The Revelators (also known as "The Delta Revelators") is an Australian

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

band formed in 1989 by

Joe Camilleri Joseph Vincent Camilleri, (born 21 May 1948) aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is a Maltese Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows. Jo Jo ...

, James Black, Joe Creighton and Peter Luscome. Jeff Burstin joined in 1990. In Camilleri's own words, their desire was to "blow out the serious days' work with people who shared the same interest in music and who simply wanted to play it". The band is a side project of

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 ...

as all members were part of The Black Sorrows at the time of formation. The Revelators' sound was a return to early Black Sorrows sound: playing largely R&B-oriented cover songs. The band released three studio albums and a live DVD between 1991 and 2002. A greatest hits was released in 2012. The band received two

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

nominations; both for

ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Blues and Roots Album, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recor ...

, in 2001 and 2003.

History

The band was an offshoot of

. Original members Joe Camilleri (vocals, guitar, sax), James Black (guitars, keys), Jeff Burstin (guitars, mandolin), Joe Creighton (bass) and Peter Luscombe (drums) were all also simultaneously members of

, an Australian blues and roots band that had released five studio albums in the 1980s. "The Delta Revelators", as they were originally known, were a Black Sorrows side project in the late 1980s to play gigs and relax after more serious studio work. The response from Melbourne audiences led them to regular sessions at ID's (now The Continental) and the Botanical Hotel which in turn led to fans requesting an album. The band recorded ''

Amazing stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

'' – a collection of roots based covers in 1991. Also guesting on the album were most of the other members of The Black Sorrows, including violinist Jen Anderson and vocalists

Linda and Vika Bull Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...

. The album was re-released in March 1993 as a 2-CD pack with

' '' Better Times'' and it peaked at number 14 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. A near ten-year hiatus then ensued while the group members were engaged with other musical commitments. In early 2000, a reconstituted version of the group was assembled, now featuring Camilleri, Creighton, Black, drummer Nicky Bomba, and (as an adjunct member) Ed Bates on pedal steel. In four days, they recorded a second studio album titled ''

The Adventures of The Amazing Revelators ''The Adventures of The Amazing Revelators'' is the second studio album by Australian blues-rock band The Revelators. The album was recorded in four days and released in March 2000. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2001, the album was nominated for A ...

''. the album was a mix of blues and roots covers and original material. The album was released in March 2000. In November 2001, a live DVD titled ''Floating Bridge: Live at the Basement'' was released. It originally aired on ABC TV in December 2001. The line-up for this release was Camilleri, Black, Creighton, Luscombe and guitarist Claude Carranza. In September 2002, the band -- now consisting of Camilleri, Creighton and Black with new drummer Tony Floyd -- released a third studio album titled, ''

The Revelators The Revelators (also known as "The Delta Revelators") is an Australian blues rock band formed in 1989 by Joe Camilleri, James Black, Joe Creighton and Peter Luscome. Jeff Burstin joined in 1990. In Camilleri's own words, their desire was to " ...

''. Session players on the album included Ed Bates,

Kerryn Tolhurst Kerryn William Tolhurst (born 1948) is an Australian country rock musician, songwriter and producer. He was based in the United States from late 1970s to the late 1990s, although he periodically returned to Australia. He was a founder of the Au ...

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 ...

, Shane O'Mara, and others. In July 2012, the band released ''Floating Bridge: Live at the Basement'' as a digital-only live album. In August 2012, the band reunited for three special afternoon shows in Melbourne at the newly launched venue the Flying Saucer Club. They celebrated with the release of ''The Best Of... The Revelators''.

Members

* Joe Camilleri (vocals, saxophone, guitar) * James Black (keyboards) * Joe Creighton (bass, vocals) * Jeff Burstin (guitar) * Peter Luscombe (drums) * Nicky Bomba (drums, percussion, backing vocals) * Ed Bates (guitar) * James Black (piano, organ, clarinet, guitar, mandolin)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

'' (1991,

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

) ** '' Better Times'' (by

) / ''Amazing Stories'' (by The Revelators) (1993,

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...

) – No. 14 AUS * ''

'' (2000, Head Records) * ''

'' (2002, Head Records)

DVD/Live albums

* ''Floating Bridge: Live at the Basement'' (2001 – DVD; 2012 – digital download)

Compilations

* ''The Best Of... The Revelators'' (Head Records) (2012)

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revelators, The Australian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups from Melbourne