Goanna are an Australian rock band which formed in 1977 in Geelong as The Goanna Band with mainstay

Shane Howard Shane Michael Howard (born 26 January 1955) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist, he was the mainstay of folk rock group Goanna (1977–85, 1998) which had hit singles with " Solid Rock" (September 1982, No. 3) and " Let the ...

as singer-songwriter and guitarist. The group integrated social protest with popular music and reached the Top 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart with " Solid Rock" (1982) and " Let the Franklin Flow" (released under the name Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble in 1983). Their debut album, ''

Spirit of Place Spirit of place (or soul) refers to the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place; often those celebrated by artists and writers, but also those cherished in folk tales, festivals and celebrations. It is thus as much in the invisible ...

'', peaked at No. 2 on the related albums chart. They disbanded in 1987 and briefly reformed in 1998.

History

1977-1987

The Goanna Band were formed as an Australian folk-rock group by singer-songwriter and guitarist

in Geelong in 1977. Alongside Howard, the original line-up was Mike Biscan (guitar), Richard Griffiths (bass guitar) and Rod Hoe (drums). During their early years the line-up changed numerous times, with only Howard as the mainstay. In 1979, the group consisted of Howard, keyboardist and vocalist

Rose Bygrave Roslyn Louise Bygrave (born 1955) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Life and career Roslyn Louise Bygrave grew up in the small town of Willaura in the Western District of Victoria and later attended secondary school and art school in Balla ...

, lead guitarist and vocalist Warwick Harwood, bass guitarist Carl Smith, drummer Gary Crothall and vocalist and harmonica player Ian Morrison. They recorded an independent 12" EP, '' The Goanna Band''. The four-track EP was produced by Broderick Smith (ex-

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 ...

) and released on EMI Music. By 1981 the band were now Shane Howard, Rose Bygrave, Warrick Harwood, Peter Coughlan on bass guitar, Marcia Howard (vocalist and synthesisers), Graham Davidge (electric guitar) and Robbie Ross on drums. They had shortened the name to Goanna, and with their increasing popularity they attracted the interest of major record companies. They supported

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

on the Australian leg of his 1981 tour. In February 1982, they signed to WEA Australia, and Shane Howard established a music publishing company, Uluru Music, headed by Helene Jedwab. The band released its single " Solid Rock" in September. According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip to

Uluru Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, southwest of Alice Spring ...

during 1980, where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia's

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. WEA were at first reluctant to issue it as a single, and even Howard initially had a few doubts about whether commercial radio was ready for such a weighty political subject; however, Howard insisted on its release to make a statement on the British invasion of Australia. " Solid Rock" peaked at No. #2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, remaining in the Top 50 for 26 weeks. It also reached No. #31 on the US '' Billboard''

Mainstream Rock Chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

and appeared on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In November 2013, "Solid Rock" was voted No. 20 in the

Triple M Melbourne Triple M Melbourne is a radio station broadcasting in Melbourne, Victoria. Its target demographic is the 18-54 age group. Triple M Melbourne is part of Southern Cross Austereo's Triple M Network and broadcasts on the 105.1 MHz frequency. Th ...

/ Herald Sun Australian Top-40 chart of the last 40 years. Goanna released their debut album, ''

'', in December. It was produced by

Trevor Lucas Trevor George Lucas (25 December 1943 – 4 February 1989) was an Australian folk singer, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay. He mainly worked as a singer-songwriter and guitarist but also produced many album ...

, a member of UK folk-rock group Fairport Convention, who had returned to Australia in 1979. ''Spirit of Place'' reached No. 2 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart, within two weeks of its release and remained there for 10 weeks, alternating with Midnight Oil's '' 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1'' for the No. 1 & No. 2 spot. It also reached No. 179 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. For the album, Goanna were Rose Bygrave on keyboards, Peter Coughlan on bass guitar, Graham Davidge (ex-

Little River Band Little River Band (LRB) are a Rock music, rock band originally formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studi ...

) on guitar, Warrick Harwood, Shane Howard, his sister Marcia Howard on backing vocals, Mick O'Connor on keyboards and Robbie Ross on drums. An ever-changing line-up saw Harwood reluctantly leave the band. The follow-up single " Razors Edge" released in March 1983 reached No. 36 on the national charts. On 13 February 1983, Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble performed " Let the Franklin Flow" at the Stop The Drop nuclear disarmament concert at the

Sidney Myer Music Bowl The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an outdoor bandshell performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the lawns and gardens of Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue close to the Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinc ...

