Awesome Aussie Songs

In the early days of Rock 'n' Roll, Dig Richards & the R'Jays were one of the biggest bands in the land. With his movie-star good looks, Dig was Australia's very first teenage idol, and with his band the R'Jays, they were at the forefront of the Rock 'n' Roll revolution in in Australia. They were the first Aussie band to release a full-length album through Festival Records and as a live act, they were as popular as any local band. They also appeared on many of  Lee Gordon’s Big Shows and they played alongside the touring American superstars, more than holding their own.

This episode is on Skyhooks and their classic hit Horror Movie. The song was released in December 1974 and became the bands first No.1 single. Our specials guests are Skyhooks guitarist Bongo Starkie and the bands producer, the legendary Ross Wilson.

Skyhooks first hit the charts with their debut single Living in the 70’s. This episode takes a look at this song and the early years of the band. Our special guest is Skyhooks guitarist Bob “Bongo” Starkie.

In the Mid 1960’s Ray Brown and The Whispers were as big as any other band in Australia. Their popularity rivalled that of Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs and The Easybeats. Incredibly the bands first three singles went straight to the top, going all the way to number 1 on the Sydney charts. The bands fourth single reached number 2.  They may not hold the reverence as a band that they once did, however, for many fans of the day, Ray Brown and The Whispers are still regarded as one of our finest bands of the time. Thanks to The Whispers guitarist Lawrie Barclay for the use of his memoirs for this episode and thank you to Dean Mackin for providing the voice of Lawrie.