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 known for his long collaboration with singer-songwriter Ross Wilson, which began as teenagers, with

The Pink Finks The Pink Finks were an Australian pop/R&B band of the mid-1960s. Based in Melbourne, the group is most notable for being the first in the series of bands that featured Ross Wilson and Ross Hannaford, which culminated in the hugely successful ...

and forming the seminal early '70s Australian rock band Daddy Cool. Hannaford died of cancer after being diagnosed a year earlier.

The Pink Finks

Ross Andrew Hannaford was born in Newcastle on 1 December 1950, his family moved to Melbourne one year later. Hannaford and Wilson first teamed up in the hometown of Melbourne in early 1965, in the R&B band The Pink Finks, which enjoyed moderate local success. This was followed by the more progressively-oriented

The Party Machine ''The Party Machine with Nia Peeples'' is a half-hour late-night American musical variety show that aired in syndication for one season in 1991. The show was hosted by Nia Peeples and executive produced by Arsenio Hall. History Background Arseni ...

, They released a single "You've All Gotta Go" in 1969; their printed songbooks were confiscated and burned by the Victorian Vice Squad for being obscene and seditious. The Party Machine disbanded in 1969, with Wilson travelling to London.

Sons of the Vegetal Mother

After a short stint in the UK, Wilson returned to Australia and reunited with Hannaford ca. 1970 in the even more avant garde Sons of the Vegetal Mother, which embodied Wilson's enthusiasm for the music of

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

Daddy Cool

This band eventually evolved into Daddy Cool, which had started out as an informal offshoot of the Vegetals but soon overtook it. After the release of their hugely successful debut single " Eagle Rock" and their debut LP ''

Daddy Who? Daddy Cool ''Daddy Who?... Daddy Cool'' is the 1971 debut album by Australian rock band Daddy Cool. Release and promotion Released in July, 1971 it was the first on Robie Porter's Sparmac label. It was also the first Australian-recorded album to make N ...

'', the band became one of the most popular and successful rock acts of the decade, breaking all previous sales records for an Australian act. Hannaford's unique guitar stylings won wide praise from critics and his goofy stage presence, distinctive baritone voice and trademark 'helicopter' cap made him a favourite with fans. He also wrote several of the group's songs and co-designed the sleeve of their second album, '' Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven''. * 1970–1972: Original line-up * 1972–1974: Daddy Cool separates * 1974–1975: First reformation * 1975: Second separation

Mighty Kong

After the first split of Daddy Cool at the end of 1972, Wilson and Hannaford formed the short-lived Mighty Kong with former members 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 ...

and

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 ...

and they recorded one album, ''All I Wanna Do Is Rock'', but they split just after the record was released.

Mighty Kong Band Members

* Ross Wilson – chief vocals, pignose guitar on "Homesick & Horny" * Ross Hannaford – guitar, deep throat * Russell Smith – guitar, lead vocals on "Some Other New Address" * Tim Partridge – bass guitar * Ray Arnott – drums

Billy T

During the mid-1970s Ross became a devotee of Satguru Maharaj Ji and the Divine Light Mission. In 1977 he travelled to the USA to attend various religious festivals. While in the US he formed One Foundation with Joe Creighton (bass; from Billy T) to play at Mission conventions. On his return to Australia, Ross, Russell Smith and Joe Creighton then formed Billy T.

