FRANCI CHAMINGS

Franci Chamings was from Dernancourt in South Australia. In the early 70s she performed on the children’s program The Super Duper Flying Fun Show and The Tonight Show hosted by radio identity and former footballer Barry Ion. After gaining a following on a children’s television show, the singer/songwriter also performed live on stage such as at her Family with Franci Chamings concert in 1975. Franci did go on to make recordings. She recorded the single ''For You / Why'' with Pussycat Records. Both sides were composed by her. In 1976 she recorded a children's album 'Favourite Nursery Rhymes and Actions Songs' at Slater Sound in Adelaide. The album featured a collection of traditional children’s rhymes. 

MARGARET GOLDIE

Born in 1950 Margaret was a 1970s singer that was a member of the Australian casts for Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. She also fronted The Nutwood Rug band. 

DONNA BLACK

Donna Black was born in Gladstone QLD in 1947. She is the younger sister of Sharon Black who appeared on Bandstand and recorded internationally. Donna started singing around 1967 after winning a talent quest. After working with several groups, she decided to go solo. She performed in Brisbane and other capital cities. She appeared on the ABC TV program Barnstorm. She recorded one EP 'Penny For Your Thoughts' in 1970 on the Brisbane label Rev. She was a regular cabaret performer on the Gold Coast.

FRAIS CAMPBELL

Not much is known about Frais Campbell. She released three singles on the Astor label in the early 70s. She also appeared on the Graeme Kennedy Show,The Penthouse Club and other variety shows. Frais died in 2007 from lung cancer.

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RAE MACRON CRU

Rae Macron Cru was the lead vocalist of punk band Voigt/465. She joined in 1976 from a group of school-friends. In 1978 Voigt/465 recorded four songs at Axent Studios at Kogarah, in Sydney’s southern suburbs. Voigt/465 were highlighted as the "band of 1979" in Clinton Walker's influential book Inner City Sound, a document of punk and post-punk music in Australia. When the band broke up in 1979, she joined Wild West.

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JEWEL BLANCH

Jewel Blanch was born in 1958 the daughter of Arthur and Berice Blanch. From a toddler Jewel showed that she was musical. Sometimes she would invite herself up on stage and dance around and sing along with her parents. At the age of three in Brisbane, she appeared on the Coca Cola TV Show on Channel 9 singing and playing her own ukulele. In 1962 The Blanch Family were signed to the W & G label in Melbourne where they recorded a song written for Jewel ''(I Wanta Stay On) Jumbo'' and a duet with her father with ''On Account-A I Love You''. "Jumbo" was an instant success and became a national hit. Jewel was the youngest recording artist in the world.

In 1963 Jewel and her family went to the United States where she started school while her parents knocked on doors in Hollywood. The Blanch Family having been on CBS TV led to Jewel being booked on the Art Linkletter Show. She was such a novelty, many letters poured in, and she was invited back the next month. In 1965 the family moved back to Australia. At the age of eight, Jewel was contracted to EMI to record four songs for the HMV Label. In December, Jewel performed her song ''The Funny Little Voice'' on the Barry Crocker Show. Jewel was featured in The Junior Bandstand Show on Channel 9. In 1969 the family moved back to the USA.

In 1978 she recorded for RCA after Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson heard her singing "Will I Ever Be Loved". In 1979 she won the USA Billboard Magazine's Country Music Award for Number One New Female Singles Artist. Record World Magazine also nominated her as Top New Female Vocalist as did Cashbox. Later the family moved back home to Australia. Jewel was inducted into the Hands of Fame in Tamworth. In 1982 Jewel and and her father Arthur were awarded for album of the year for 'The Lady and the Cowboy'. 

Jewel also received the award for Best Female Vocalist with her own composition ''I Can Love You''. In 1984 Jewel and her husband moved to Nashville to live and opened a management and publishing company called Ten Ten. In the early 90s she offered Keith Urban a publishing deal which helped to kick start his career in America. Jewel Blanch has a lot to be credited for. Her achievements go on and you can read about Jewel and her family in their autobiography Wollun One-The Story of the Blanch Family. The book is filled with a lot of photos of what they have achieved and done to other country artists they have performed with. 

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CLEIS PEARCE

Cleis Pearce has a long history playing violin and viola in many creative musical ventures, including improvising and writing music for contemporary dance and poetry performances. She was first heard in MacKenzie Theory an Australian jazz rock group formed in September 1971 in Melbourne. Lead guitarist, Rob MacKenzie and Pearce were the mainstays. They recorded two albums, 'Out of the Blue' (1973) and 'Bon Voyage' (1974) for Mushroom Records before disbanding in May 1974. 'Out of the Blue' peaked at #19 on Go-Set's Australian Albums chart. In 1976 she joined raga rock band Kangaru who released the album 'Dreaming'. Cleis played on Richard Clapton's 'Good Bye Tiger' album of 1977 and toured with Richard. In the 80s she formed Summerhaze with Cathie O'Sullivan and released a folk album 'High Places'. Since the 80s she has toured and performed with Gyan and Michael Leunig, Yuval Ashkar, Dha, Coolangubra and many more. Cleis is one of the country's finest melodic improvisers and can keep an audience in raptures with her soaring virtuosity, tone, and facility on the violin and viola.

