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Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues and
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
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 several Australian chart hits including "
Hit and Run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be a ...
", " Shape I'm In" and " All I Wanna Do". The Falcons dissolved in 1981 and the group's biggest Australian hit, 1982's " Taxi Mary", as well as the New Zealand top ten hit " Walk on By", were both credited simply to "Jo Jo Zep". In 1983, Camilleri and other members of the Falcons formed
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 ...
. The late 1970s line up of Camilleri, Jeff Burstin on guitar, Tony Faehse on guitar, John Power on bass guitar,
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 saxophone and Gary Young on drums, reunited in 2001, and again in 2003 to release a new album. In 2007, the group was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Further reunion concerts occurred in 2008 and 2011, and an Australian tour took place in 2013. According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, the group was initially a "funky, energetic R&B band" which "infused the music with large dose of reggae rhythms" and later was a "brass-driven, latin-styled big band".


History


Formation (1975–1976)

In late 1975, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were formed in Melbourne as Jo Jo Zep and His Little Helpers. The band were put together after Ross Wilson (ex- Daddy Cool,
Mighty Kong Mighty Kong were an Australian 'supergroup' successor to Daddy Cool, which broke up in August 1972. It was also the fifth (and technically the last) in the line of groups that featured singer-songwriter Ross Wilson and guitarist Ross Hannaford, ...
), who was waiting out his recording contract, had turned to producing other artists for the label, Oz Records. He decided to produce a version of
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
's "
Run Rudolph Run "Run Rudolph Run" is a Christmas song written by Chuck Berry but credited to Johnny Marks and M. Brodie due to Marks' trademark on the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was published by St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP) and was first recorde ...
" as a one-off Christmas single for Mushroom Records. Contractually, Wilson could not perform the vocals himself, so he asked his friend, Joe Camilleri (ex-
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 ...
with
Stephen Cummings Stephen Donald Cummings (born 13 September 1954) is an Australian rock singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from 1976 to 1981, followed by a solo career which has met with critical acclaim but ha ...
) to sing and play on the recording. Camilleri's nickname was "Jo Jo Zep", which was derived from a traditional Maltese nickname for "Joseph", so the group was named Jo Jo Zep and His Little Helpers. The line-up included bass guitarist John Power (ex-Foreday Riders). To promote the single, Camilleri and Power formed a more permanent blues and rock music band. Power had relocated from Sydney to Melbourne to join
Company Caine Company Caine, also styled as Co. Caine and Company Kane, were an Australian progressive rock band. They were formed in March 1970 by Ray Arnott on drums (ex-Chelsea Set, Browns, Cam-Pact), Cliff Edwards on bass guitar (ex-Cam-Pact), Jeremy Noo ...
for an album which Wilson was producing. However Company Caine, which also included guitarist Jeff Burstin and drummer John McInerney, had soon separated. Wilson suggested that all three team up with Camilleri to perform "Run Rudolph Run" as part of a Christmas show at the
Myer Music Bowl The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an outdoor bandshell performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the lawns and gardens of Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue close to the Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinct ...
. This performance (still billed as "Jo Jo Zep and His Little Helpers") marked Camilleri's first appearance on ''
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 ...
'' – the Australian national TV pop music series. After the Christmas performances, they added a second guitarist and vocalist, Wayne Burt (ex-Rock Granite), and Daddy Cool's drummer Gary Young replaced McInerney. Now a five-piece outfit consisting of Camilleri, Burstin, Burt, Power and Young, the band renamed themselves Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, with the Falcons part referencing Camilleri's Maltese background. Camilleri had wanted his former bandmate, Cummings, to join as lead vocalist, but Cummings declined and later formed
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 ...
.
I wasn't meant to be the lead singer of the band. My whole idea was to play the saxophone and I really wanted Stephen Cummings to be the singer, 'cause we were really great mates but for whatever reason he bowed out after just a couple of rehearsals. We had a full list of songs by Wayne Burt and that really made the difference for us. I wasn't writing any songs really and I thought Wayne was a much better singer than me as well but he didn't want to be the lead singer, so we sort of shared it around for a little while. – Joe Camilleri.


