Music of Australia

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The music of Australia ranges across a broad spectrum of styles and genres. Some modern
trends in Australian music is based on, or concurrent with, similar trends from the United States
or United Kingdom and elsewhere, and the music is generally influenced by cross pollination of
music from elsewhere; though traditional indigenous music is unique, as it dates back more than
60,000 years to the prehistory of Australia and continues the ancient songlines through
contemporary artists as diverse as: Jimmy Little, Warumpi Band, Yothu Yindi, Tiddas, Wild
Water, Christine Anu, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Saltwater Band, Nabarlek, Nokturnl, the
Pigram Brothers, Coloured Stone, Blek Bala Mujik, Kev Carmody, Archie Roach and Ruby
Hunter.

Folk music

[edit] Indigenous Australian music

Main article: Indigenous Australian music

Traditional Aboriginal instrument, the Didgeridoo

Indigenous Australian music refers to the music of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Music
forms an integral part of the social, cultural and ceremonial observances of these peoples, and
has been so for over 60,000 years.[1] Traditional Indigenous music is best characterised by the
didgeridoo, the best-known instrument, which is considered by some to be the world's oldest.[2]
Archaeological studies of rock art in the Northern Territory suggest people of the Kakadu region
were playing the instrument 15,000 years ago.[3]

Contemporary Indigenous Australian music has covered numerous styles, including rock and
roll, country, hip hop, and reggae. Jimmy Little is regarded as the first Aboriginal performer to
achieve mainstream success, with his debut 1964 song "The Royal Telephone" highly popular
and successful.[4] In 2005, Little was presented with an honorary doctorate in music by the
University of Sydney.[5] Despite the popularity of some of his work, Little failed to launch
Indigenous music in the country—from the 1970s onwards, groups such as Coloured Stone,
Warumpi Band, and No Fixed Address would help improve the image of the genre.[4] It would be
Yothu Yindi that would bring Indigenous music to the mainstream, with their 1991 song
"Treaty", from the album Tribal Voice, becoming a hit.[6] would go on to reach #11 on the ARIA
Singles Chart.[7] The band's performances were based on the traditional Yolngu dance, and
embodied a sharing of culture.[4] The success of Yothu Yindi—winners of eight ARIA Awards[8]
—was followed in by Kev Carmody, Tiddas, Christine Anu, and numerous other Indigenous
Australian musicians.[4]

[edit] Popular music

[edit] Country music

Main article: Australian country music

Kasey Chambers performing at the Tamworth Country Music Festival

Australia has a long tradition of country music, which has developed a style quite distinct from
its U.S. counterpart. Early roots of Australian Country are related to folk traditions of Ireland,
England, Scotland and many diverse nations. "Botany Bay" from the late 1800s is one example.
Waltzing Matilda, often regarded by foreigners as Australia's unofficial National anthem, is a
quintessential Australian country song, influenced more by Celtic folk ballads than by American
Country and Western music. This strain of Australian country music, with lyrics focusing on
strictly Australian subjects, is generally known as "bush music" or "bush band music." The most
successful Australian bush band is Melbourne's Bushwackers, active since the early 1970s.
Another, more Americanized form of Australian country music was pioneered in the 1930s by
such recording artists as Tex Morton, and later popularized by Slim Dusty, best remembered for
his 1957 song "A Pub With No Beer". In recent years local contemporary country music,
featuring much crossover with popular music, has enjoyed considerable popularity in Australia;
notable musicians of this genre include Beccy Cole, Gina Jeffreys, Lee Kernaghan and sister
Tania Kernaghan, Sara Storer, Felicity Urquhart, and the hugely successful Kasey Chambers,
John Butler Trio, and Keith Urban.

[edit] Children's Music

In 2008, The Wiggles were named Business Review Weekly's top-earning Australian entertainers
for the fourth year in a row having earned AU$45 million in 2007.[9] They have been called "the
world's biggest preschool band" and "your child's first rock band".[10] The group has achieved
worldwide success with their children's albums, videos, television series, and concert
appearances. They have earned seventeen gold, twelve platinum, three double-platinum, and ten
multi-platinum awards for sales of over 17 million DVDs and four million CDs.[11] By 2002, The
Wiggles had become the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) most successful pre-
school television program. They have performed for over 1.5 million children in the US between
2005 and 2008.[12] They have won APRA song writing awards for Best Children's Song three
times and earned ADSDA's award for Highest Selling Children's Album four times.[11] They have
been nominated for ARIA's Best Children's Album award thirteen times, and won the award six
times.[13] In 2003, they received ARIA's Outstanding Achievement Award for their success in the
U.S.[11]

[edit] Rock

Rock music in Australia first became popular in the 1950s , with artists including Johnny
O'Keefe and topping charts around the world. This tradition was continued into the 1960s, by
groups such as Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, The Easybeats, and the folk-rock group The
Seekers. Throughout this time, Indigenous Australian music and Australian jazz remained
consistently popular.

