks are an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens. They had four Australian Top 10 a ...

– ''No Lies'',

Jump Incorporated Jump Incorporated were an Australian rock band founded in 1985 by Geoff Gray (bass guitar, vocals), Martin Sinkovic (drums, vocals), his sister Nada Sinkovic (keyboards, vocals) and Mark Woods (guitar, vocals). All four were members of Moving P ...

– "Sex and Fame" ***Alan Thorne – Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls – ''

'' ***Brian Canham –

– " Funky Town" *** Charles Fisher – Tango Bravo – "Blood Is the Colour",

The Cockroaches The Cockroaches were an Australian pub rock band active throughout the 1980s. The band was founded in 1979 by the Field brothers—Paul (lead vocals), John (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Anthony (lead guitar, vocals)—and Tony Henry on drums ...

– "Wait Up",

– ''Plaza Suite'' ***Ross Fraser – John Farnham – ''

'', John Justin – "Flash King Cadillac" *Engineer of the Year **Alan Wright –

– "Sex and Fame" ***Doug Brady – John Farnham – ''

'' ***Guy Gray – Flotsam Jetsam – ''Show Me'' ***Jim Taig –

– ''

'' ***John Bee – Doug Mulray & the Rude Band – "You Are Soul" *Best Video **

Alex Proyas Alexander Proyas (; Greek: Αλέξανδρος Πρόγιας; born 23 September 1963) is an Australian filmmaker of Greek descent. Proyas is best known for directing the films '' The Crow'' (1994), '' Dark City'' (1998), ''I, Robot'' (2004), ...

– Crowded House – "

" ***Alex Proyas – INXS – " Kiss the Dirt" ***Julie Stone Productions –

– "Hungry Town" ***

Kimble Rendall Kimble Rendall (born 1957) is an Australian director, musician and writer mostly known for his Second unit direction of ''The Matrix Reloaded'' (2003), ''The Matrix Revolutions'' (2003), ''I, Robot'' (2004), ''Casanova'' (2005) and ''Ghost Ride ...

– Boom Crash Opera – "Hands up in the Air" ***Tony Leitch, Andrew de Groot – Hunters & Collectors – " Everything's on Fire" *Best Cover Art **Oleh Witer –

– ''

'' ***Art Scarff – Australian Crawl – '' The Final Wave'' ***Buster Stiggs –

– '' Love an Adventure'' *** Nick Seymour – Crowded House – '' Crowded House'' ***Richard Alan – Models – '' Models' Media'';

I'm Talking I'm Talking are an Australian funk-pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles " Trust Me", " Do You Wanna Be?" and " Holy Word" and a top fifteen ...

– '' Bear Witness'' ***Steve Malpass – John Farnham – ''

References

External links

ARIA Awards official websiteList of 1987 winners
{{ARIA music awards 1987 music awards 1987 in Australian music ARIA Music Awards