Billy T Band Members

Ross Hannaford - Guitar, Vocals [ The Pink Finks (1965-1967) - The Party Machine (1967-1969) - Sons of the Vegetal Mother (1970) - Daddy Cool (1970-1972, 1974-1975, 1994, 2005-2016) - Mighty Kong (1972-1973) - Billy T (1975-1977) - Diana Kiss - Ross Hannaford Trio (1996) - Hey Gringo (2000) - solo (2015) ] Joe Creighton - Bass, Vocals [ The Sands (1967-1969) - Dolls House (UK: 1969-1970) - Melissa (1970-1972) - Band of Angels (1973-1975) - Billy T (1975-1978) - Mark Gillespie Band (1978-early 80's) - The Black Sorrows (1983) - Tim Finn touring band (1984) - Venetta Fields - John Farnham touring band (late 80's) - Olivia Newton-John touring band - Kylie Minogue touring band - The Joe Creighton Band - The Revelators (early 90's) - The Black Sorrows ] www.joecreighton.com Mick Holden - Drums, Vocals The Mixtures (1971) - Hot City Bump Band (1973-1976) - Billy T (1977-1978) Geoff Maling - Percussion Russell Smith - Guitar, Vocals om-Pac (1969-1970) - Company Caine (1970-1971, 1975) - Duck - Metropolis - Gulliver's Travels (1976)- Billy T (1977-1978) - The Embers Neal McPherson - Keyboards The Billy T catalogue is available through Laneway Music on all digital platforms.
thttps://www.lanewaymusic.com.au/billyt
Billy T's promo-video for the single '(Gotta) Keep On Dancing' (May, 1977). Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp1QtrkKU9I Artist Origin: Queensland, Australia Artist Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia Track: (Gotta) Keep On Dancing Release Date: May 1977 Chart Position: Composer: R. Smith, S. Smith, M. Holden Produced by: Peter Dawkins, Russell Kinross-Smith, Billy T Label: CBS Featured on: non-album single Footage Information: A Chris Löfvén Production Artist(s) link: https://www.lanewaymusic.com.au/billyt http://theaussiemusicblog.blogspot.co...

Bamboo and Lucky Dog

On his return to Australia, after attending various religious festivals in 1977, Ross formed reggae bands Bamboo and Lucky Dog. The original Lucky Dog lineup consisted of Margot Barrett (Vocals; ex Small Axe), Martin Kellock (rhythm guitar and vocals), Mike Krelle (keyboards), Wayne Duncan; bass; ex-Daddy Cool), and Geoff Hassall (drums; ex-Paul Madigan and the Humans). The band issued one independent single, Why Do Fools Fall In Love?/Mr Bones', Wake Up', in December 1980. The Band also released a mini album in 1980 titled Ross Hannaford's Lucky Dog – Lucky Dog. (All on YouTube). Tracklist: 1. Mr Gibby - Mike Krelle, Ross Hannaford, 2. Let Love Come- Margot Barrett, 3. Spirit Of The Land- Martin Kellock, 4. Camel Train Mike Krelle, 5. Every Day- Martin Kellock, Ross Hannaford, Mike Krelle. * Remastered At – Audrey Studios

Credits

* Artwork – Jenny Huntley * Bass Guitar – Wayne Duncan (2) * Didgeridoo, Percussion – Kofi * Drums, Percussion – Geoff Hassall * Guitar, Vocals – Ross Hannaford * Keyboards – Mike Krelle * Rhythm Guitar, Vocals - Martin Kellock * Percussion, Vocals – Margot Barrett * Producer – James "Jimbo" Barton * Remastered By – Craig Pilkington

Notes

Lucky Dog Band Channel Recordings

Ross Hannaford's Lucky Dog band, recorded on the Armstrongs mobile studio in Melbourne, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fBcF8XqxaA Ross Hannaford's Lucky Dog band, recorded on the Armstrongs mobile studio in Melbourne, Australia, in 1981. 1. Why Do Fools Fall In Love 0:00 2. Wo-Oh 2:29 3. Mr Bones 5:54 4. Wake Up 9:22 5. Help Yourself 14:31 Preview of other Lucky Dog studio EP 18:13

Luck Dog Live- Lucky Dog Band Channel 1981-82

Live recordings of Ross Hannaford's Lucky Dog band from gigs around Melbourne, Australia in 1981-82, recorded on TDK cassettes at the mixing desk. For Lucky Dog Live go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQgi..., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8xGS... and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CABQa... Compiled by Finn Koren. Sound mastering by Gabreal Hayman.

Relax with Max

Ross Hannaford along with other great musicians such as Gary Young, Greg Ham, Toots "Linda", James Black and David Adam, played with Max Vella in " Relax with Max" in the late 1980s.

The Ross Hannaford Trio

In 1996 Ross teamed up with drummer and producer Nicky Bomba to record the critically acclaimed album reflecting the live setlist of the trio. Howard Cairns joined them on double bass capturing the raw brilliance of Ross. Mushroom Records released the album citing it an evergreen classic. The trio teamed up with director Clayton Jacobson (Kenny, Brother's Nest) to shoot a filmclip for the dirgy 'Monkey on my Back'. Ross had composed the song with underground Melbourne poet Paul Madigan. in September 2020, Transmitter Records re-released the album on vinyl with a showbag that included a teatowel, LP, signature helicopter hat and Transmitter Records tote bag. The trio toured the album extensively with double bass duties also covered by Stu Speed and Barry Deenick.