. The ensemble included members of Goanna and fellow folk rock group

Redgum Redgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals, Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were later joined by Hugh McDonald on fiddle and Ch ...

and Lucas. In April, "Let the Franklin Flow" was issued as a single with Lucas and Jeff Campbell as producer. Howard, the song's writer, was credited as F. River. The single reached No. 12 nationally. Proceeds supported the

Tasmanian Wilderness Society The Tasmanian Wilderness Society was a Tasmanian environmental group that started in 1976 in response to a proposal by the state's Hydro Electric Commission to construct a dam on the Gordon River, downstream from the Franklin River, that led to t ...

's campaign against the proposed damming of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

and Franklin rivers for a

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

project. Howard physically supported the protests by joining the picket lines. The B-side of the single, "Franklin River – World Heritage", was written and recorded by the society's director,

Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasma ...

, who later became a senator and the leader of Australian Greens. On 19 April 1983, Goanna won three ''Countdown'' Music and Video Awards for their work in 1982: ''Spirit of Place'' won Best Debut Album, " Solid Rock" won Best Debut Single and the band itself won the Best New Talent (Johnny O'Keefe Memorial Award). "Solid Rock" is the first charting rock record to feature extensive use of the didgeridoo, one of the world's oldest wood instruments, played by Billy Inda ( No Fixed Address) and Bobby Djabanunga. By late 1983, Goanna included new guitarists

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 ...

( Daddy Cool,

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, ...

) and Russell Smith (

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 ...

, Mighty Kong) with Robert Ross replaced by Geoff Bridgford ( Bee Gees),( Jim Keays Band) on drums. In October they released a third single, "That Day (Is Coming Sooner)", which peaked at No. 67. Surprisingly WEA dropped the band from the label. Howard then travelled around the world looking for other record companies to pick them up. During this time he visited Ireland, the home of his ancestors and experienced another cultural awakening. The band were just on the verge of signing a worldwide deal with

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, when Warners in Australia contacted them and re-signed the band, who then spent much of 1984 recording a new album at John French's Fast Forward studio in Melbourne, The Music Farm studio in Byron Bay and also in Los Angeles at George Massenburg's The Complex studio with Little Feat's keyboard player Billy Payne. The band's second album, ''

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

'', produced by Billy Payne, was released in April 1985 and reached No. 29. The first single from this album, "Common Ground", had been released in December 1984 and peaked at No. 42. The second single, "Dangerous Dancing", released in May 1985 only reached No. 91. Throughout 1985, the band toured relentlessly in support of the album, with a constantly revolving line-up of members, including at one stage ex-

drummer Derek Pellicci. The band then released a non-album single, "Song for Africa", dedicated to famine relief, in September but it failed to chart. WEA dropped Goanna from their roster again. On 13 July 1985, Goanna performed three songs for the

Oz for Africa Oz for Africa was an Australian concert held on 13 July 1985 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. It was organised by Bill Gordon who also organised the EAT Concert held at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne at the end of January 1985. That event was ...

concert (part of the global Live Aid program) – "Common Ground", "Song for Africa", " Solid Rock". It was broadcast in Australia (on both

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US. In September, still promoting ''Oceania'' and the newly released "Song for Africa", Howard went "walkabout", and the band was forced to cancel $20,000 worth of bookings. Eventually a disillusioned Howard had travelled to South Australia to perform with indigenous musician and didgeridoo player Bart Willoughby (No Fixed Address). With Howard no longer involved, Goanna effectively disbanded but reformed, self-managed, for one final farewell tour of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania with aboriginal band

Coloured Stone Coloured Stone is an Aboriginal Australian band whose members originate from the Koonibba Mission, west of Ceduna, South Australia. The band performs using guitar, bass, drums, and Aboriginal instruments – didjeridu, bundawuthada (gong st ...

in October 1986. The final gig of the tour was on 25 October 1986 for the Baha'i Concert For Peace at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre. The live version of " Solid Rock" featured on the re-mastered release of "Spirit of place" comes from this performance. The final line-up consisted of Shane & Marcia Howard, Rose Bygrave; Dave Stewart drums; Jo Imbrol bass; Simon Curphey and Selwyn Burns guitars; Bunna Lawrie, Bart Willoughby, Tony Lovett and Nicky Moffatt on Didjeridu & percussion: Bill Dart F.O.H sound and recording engineer for db Concert Sound. On 24 & 25 January 1987 yet another final fling occurred when much the same ensemble played at the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...

