Daddy Cool | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne,Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Australian rock,blues rock,doo-wop |
| Years active | 1970–1972, 1974–1975, 2005–present |
| Labels | Sparmac, Wizard Reprise Sony /BMG Liberation |
| Spinoff of | Sons of the Vegetal Mother |
| Members | Ross Wilson Gary Young |
| Past members | Jeremy Noone Gunther Gorman Wayne Burt Ross Hannaford (deceased) Wayne Duncan (deceased) Ian Winter (deceased) |
| Website | http://www.daddycool.com.au/ |
Daddy Cool is anAustralian rock band formed inMelbourne,Victoria, in 1970 with the original line-up ofWayne Duncan (bass guitar, vocals),Ross Hannaford (lead guitar, bass, vocals),Ross Wilson (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica) andGary Young (drums, vocals).[1][2] Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971[1][3] and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks.[4][5][6] Their debut, July 1971'sLPDaddy Who? Daddy Cool, also reached number 1 and became the first Australian album to sell more than 100,000 copies.[1][5][7] Sources have stated that the group's name came from the 1957 song "Daddy Cool" by US rock groupthe Rays,[1] although Wilson has denied this. Daddy Cool included their version of this song onDaddy Who? Daddy Cool.[8][deprecated source]
Daddy Cool's music was originally largely 1950sdoo-wop-style cover versions and originals mostly written by Wilson.[1][3][5] On stage they provided a danceable sound which was accessible and fun.[1] Their second album,Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven from January 1972, also reached the top ten.[4] Breaking up in August 1972, Daddy Cool briefly reformed during 1974–1975 before disbanding again. They reformed with the band's original line-up in 2005.[1][3][5] They were inducted into theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)Hall of Fame on 16 August 2006.[5] At theMusic Victoria Awards of 2014, Daddy Cool was also inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame.[9]
Ross Hannaford (guitar, bass, vocals) andRoss Wilson (guitar, vocals, harmonica) formed pop / R&B Melbourne-based groupThe Pink Finks in 1964 while they were still attending high school in the south easternMelbourne suburb ofBeaumaris, Victoria; they later attended the senior campus ofSandringham College.[10] They recorded a version ofRichard Berry's "Louie Louie" in 1965 which led to arecording contract and three more singles.[10] In 1967 they formed The Party Machine, which had a more radical sound (influenced byFrank Zappa andHowlin' Wolf), the band now includingMike Rudd (later inSpectrum) on bass guitar.[11] They released a single "You've All Gotta Go" in 1969; their printed songbooks were confiscated and burned by the Victorian Vice Squad for being obscene and seditious.[11][12] Wilson disbanded The Party Machine in 1969 after receiving an invitation to travel to London to join expatriate Australian bandProcession.[3] After they releasedProcession onFestival Records[2] Wilson returned to Australia.[3]
Wayne Duncan (bass, vocals) andGary Young (drums, vocals) had been therhythm section of many bands, particularly instrumental groups, since the 1950s.[1][13] One of these was The Rondells, who were also the backing band forBobby & Laurie a popular singing duo (with number-one hit single "Hitch Hiker" in 1966).[13]
Young and Wilson met in 1969 whilst working in a book warehouse. Each had previous bandmates who were interested in forming a new group.[13] Wilson, Hannaford, Young and Duncan formedSons of the Vegetal Mother later that year,[3] a group with an experimentalprogressive rock sound.[1][11] Other members included: Rudd (bass), Trevor Griffin (piano), Jeremy Kellock (Jeremy Noone) (tenor sax), Tim Partridge (bass), Ian Wallace (alto sax), Simon Wettenhall (trumpet) and Bruce Woodcock (tenor sax).[14]