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VIKKI BROUGHTON

Vikki Broughton (born in 1954) was the first act to be signed for TV show Young Talent Time (YTT) by Kevin Lewis the original executive producer of the show and partner in the company with Johnny Young. Later he also produced several episodes on the Peter Couchman show also on channel 10 and Vikki was part of the pilot. After YTT she was managed by Duane d Zigliotto and had a very successful career in cabaret locally in Asia, Japan and Europe sharing the stage with international stars such as: Abba, Pink Ladies, Umberto Tozzi, Teresa Teng to name a few. Vikki married a successful Melbourne Barrister retired from her singing career.

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INGRID SPIELMAN

Ingrid Spielman was the pianist for Tactics who were one of the most celebrated acts on Australia's new wave scene during the 1970s and '80s, boasting an eclectic sound that ranged from angular pop and stripped-down psychedelia to fractured art rock. Ingrid played on the albums 'My Houdini', 'Glebe', 'The Bones Of Barry Harrison' and 'Early Shift at Charles de Gaulle'

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DEBORAH GRAY

Deborah Gray (born 1958) is a former Australian high fashion model and actress who is now best known as an internationally best selling author of non-fiction spell books and jazz singer. Gray was born in Canberra where as a teenager she won the Teen Model of the Year competition, after which she was picked up for a modelling contract with Viviens Management. She appeared on catwalks, leading fashion magazine covers and starred in TV commercials.

In 1977 at the age of 19, she branched out into acting and burst onto TV screens and into Australian TV history with her role on the television soap opera Number 96. After Number 96 she continued her acting career as a popular television and film actress, and was considered a leading sex symbol at the time. She played a continuing dramatic role in soap opera The Young Doctors, acted in a guest role in the police drama series Bellamy (1981), and was a regular co-host in an Australian Candid Camera style television series titled Catch Us If You Can. 

Gray started an all-girl cabaret act named Deborah Gray and the Flames (one of the flames was future Perfect Match hostess Debbie Newsome). Other musical forays at the time were the song ''Mellow Loving'', a top ten dance hit, ''Love Song of O'', and the European top 40 hit ''No Time to Lose'' which was released by the German Hansa Label/Coconut Records. By 1986 Gray, tired of the 'sex-symbol' actress tag and, alarmed at the local film industry's growing penchant for violent films, left acting altogether to pursue writing and music full-time. She moved to New York in 1986 to study jazz vocalization and songwriting. She lived there for nine years, performing in many of the known cabaret and jazz clubs (Maxims, Blue Note, Bradleys, The Supper Club, Tatous) and recording her first all original jazz CD 'Still Got A Thing' featuring trumpeter Roy Hargrove. 

As of 2007 Gray is based in Australia where she continues her jazz performing and recording and is an author, songwriter and producer. Her 'magickal' themed non-fiction books have been translated into 10 languages. Gray appeared in the FFC funded documentary hosted by American Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino titled Not Quite Hollywood, a film homage to the breakthrough days of Australian films of the 70’s and early 80’s.In 2018, there was renewed international interest from UK and European DJ’s in one of the album tracks ''Bikini'' and ARVO’s music was re-released internationally on vinyl along with a DJ remix and streaming through Strangelove Records.

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ASTRID SPIELMAN

Astrid Spielman was the lead singer of 70s post-punk band The Particles. They released a 7" EP entitled 'Colour-In' in 1979. Despite the obvious low budget nature of the recording, it was quickly included on radio stations playlists including Melbourne's 3RRR-fm as a pop classic. In fact, the band quickly gained a healthy following in Melbourne. Back home in Sydney, the band's following grew slowly but surely thanks to a weekly residency at the Sussex Hotel in the city where the band played three sets every Wednesday night. The Particles released two more EPs, 'Advanced Colouring' in 1981 and 'I Luv Trumpet' in 1982. By the time the band stopped working in 1985, they had played in front countless people, travelled countless miles and left behind a legion of fans. Astrid Spielman died 9th of March 2015. Her life was sadly cut too short by a brain aneurysm. She will be remembered as one of Australia’s most innovative frontwomen.