Oz Records (1977–1978)

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons signed with Oz Records and, in July 1976, released their first single, " Beating Around the Bush". The track was written and sung by Burt and peaked at No. 73 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The song was also one of two tracks by the group on Wilson's soundtrack for the feature film '' Oz'' (1976). The follow-up single was a cover of
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
's "Security" sung by Camilleri, which peaked at No. 98. In February 1977, the band released their debut album, '' Don't Waste It'', which was produced by Wilson and contained both singles. The album featured lead vocal turns by Camilleri, Burt and Power. The songwriting was mostly by Burt, with a few cover tunes, and one song by Camilleri. Although the intent was to be a serious R&B band, the musical direction was never set in stone.
We started off with no idea at all. We pretty much threw all the stuff in the pot and went on playing. It was a case of demand driving it. It took off like a rocket. We got more work than we could travel away, but the thing took on a life of its own. The thing with the Falcons, we never actually changed our style that much. We just accumulated new ones. It turned into a stratified thing 'cause we were mixing everything together all the way through. There was no plan. – John Power.
Burt left soon after the release of the debut album, and was replaced by guitarist Tony Faehse (ex-Musick Express, Alvin Stardust). Camilleri felt "
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
changed the band a lot. Tony wasn't an R&B/Blues player. He'd only been in Australia a year or so and had more of that big 'rock' sound, a fiery guitar player, and was a great foil for Jeff Burstin who was from a country blues background, so they complemented each other." Burt went on to join various groups including Eternal Struggle, Rock Doctors and Hey Gringo. In June 1977, saxophonist
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 ...
( Ol' 55) joined to complete the 'classic line-up' of Camilleri, Burstin, Faehse, Power, Wilde and Young. Wilson also produced the band's second album, '' Whip It Out'', which was released in November 1977. The associated single, " (I'm in a) Dancing Mood", peaked at No. 90. Songwriting was at this point divided more-or-less equally amongst Burt (still contributing to the band as a songwriter), Camilleri, and Young, all working individually. To capture the energy and spontaneity of a live performance, the next Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons release was a five-track
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
, ''
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 ...
'', which reached No. 53 in August 1978. Its lead track "
The Honeydripper "The Honeydripper (Parts 1 and 2)" is an R&B song by Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers which topped the US Billboard R&B chart (at that time called the "Race Records" chart) for 18 weeks, from September 1945 to January 1946. History Liggins cla ...
" receiving most of the airplay. Fellow musician, Paul Kelly, recalled their early performances, " ey did house-rocking, roof-raising versions of classic and obscure soul, R'n'B and reggae songs... They waved their guitars and saxophones in the air, did everything they could to get over to the crowd." The EP '' So Young'' was released in November 1978 and reached No. 29. By this point, it had started to pick up a number of international supporters, including
Graham Parker Graham Thomas Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour. Life and career Early career (1960s–1976) Parker was born in Hackney, East L ...
and The Rumour and Elvis Costello and The Attractions. Costello recorded a cover version of " So Young", which eventually appeared on '' Out of Our Idiot'' (1987).


Mushroom Records (1979–1984)

