Joseph Vincent Camilleri, (born 21 May 1948) aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is a Maltese Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri (aka "Jo Jo Zep"). The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had severa ...

and

The Black Sorrows The Black Sorrows are an Australian blues rock band formed in 1983 by mainstay vocalist Joe Camilleri (ex-Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons), who also plays saxophone and guitar. Camilleri has used various line-ups to record 17 albums, with five reachi ...

. Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons' highest-charting single was "Hit & Run" from June 1979, which peaked at #12; NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until

ARIA In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

created their own

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tab ...

in mid-1988. Jo Jo Zep's " Taxi Mary" peaked at No. 11 in September 1982; and The Black Sorrows top single, "

Chained to the Wheel "Chained to the Wheel" is a song by Australian blues and rock band The Black Sorrows. It was released as the third single from their fifth studio album '' Hold On to Me''. It was a big hit, peaking at 9 on the ARIA Charts. At the ARIA Music Awar ...

", peaked at No. 9 in March 1989. Camilleri has also produced records for

The Sports The Sports were an Australian Rock music, rock group which performed and recorded between 1976 and 1981. Mainstay members were Stephen Cummings on lead vocals and Robert Glover on bass guitar, with long-term members such as Paul Hitchins on dru ...

, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Paul Kelly & the Dots, The Black Sorrows,

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 Worl ...

, and Ross Wilson. Australian

music journalist Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

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 ...

, described him as "one of the most genuinely talented figures in Australian music", and, as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Camilleri was inducted into the

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 th ...

(ARIA)

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

in 2007. The Black Sorrows' '' Saint Georges Road'' (2021) represented Camilleri's 50th career release.

Biography

Early years

Joe Camilleri was born the third of ten children in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in 1948. The family migrated to Australia when he was two. NOTE: Authors, Jenkins and Meldrum, acknowledge the chapter is written by Camilleri. The on-line version is from Camilleri's Official website, a mirror copy is available a
The Black Sorrows Official website
Camilleri grew up in

Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city List of Melbourne suburbs, suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of ...

and listened to rock music on the radio. His mother called him Zep and he became known as Jo Zep. Camilleri began his music career in 1964 when literally thrown onstage to sing with The Drollies. He played

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and R&B in the mid-1960s with The King Bees, and was then a member of Adderley Smith Blues Band. In 1968, lead singer for the band,

Broderick Smith Broderick Smith (born 17 February 1948) is an English-born Australian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and sometime actor. He was a member of 1970s bands Sundown, Carson and the Dingoes, 1980s Broderick Smith's Big Combo and he has rec ...

had been

conscripted Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

for

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Camilleri lasted a year with Adderley Smith, and enjoyed working with the band including guitarist

Kerryn Tolhurst Kerryn William Tolhurst (born 1948) is an Australian country rock musician, songwriter and producer. He was based in the United States from late 1970s to the late 1990s, although he periodically returned to Australia. He was a founder of the Au ...

(later in

The Dingoes The Dingoes are an Australian country rock band. They were initially active from 1973 to 1979, and reformed in 2009. Initially based in Melbourne, the band relocated to the United States from 1976. The most stable line-up comprised John Bois on ...

with Smith). According to Australian music journalist

Ed Nimmervoll Edward Charles Nimmervoll (21 September 1947 – 10 October 2014) was an Australian music journalist, author and historian. He worked on rock and pop magazines ''Go-Set'' (1966–1974) and ''Juke Magazine'' (1975–92) both as a journalist ...

, Camilleri was sacked for sounding too much like

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and upstaging other band members. After Adderley Smith, Camilleri was a member of various bands, including

The Pelaco Brothers The Pelaco Brothers (sometimes seen as The Pelaco Bros.) were an Australian rockabilly band formed in 1974, with Joe Camilleri on saxophone and vocals, Stephen Cummings on lead vocals, Peter Lillie on guitar and vocals, Johnny Topper on bass ...

during 1974–1975.

