The Valentines were an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

band active from 1966–1970, chiefly noted for their lead singers,

Bon Scott Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was an Australian singer and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. Born in Forfar in Angus, Scotlan ...

, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it ...

; and

Vince Lovegrove Vincent James Lovegrove (19 March 194724 March 2012) was an Australian musician, journalist, music manager, television producer and AIDS awareness pioneer. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines, sharing vocals with Bon ...

, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of

Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uni ...

Band history

The band was formed in late 1966 with the amalgamation of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

groups

The Spektors The Spektors were an Australian beat, pop and rock 'n' roll band active in Perth from 1964 to mid-1966. Their co-drummer and part-time lead singer, Bon Scott, was later lead vocalist with hard rock band AC/DC, from 1974 until his death in 1980 ...

and The Winstons. They capitalised on the success of both the former bands, plus the interest created by having two lead singers in Scott and Lovegrove. Inspired by

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, and local stars

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 ...

, they enjoyed considerable local success and released a few singles. In late 1967, The Valentines moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

in search of greater success, and soon toured other major cities. With a development towards the popular

Bubblegum Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble. Bubble gum flavor While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – it ...

sound late in 1968, the band became more in demand, particularly among teenage girls. However, as the fashion for bubblegum music wore off, The Valentines struggled to retain their musical credibility despite a turn towards

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States a ...

. With differing opinions within the band concerning musical direction, and a much-publicised drugs bust in September 1969, group stability began to suffer. Although they still had a strong fanbase in certain areas of the country, especially back home in Perth, The Valentines decided to disband amicably in August 1970. Scott had built a strong reputation as a powerful vocalist and soon joined

Fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternit ...

, and later AC/DC. Lovegrove found success as a music journalist, and guitarist Wyn Milsom became a sound engineer.

Personnel

– vocals (1966–1970; Died 1980) *

– vocals (1966–1970; Died 2012) *Wyn Milsom – guitar (1966–1970) *Ted Ward – guitar (1966–1969), bass guitar (1969–1970) *Bruce Abbott – bass guitar (1966–1968) *Warwick Findlay – drums (1966–1968) *John Cooksey – bass guitar (1968–1969) *Doug Lavery – drums (1968–1969) *Paddy Beach – drums (1969–1970)

Discography

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other songs

* "Sooky Sooky" (

Don Covay Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s. His most successful recordings incl ...

) – (1968) * "

Build Me Up Buttercup "Build Me Up Buttercup" is a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by the Foundations in 1968 with Colin Young singing lead vocals. Young had replaced Clem Curtis during 1968, and this was the first Foundations hit on which ...

" ( Mike d'Abo,

Tony Macaulay Tony Macaulay (born Anthony Gordon Instone; 21 April 1944) is an English author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter. He has won the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors Award twice as 'Songwriter of the Year' (1970 a ...

) – (live TV appearance 1969) * "Things Go Better with Coke" (Coca-Cola jingle) – (1969)

References

*Highway to Hell: The Life and Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott –

Clinton Walker Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music. He is known for his books ''Highway to Hell'' (1994; a biography of Bon Scott), '' Buried Country'' (2000; also a film and soundtrack album), ''History is Made ...

, 1994. *Fraternity: Pub Rock Pioneers -

Victor Marshall The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French sho ...

, 2021. ISBN 978-1920785109

External links

The Valentines Official Website

The Valentines Official Facebook

"'The Valentines', Bon Scott (centre), Vince Lovegrove (reaching into crowd) with drummer Warwick Finlay, lead guitar Wyn Milson and guitarist Ted Ward (Ted Junko), 1966"
photo, part of collection ''Hoadley's 'Battle of the Sounds' at Ambassadors Theatre'', held by

State Library of Western Australia The State Library of Western Australia is a research, education, reference and public lending library located in the Perth Cultural Centre in Perth, Western Australia. It is a portfolio agency of the Western Australia Department of Culture and t ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Valentines, The Australian rock music groups Western Australian musical groups Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1970 1966 establishments in Australia 1970 disestablishments in Australia