In 1979, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons signed with Mushroom Records after Oz Records had folded. By now, the songwriting was being looked after by Burstin, Camilleri, and Faehse working together as a trio, and Camilleri was the group's lone front man. As well, the group had included another musical direction:
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 ...
. Meanwhile, Mushroom was eager to connect with the 'new wave' in England and brought over Peter Solley, an English producer and latter-day
Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single " A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies. Although noted for ...
member, to produce another Mushroom artist,
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 ...
. One night Solley saw Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons perform, and on the strength of their new song, " Shape I'm In", asked to produce the group. The first single, "
Hit and Run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be a ...
", from the album, '' Screaming Targets'', was pop reggae and reached No. 12 on the charts in August 1979. Camilleri said he "never thought 'Hit and Run' would do anything but maybe the lick was infectious enough – though as a song it was a bit stupid – but it got us a deal all over the world. It was a wacky thing and all of a sudden we were away in a different arena". The band toured the United States, the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, including performances in The Bottom Line club in New York, and at the Montreux Jazz & Blues Festival. In July 1980, the band had been the opening act at the
Oakland Coliseum Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home b ...
, in San Francisco, supporting
Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
,
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
and
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...
. Camilleri told a hostile audience, which was throwing objects (including eggs) at the group, "Is it any wonder your parents lost the Vietnam War – you can't even shoot straight!" After the international experience, the band started to lose some of its impetus. Back home, the singles continued with " Shape I'm In", " Puppet on a String", "
I Will Return ''I Will Return'' is J. Tillman Joshua Michael Tillman (born May 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Father John Misty, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has also performed and released studio albums unde ...
". In August 1980, the band issued the album '' Hats Off Step Lively'' in Australia. In July 1981, ''
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 ...
'' was released. The band continued touring internationally, but tensions within the group were increasing and in June 1981, Camilleri pulled Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons off the road.
We could have done it if we'd kept punching, but the band actually disintegrated, basically, looking back, because we were too tired. We should have just taken a year off. But what happened was we were right at the end of the period when, in order to flog a record in the States, you were virtually out promoting the one you had out the year before. So it was a totally asynchronous situation. We were having to dig into what we viewed as archives when we went out of the country. So we were having to promote ''Screaming Targets'' when we already had ''Hats Off Step Lively'' out here. It was at a time of the most intense development of original material in the band's life so the result was extremely disruptive. – Camilleri
In September 1981, a revised version of ''Hats Off Step Lively'' was issued in North America, titled simply '' Step Lively''. The album featured a selection of tracks from the '' Hats Off Step Lively'' and ''
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 ...
'' albums, augmented by two newly recorded cover tunes (" Gimme Little Sign" and "
But It's Alright "But It's Alright" (aka "It's Alright", due to its lyrics) is a song co-written by J. J. Jackson (singer), J. J. Jackson and Pierre Tubbs that became a hit on the pop and soul charts in both 1966 and 1969. Theme The song's lyrics address the sing ...
") produced by H.W. Casey and Rick Finch of K.C. and the Sunshine Band. However, the group had fractured by this point (Young, Power and Wilde all dropped out) and was not available to promote the North American LP release. '' Step Lively'' ultimately flopped commercially despite some good reviews. Young and Power joined Rock Doctors, and Wilde formed his own band, Big Kombi. Camilleri, Burstin and Faehse then gathered a new rhythm section featuring bassist Simon Gyllies (
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 ...
), and drummer Freddie Strauks (
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 ...
) and started exploring Latin American rhythms, particularly
salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...
. However, The 'Falcons' moniker was dropped around the time Faehse dropped out, and beginning in 1982, the act was known simply as Jo Jo Zep. The new Jo Jo Zep line-up soon expanded....
Then I had a big hit with " Taxi Mary" but that was without this band, and " Walk On By", but it was too late really. I couldn't see myself playing in an 11 piece salsa band. It was only a minute in my life. I enjoyed the band and enjoyed the tour but I realised I didn't have my friends behind me anymore. I had to start again. Then I reunited with half the band at the start of what became The Black Sorrows. – Camilleri
The Jo Jo Zep album '' Cha'', was released in October 1982; It was produced by Peter Solley The lead single, " Taxi Mary" (a duet between Camilleri and
Jane Clifton Jane Clifton (born 10 April 1949) is a Gibraltar-born Australian actress, singer, writer and voice artist. She is best known for her role in TV serial ''Prisoner'' as tough prison bookie Margo Gaffney. As a singer, she had a stint with Jo Jo ...
) reached No. 11 on the Australian singles chart. Later, their moody, synth-driven cover version of " Walk on By" was a hit in Australia, and peaked at No. 6 in New Zealand in June 1983. Another Jo Jo Zep single, "Losing Game", was issued in 1983, and was produced by
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...
member Eddie Rayner and Camilleri. "Losing Game" was released in the United States but was the last single by this version of the group, which by this point was essentially a solo project of Camilleri. In March 1984, the Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons line-up of Burstin, Camilleri, Power, Wilde and Young reunited for an Australian tour to promoted the compilation album, '' The Sound of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons'' which had been issued in December 1983. A final Jo Jo Zep single, " Shape I'm In – Live" was issued in February 1984; it had been recorded during Jo Jo Zep's support slot on
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 ...
's initial 1983 solo tour, and featured Tim Finn on backing vocals. The rest of the band for this live gig consisted of session players backing Camilleri, including
Ricky Fataar Ricky Fataar (born 5 September 1952) is a South African-English multi-instrumentalist of Cape Malay descent, who has performed as both a drummer and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in ''The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash'', a spoof on ...
on drums,
Venetta Fields Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born singer, musical theater actress and vocal coach. She was a backing vocalist for American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble Pi ...
on backing vocal, and ex-Falcon Wilbur Wilde on sax. Since 1983, Camilleri has led various musicians in
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 ...
, which has included Falcons' alumn Burstin, Burt and Young as official members, and Faehse and Wilde as session musicians on recordings. According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, Jo Jo and the Falcons were initially a "funky, energetic R&B band" which "infused the music with large dose of reggae rhythms" and later was a "brass-driven, latin-styled big band".