Four of Sons of the Vegetal Mother's members (Duncan, Hannaford, Wilson and Young) formed Daddy Cool in 1970.[1][13] All shared a love of 1950s music and initially played covers of songs from their record collections.[1][13] One of these was "Daddy Cool" (written byBob Crewe andFrank Slay)[15] performed in 1957 by USdoo-wop bandthe Rays as the B-side to their single "Silhouettes",[16] however Ross Wilson has stated that the band was named before he had heard the song.[17] Daddy Cool became a popular live fixture inMelbourne.[13] Their early 1971 appearance at theMyponga Festival inSouth Australia upstaged their parent group, Sons of the Vegetal Mother, which subsequently dissolved.[1]
One-time child guitar prodigyRobie Porter (formerly known as Rob EG), had recently returned to Australia and established himself as record producer, purchasing a share of Melbourne independent labelSparmac Records. He saw the band's performance at a 7 May 1971 gig in Melbourne and immediately signed them to his label.[1][3] Sparmac also released Healing Force's "Golden Miles" andRick Springfield's "Speak to the Sky".[18] The single "Eagle Rock" was released before the end of May and quickly went to number 1 on the Australian charts, where it stayed for a then-record ten weeks.[4][19] The track written by Wilson,[15] produced by Porter,[5] was, ironically, replaced at No. 1 by a novelty version of a song from Daddy Cool's own set list—the single "Daddy Cool", performed inChipmunks style by the studio band Drummond.[4][20] Drummond (akaMississippi),[20] which includedGraeham Goble (later inLittle River Band), had performed it in tribute to Daddy Cool.[21] "Eagle Rock" was named the second-best Australian song of all time at the 2001APRA Awards with the best being "Friday on My Mind" by 1960s groupthe Easybeats.[22]
Daddy Cool's debut album,Daddy Who? Daddy Cool, sold an unprecedented 60,000 copies within a month of its release in July 1971, and became the first Australian album to sell more than 100,000 copies.[5][7] According to Wilson, the sales required for a gold album in Australia in the early 1970s had been 10,000 copies and was altered to 15,000 and then 20,000.[23] The band toured Australia withSpectrum (led by former bandmateMike Rudd) on the Aquarius Tour.[11] Their second single "Come Back Again", also written by Wilson,[15] was released in September 1971 and reached number 3.[4] Also in September,Jeremy Kellock (aka Jeremy/Jerry Noone) (saxophone, keyboards (ex-Sons of the Vegetal Mother,Company Caine) joined the touring lineup of the band (he had played sax onDaddy Who? Daddy Cool). The album, produced by Porter, who also provided piano and steel guitar, was released in the US.[1][3] The band toured there in August 1971 but had little chart or radio success,[1][3][7] although their performances were well received.
In November,Daddy Cool akaD.C.E.P., a five-trackEP was released and reached number 12.[4] Each group member sang a track, the most widely played being "Lollipop" with vocals by Wilson.[1] An edited version of the song "Hi Honey Ho", their third single, written by Wilson,[15] was released in December and reached number 16.[4] The full 6:48 studio cut of the song was released on a rare promotional single.
Wilson experimented with his song writing onSex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven, Daddy Cool's second album. Produced by Porter again, it was released on Sparmac Records in December 1971 and incorporated more progressive material similar to Sons of the Vegetal Mother's music.[1] Two of the tracks were 1950s covers "Baby Let Me Bang Your Box" and "Sixty Minute Man", which together with the album title provoked concern in the media.[1] It reached No. 15 on the national albums chart,[4] and was released in US asTeenage Heaven.[1] At about this time, the group were filmed by director / producer Bob Weis for a 37-minute documentary,Daddy Cool released in 1973.[24] The documentary includes interviews with, and performances by, the Duncan, Hannaford, Noone, Wilson and Young line-up.[24] It also includes a song fromPat Wilson, at that time Ross Wilson's wife.
