Martin Albert Mulry (2 September 19471 September 2001) professionally known as Ted Mulry, was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, bass player and guitarist. As a solo artist, his second single, "Falling in Love Again" (February 1971), reached No. 11 on the ''
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 ...
'' National Top 60. From September 1972 he led his own band, Ted Mulry Gang, which were also credited as TMG. They had a number-one hit single on the
Kent Music Report with "
Jump in My Car" (September 1975) and top ten appearances with a cover version of "
Darktown Strutters' Ball
"Darktown Strutters' Ball" is a popular song by Shelton Brooks, published in 1917. The song has been recorded many times and is considered a popular and jazz standard. There are many variations of the title, including "At the Darktown Strutters' ...
" (February 1976), and with "Jamaica Rum" (January 1977) and "My Little Girl" (May). Their second album, ''Struttin'' (May 1976), also reached the top ten. The group disbanded in 1986, although periodically reformed. Mulry announced in February 2001 that he had been diagnosed with a terminal
brain tumour. In the next month numerous music artists responded with ''Gimme Ted'', a series of benefit concerts, which were recorded for a 2×
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
video tribute album, ''Gimme Ted – The Ted Mulry Benefit Concerts'' (May 2003). Mulry died of his tumour one day before his 54th birthday.
Early career
Ted Mulry was born as Martin Albert Mulry on 2 September 1947 in
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...
, Lancashire, England.
[ Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'] His younger brother, Steve Mulry, was also a musician. Mulry started learning guitar from the age of ten. On 5 April 1966 Mulry arrived in Sydney as a cotton
weaver intending to work at Carinya Farm,
Bargo
Bargo is a town in the Macarthur Region, New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire. It is approximately 100 km south west of Sydney.
It is situated between the township of Tahmoor (north) and the village of Yanderra (south) ...
.
By 1969 he was working for the
Department of Main Roads, driving a
bulldozer.
[Ted Mulry entries:
* First edition (Ted Mulry): Note: birth year is incorrectly given as 1949.
* First edition (Ted Mulry Gang):
* Second edition: Note: birth year is incorrectly given as 1951.
][ Note: birth year is incorrectly given as 1951. First name incorrectly shown as Edward.]
He sent a demo tape of his own compositions to
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent record labels to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1963 by Ted Albert, whos ...
in Sydney and intended to gain work as a songwriter.
[ Note: first name incorrectly shown as Edward.] The company persuaded him to release his own recordings.
He gained notice as a solo singer-songwriter with his pop ballad, "Julia" (February 1970), which reached the ''
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 ...
'' National Top 40 in mid-May.
However, the single's airplay and charting was adversely affected by the
1970 radio ban
The Australian 1970 Radio Ban or 1970 Record Ban was a "pay for play" dispute in the local music industry that lasted from May until October. During this period, a simmering disagreement between commercial radio stations – represented by the Fed ...
, which was a "pay for play" dispute and prevented commercial radio from playing some works (including Mulry's).
Mulry's next single, "Falling in Love Again" (February 1971), was written by
Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young were an Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young. They performed as members of 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats where Vanda was their lead guitarist and backing singer and Young wa ...
(ex-
the Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 sing ...
), which reached No. 11.
During his solo career Mulry was typically backed by ''ad hoc'' groups.
For the
Canberra Day
Canberra Day is a public holiday in Australia held annually on the second Monday in March in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Jervis Bay Territory (JBT) to celebrate the official naming of Canberra. Canberra was named at a ceremony ...
Pop Concert, in March 1971, the line-up was local musicians Russ Corkhill on piano and organ, Bob Martin on guitar, Paul Reynolds on bass guitar, and Tony Simon on drums.
[ Note: includes a photo of Mulry playing a guitar and singing.] In June of that year he supported visiting English pop group,
the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...
at a performance in Canberra.
He used the same backing musicians, who ''
The Canberra Times
''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times.
History
''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...
'' Michael Foster described as "very good Canberra musicians."
He also felt that "Best of his presentations were probably 'Julia' and 'Louisa', with everyone happy to hear 'Falling in Love Again'. I would have enjoyed 'Take Me Back', if it had finished when the statement had been made."
Mulry released his debut solo album, ''Falling in Love Again'' (September 1971), and returned to England in the following month. While there he issued a single, "Ain't It Nice" (May 1972), as Steve Ryder for the
Blue Mountain label.
It did not chart and he returned to Sydney by mid-1972. Mulry was a prolific songwriter and provided material for other artists, including
John Farnham and
Alison MacCallum
Alison MacCallum (born 7 April 1951), also written Alison McCallum, is an Australian rock singer from the late 1960s and 1970s. Her two studio albums are '' Fresh Water'' (March 1972) and '' Excuse Me'' (October 1975). In March 1972 she issued ...
. Pop band
Sherbet had a top 20 hit with a cover version of his song, "
You're All Woman" (August 1972).
He issued his second solo album, ''I Won't Look Back'' (February 1973).
