Bill Armstrong AM (born 1929) is an Australian music producer.

Career

Armstrong grew up in Melbourne and began his career recording his friends band's onto

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, before being hired to record court proceedings and civil ceremonies. These included recordings of

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

opening Geelong's Shell Refinery. He recorded live jazz performances, including the 1949 Australian Jazz Convention, and created

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copies for the performers to purchase. He started Bill Armstrong Sound in December 1949, and in the early 1950s began releasing local jazz records on his own record labels, Paramount, Magnasound, and Danceland. He worked for ABC Radio producing broadcasts, and was in charge of the PA system at the

Melbourne Olympic Games The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

in 1956. Between 1956 and 1960, Armstrong worked for W&G Records, and recorded musicians such as Graeme Bell and

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were ...

, and commercial jingles. After sound engineer

Roger Savage Roger Savage is an Australian sound engineer who was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound for the film ''Moulin Rouge!''. After moving from England to Australia in 1964, he engineered some of the most important Australian ...

arrived from England, he and Armstrong set up Armstrong Studios in 1965 and recorded bands such as Russell Morris, Daddy Cool,

John Farnham John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...

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, Graham Kennedy. They were credited with recording 80% of the music in the Australian charts at the time. In 1977, Armstrong left the studio to work for SBS Radio, before starting EON FM, Australia's first commercial FM radio station where he worked as managing director. He left EON in 1986, and set up the jazz label Bilarm Music, where he continued to work into 2015. The label released compilations of old 78 RPM recordings, co-curated by Barry Humphries. In 2015 Armstrong purchased

Swaggie Records Swaggie Records was a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Graeme Bell in Australia. The label's early years were defined by recordings by Australian jazz musicians. In the 1960s, it made licensing deals with American companies for v ...

Awards

* 1995 -

Advance Australia Award The Advance Australia Foundation (AAF) was established in 1980. The AAF recognised "individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and enhancement of Australia, the Australian people and the Australian way of life". I ...

* 1995 - Audio Engineering Society (of USA) Australian chapter, Lifetime Achievement Award * 1995 - Australian Sound Recording Association award for "Outstanding Service to The Australian Recording Industry" * 1999 - ARIA Special Achievement Award * 2006 - APRA Ted Albert Award * 2011 - National Film and Sound Archive's Cochrane-Smith Award * 2015 -

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

* 2015 - The Age Music Victoria Hall of Fame

References

External links

Official website

Bill Armstrong - Long Play Series - Australian Music Vault
(2022) {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Bill Living people 1929 births Members of the Order of Australia Australian record producers