Pub rock was immensely popular in the 1980s, and the era was typified by Mental As Anything,
Midnight Oil, The Angels, Noiseworks, Cold Chisel and Icehouse. INXS and Men at Work also
achieved fame worldwide, and the song "Down Under" became an unofficial anthem for
Australia. Australian hip hop began in the early 1980s, primarily influenced by overseas works,
but by the 1990s a distinctive local style had emerged, with groups such as the Hilltop Hoods
achieving international acclaim for their work.

The 90s saw an increase in the popularity of indie rock in Australia. AC/DC and INXS continued
to achieve commercial success in the United States, whilst a multitude of local bands, including
Regurgitator, You Am I, Powderfinger, Silverchair and Something for Kate, were popular
throughout the country. A small electronic music scene emerged around Sydney and Melbourne,
with Severed Heads, Ollie Olsen's No, and Foil all peaking in the 90s.
Australian music experienced somewhat of a rock renaissance in the 2000s with groups such as
The Vines, Jet, Airbourne and Wolfmother charting internationally. Hilltop Hoods were the first
Australian hip-hop group to reach the top of the ARIA chart. Channel 10's Australian Idol
program was highly popular locally, as were the many "idols" produced.

[edit] Rock music

Main article: Australian rock

Australia has produced a wide variety of popular and rock music. While many musicians and
bands (some notable examples include the 1960s successes of The Easybeats and the folk-pop
group The Seekers, through the heavy rock of AC/DC, and the slick pop of INXS and more
recently Savage Garden) have had considerable international success, there remains some debate
over whether Australian popular music really has a distinctive sound. Perhaps the most striking
common feature of Australian music, like many other Australian art forms, is the dry, often self-
deprecating humor evident in the lyrics. Rock music has also traditionally been the mainstay of
Australian music culture and group releases. Dance music and to an extent, hip hop, has only
recently gained nationwide acceptance and airplay.

[edit] First wave of Australian rock

In the mid-1950s, American rock and roll spread across the world. Sydney's independent record
label Festival Records was the first to get on the bandwagon in Australia, releasing Bill Haley &
His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" in 1956. It became the biggest-selling Australian single
ever.

American-born entrepreneur Lee Gordon, who arrived in Australia in 1953, played a key role in
establishing the popularity of rock & roll with his famous "Big Show" tours, which brought to
Australia many leading American rock'n'roll acts including Bill Haley & His Comets, Little
Richard, Bo Diddley, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly & The Crickets and Jerry Lee
Lewis.

Gordon was also instrumental in launching the career of Johnny O'Keefe, the first Australian
rock star, who rose to fame by imitating Americans like Elvis Presley and Little Richard.
O'Keefe and other "first wave" bands were popular until about 1961, when a wave of clean-cut
family bands took their place.

Though mainstream audiences in the early sixties preferred a clean-cut style – epitomised by the
acts that appeared on the Nine Network pop show Bandstand – there were a number of 'grungier'
guitar-oriented bands in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne, who were inspired by
American and British instrumental and surf acts like Britain's The Shadows – who exerted an
enormous influence on Australian and New Zealand music prior to the emergence of The Beatles
– and American acts like guitar legend Dick Dale and The Surfaris. Notable Australian
instrumental groups of this period included The Atlantics, The Denvermen The Thunderbirds,
The Planets, The Dee Jays, The Joy Boys, The Fabulous Blue Jays and The Whispers.
Jazz was another important influence on the first wave of Australian rock. Unlike the musicians
in bands such as The Comets, or Elvis Presley's backing band, who had rockabilly or country
music backgrounds, many musicians in Australian rock'n'roll bands – such as Johnny O'Keefe's
famous backing group The Dee Jays – had a solid background in jazz.

