Ray Arnott is an Australian rock drummer, singer-songwriter, he was a member of

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

(1970–1973), which had a number one hit with " I'll Be Gone" .Spencer et al, (2007
Arnott, Ray
entry. Retrieved 31 January 2010. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 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 tabul ...

in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974. He also played drums for

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 ...

in the 1970s and

Cold Chisel Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes (at the ...

in 1980s.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo
'Spectrum'
Retrieved 31 January 2010.

Biography

Ray grew up in Brisbane and played with Glenn Weatley of Masters of Apprentices fame In the Vacant Lot also with Chelsea Set whose claim to fame was supporting the Easybeats. Ray moved to Melbourne with the Chelsea Set in 1966. Ray left the band to join the Browns, who were the backing band for Vergil Brothers, Johnny Farnham, Colleen Hewitt, Wendy Saddington, and Oliva Newtown John. Ray did a stint with Matt Taylor in the band Genesis and Gulliver Smith in Company Caine. In late 1970 he replaced original drummer Mark Kennedy in the renowned Australian progressive rock group

and he remained with them until they split in early 1973. He sang backing and lead vocals with the band, as well as drumming, and he contributed several songs to their repertoire. Arnott left Spectrum to join

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, ...

, a new band formed by ex- Daddy Cool members Ross Wilson and

Ross Hannaford Ross Andrew Hannaford (1 December 1950 – 8 March 2016) was an Australian musician, active in numerous local bands. He was often referred to by his nickname "Hanna". Widely regarded as one of the country's finest rock guitarists, he was best kn ...

, but the new group was very short-lived and broke up soon after recording its only LP in late 1973. Ray then recorded with Rick Springfield and Phil Ochs and was produced by John Fishbach, who had worked with Stevie Wonder. Arnott took over the drum stool from the original drummer in two of the most prominent Australian groups of the period,

in the mid 1970s and

in 1983 and recorded the Twentieth Century album with the band and toured extensively. During the late '70s to mid '80s, Arnott served as the drummer for George Young (brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC) and

Harry Vanda Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg (born 22 March 1946), better known as his stage name Harry Vanda, is a Dutch Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easy ...

doing many projects including Cheetah, John Paul Young, Choirboys, and

Flash and the Pan Flash and the Pan were an Australian new wave musical group (essentially an ongoing studio project) formed in 1976 by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of the Easybeats; they were a production and songwriting team known as Van ...

. Ray also recorded two solo album for Alberts with Angus Young playing lead on Rock N Roll Gal from the album Rude Dudes, which also featured Jimmy Banes, Ross Wilson, Pete Wells, Ace Follington, Warren Pig Morgan, Ronnie Peel, Harry Vanda, and Graham Parker's horn section. Cold Chisel frontman

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 ...

took on Arnott for his first two solo releases, the Bodyswerve album in 1984 and

For the Working Class Man ''For the Working Class Man'' is the second studio album by former Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes, released in December 1985. The album consists of five original tracks and seven remixed tracks that had previously been released on Barnes' 1 ...

album in 1985. Ray toured extensively with Jimmy Barnes and co-wrote one song for the Bodyswerve album. Stephen Still recorded one of Ray's songs Flaming Heart for his album Right By You in 1984 after Jimmy Page heard the song and recommended it to Stills. Ray now lives in the Northern Rivers of NSW and works as a youth counsellor and music therapist, and still continues his songwriting and also plays locally. In July 2015 Ray was interviewed by The Australian Rock Show. Ray has several exciting new projects coming out in 2023.

References

;General * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. * Note: n-lineversion established a
White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd
in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnott, Ray Australian rock drummers Male drummers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Cold Chisel members Spectrum (band) members