Busking

Hannaford was regularly seen in Melbourne, to the delight of passers by, busking. Many onlookers would admire his performance and guitar playing opening up his music to a whole new audience.

Reunions

Daddy Cool reformed in 1974 and continued until 1976, when they split again. Hannaford and Wilson's last collaboration in this period was on the soundtrack for the 1976 movie '' Oz''. Hannaford subsequently did a considerable amount of session work and played in many bands. His group and recording credits include

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 reaching ...

, Paul Madigan & The Humans,

Ian Moss Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorded ...

, Steve Hoy, Mark Gillespie, Billy T, Ram Band,

Goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizards of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges ...

and Relax with Max. In the 1990s he and his band Dianna Kiss had a long-standing residency at the famous Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne. In 2005 the original members of Daddy Cool reunited for a one-off performance at a Melbourne benefit concert in aid of the Asian tsunami disaster, and this led to the 2006 reformation of the group and the recording of a new single and album. In November 2007, the original Daddy Cool line-up reformed for a national tour of Australia with the

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

& Christopher Cross. The tour took in Melbourne, Hunter Valley, Adelaide, Perth, Wollongong & Sydney. In recent years Hannaford has been a familiar figure on the streets of Melbourne, where he has been regularly busking in Melbourne's CBD and at the Camberwell Markets.

Solo career

In mid-2015 he released a new 10 track CD 'Hanna', which features all original compositions and 'all sounds' by Hannaford ′except Mau the cat (Track 7)' and Mark Ferrie on bass (Track 5).

Health and death

In July 2015, it was announced that Hannaford was suffering from "serious health issues", and that he had to cancel a planned national tour because he was too ill to work. Friends and colleagues, including singer-songwriter Steve Hoy and songwriter Margot Barrett (a friend and collaborator since their art school days in the late 1960s) organised a benefit concert which was staged in Melbourne to raise money for Hannaford's ongoing health care. The line-up included former Daddy Cool bandmates, Ross Wilson,

Wayne Duncan Wayne Duncan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Jonathon Sammy-Lee. He made his first screen appearance as Wayne during the episode broadcast on 4 February 1993. Wayne becomes a chemistry teacher at ...

and Gary Young, Steve Hoy, the ''RocKwiz'' Orchestra,

, and

Mike Rudd Michael David Rudd (born 15 June 1945) is a New Zealand-born musician and composer who has been based in Australia since the late 1960s, and who was the leader of Australian progressive rock bands Spectrum and Ariel in the 1970s. Biography Mic ...

, with TV personality

Brian Nankervis Brian Nankervis (born 1956) is an Australian writer, actor, radio host, television producer and comedian. Personal life Nankervis was born in Melbourne. He lives in St Kilda with documentary film makerSue Thomsonand their children, Claudia, Lola ...

('' RocKwiz'') as MC.Julaia Irwin, "Music fans up on their feet for Australian rock legend Ross Hannaford", ''Northcote Leader'', 11 July 2015
/ref> The first concert sold out within 24 hours and a second show was quickly organised, which also sold out. As part of a project in which people tell their life stories, filmmaker Haydn Keenan shot a long interview with Hannaford in late 2014. The interview was edited into a 60-minute DVD, with all proceeds going to the guitarist. Hannaford died on 8 March 2016, aged 65, from cancer; he had been diagnosed with the condition a year earlier.

Discography

*''The Ross Hannaford Trio'' (as The Ross Hannaford Trio) (1996) *''Hey Gringo'' (as The Ross Hannaford Trio) *''I Was There'' (as The Ross Hannaford Trio) (2000) *''Hanna'' (2015)

Awards and nominations

Go-Set Pop Poll

The Go-Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper, ''

Go-Set ''Go-Set'' was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble. NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. Widely described as ...

'' and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities. , - , 1971 , himself , Best Guitarist , 4th , -

References

External links

Official Daddy Cool Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannaford, Ross 1950 births 2016 deaths Australian songwriters Australian rock guitarists Australian rock bass guitarists Male bass guitarists Australian male singers Lead guitarists Musicians from Melbourne Deaths from cancer in Victoria (Australia) Daddy Cool (band) members Australian male guitarists