By February 1972, Noone had left, feeling that he was not fully involved in the spirit of the group. He was replaced in March by Ian "Willy" Winter (ex-Carson) onrhythm guitar who was recruited to enable Ross Wilson to concentrate on singing. The band undertook a third US tour from March–June 1972 and recorded several tracks including "Teenage Blues", "At the Rockhouse" and "Rock'n'Roll Lady" atWarner Bros. studios in L.A.[1] "I'll Never Smile Again" was released in July and reached No. 16, but by this time tensions were growing within the band and Wilson in particular was tiring of the difficulty of presenting the more progressive material he wanted to perform within the confines of the group's entrenched "good time" image. They announced their break-up soon after their return from the US and performed their last gig at theMuch More Ballroom on 13 August 1972.[1] The entire concert was recorded and released as the double-albumDaddy Cool Live! The Last Drive-In Movie Show, issued on Porter's new label,Wizard Records in September 1973[1] and reached number 34.[4]
When asked why Daddy Cool first broke up, Wilson responded with:
It was my doing. We went over to the States three times, and even though people loved us, I felt like it wastaking coals to Newcastle, you know, singing doo-wop. So I'm looking around America going, 'Gee, if I brought a contemporary band over here, maybe we could really kill.'[7]
— Ross Wilson, 2005
Ian Winter returned to Carson, they producedBlown in 1972 and disbanded beforeOn the Air was released in 1973.[25] In 1977, he rejoined Wilson inMondo Rock.[2] Duncan and Young formed their ownboogie band, Gary Young's Hot Dog in September 1972, they released two singles in 1973 "Rock-a-Billy Beating Boogie Band" and "The Saga of the Three Little Pigs".[26][deprecated source] Hannaford and Wilson, who were constrained by the Daddy Cool image, formedMighty Kong in May 1973 to play more serious music,[13] and released the albumAll I Wanna Do Is Rock before disbanding in December.[1]
BothMighty Kong and Gary Young's Hot Dog had disbanded, and by early 1974 a reformed Daddy Cool (Duncan, Hannaford, Wilson and Young) played at theSunbury Pop Festival which included a fledglingSkyhooks and UK bandQueen – the latter two were both booed off stage.[27] In June / July, Wilson took time off from Daddy Cool to produce the recording of Skyhooks' debut albumLiving in the Seventies forMushroom Records.[1][28] Besides compilations, Daddy Cool provided three new singles: "All I Wanna Do Is Rock (part 1)", "The Boogie Man" and "You Never Can Tell" released in 1974 on Wizard Records.[1] After they performed at the last Sunbury Pop Festival in 1975, Gunther Gorman joined on guitar.[2] When Duncan was injured in a car accident, Hannaford switched to bass and guitarist Wayne Burt (later ofJo Jo Zep) was brought in.[1] By September 1975 the band played their final show inPrahran's Reefer Cabaret.[13]
Wilson continued as a record producer on two more albums for Skyhooks, three albums for Jo Jo Zep and for other artists; he also performed as a founding member ofMondo Rock (1977–1991) and as a solo artist.[28] Wilson was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame as an individual in 1989.[29] Since 2006 he has been a regular judge onSeven Network's celebrity singing TV seriesIt Takes Two. His solo 1989 song "Bed of Nails" was used as the theme for ABC-TV six-part seriesBed of Roses starringKerry Armstrong and broadcast from 10 May 2008.[30]
Hannaford played in other bands and was a session guitarist including work for: Ross Hannaford Trio,The Black Sorrows,Ian Moss andGoanna.[1][2] Young performed and recorded with numerous other bands including:Jo Jo Zep (1976–1981), The Rockin' Emus (1982),Cold Chisel (1983) and The Black Sorrows (1984–1985).[2] His work for Jo Jo Zep provided Young with his second ARIA Hall of Fame induction in 2007.[29] Duncan was also asession musician for various artists:Jane Clifton, The Black Sorrows and Ross Hannaford Trio.[2]
Daddy Cool briefly reformed to supportSkyhooks in a proposed 1994 stadium tour.[7][13] Together, they released a four track CD-single with two new tracks "$64,000 Question" and "The Ballad of Oz" by Daddy Cool, combined with "Happy Hippy Hut" and "You Just Like Me 'Cos I'm Good in Bed" by Skyhooks.[2] The reformation collapsed when the single stalled at number 35 on theARIA Charts and the tour was downgraded to the pub circuit.[7][13]
The band reformed in February 2005 to play at a 27 February 2005 benefit concert for victims of the2004 tsunami at theMyer Music Bowl inMelbourne.[7][13][31] A new Daddy Cool recording, "The Christmas Bug", was released for charity.[32]
In 2006 Aztec Music releasedThe Complete Daddy Cool, a double DVD collection, featuring the complete video of the 2005 Tsunami Benefit performance and a 90-minute documentary on the band. The set also featuresBob Weis' 1972 documentary, a "Making Of ..." feature on Weis' film, a 13-minute feature "Hanna on Lead", and nearly 50 minutes of film clips and TV appearances. A new Daddy Cool album,The New Cool was released in 2006 onLiberation Records. This was their first album of new material since 1972; it also included the songs recorded in 1994 as part of the ill-fated DC / Skyhooks dual tour.[2]
There have been subsequent reformation performances, including headlining the 2007Moomba Festival[33] and supporting the 2007 Australian tour byMike Love'sBeach Boys andChristopher Cross.[34] Daddy Cool also played a one-off performance inGeelong on 31 October 2007,[35] sharing the stage with former touring partners,Spectrum for the first time in over thirty years.