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons: 1975–1983, 2001–2003, 2011–present

formed in 1975 and Camilleri gained national prominence as the group's lead singer, co-songwriter and saxophonist. Other members (from 1976 on) included Jeff Burstin (guitar, vocals), John Power (bass guitar, vocals), Gary Young (drums), Tony Faehse (guitar, vocals) and

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 ...

on sax. Incorporating influences from

, R&B, soul, punk rock, new wave and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, the group achieved considerable commercial and critical success in Australia. Hit singles for Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons included "Shape I'm In" and "Puppet on a String"; their highest-charting single was "Hit & Run" from June 1979 which peaked at No. 12. In 1981, most of The Falcons left the group, and the act's name was shortened to Jo Jo Zep. " Taxi Mary", credited to Jo Jo Zep, peaked at No. 11 in September 1982. The Jo Jo Zep ensemble became unwieldy with, at its peak, a roster of 11 members and disbanded in 1983. The classic 1976–1981 group reformed in 2001 for a one-off gig, but stayed together to release an album of new material, ''Ricochet'', in 2003. As a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Camilleri was inducted into the

(ARIA)

in 2007. The group continues to tour and play live dates.

The Black Sorrows: 1984–current

After the demise of Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons in 1983, Camilleri achieved his greatest success with another long-running group

, which began in 1984 as an informal semi- acoustic band playing blues, R&B and

zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...

. The Black Sorrows had a shifting line-up and at various points included three ex-Falcons: Jeff Burstin, Wayne Burt, and Gary Young. Later additions to the band included sisters

Vika and Linda Bull Vika and Linda, also known as Vika and Linda Bull, are an Australian vocal duo consisting of Vika Susan Bull (born 1966) and her younger sister, Linda Rose Bull . They came to prominence after singing backing vocals in Joe Camilleri's band The ...

on vocals, and backing vocalist and lyricist Nick Smith. Camilleri himself has been the only constant member of the group. The Black Sorrows developed a strong fan following and garnered wide critical acclaim for their recordings and superb live performances. After starting life as an acoustic cover band, they evolved into a full electric ensemble that wrote their own material, releasing a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed albums in the 1980s and 1990s. These albums included '' A Place in the World'', '' Dear Children'' (an Australian Top 20 album in 1987), '' Hold On to Me'' (peaked at No. 7, 1988), '' Harley & Rose'' (peaked at No. 3, 1990), '' Better Times'' (peaked at No. 13, 1992) and

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

'' The Chosen Ones – Greatest Hits'' (peaked at No. 4, 1993). Top 30 hit singles by the band were "

" (which peaked at No. 9 in 1989), "

Harley + Rose "Harley + Rose" is a song by Australian blues and rock band The Black Sorrows. It was released in July 1990 as the first single from their sixth studio album ''Harley and Rose''. It peaked at 24 on the ARIA Charts in September 1990. At the ARIA M ...

" (1990) " Never Let Me Go" (1990), and "

Snake Skin Shoes "Snake Skin Shoes" is a song by Australian blues and rock band The Black Sorrows. It was released as the first single from their eighth studio album '' Lucky Charm''. The song became the group's second top twenty single, peaking at number 16 on ...

" (1994). For the first several years the band was in existence, Camilleri performed under the pseudonym "Joey Vincent" (a name he had previously used for a solo single), although he wrote and produced material for the group using his real name. The "Joey Vincent" persona was finally dropped in time for the release of 1990's '' Harley & Rose''. With a number of different line-ups, the band has continued to release material through the 1990s and 2000s.

Other projects

The Revelators: 1989–2012

While with The Black Sorrows, Camilleri also performed with

The Revelators The Revelators (also known as "The Delta Revelators") is an Australian blues rock band formed in 1989 by Joe Camilleri, James Black, Joe Creighton and Peter Luscome. Jeff Burstin joined in 1990. In Camilleri's own words, their desire was to " ...

. The Revelators returned to the Black Sorrows roots of playing mostly covers of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

/ R&B style music, and had virtually the same line-up as The Black Sorrows. They released their first album in 1991 called ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

'' and followed it up with two others, ''

The Adventures of The Amazing Revelators ''The Adventures of The Amazing Revelators'' is the second studio album by Australian blues-rock band The Revelators. The album was recorded in four days and released in March 2000. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2001, the album was nominated for A ...