Australian musicologist,
Ian McFarlane, described how "
tfeatured a rockier sound than heard on
isearly singles, and augured well for the future."
Ted Mulry Gang
Mulry, on lead vocals and, initially, on rhythm guitar, formed his own backing group in Sydney, which became Ted Mulry Gang (TMG), in September 1972.
Other founders were Les Hall on lead guitar, Steve Hart on bass guitar and Herman Kovacs on drums.
Hall and Kovacs had been members of a "popular suburban dance band", the Velvet Underground (not the US band of the
same name), which had formed in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
in 1967 and had relocated to Sydney in 1969.
They had previously included
Malcolm Young (later of AC/DC) on rhythm guitar.
One of TMG's first performances was in September 1972 at the Waitara Festival, Newcastle.
Hall, Hart and Kovacs backed Mulry on ABC-TV's popular music series, ''
GTK
GTK (formerly GIMP ToolKit and GTK+) is a free and open-source cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It is licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License, allowing both free and propriet ...
'', in 1973 to promote his own version of "You're All Woman".
During a 1974 gig Hart stormed out leaving his bass guitar behind, Mulry picked up the instrument and finished the show on vocals and bass guitar.
Ted Mulry Gang signed with Albert Productions in that year and released their first album, ''Here We Are'' (November 1974).
Before the album appeared they recruited Gary Dixon on rhythm guitar (ex-Fat Henry).
[ It reached the Kent Music Report top 100 albums chart.][ Its first single, "Sunday Evenings" (March 1975), also appeared in the lower reaches of the singles chart top 100.][ Due to low sales the record company wanted Mulry to go back to his solo career,][''Pop Scene'' – Australia's International Pop Magazine, issue No. 2, Gordon and Gotch, 1977.] however, with his band's support he adopted a harder rocking style.
Their first major hit, and the biggest of their career, was the next single, " Jump in My Car" (September 1975), which spent six weeks at No. 1.[ According to McFarlane, " tset the tone for subsequent releases with its simplistic, 12-bar boogie guitar riffs, thumping beat, Mulry's gravelly, gregarious vocals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics."] Over the next two years they achieved a string of top ten singles including a rocked up version of an old jazz song, "Darktown Strutters' Ball
"Darktown Strutters' Ball" is a popular song by Shelton Brooks, published in 1917. The song has been recorded many times and is considered a popular and jazz standard. There are many variations of the title, including "At the Darktown Strutters' ...
" (February 1976); followed by "Jamaica Rum" (January 1977) and "My Little Girl" (May).[
Many of TMG's songs, including "Jump in My Car", were co-written by Mulry and Hall. By late in 1980 their chart success had ended but they remained popular performers on the Australian pub circuit until they disbanded in 1986.] With his music career side-lined he started a business with his mechanic. In 1989 Ted Mulry Gang briefly reformed, with Mulry, Hall and Kovacs joined by sometime Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo are an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, which formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Bo ...
guitarist Mick Cocks
Michael Thomas Cocks (11 January 1955 – 22 December 2009) was an Australian musician, most noted for his guitar and songwriting work with Rose Tattoo. His original sound and style heavily influenced Guns N' Roses, who recorded a cover of th ...
. They released an album, ''Re-Union'' for Albert, on Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
. This marked their first on compact disc. Other CD reissues followed in the early 1990s. In 1998 Mulry, as a solo artist issued a CD, ''This Time'', featuring songs co-written by himself and his brother, Steve.
Death
In February 2001 Ted Mulry announced that he had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. ''Gimme Ted'', two tribute concerts were organised for the following month, with numerous Australian musicians paying homage (see #Tribute albums below). Included was a reunion of the Ted Mulry Gang with Steve as lead vocalist. A double-DVD, ''Gimme Ted – The Ted Mulry Benefit Concerts'', was released in 2003. Mulry died of his brain tumour on 1 September 2001 in Sydney, a day before his 54th birthday. Steve later fronted a rock band, Black Label, which performed in New South Wales and Victoria, including supporting the Angels.
David Hasselhoff recording
In January 2006 actor David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...
recorded a cover version of "Jump in My Car", whilst in Australia. Hasselhoff's version was released in the UK and went to No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in October. It also went No. 24 in Ireland.
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Extended plays
Singles
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 ...
'' which had been established in February 1966. It conducted an annual poll from 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.
, -
, 1971
, himself
, Best Male Vocal
, 4th
, -
Notes
External links
Ted's Official Facebook Page
Ted Mulry Gang Feature
Pop Archives Site
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulry, Ted
1947 births
2001 deaths
Australian pop singers
Australian bass guitarists
People from Oldham
Musicians from Sydney
Australian rock bass guitarists
Male bass guitarists
Australian singer-songwriters
Australian rock guitarists
English emigrants to Australia
Deaths from brain tumor
Deaths from cancer in New South Wales
20th-century bass guitarists
Acoustic guitarists
20th-century Australian male singers
Australian male guitarists
Australian male singer-songwriters