[edit] Second wave of Australian rock

The "second wave" of Australian rock is said to have begun in about 1964, after the impact of
The Beatles. Beat groups like Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs and Ray Brown & The Whispers were
followed by The Easybeats, the Bee Gees, The Masters Apprentices, The Loved Ones and cult
acts like The Throb. A wave of acts also came from New Zealand, including Ray Columbus &
The Invaders, Max Merritt & The Meteors, Dinah Lee, Larry's Rebels and The La De Das.

Many Australian bands and singers tried to enhance their careers by moving overseas, in
particular to England, then seen as the mecca of popular music. Varying degrees of success
resulted as not all bands matched the success of the Bee Gees. Others that made the journey were
the Easybeats, the first band to crack the UK market, Lloyds World and the La De Das.

[edit] Third wave of Australian rock

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding
citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October
2008)

The "third wave" of Australian rock began in about 1970 with the last of the early 60s groups
dissolving. Few acts from this era attained major international success, and it was even difficult
to achieve continued fame across Australia, due to low radio airplay and the increasing
dominance of overseas performers on the charts.

Despite resistance from commercial radio, acts as diverse as AC/DC, Sherbet and John Paul
Young were able to achieve major success and develop a unique sound for Australian rock. One
of the key agents for the increased exposure of local music was the nationally broadcast ABC-TV
television pop show Countdown, which was soon followed by Australia's first non-commercial
all-rock radio station Double Jay. Hard rock band AC/DC and harmony rock group Little River
Band also found major overseas success in the late 70s and early 80s, touring all over the world.
Meanwhile, a score of Australian expatriate solo performers like Helen Reddy, Olivia Newton-
John and Peter Allen became major stars in the USA and internationally. Icehouse also formed in
the late 1970s.

This period also saw bands like Skyhooks moving towards New Wave music, and punk rock
bands like The Saints and Radio Birdman, as well as electronic musical groups, such as
Cybotron, Severed Heads and Essendon Airport. Perhaps most influential of the 'underground'
scenes, however, was Australian pub rock, which began in Adelaide in the early 1970s with
bands like Cold Chisel and The Angels, and in Sydney Midnight Oil.

From the post-punk music scene which had sprung up in Melbourne came The Boys Next Door
featuring Nick Cave. The Boys Next Door would eventually become The Birthday Party.
The Australian Music Industry as a business began to formalise during the late 1960s and the
1970s. Although not taken seriously by the mainstream business community in those early years,
none could discount the pioneering spirit and business acumen of the likes of Michael Gudinski,
Michael Chugg, Ray Evans, Dennis Charter, Glenn Wheatley, Harry M. Miller, Harley Medcalf,
Michael Browning, Peter Rix, Ron Tudor, Roger Davies, Fred Bestall, Lance Reynolds, Alan
Hely, Frank Stivala, Sebastian Chase, Philip Jacobsen, Peter Karpin, Roger Savage, John Sayers,
Ernie Rose, Bill Armstrong, Kevin Jacobsen, Phil Dwyer, Ken Brodziak, Denis Handlin, Stan
Rofe, Jade Johnson, Terry Blamey and Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum. These were the people largely
responsible for promoting and developing the Australian music ‘business’ during those formative
years.

Clubs and Venues catering for the demand of live band entertainment flourished in capital cities
all over the country, however, the central development of the Australian Music Industry during
these years was in Sydney and Melbourne. Clubs such as Chequers, the Bondi Lifesaver and the
Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney, and the Thumpin Tum, Catcher, Berties, Sebastian’s, the Hard
Rock Cafe and the Q Club in Melbourne were synonymous with the biggest names in Australian
Rock & Roll.

In 1970 the first ever outdoor music festival modelled on Woodstock was held at Ourimbah near
Sydney, and several other followed over the next two years, but most were a financial failure. In
1972 the first festival that proved successful enough to be repeated was the 1972 ‘Festival’ which
attracted some 35,000 music fans from across the country to Sunbury, Melbourne. Australian
music was not only alive and well; it was flourishing under the guidance of the early music
industry entrepreneurs.

‘Pop’ magazines such as Go-Set (which began in 1966), the Daily Planet, RAM, and Juke, and
television programs such as Countdown, Uptight, Sounds Unlimited and Happening 70 promoted
Australian popular music to a youth market who had never before experienced such media
exposure of their idols and stars. ‘Pop Stars’ were now being created by direct marketing to a
targeted teenage audience. Recording studios such as 301, Alberts’ and Trafalgar in Sydney and
Armstrong Studios and TCS in Melbourne became legendary. Independent label Mushroom
Records was founded in 1973 and although it struggled to survive for its first two years of
existence, it was saved in early 1975 by the commercial breakthrough of Skyhooks, whose debut
LP became the biggest-selling Australian rock album ever released up to that time; this success
enabled Mushroom to become a significant player in the Australian music industry and compete
with established companies like EMI, CBS and Festival.