'' (2000) and ''

'' (2002). The Revelators were active as a live group from circa 1989 through about 2012.

Bakelite Radio : 2000–2007, 2020

Bakelite Radio was another side project from the early 2000s. This particular group focussed on more acoustically-oriented music, though still in a country/R&B mould. The repertoire consisted mostly (but not exclusively) of cover songs, and the line-up—as is characteristic of Camilleri's bands—was fairly fluid. The group released four albums between 2003 and 2009: in order of release, they were ''Bakelite Radio Volume II'' (2003), ''Bakelite Radio Volume III'' (2004) ''Bakelite Radio Volume IV'' (2007), and ''Bakelite Radio Volume I'' (2009). As a live act, Bakelite Radio was active from 2001 to 2007. After a long hiatus, the group (with a largely modified line-up, save Camilleri) returned in 2020, issuing their fifth album ''Rosary of Tears'' as a combined vinyl and CD package.

The Voodoo Sheiks: 2011–present

The Voodoo Sheiks are a ten-piece ensemble led by Camilleri and

John McAll John McAll is a pianist, composer, arranger and producer with experience ranging from jazz, pop, blues, rock contemporary classical, afrobeat and theatre. John McAll graduated with a Bachelor of Arts University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA an ...

that celebrates the musical heritage of New Orleans. The band features a large brass section, and a repertoire of cover songs. They started playing gigs circa 2011, and for a time supplanted Camilleri's previous side projects

and Bakelite Radio. The Voodoo Sheiks have yet to record under their own name, although one track on The Black Sorrows' 2014 album ''Certified Blue'' is called "The Return Of The Voodoo Sheiks" and was played by the then-current Voodoo Sheiks line-up. The Voodoo Sheiks horns include Julien Wilson, Tim Wilson, Greg Clarkson on saxophone, James Mustafa and Travis Woods on trumpet and Ben Gillespie on trombone.

Here Comes The Night: 2013–present

Here Comes The Night is a Van Morrison tribute project, spearheaded by Camilleri in association with Vince Jones and

Vika Bull Vika and Linda, also known as Vika and Linda Bull, are an Australian vocal duo consisting of Vika Susan Bull (born 1966) and her younger sister, Linda Rose Bull . They came to prominence after singing backing vocals in Joe Camilleri's band The ...

. Beginning in 2013, the group has performed several live shows throughout Australia.

Production and session work

Beginning in the late 1970s, Camilleri also produced recordings for other artists including

, Paul Kelly & the Dots,

, and Ross Wilson. He can also be heard as a session musician and/or vocalist on recordings by numerous Australian recording acts, including

Skyhooks Skyhook, sky hook or skyhooks may refer to: Fiction * 'Skyhooks' or 'Skyhooks II', parts 1 and 8 respectively of the Adventure Time Elements (miniseries), Elements miniseries. * ''Sky Hook'', a Hugo-award nominated science fiction fanzine * Sk ...

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 ...

, Icehouse, and

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 ...

Solo releases

Camilleri has only infrequently released material with solo billing. A 1980 single credited to "Joey Vincent" was his first solo project; two additional singles from the 1980s and a 1995 maxi single called "All Saint's Hotel" are his only other solo releases of original material.

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Chronological list of albums

The Black Sorrows' '' Saint Georges Road'' (2021) represented Camilleri's 50th career release. # ''The Notorious Pelaco Brothers Show (aka The Pelaco Bros.)'' (1976) # '' Don't Waste It'' (1977) # '' Whip It Out'' (1977) # ''

Live!! Loud and Clear ''Live!! Loud and Clear'' is the first extended play by Australian blues, rock and R&B band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwr ...