On 19 November 2014, the original band reformed for what became the final time with Daddy Cool inducted into theMusic Victoria Awards Hall of Fame.[36] The band performed a greatest hits setlist, including "Cherry Pie", 'Come Back Again', 'Eagle Rock' and 'Hi Honey Ho' amongst others at the sold-out awards night show. Wilson stated that this was the first time in over 30 years they had played those early hits.
Ross Wilson said of the award: "Daddy Cool first met, played, recorded and worked together in Melbourne and since those early days we’ve been inducted into the industry hall of fame in Australia. As "hometown heroes", The Age Music Victoria Hall of Fame means that little bit more because it's a cultural award, not a commercial one".
Guitarist Ross Hannaford died on 8 March 2016 aged 65 from cancer; he had been diagnosed with the condition a year earlier.[37][38]
Bassist Wayne Duncan died on 4 December 2016, following a stroke.[39]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [4] | |||
| Daddy Who? Daddy Cool |
| 1 | |
| Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven |
| 15 | |
| The New Cool |
| — |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [4] | ||
| Daddy Cool Live! The Last Drive-In Movie Show |
| 34 |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales/Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [4] | |||
| The Best of Daddy Cool |
| — | |
| Daddy Cool's Golden Hits |
| 9 | |
| The Daddy Cool Story |
| — | |
| Daddy Cool's Greatest Hits |
| 52 | |
| The Missing Masters |
| — | |
| Daddy's Coolest – The 20 Greatest Hits of Daddy Cool |
| 5 |
|
| Daddy's Coolest Vol. 2 |
| — | |
| The Daddy Cool Coolection |
| — | |
| Totally Cool /The Essential Daddy Cool |
| — | |
| That's Cool – The Ultimate Collection |
| — |
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [4][43] | ||
| D.C.E.P. |
| 12 |
| The D.C. Hits E.P. |
| — |
| The D.C. Hits E.P. |
| 78 |
| The 1992 Mixes |
| 104 |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [4] | |||
| 1971 | "Eagle Rock" / "Bom Bom" | 1 | Daddy Who? |
| "Come Back Again" / "Just as Long as We're Together" | 3 | ||
| "Hi Honey Ho" / "Don't Ever Leave Me" | 16 | Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven | |
| 1972 | "Teenage Blues" / "At the Rockhouse" | 83 | Golden Hits |
| "I'll Never Smile Again" / "Daddy Rocks Off" | 16 | ||
| "Rock 'n' Roll Lady" / "Cadillacin'" | 41 | ||
| 1973 | "Flash in My Head" / "Little Darlin'" / "Boy You're Paranoid" | — | Non-album singles |
| "Duke of Earl" / "Jambalaya" | — | ||
| 1974 | "All I Wanna Do Is Rock (part 1)" / "All I Wanna Do Is Rock (part 2)" | — | |
| "The Boogie Man" / "I Was a Teenage Creature" | — | ||
| "You Never Can Tell" / "All I Wanna Do Is Rock" | — | ||
| 1981 | "Eagle Rock" (live) / "Cadillacin'" (live) | 17 | |
| 1982 | "Come Back Again" (short vers.) / "Come Back Again" (long vers.) | — | |
| 1989 | "Eagle Rock" / "Come Back Again" | — | |
| 1994 | "The Ballad of Oz" / "Happy Hippy Hut"(bySkyhooks) | 36 | |
| 2005 | "The Christmas Bug" | — | |
| 2006 | "You Can't Have Everything" | — | The New Cool |
| 2007 | "They Built the Ute" | — |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. They commenced in 1987. Daddy Cool were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.[44]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Daddy Cool | ARIA Hall of Fame | inductee |
The Go-Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper,Go-Set and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.[45]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | themselves | Best Group | 1st |
| "Eagle Rock" | Best Australian Single | 2nd | |
| Gary Young (Daddy Cool) | Best Drummer | 3rd | |
| 1972 | themselves | Best Group | 5th |
The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers ofTV Week. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.[45]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | themselves | Best Group | Won |
| Gary Young (Daddy Cool) | Best Drummer | Won |
TheMusic Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Daddy Cool | Hall of Fame | inductee | [46][47] |
| National | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