The Bands and Recording Artists who shaped Australian Music during these seminal years were:
- INXS, Noiseworks, Skyhooks, AC/DC, Renée Geyer, Spectrum, Chain, Daddy Cool, Marcia
Hines, Zoot, The Masters Apprentices, Dragon, Air Supply, The Radiators, The Angels, Axiom,
Kevin Borich Express, Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, Carson, Cheetah, Richard Clapton,
Cold Chisel, John Farnham, Healing Force, Lobby Loyde and the Coloured Balls, Hawking
Bros, Flake, Buffalo, Bjerre, Wendy Saddington, The Seekers, Ronnie Charles, Company Caine,
Healing Force, Trevor Spry, Radio Birdman, Buster Brown, Little River Band, Ray Burgess,
Mental As Anything, Marty Rhone, Ariel, The La De Das, Peter Allen, The Dingoes, Babeez,
Mondo Rock, Icehouse, Midnight Oil, Doug Parkinson, Jon English, Blackfeather, Ronnie
Burns, The Ferrets, Mike Brady,Martin Gellatley, Hush, Tully, Madder Lake, Supernaut, Russell
Morris, Allison Durbin, Olivia Newton-John, Ross D. Wylie, The News, Max Merritt and the
Meteors, Debra Byrne, Rose Tattoo, The Reels, The Saints, Sebastian Hardie, Lash, William
Shakespeare, Sherbet, Silver Studs, John St Peters, Jeff St John, Stylus, Jim Keays, Tamam
Shud, Ted Mulry Gang, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Ol’ 55, Mark Holden, Stevie Wright, John
Paul Young, Helen Reddy, Redgum, Hot City Bump Band, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Colleen
Hewett, Linda George, Ayers Rock and Brian Cadd.

David Hines has written an original Australian musical based on the music from the 70's called
Class of 77

[edit] 1980s

The 1980s saw a breakthrough in the independence of Australian rock—Nick Cave said that
before the 80s, "Australia still needed America or England to tell them what was good".[14] An
example of Australians breaking free from convention came in TISM. Formed in 1982, the band
is known for its anonymous members, outrageous stage antics, and humorous lyrics. In the words
of the band, "There's only one factor left that makes us work. And that factor, I think, we've
burned away, with the crucible of time, into something that's actually genuine."[15]

Men at Work, Divinyls, and Hoodoo Gurus, all formed between 1979 and 1981, would go on to
be hugely successful worldwide. Men at Work's "Down Under" hit number one in Australia,
Europe, the UK, and the United States, and was considered the theme song of Australia's
successful showing at the 1983 America's Cup.[16] Hoodoo Gurus, meanwhile, hit it big on the US
college circuit—all of their 80s albums topped the chart.[17]

In the 1980s, numerous innovative Australian rock bands arose. These included Hunters &
Collectors, The Church, TISM, Divinyls, Hoodoo Gurus, Mondo Rock, The Sunnyboys, Men at
Work, The Go-Betweens and The Triffids. During this period a number of Australian bands
began to reflect their urban environment in songs dealing with day to day experiences of inner-
city life eg Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls perhaps best exemplified in his songs "From St.
Kilda to Kings Cross" and "Leaps & Bounds", John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong in songs such
us "King Street" and The Mexican Spitfires in tracks like "Sydney Town" and "Town Hall
Steps." This decade also saw the rise of world music groups like Dead Can Dance; of special
importance is Yothu Yindi, who helped found the field of Aboriginal rock. In 1985, the
Newsboys emerged and produced the hit albums Not Ashamed, Step Up to the Microphone,
Devotion, and more. Independent band Drops Of Light secured a recording contract through PG
Records in Melbourne with their song Halley's Comet and then followed through with Never
Knew The Way in 1989.Then soap star Kylie Minogue began her music career in the late 1980s
and released The Loco-Motion which became the biggest selling single in Australia for the
decade and quickly catapulted her to worldwide stardom.

