Divinyls | |
|---|---|
 Divinyls in 1982 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | New wave,pub rock,pop rock |
| Years active | 1980–1996, 2006–2009 |
| Labels | Chrysalis,Virgin,RCA,WEA |
Divinyls (/dɪˈvaɪnəlz/) were an Australianrock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalistChrissy Amphlett and guitaristMark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uniform and fishnet stockings, and she often used an illuminated neon tube as a prop for displaying aggression towards both band members and the audience.[1][2]Originally a five-piece, the band underwent numerous line-up changes, with Amphlett and McEntee remaining as core members, before its dissolution in 1996.[2]
In May 2001, theAustralasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th-anniversary celebrations, named "Science Fiction" as one of theTop 30 Australian songs of all time.[3] The band was inducted into theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)Hall of Fame in 2006[4][5][6] and in late 2007 Amphlett and McEntee reconvened to record a new single and begin working on a new album.[7] The band played a short series of live gigs in Australia in late 2007 and early 2008. Divinyls broke up in 2009, and Amphlett died in 2013.
Divinyls released five studio albums—four placed in the Top 10 Australian chart, while one (Divinyls) reached No. 15 in the United States (US) and No. 33 for 3 weeks in Canada. Their biggest-selling single "I Touch Myself" (1990) achieved a No. 1 ranking in Australia, No. 4 in the United States, No. 10 in the United Kingdom (UK), and No. 13 in Canada.[1]
Amphlett was the first cousin of 1960s Australian pop iconPatricia "Little Pattie" Amphlett.[1][8] In her autobiographyPleasure and Pain (2005), Amphlett described breaking into the music scene from the age of fourteen, being arrested forbusking when seventeen and travelling in Spain, and how her performances drew upon childhood pain.[9]
Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee were introduced by Jeremy Paul (ex-Air Supply) in the car park of a small music venue inCollaroy, Sydney, after Amphlett and Paul had finished a gig with their then band, Batonrouge. Amphlett and McEntee met again at theSydney Opera House where Amphlett and Paul were singing in a choral concert in 1980.[1][9][10] They recruited keyboardist Bjarne Ohlin later in 1980 and drummer Richard Harvey in 1981, respectively,[11] and for almost two years they performed in pubs and clubs in Sydney'sKings Cross. During this time, Paul negotiated publishing and recording agreements that led to the band signing with WEA. Australian film director Ken Cameron saw Divinyls performing in a club. This led to them providing the soundtrack for his 1982 filmMonkey Grip and also gave Amphlett, Paul and McEntee supporting roles in the movie.[12] The group released two singles from the soundtrack,Music from Monkey GripEP,[13] "Boys in Town", which reached No. 8 on the national singles chart,[14] and "Only Lonely".[1] The band was the opening act at the1983 US Festival.
