Jak Housden (born John Paul Housden 12 June 1969) is an Australian guitarist, singer, and composer. Best known as a long-standing member of or

The Whitlams The Whitlams are an Australian indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar and lead vocals. Other than mainstay Freedman, the l ...

, he is also a founding member of

The Badloves The Badloves are an Australian R&B, soul band that formed as DC3 in 1990 by founding mainstay member Michael Spiby on guitar and lead vocals. They changed their name after a year. Their debut studio album, '' Get on Board'', was issued in Jul ...

, appearing on all their classic 1990s releases. A revered session guitarist, Jak has performed and recorded with

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popul ...

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

, Richard Clapton,

Steve Kilbey Steven John Kilbey (born 13 September 1954) is an English Australians, English-Australian singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for the rock band The Church (band), the Church. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter. As of 2020, Kilbey h ...

Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song " Pash" received a gold ...

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-s ...

Daryl Braithwaite Daryl Braithwaite (born 11 January 1949) is an Australian singer. He was the lead vocalist of Sherbet (1970–1984 and many subsequent reunions). Braithwaite also has a solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including t ...

, and Steve Balbi. Since 2015, Jak has been involved with Tim Minchin, touring extensively and recording on the album ''Apart Together''.

Early life and career

Jak Housden has played guitar since he was 11 years old. Note: User may have to click "Search again" and provide details at "Enter a title:" e.g. I Want You Back; or at "Performer:" Jak Housden He joined Melbourne band, Show of Hands, at 16, performing regularly around Melbourne, even flying to Tokyo to represent Australia in Yamaha's ''Band Explosion'' at the Budokan Stadium. In 1988, Housden began a spell of touring with

. Also in the band, at the time, was Stephen O'Prey on bass guitar (also ex-Show of Hands) and Michael Spiby on lead guitar and backing vocals (ex-Screen Idols). Housden, O'Prey, and Spiby (now on lead vocals) founded

the Badloves The Badloves are an Australian R&B, soul band that formed as DC3 in 1990 by founding mainstay member Michael Spiby on guitar and lead vocals. They changed their name after a year. Their debut studio album, '' Get on Board'', was issued in Jul ...

in Melbourne with Chris Tabone on drums and initially Spiby's brother, John, on keyboards and saxophone. According to Australian musicologist,

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

, they "became a popular live attraction courtesy of regular gigs and a fine set of laid-back, 1970s-styled blues, Memphis soul and New Orleans R&B material. The band's sound was simple, soulful and very funky. The Badloves were immediately labelled as 'organic', 'neo-hippies' and 'retro', which may have been the case, but at least it showed a band working within a rich musical tradition." The group released two studio albums, ''Get on Board'' (June 1993) and ''Holy Roadside'' (September 1995), before disbanding in 1997. In 1999, Jak was one of the session musicians on

the Whitlams The Whitlams are an Australian indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar and lead vocals. Other than mainstay Freedman, the l ...

fourth studio album, ''

Love This City ''Love This City'' is the fourth studio album by Australian band The Whitlams, released by Black Yak through Warner in 1999. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Track listing #"Make the World Safe" – 3:43 #" Thank You (for ...

''. In 2001, he became a permanent band member, touring and recording the albums ''

Torch the Moon ''Torch the Moon'' is the fifth studio album by Australian band The Whitlams, released by Black Yak through Warner in 2002. It peaked at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. It received platinum album certification from ARIA. Track listi ...

'' (2002) and ''Little Cloud'' (2006), alongside founding mainstay lead vocalist and pianist,

Tim Freedman Timothy James Freedman (25 November 1964) is an Australian musician, best known as the mainstay lead singer and keyboardist of the Australian band The Whitlams formed in 1993. Note: n-lineversion was expanded from the 2002 edition. The song ...

, bass guitarist,

Warwick Hornby Warwick Hornby is an Australian musician, best known for his time as bassist for The Whitlams. Note: n-lineversion was expanded from the 2002 edition. He joined the band together with drummer Terepai Richmond in 1998, and remained with them until ...

and drummer,

Terepai Richmond Terepai Chalmers Richmond (born 21 February 1971) is an Australian drummer. He joined the Sydney-based rock band The Whitlams in September 1999 and formerly played in acid jazz group Directions in Groove (d.i.g.) (1991–1998, 2008). Biograp ...

. In February 2022,

released their first album in 16 years, ''Sancho''. Housden has remained a member of the Whitlams.

Solo material and other projects

Housden released his self-produced debut solo album, ''Mad About Disco'', in 2004 through Boffin Records, which included the single, "To Die For" (2005). In 2020, Housden released the single ''Bombs'' on Triplespeak. Strong on melody, ''Bombs'' is a stomper with intoxicating harmonies, and the psychedelic guitar for which Housden has become famous. Produced by Housden, ''Bombs'' was mastered at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

. Housden has played in numerous bands including Clayton Doley (Hammond organ) Organ Donors and the Sydney psychedelic band, The Dolly Rocker Movement. in recent times, Jak has featured in various music videos for Tim Minchin, including '15 Minutes' and 'Leaving LA'. Housden's film & television credits include the Emmy Award-winning animated Beatles series, ''Beatbugs'', for which Jak recorded on tracks featuring

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. H ...

and

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

. And in 2017, he was the guitarist and Music Advisor on the critically acclaimed ABC biopic ''Friday On My Mind - The Story of

The Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 sing ...

''.

Genre and style

Housden is renowned for his bendy guitar style and highly distinctive tone, as well as his fervent falsetto vocals. He draws upon 1960s and '70s influences including

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, and west coast rock bands like

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

and

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

Personal life

Jak Housden is married to singer and performer

Robyn Loau Robyn Loau (; born 20 October 1972) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. From 1991 to 1994, she was lead singer of pop group Girlfriend, Note: n-lineversion established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expa ...

, is the brother of Stephen Housden, the lead guitarist of

Little River Band Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band originally formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums rea ...

, and the uncle of composer Paul Housden, who was part of the now-defunct Pornland.

Discography

Albums

* ''Mad About Disco'' (2004) Boffin Records / MGM Distribution. #To Die For #Mad About Disco #I Want You Back (don't care what I have to do) #Emily, I Stare #The Hand of Ruby #The Legendary Man from Decca #Love Illusion #Bus #To Make a Fool of You #Turn Around (bright eyes)

Singles

* "To Die For" (2005) Boffin Records #To Die For (CD version) #Your World/My World #The Legendary Man from Decca (Original Version) #To Die For (Acoustic Version) * "Bombs" (2020) Triplespeak / Metropolitan Groove Merchants #Bombs #She Knows

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Housden, Jak Australian guitarists 1969 births Living people The Whitlams members