The first annual ARIA Music Awards were held in 1987. John Farnham and Crowded House
were the most successful artists at the event.

[edit] 1990s: indie rock

Main article: Australian indie rock
Psychobilly group The Living End were successful internationally in the 90s

The 1990s saw continued overseas success from groups such as AC/DC,[18] INXS,[19] Men at
Work, Midnight Oil, The Bad Seeds, and Crowded House,[20] and a new indie rock scene develop
locally. Sydney-based Ratcat were the first new band to achieve a mainstream following,[21]
while bands such as the Hoodoo Gurus got off to a slower start; debut album Stoneage Romeos
earned a small following but failed to captivate a mainstream that at the time "didn't get it".[22]
Later reviews would describe the band as "integral to the story of Aussie indie music",
influencing bands including Frenzal Rhomb and Jet.[23] The band would go on to become an
ARIA Hall of Fame inductee.[24] The Church, meanwhile, was highly successful in the 1980s,
only to see their careers diminish in the next decade; 1994's Sometime Anywhere saw the band
recede from a mainstream audience.[25]

Alternative rock began to gain popularity midway through the 90s, with grunge and Britpop
styles especially popular, resulting in a new wave of Australian bands. Some, such as Savage
Garden and Silverchair, also gained quick success in the United States,[26] while Something for
Kate and Powderfinger gained more success locally.[27] Bands such as Regurgitator, You Am I,
and Spiderbait were hit heavily by the post-grunge backlash, losing in sales and critical acclaim.
[28][26]

Much of the success of rock in Australia is thanks to radio station Triple J, which focuses heavily
on Australian alternative music, and has done so since its formation as 2JJ in 1975.[29]
Throughout the station's history, they have helped jump start the careers of numerous bands,
through programs such as Unearthed, the Australian Music program Home & Hosed and the
Hottest 100.[30] The Big Day Out festival has showcased Australian and international acts, with
lineups spanning multiple genres, with an alternative focus. It has become highly popular
amongst musicians; Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl said "We play the Big Day Out because
it's the best tour in the world. You ask any band in the world - they all want to play the Big Day
Out, every single one of them."[31] Other festivals, such as Homebake, Livid, and Splendour in
the Grass, are also rock focused, and together with Big Day Out are "united by the dominant
presence of the indie-guitar scene".[32]
[edit] 2000s: Electronic music

Pendulum bassist Gareth McGrillen. The band mixes numerous genres, including electronic. [33]

Electronic music in Australia emerged in the 1990s, but takes elements from funk, house, techno,
and numerous other genres.[34] Early innovators of the genre in Australia include Severed Heads,
who formed in 1979 and were the first electronic group to play the Big Day Out.[35] The band
achieved long term success, winning an ARIA Award in 2005 for "Best Original Soundtrack" for
The Illustrated Family Doctor, where lead singer Tom Ellard said the band would never fit into
mainstream music.[36]. However, not all contemporary Australian music is electronic; bands such
as Yves Klein Blue continue to expand the indie rock genre with their innovative punk-style
tunes such as "Polka", "Soldier", and "About the Future".

The genre has developed a wide following, to the point the University of Adelaide offers an
Electronic Music Unit, teaching studio production and music technology.[37] Traditional rock
bands such as Regurgitator have developed an original sound by combining heavy guitars and
electronic influences,[38] and rock-electro groups, most notably Rogue Traders, have become
popular with mainstream audiences.[39][40] The genre is considered to be most popular in
Melbourne, with multiple music festivals held nationally in the city.[41] However, Cyclic Defrost,
the only specialist electronic music magazine in Australia, was started in Sydney (in 1998) and is
still based there.[42][43] Radio still lags somewhat behind the success of the genre—producer and
artist manager Andrew Penhallow told Australian Music Online that "the local music media have
often overlooked the fact that this genre has been flying the flag for Australian music overseas".
[44]

Recently, bands such as Cut Copy, The Presets, The Potbelleez, Polo Club, Empire of the Sun
and Pnau have made a name for themselves in the genre. Cut Copy frontman Dan Whitford has
attributed the band's success to a change in public attitude as much as the band's quality,
explaining "It's a case partly of timing and a growing awareness of electronic music in
Australia".[45] Pnau's first album, Sambanova, was released in 1999, at a time when many in
Australia considered electronic music to be a dying breed. Nonetheless, the band traveled around
the US and Europe, and slowly made a name for themselves, and for a rebirth of electronic music
in the country.