1988-present: After Goanna

Shane Howard returned to a solo career, releasing ''Back to the Track'' (1988), ''River'' (1990), ''Time Will Tell'' (1993), ''Live in Ireland'' (1994), ''Clan'' (1996), ''Beyond Hope's Bridge'' (2000), ''Another Country'' (2004), ''Retrospect'' (2004), ''Songs of Love & Resistance'' (2006), ''Tarerer'' (compilation, 2006), ''Two Songmen'' with Neil Murray (2007), ''Goanna Dreaming'' (2010), ''Driftwood'' (2010), ''Other Side of the Rock'' (2012) and ''Deeper South'' (2015). Howard also appears on numerable compilation recordings. He wrote and recorded the song "Palya Wiru Uluru" with senior Anangu songwriter Trevor Adamson. They at performed live at the Close of the Climb at Uluru, 26 October 2019. In 2000, Howard formed his own recording label, Goanna Arts. He was a founding member and musical director for the Black Arm Band productions ''Murundak'' (2006) ''Hidden Republic'' (2008) and repertoire consultant for ''Dirt Songs'' (2009), as well as a performing artist with the ensemble. He was creative director and producer for the stage concerts, CD and DVD of ''Exile: Songs & Stories of Irish Australia'' (2016). Howard also produced albums for the Wirrinyga Band (''Dreamtime Wisdom, Modertime Vision'', 1995, the Pigram Brothers (''Saltwater Country'', 1995, Jimmy Chi (''Corrugation Road'', 1996), Andy Alberts (''Gunditjmara Land'', 1996 and ''Close To Home'', 2001) with Pete Bird, Joe Geia (''Old Friends'', 2000), Tonchi McIntosh (''Bridges'', 2001, Mossie Scanlon (''Tanam Ort'', 2001), Patricia Clarke (''Keep The Fires Burning'', 2001), Oriel Glennon (''Two Pink Turtles'', 2000), Dead Reckoning'' (2016) with Pete Bird (2015) and Archie Roach (''Journey'', 2006) with Nash Chambers. In 1986, Rose Bygrave toured briefly playing reggae with Australian singer Wendy Saddington. Bygrave, issued a solo single, "Maybe Midnight", in June 1989 and started working on a solo album which was not released at the time. Bygrave's first solo album, ''White Bird'', finally appeared in 1999 and was followed by ''Walking Home'' (2001), ''North'' (2009) and ''The Yabby Catcher'' (2019). Marcia Howard released the solo albums ''Butterfly'' (2000), ''Burning in the Rain'' (2004), ''Nashville Sessions'' EP (2015) and ''Everything Reminds Me'' (2017). Her song, a musical rendering of the William Blake poem "Poison Tree" (recorded with Mary Black), was released on the compilation CD ''A Woman's Heart-a Decade on'' (2003). In 2016, she appeared on ''The Voice''. She was named Artist of the Year at the Port Fairy Folk Festival (2017). Marcia Howard and Rose Bygrave released an album, ''Pearl'' (2011). In October 1998, Shane Howard, Marcia Howard and Bygrave re-formed Goanna and recorded a third album, ''Spirit Returns'', released in November. Joining the line-up was Kerryn Tolhurst (the Dingoes), with other guest musicians on the album including Steve Cooney, Liam O'Maonlai, Bill Jacobi (bass guitar) and Greg Sheehan (drums). The tracks ranged from the bluesy "What Else is a Life" (which was released as the first single), the country-inflected "This Old Town", to the politicised "Song for East Timor", as well as a cover of the Tolhurst-penned Dingoes' track "Your Song". Marcia Howard's "Sorry" was influenced by the documentary ''Lousy Little Sixpence'', based on Margaret Tuckers' story, ''If Everyone Cared'', which chronicled her story of the " stolen generation" of indigenous people. Shane Howard recorded in Ireland with Stephen Cooney and Liam O'Maonlai (

Hot House Flowers ''Hot House Flowers'' is an illustrated, allegory, allegorical children's literature, children's book written and self-published by Brooklyn criminal law, criminal court judge John H. Wilson (judge), John H. Wilson, which compares illegal immigra ...

), while Tolhurst added the final touches in New York. Goanna performed the song at the first

National Sorry Day National Sorry Day, or the National Day of Healing, is an annual event that has been held in Australia on 26 May since 1998. The event remembers and commemorates the mistreatment of the country's Indigenous peoples as part of an ongoing process ...

at Parliament House in Canberra in 1998, the same morning the "

Bringing Them Home ''Bringing Them Home'' is the 1997 Australian ''Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families''. The report marked a pivotal moment in the controversy that has come to ...

" report was released. "Sorry" was released by Goanna both on CD and as a resource book and video as a Sorry Day resource by Fraynework Media. In August and September 2006, Shane Howard performed "Solid Rock" as part of the Countdown Spectacular tour and was joined at the Melbourne concerts by his sister, Marcia, and Bygrave. In October, a number of Goanna's tracks featured in the

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to ...