After the band's initial success, original manager and bassist Jeremy Paul left.[10] He was replaced on bass, briefly by Ken Firth (ex-The Ferrets) and more permanently byRick Grossman (ex-Matt Finish).[11] Grossman left in 1987 to replace Clyde Bramley inHoodoo Gurus.[15] By early 1988, Divinyls consisted of Amphlett and McEntee with augmentation by additional musicians when recording or touring.[1]
Over the decade Divinyls released four albums,Music from Monkey Grip EP onWEA in 1982,Desperate onChrysalis Records in 1983,What a Life! in 1985 andTemperamental in 1988.[11] The latter two albums were also released by Chrysalis in the United States.[11] They had hit singles in Australia with, "Science Fiction" No. 13 in 1983, "Good Die Young" No. 32 in 1984 and "Pleasure and Pain" which was written byHolly Knight andMike Chapman and went No. 11 in 1985.[14] Their later managerVince Lovegrove organised Divinyls' transfer from WEA to Chrysalis and their first tours of the United States.[1] They established a fan base there, without achieving major commercial success. Divinyls also had Australian hits withcover versions ofThe Easybeats' "I'll Make You Happy", andSyndicate of Sound's "Hey Little Boy" ("Hey Little Girl" with the gender switched) which reached No. 25 in 1988.[14] Amphlett became a controversial and highly visible celebrity for her brash, overtly sexual persona and subversive humour in lyrics, performances, and media interviews.[1][6][16][17]
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At the start of their popularity, Divinyls were considered to be ahard rock band. At some point, many fans referred to Amphlett as the femaleAngus Young (of AC/DC), as both had similar mannerisms on stage and wore school uniforms while performing in the early 1980s. Amphlett acknowledged Young's schoolboy outfit as the inspiration for her performing in a schoolgirl's uniform.[18] The band's image gradually changed after the release of the albumWhat a Life! when the band began wearing elaborate clothing and producing more songs in the pop music genre. By the time of the release of their albumTemperamental, Divinyls' image had changed to aglamour fashion style where they produced modern pop music.[citation needed]
In 1991, Divinyls releaseddiVINYLS onVirgin Records and the single "I Touch Myself" which became their only Australian No.1 single.[19] The song reached No. 4 in the United States and No. 10 in the United Kingdom. The majority of Divinyls' hits were co-written by Amphlett and McEntee,[1] but in this case they wrote withTom Kelly andBilly Steinberg.[20]diVINYLS reached No. 5 on the Australian album charts[14] and No. 15 onBillboard Top 200.[21] The drummer for thediVINYLS sessions wasCharley Drayton, who became romantically involved with Amphlett: they married in July 1999, and from 2000, lived together in New York. A disagreement with Virgin Records stifled future development outside Australia where they released popular albums and achieved two more top twenty singles with "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" No. 19 in 1992 and "I'm Jealous" No. 14 in 1995.[14] During the 1980s and 1990s Amphlett collaborated as a songwriter with other artists includingChrissie Hynde andCyndi Lauper, and both Amphlett and McEntee worked on solo projects.[1][10]
A live album,Divinyls Live, was released in 1991 but Divinyls did not provide another studio album for five years. In the early 1990s, they recorded a series of cover songs for various movie soundtracks, including theYoung Rascals' "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" forBuffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), the Wild Ones' "Wild Thing" forReckless Kelly (1993), andRoxy Music's "Love Is the Drug" forSuper Mario Brothers (1993).[1][22]
The song "I Touch Myself" caused such a controversy it had trouble getting airplay in many US-area markets; so much to the point that while performing their song live in Texas at Austin Aqua Fest 1991 the plug was pulled on the band mid-set by organisers.[citation needed]
It wasn't until 1996 that their fifth studio album,Underworld, was released in Australia byBMG.[11] Despite the success ofdiVINYLS, Virgin had not kept them under contract and BMG did not releaseUnderworld in the United States. As withWhat a Life!, they worked with three producers, beginning with Peter Collins recording "I'm Jealous" in Nashville, followed byKeith Forsey for "Sex Will Keep Us Together" and "Heart of Steel".[1][10] Although "Heart of Steel" was chosen as a single, Divinyls discontinued working with Forsey because according to Amphlett "he was a bit too 'pop' for us" and remaining tracks were produced by their drummer Drayton.[9] By the end of 1996, Amphlett and McEntee had a falling out and separated without formally disbanding Divinyls.[7]
FollowingUnderworld, Amphlett pursued a stage career. In 1998, she played the role ofJudy Garland in the Australian stage production of the life story of entertainerPeter Allen, titledThe Boy from Oz.[23] The production was a success and Amphlett's interpretation of Garland, during her final troubled years, brought her critical acclaim: she was nominated for theHelpmann Award for 'Best Female Actor in a Musical'.[24]