'' (1978) # '' So Young'' (1978) # '' Let's Drip Awhile'' (1979) # '' Screaming Targets'' (1979) # '' Hats Off Step Lively'' (1980) # ''

Dexterity Fine motor skill (or dexterity) is the coordination of small muscles in movement with the eyes, hands and fingers. The complex levels of manual dexterity that humans exhibit can be related to the nervous system. Fine motor skills aid in the growt ...

'' (1981) # '' Cha'' (as Jo Jo Zep) (1982) # '' The Sound of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons'' (1983) # ''

Sonola ''Sonola'' is the debut studio album by Australian rock band The Black Sorrows. The album was released in June 1984 and consisted of cover versions of soul and R&B songs. Background In 1983, following the disbanding of Jo Jo Zep, Joe Camille ...

'' (1984) # ''

Rockin' Zydeco ''Rockin' Zydeco'' is the second studio album by Australian rock band The Black Sorrows. The album was released in March 1985 and consisted of most cover versions of soul and R&B songs. The album was re-released in CD in 2002. Background Joe ...

'' (1985) # '' A Place in the World'' (1985) # '' Dear Children'' (1987) # '' Hold on to Me'' (1988) # ''

Harley and Rose ''Harley and Rose'' is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band The Black Sorrows. The album was released in September 1990 and peaked at number three on the ARIA Charts, becoming the band's first top five album. The album remained in the ...

'' (1990) # ''

'' (1991) # '' Better Times'' (1992) # '' The Chosen Ones – Greatest Hits'' (1993) # '' Lucky Charm'' (1994) # ''

Radio Waves Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies of 300 gigahertz ( GHz) and below. At 300 GHz, the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm (s ...

'' (1996) # '' Shape I'm In: The Complete Anthology'' (1997) # '' The Very Best of The Black Sorrows'' (1997) # ''

Beat Club ''Beat-Club'' is a West Germany, West German music programme that ran from September 1965 to December 1972. It was broadcast from Bremen (city), Bremen, West Germany on Das Erste, ''Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen'', the national public TV channel of ...

'' (1998) # ''

'' (2000) # ''

'' (2002) # ''

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

'' (2003) # ''Bakelite Radio Volume II'' (2003) # ''I Believe to My Soul - The Best of 1977-2003'' (2004) # ''The Great Black Sorrows'' (2004) # ''Bakelite Radio Volume III'' (2004) # '' One Mo' Time'' (2004) # ''

Limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

'' (2005) # '' Roarin' Town'' (2006) # ''Bakelite Radio Volume IV'' (2007) # '' The Best of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons'' (2007) # ''The Essential Black Sorrows'' (2007) # ''Bakelite Radio Volume I'' (2009) # ''45 Years'' (2009) # '' 4 Days in Sing Sing'' (2009) # '' Crooked Little Thoughts'' (2012) # ''The Best Of... The Revelators'' (2012) # ''Time of My Life'' (2013) # '' Certified Blue'' (2014) # '' Endless Sleep Chapter 46'' (2015) # '' Endless Sleep Chapter 47'' (2015) # '' Faithful Satellite'' (2016) # '' Citizen John'' (2019) # '' Saint Georges Road'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. Joe Camilleri was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 as part of Jo Jo Zep. , - , 2007 , Joe Camilleri (as part of Jo Jo Zep) ,

ARIA Hall of Fame In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Joe Camilleri won one award in that time. (wins only) , - , 1990 , Joe Camilleri , Rock Performer of the Year , , -

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. ! , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2020 The Music Victoria Awards of 2020 are the 15th Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, presented on 8 December 2020. For the first time, an ''Outstanding Woman in Music Award'' and ''Best Producer Award'' will be awarded. ...

, ''Rosary of Tears'' (as Joey Vincent's Bakelite Radio) , Best Blues Album , , , -

References

External links

*
Joe Camilleri
at Australian Rock Database by Magnus Holmgren {{DEFAULTSORT:Camilleri, Joe 1948 births Living people Australian people of Maltese descent Australian saxophonists Male saxophonists Australian singer-songwriters Musicians from Melbourne Maltese emigrants to Australia Australian guitarists Australian session musicians Australian record producers Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons members 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians Australian male guitarists Australian male singer-songwriters