Essential 2006 Countdown of songs (which was voted and chosen by the listeners) including: * "Solid Rock" (ranked 427 out of 2006 songs) * "Razor's Edge" (ranked 1232 out of 2006 songs) Two of the Goanna Band's guitarists, Mike Biscan and Warrick Harwood, died in April 2020. Starting in June 2022, the band returned to tour around Australia to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ''Spirit of Place'', with band members Shane Howard, Rose Bygrave, Marcia Howard and Graham Davidge playing, amongst others. In September 2022, Goanna performed "Solid Rock" at the

2022 AFL Grand Final The 2022 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Geelong and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 24 September 2022. It was the 127th grand final of the Australian Football League (AFL), staged to ...

. In December 2022, Goanna re-released the song with

Emma Donovan Emma Donovan (born 1981) is an Aboriginal Australian singer and songwriter. She is a member of the renowned musical Donovan family. She started her singing career at age seven with her uncle's band, the Donovans. In 2000, she became a founding m ...

and William Barton.

Members

Current members *

- vocals, acoustic and electric guitar (1977–85, 1986, 1998, 2021–present) *

- vocals, piano, synthesizer (1980–85, 1998, 2021–present) * Marcia Howard - vocals, synthesiser, acoustic guitar (1980–85, 1986, 1998, 2021–present) * Graham Davidge - guitar (1982–83, 2021–present) Former members * Mike Biscan - guitar (1977–78; died 2020) * Warrick Harwood - guitar (1978–83; died 2020) * Rick Griffiths - bass guitar (1977) * Carl Smith - bass guitar (1978–80) * Peter "Brolga" Coughlan - bass guitar, vocals (1981–85) * Rod Hoe - drums (1977-1979) * Gary "Zos" Crothall - drums (1979–80) * Dave Stewart - drums (1980–81, 1986) * Greg Martin - drums (1981-1982) * Robert "Robbie" Ross - drums (1982–83) * Ian Morrison - vocals, harmonica, percussion (1979-1984) * Mick "The Reverend" O'Connor - organ, piano (1979 EP, 1982–1983; died 2022) Touring & unofficial members * Geoff Bridgford ( Bee Gees) - drums (1983) * Greg "Kenny" Sheehan - drums (1981, 1984-85 ''Oceania'' album) * Joe Camilleri (

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri (aka "Jo Jo Zep"). The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had severa ...

) - saxophone (1982 ''Spirit of Place'' album) * Stephen Cooney - bass, didgeridoo, guitar, mandolin, banjo (1998) * Joe Creighton - bass (1985) * Joe Imbrol - bass guitar (1986) * Simon Curphey - guitar (1986) * Lisa Edwards ( John Farnham Band) - backing vocals (1982–83) * Suzie Dickinson - backing vocals (1982) *

Venetta Fields Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born singer, musical theater actress and vocal coach. She was a backing vocalist for American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble Pi ...

( Pink Floyd), ( John Farnham) - vocals (1984 ''Oceania'' album) *

( Daddy Cool) - guitar, vocals (1983–84, 1985 ''Oceania'' album) * Brian Holloway - guitar (1984, 1985 ''Oceania'' album) * Billy Inda - percussion, didgeridoo (1982 ''Spirit of Place'' album) * Judi Kenneally - cover art director (''Spirit of Place'' and ''Oceania'' albums) *

( Fairport Convention) - guitar, Producer (1982 ''Spirit of Place'' album) * Mal Logan

- keyboards (1984) *

Liam Ó Maonlaí Liam Ó Maonlaí (born 7 November 1964 in Monkstown, County Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician best known as a member of Hothouse Flowers. Ó Maonlaí formed the band in 1985 with his schoolmate Fiachna Ó Braonáin. Biography He attend ...

(

Hothouse Flowers Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most success ...

) - vocals, keyboards, guitar (1998) * Billy Payne ( Little Feat) - keyboards, Producer (1984-85 ''Oceania'' album) * Derek Pellicci (

) - drums (1985) * Doug McDonald (Powerhouse) - drums, vocals (1985, 1986) * Spiro Philipas - bass guitar (1985) * John Phillips - guitar (1977, 1979) * Sam See - guitar (1984 ''Oceania'' album, 1986) * Cameron Goold - drums (1998) * Russell Smith - guitar (1983) * Alex Pertout - percussion (1984–85) * Kerryn Tolhurst - guitar (1979 "EP", 1998) * Bart Willoughby - drums, percussion, didgeridoo (1986)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nominations

Countdown Australian Music Awards

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

''. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. , - , rowspan="3" , 1982 , ''Spirit of Place'' , Best Debut Album , , - , "Solid Rock" , Best Debut Single , , - , themselves , Best New Talent , , -

References

;General * Note: Archived (on-line) copy has limited functionality. * Note: (on-line) version established a
White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd
in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. ;Specific

External links

Shane Howard websiteABOUT
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goanna Australian rock music groups Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Musical groups established in 1977 Victoria (Australia) musical groups Musical groups from Geelong