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SUE WYLIE

Sue Wylie was the lead singer of country rockband The Wylie-West Band which formed in Adelaide in the late 70s. The band appeared on TV several times most notably The Don Lane Show. They toured extensively and supported international performers including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker. In 1981 West End Brewery released a special edition beer can that included The Wylie-West Band at the Southern Country Festival Willomurra Stud, Kersbrook on the label. These days she is a trained secondary teacher. She also trained at NIDA and since her return to Adelaide has worked with The Rep in numerous productions, as well as appearances for St Judes, Therry, The Met and Mixed Salad.

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MARILYN HODGSON

Marilyn Hodgson was a singer with Paradiddle a traditional folk band that formed in 1978 out of Melbourne. She sang on their first album 'Wait Till The Word Gets Around' before departing for the UK where she spent 10 years learning classical singing, gaining her Licentiate Diploma in Performance from Trinity College London. Now known as Marilyn Benton she teaches singing and conducts a children's choir as well as working part time as a Primary School teacher.

KELLY SKINNER

Kelly Skinner was the flautist in the Smith's Gully Band. She remembers: I think it was 1977 or '78 when Phill Day and I joined Smith Gully.  I remember the first gig I did with the band. It was at the St Andrews pub. It was the first time I was going to be playing Irish tunes. I learned most music from the dots, and the idea of playing without them was pretty scary. During the gig, Keitho noticed I was a bit edgy. He said to me, "You've got no reason to be nervous. There's 200 people in here who can't do what you can, that's why they're here." and I thought, yeah, and who's going to notice if I get a note or two out of place? I can't say I totally relaxed, but it did put things in persepective. I loved being in the band. Marshall Webb was the dance caller when I first joined. He started me off on my dance calling career, and taught me a lot about dancing. When he left the band, the role of dance caller fell to me. I grabbed it with glee!

Born in Saugus, a small town not far from Boston USA, she learned to love folk music from records but mostly because of a live concert she went to which featured a solo performer called John Flagstaff. On the boat trip to Australia in 1964, Stan James entertained her with his songs and his guitar. At the age of 14 Skinner visited Frank Traynor's folk club and taught herself guitar. At the age of 16, she organised a school choir to sing folk songs. Skinner wrote simple harmonies and played very simple guitar. Somewhere in the mid-70s, she started performing in a folk music duet. She spent the next several years involved in playing bush bands. She currently lives in Newstead, a small town in Central Victoria and is the director Newstead Live Music Festival.

JANIE CONWAY

''In 1967, I started playing in folk clubs,'' Janie said. ''Many people don’t know I did that. I was born in Sydney and moved to Melbourne at about six years old and my extended family were all musical. My cousin was a folk singer on who played on Bandstand and inspired me to play guitar. The first time I plucked a guitar string, I fell in love with it and started pestering my parents for a guitar. I was taught to play classical guitar by Susan May – the daughter of the creator of Maton guitars. I learned by watching, practicing and memorising pieces and never learned to read the music. Then I was asked to be in folk groups at school - and I could sing moderately well - so it was a natural progression into the folk
world.''

Janie Myriad and her husband Carrl were a popular husband & wife duo on the Melbourne circuit in the early 70's who went on to form one of our first country/folk/rock bands, the self-named Myriad. They released one album 'Of All The Wounded People'. Carrl & Janie made several appearances on Happening '72 to promote the album when it was released. Some of the players in that band reads like a who's who of Oz rock & included several future members of The Sports including guitarists Andrew Pendlebury & Ed Bates & bassist Rob Glover. Other members of note include Mark Ferrie of The Models & now part of the RokWiz Orchestra, plus Chris Wilson who was in Buster Brown & has played with Broderick Smith for many years. For a long time the band held a residency at the famed Station Hotel in Prahran & even had three tracks appear on the 'Live At The Station' multi-artist album which came out in 1976.

By that time Carrl & Janie had separated and Janie reverted to her maiden name Janie Conway, helping to form, with Jane Clifton, another popular band of the late 1970's, Stiletto. In 1984 she released her debut album 'Temptation' on the Powderworks. Janie is also the sister of Mic & Jim Conway of Captain Matchbox/Backsliders fame. Quite a talented family indeed. After turning to study, Janie graduated with BA and Masters degrees from the University of Technology, Sydney and went on to gain her doctorate in Creative Writing from Western Sydney University. With that momentum, Janie spent the next fifteen years, teaching, mentoring students and coordinating the Creative Writing Program at Southern Cross University in the northern rivers area of NSW.

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MAYBELLINE BROADBENT

Maybelline Broadbent was the keyboard player for 70s/80s boogie and blues outfit The Cyril B Bunter Band. The Bunters would pack out venues to the brim before hitting the road on frequent national tours with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, Canned Heat and good mates George Thorogood & The Destroyers (which later saw George recording The Bunters ''Boogie People'' as the title track to his 1985 album with The Destroyers). Between 1977 and 1985, the band did roadshows all over the east coast of Australia. 