Reformation (2001–present)

In 2003, Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons released a new studio album, ''
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 ...
'' – it was instigated by Neil Mumme, organiser of the annual Great Southern Blues & Rockabilly Festival held annually in Narooma.
In '97 Joe came and blew the horn on the Johnnie Johnson tour, and because (bass player) John Power was also on tour (with his band The Hippos as the late Johnson's regular Australian backing band), I said to Joe "What about we get the Falcons back for a show?" and it was like the Joe Walsh line, "When Hell freezes over" but I chipped away at it for four years and they finally did it in 2001, the first show (Jo Jo Zep) had done in twenty years, and there was such a buzz out of that I said to them, "Why don't you make a record?" – Neil Mumme
The album was recorded at Camilleri's Woodstock Studios in Melbourne and released in September 2003. It was performed by the 'classic' 1977–1981 line-up: Camilleri on vocals and saxophone, Burstin on guitar, Faehse on guitar, Power on bass guitar, Wilde on saxophone, and Young on drums. Early Falcons' member Wayne Burt also contributed by writing two new compositions. After their appearance at Narooma they supported the album's release with a brief national tour into early 2004. They reunited again for a single gig in December 2008, with Camilleri, Burstin, Faehse, Wilde and Young being joined by Joe Creighton (of The Black Sorrows), who stepped in for Power on bass guitar. In September 2011, another reformation occurred, for a one-off performance to celebrate their 35th anniversary, with the 'classic' line-up of Camilleri, Burstin, Faehse, Power, Wilde and Young. This same line-up of the band undertook an Australian tour in 2013 Power died of heart failure in hospital in
Wellington, New South Wales Wellington is a city in the Central Western Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, located at the junction of the Wambuul Macquarie and Bell Rivers. It is within the local government area of Dubbo Regional Council. The city is northwest o ...
on 30 November 2018. A memorial concert was performed by Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Rock Doctors in Power's honour in Melbourne on 17 March 2019, with all proceeds going to his daughter Julia. At the show, Camilleri made remarks alluding to that concert potentially being the last ever Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons concert.


