The Transatlantics were a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

band from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, formed in 2007.

Biography

The band was formed in 2007 by

-born musicians Ross McHenry, Lachlan Ridge, Kevin Van Der Zwaag and singer Tara Lynch, after they met at university. The band came to prominence through gigs with artists such as

Eddie Bo Edwin Joseph Bocage (September 20, 1930 – March 18, 2009), known as Eddie Bo, was an American singer and pianist from New Orleans. Schooled in jazz, he was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, compositions, productions and arrang ...

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Pol ...

and

Ohmega Watts Ohmega Watts, real name Milton Campbell, is an American hip hop producer and vocalist from Brooklyn, New York. He releases music under the name Ohmega Watts and as a part of the Lightheaded crew. Biography Campbell was born and raised in Broo ...

. In 2008, some of the band members formed a new band, intended as a side-project to explore a freer style of music, calling themselves the

Shaolin Afronauts The Shaolin Afronauts are an Afrobeat band based in Adelaide, Australia. Their music is heavily influenced by West African Afrobeat artists such as Fela Kuti, but also incorporates elements of avant-garde jazz, soul and other traditional Afri ...

. Both bands continued to make music in the following years. After garnering a following within Adelaide throughout 2008, the Transatlantics embarked on a national tour in 2009 with soul diva

Marva Whitney Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning; May 1, 1944 – December 22, 2012) was an American funk singer commonly referred to by her honorary title, Soul Sister #1. Whitney was considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brass ...

. The tour was cancelled when Whitney collapsed on stage at a performance at The Falls Festival in

Lorne, Victoria Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in Victoria, Australia. It is situated about the Erskine River and is a popular destination on the Great Ocean Road tourist route. Lorne is in the Surf Coast Shire and at the had a population of 1,114 but ...

. Despite this setback, the band continued to tour and were signed to Freestyle Records to release their self-titled, debut album in October 2010. By this time, the band had grown to eight members. Most of the songs were their own, but the album included a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of the Presets' "Talk Like That". Reviewers compared the band to the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

deep funk band The Bamboos and American diva

Sharon Jones Sharon Lafaye Jones (May 4, 1956 – November 18, 2016) was an American soul and funk singer. She was the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough succe ...

. The four original members still formed the core of the band as of 2011, with their ranks swollen to number ten musicians by 2012, when they recorded their second album. The Transatlantics second album, ''Find My Way Home'', was released in October 2012. The vocals of the now three female vocalists (Tara Lynch having been joined by Naomi Keyte and Laura Knowling) were praised by one reviewer. The band stopped working together from July 2013, until they returned to performing in January 2017. According to their Facebook page, they performed at the Melbourne Bowling Club in May 2018 and at the Grace Emily in Adelaide in December 2018.

Discography

Albums

Awards and nominations

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2016 The National Live Music Awards of 2016 are the inaugural National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of ...

, Naomi Keyte , South Australian Live Voiceof the Year , , -

Individuals

Naomi Keyte

Before joining the Transatlantics, Keyte was in the

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

band Gold Bloom, which performed at

Laneway An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane) ...

and

Fuse Festival Fuse or Fuse Festival, formerly Music Business Adelaide and Eat the Street, was an Australian contemporary music event held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, from 1996 until 2012 or 2013. It showcased Australian musicians c ...

s and released an EP, ''Sidelines'', on 22 September 2012. Naomi Keyte released a solo album, ''Melaleuca'', in 2017, a " a 10-track homage to Adelaide’s natural landscape", and was subsequently nominated for three

South Australian Music Awards The South Australian Music Awards, also known as SA Music Awards, commonly SAM Awards, formerly Fowler's Live Music Awards (FLMA), are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary mu ...

: Best Release, Best Folk, and Best Female Artist. She played at festivals

Here's to Now Coriole Vineyards is a winery located in the McLaren Vale wine region of South Australia. Coriole was established by the Lloyd family in 1968, and now exports wine to the US, Canada and various countries in Europe and Asia. They produce red wi ...

in 2017, the Basket Range Festival and

WOMADelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is a four-day event that presents a diverse select ...

in 2018 and

OzAsia OzAsia Festival, or simply OzAsia, is an Asia-focused arts festival in South Australia, presented by the Adelaide Festival Centre for two weeks in late October to early November each year. It features theatre, dance, music, film and visual arts ...

in 2019. She released a single called "Travelling Woman" in May 2020.

Tara Lynch

Original vocalist Tara Lynch married bass player Ross McHenry (leader of Shaolin Afronauts and a jazz trio since 2016), changing her surname to McHenry, and they have at least one child together, born around 2014. As of 2016 she was working for

History SA The History Trust of South Australia, sometimes referred to as History SA, was created as a statutory corporation by the ''History Trust of South Australia Act 1981'', to safeguard South Australia’s heritage and to encourage research and public ...

Ross McHenry

Members

As of 2010, the band members were listed as: * Randall (Lachlan?) "Country" Ridge jnr – Guitar * Kyra Schwarz – Trombone * Kevin van der Zwaag – Drums & Good Vibes * Chris Weber – Trumpet * Tara Lynch – Vocals * Jon "Sugarcane" Hunt – Baritone Saxophone * Ross McHenry – Bass * Kahil Nayton – Guitar As of March 2012, the line-up was: * Tara Lynch – Vocals * Naomi Keyte – Vocals * Laura Knowling – Vocals * Randall "Country" Ridge jnr – Guitar * Kyra Schwarz – Trombone * Kevin van der Zwaag – Drums * Chris Weber – Trumpet * Jon "Sugarcane" Hunt – Baritone Saxophone * Ross McHenry – Bass * Dylan Marshall – Guitar

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transatlantics Australian soul musicians Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2018 Australian funk musical groups Australian contemporary R&B musical groups Musical groups from Adelaide