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PENNY WARD

Charismatic singer Penny Ward was the lead vocalist with the Shy Imposters. During the few short months, they were together, Shy Impostors recorded a handful of songs on eight track, one of which, ''At The Barrier'', was released on single by independent label Phantom Records, but only after the band had imploded during June 1980.

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DENISE ROSENBERG

Denise Rosenberg was a keyboard player with punk band Primitive Calculators in the late 70s. Denise, who often played with an expression of amused and mild confusion on her face let her instruments emit a series of complementary/contradictory sounds – harsh/pretty, atonal/melodic but never overdone, never indulgent. She played with complete economy.

Denise stated ''I was possibly the first Australian female synthesizer player, playing a Roland 101 Synth and electric keyboard with the Primitive Calculators from 1978 to 1980, then reforming in 2009 and I left the band in 2015, after hosting Rage in 2014 and touring China in 2015. I then wrote my very first song ''Women, Take Over The Planet'' when I turned 60 in 2018 and recorded nine songs under the name of Denise and Dave Sing, with my very old friend Dave Light, who was the bass player in the Primitive Calculators''. 

''I was in a few Little Bands, including Ronnie and the Rhythm Boys (one of the singers) in 1979 and bass player in Thrush and the Cunts in 1980 and in the Dogs in Space movie in 1986. All info above is on the website I have been doing for decades primitivecalculators.com. Cheers, Denise''

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ANGIE PEPPER

Angie Pepper born March 13, 1956, and was raised in Newcastle. Her first band was a folk group in high school when she was 12 years old. After high school she went to Art School and joined a blues band. After losing interest she moved to Sydney in January of '76. In 1978 Angie Pepper first came to notice as vocalist for the post punk independent Sydney band the Passengers, who produced one single "Face With No Name" on the Phantom label. She married Radio Birdman co-founder Deniz Tek, and they played together in the short-lived Angie Pepper Band whose ranks included a future Hoodoo Guru in Clyde Bramley and a former Saints drummer in Ivor Hay.

The band was short lived but in its time recorded a single called "Frozen World". Tracks that were recorded by the Passengers (in 1982) and the Angie Pepper Band (in 1984) were compiled on an LP and CD called 'It's Just that I Miss You' that was issued on Citadel Records in 2001. In 2003 Angie Pepper released 'Res Ipsa Loquitor' on Career Records, her first album of newly recorded material in years, which signals a powerful renaissance for this great singer. She has been described by Aretha Franklin's producer Arif Mardin as having a "most special voice".

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CLARE MOORE

Clare Moore began performing in 1974, playing drums at school and at Rock Mass, in Adelaide. One of her teachers in this time was the noted musician and nun Sister Janet Mead. The Moodists first recorded two singles and a 12" EP for Au Go Go Records in Melbourne. She went to the UK in October 1983 after being signed by Red Flame Records. She also toured extensively in Europe and the USA. The Moodists returned to Australia in 1985 after a short tour of the US to tour nationally opening for Public Image Ltd. The Moodists then returned to the UK and released a 12"single on Creation Records. With David McClymont - formerly of Postcard Records band Orange Juice - joining on bass, they released two further EPs on Tim records. The band lineup at their end in late 1986 was Clare Moore on drums, David McClymont on bass, Steve Miller on guitar and Dave Graney on vocals. 

In 1987, singer Dave Graney decided to pursue a solo career and, with Moore as his music director, formed Dave Graney and The Coral Snakes and recorded an EP for Fire Records produced by Barry Adamson before returning to Australia in late 1988. In Melbourne in the following five or six years they worked with Universal Records, for whom they recorded four albums, then continued independently with Dave Graney & the mistLY and also releasing albums and performing as Dave Graney and Clare Moore.

In 1994 Moore played drums and provided backing vocals on most of the tracks for former Go-Between Robert Forster's solo album 'I Had A New York Girlfriend' - a collection of cover versions. In 2024 the album was re-issued under a new title 'Beautiful Hearts'. Moore also played drums in Harry Howard and the NDE for three albums and the Routines. Moore released her debut solo album 'The Third Woman' in 2001.

In 2005, there was also the double album 'Hashish and Liquor' with Graney. Working with Graney, Moore co-wrote the soundtrack to the Tony Martin film Bad Eggs. Other soundtrack work includes various ABC documentaries, the short film Ray by Tony Mahony, and the features made by Donna McRae, Johnny Ghost and Lost Gully Road. In 2010, Moore worked on the Arts Centre project about Australian female musicians called Rock Chicks. In 2011, Clare Moore composed and recorded the theme for TV series A Quiet Word With .by Tony Martin.

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