Hall of Fame

On 18 July 2007,
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 ...
(ARIA) inducted Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons into its Hall of Fame. Also inducted that year were Hoodoo Gurus,
Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines, AM (born July 20, 1953), is an American-Australian vocalist and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical '' Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdale ...
,
Frank Ifield Francis Edward Ifield OAM (born 30 November 1937) is a British-Australian country music singer and guitarist who often incorporated yodelling into his music. After living in Australia, Ifield returned to the United Kingdom in November 1959 wher ...
,
Radio Birdman Radio Birdman is an Australian punk rock band formed by Deniz Tek and Rob Younger in Sydney in 1974. The group influenced the work of many successful, mainstream bands, and are now considered instrumental in Australia's musical growth. Hist ...
and
Brian Cadd Brian George Cadd AM (born 29 November 1946) is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboardist, producer and record label founder, a staple of Australian entertainment for over 50 years. As well as working internationally throughout Europe and the ...
. According to Camilleri, "I always thought that I was the weak link in the band, that I wasn't good enough to be in it. I had some great moments, moments that I didn't deserve, and was just happy to tag along". Prior to the induction, Camilleri said "I'm chuffed. I think the Falcons did play a part in the Australian music explosion ... I'm happy it's been acknowledged. The Falcons were a band out of time. What we played wasn't what was being played. It was an R&B/reggae sound in the time of flares and funk and pop music. Somehow we slotted in." At the induction ceremony,
Mark Seymour Mark Jeremy Seymour (born 26 July 1956) is an Australian musician and vocalist. He was the frontman and songwriter of rock band Hunters & Collectors from 1981 until 1998. Seymour has carved a solo career, releasing his debut solo album in ...
declared that Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were an inspiration for the formation of his band,
Hunters & Collectors Hunters & Collectors are an Australian rock band formed in 1981. Fronted by founding mainstay, singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of Pub rock (Australia), pub rock and funk, art-funk. Other mainstays are John ...
. For Young, it was his second induction in a row, his 2006 entry was as a member of Daddy Cool.


Members

Arranged chronologically: * Joe Camilleri – vocals, saxophone, guitar * John Power (died 2018) – bass guitar, vocals, backing vocals (1975–1982, 1984, 2001, 2003–2004, 2011–2018) * Jeff Burstin – guitar, backing vocals * John McInerney – drums (1975) * Peter Starkie – guitar (1975) (died 2020) * Wayne Burt – vocals, guitar (1975–1977) * Gary Young – drums, backing vocals (1975–1982, 1984, 2001, 2003–2004, 2008, 2011–present) * Tony Faehse – guitar, backing vocals (1977–1982, 1984, 2001, 2003–2004, 2008, 2011–present) *
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 ...
– saxophone, backing vocals (1977–1984, 2001, 2003–2004, 2008, 2011–present) * Sarah Buchanan – vocals, backing vocals, (1982–1983) * Bill Canty – keyboards (1982–1983) *
Jane Clifton Jane Clifton (born 10 April 1949) is a Gibraltar-born Australian actress, singer, writer and voice artist. She is best known for her role in TV serial ''Prisoner'' as tough prison bookie Margo Gaffney. As a singer, she had a stint with Jo Jo ...
– vocals, backing vocals (1982–1983) * Steve Ewart – trombone, keyboards (1982–1983) * Simon Gyllies – bass guitar, backing vocals (1982–1983) * Dezzy McKenna – drums (1982–1983) *
Sherine Abeyratne Sherine Yvonne Abeyratne is an Australian singer. She and her identical twin sister, Suzanne "Zan", were born in 1961 in London, and raised in Australia. They often sang together as backing singers of a number of groups including Models, INXS ...
– vocals (1983) * Martin Kellock - vocals (1983) * Keith Pereira – percussion (1982–1983) * Ray Pereira – congas, timbales (1982–1983) * Freddie Strauks – drums (1981–1982) * James Valentine – saxophone (1982–1983) * Paul Williamson – saxophone (1982–1983) * Joe Creighton – bass guitar (2008)


Discography

* '' Don't Waste It'' (1977) * '' Whip It Out'' (1977) * '' So Young'' (1978) * '' 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) * ''
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)


References

;General * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. * Note: n-lineversion of ''The Who's Who of Australian Rock'' was established a
White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd
in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. As from, September 2010 the n-lineversion shows an 'Internal Service Error' and was no longer available. ;Specific


External links


Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons
Bombay Rock The Bombay Rock is a rock music venue located on Sydney Road, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, which originally ran from 1977 until it was destroyed by a fire in 1991. The venue had previously been located in Bourke Street in the city under the ...
: photo by
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, 1980. Archived at
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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons ARIA Award winners ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Australian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1975 Victoria (Australia) musical groups Pub rock musical groups Musical groups disestablished in 1984 Musical groups reestablished in 2001