Amphlett and McEntee concentrated on solo projects and collaborations with other artists. Amphlett and Drayton lived in New York City from 2000, while McEntee ran a clothing label,Wheels and Doll Baby, inPerth with his partner, Melanie Greensmith.[25] In November 2005 Amphlett published her autobiographyPleasure and Pain: My Life co-written with Larry Writer;[9] she detailed her achievements, drug and alcohol abuse, love affairs and triumphs while a member of Divinyls.[26]
On 16 August 2006, Divinyls were inducted into theARIA Hall of Fame and made their first performance for 10 years at the award ceremony.[7] They reformed shortly afterwards and a compilation,Greatest Hits, was released byEMI Music Australia in August 2006. The band recorded four new songs via a satellite link: Amphlett and Drayton at Palm Studios inLas Vegas and McEntee inPerth. A single and B-side, "Don't Wanna Do This"/"Asphyxiated", was released in November 2007, with a third track, "All Pretty Things", released on a compilation album for the Homebake Festival. Amphlett stated that the band would return to the studio to record a full album provided they "survived" their Homebake headline gig and national tour.[27]
They performed during theAustralian Idol grand final at the Sydney Opera House, on 25 November 2007, although their performance of "Boys in Town" (also performed byIdol winnerNatalie Gauci) had to be repeated afterNetwork Ten's transmission feed was interrupted.[28] A national tour of Australia followed in December 2007 with a touring band featuring Drayton on drums, Jerome Smith on bass, Charlie Owen on guitar and newest memberClayton Doley on keyboards.[29] Amphlett revealed on 7 December 2007 that she hadmultiple sclerosis in an interview withRichard Wilkins onNetwork Nine'sA Current Affair—nevertheless, she was looking forward to touring with Divinyls.[30] The next day, Divinyls headlined theHomebake music festival[31] where Amphlett displayed an emotional fragility when attempting to get the crowd to sing along with her.[32] In August 2009, Amphlett announced that Divinyls were finished and she had a new band in New York.[33]
Aged 53 years, Amphlett died on 21 April 2013 at her home in New York City after a protracted battle with breast cancer since 2010. Amphlett stated that she had been unable to receive radiotherapy or chemotherapy as treatment for the cancer due to her multiple sclerosis.[34] Amphlett's cousinPatricia Thompson announced the news in an official public statement: "Our beloved Chrissy peacefully made her transition this morning. Christine Joy Amphlett succumbed to the effects of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, diseases she vigorously fought with exceptional bravery and dignity." In 2014, some of Australia's leading female artists came together to cover "I Touch Myself" to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer.[35][7][36]
In 2017, the band performed a one-off show in Perth withThe Preatures' Isabella Manfredi and Jack Moffit joining as guests on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, respectively. McEntee, Grossman and Harvey completed the line-up.[37]
In December 2018, McEntee announced he would be reforming the group with new singer Lauren Ruth Ward, ex-Divinyls guitarist Frank Infante and a new rhythm section for an Australian tour, to begin in 2019.[38] However, this announcement was criticised by Drayton and several fans as an "ultimate disrespect", with Drayton stating that anyone other than Amphlett who fronted the Divinyls should "seek some trustworthy advice".[39] On 6 February 2019, the Australian tour was cancelled.[40]
In early January 2021, former band drummer Warren McLean died.[41] Original drummer Richard Harvey died on 19 July 2022, his passing announced on social media by his bandmate fromThe Party Boys Paul Christie.[42]
Final line-up
Touring/substitute musicians
Studio albums:
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. They commenced in 1987. Divinyls were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.[48]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "I Touch Myself" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| 2006 | Divinyls | ARIA Hall of Fame | inductee |
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcasterABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazineTV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.[49]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Boys in Town" | Best Australian Single | Nominated |
| Best Debut Single | Nominated | ||
| Themselves | Best New Talent | Nominated | |
| 1982 | Monkey Grip | Best Debut Album | Nominated |
| Chrissy Amphlett (Divinyls) | Most Popular Female | Won | |
| 1983 | Desperate | Best Australian Album | Nominated |
| 1984 | Christina Amphlett – "In My Life" (Divinyls) | Best Female Performance in a Video | Nominated |
Originally beginning as an alternative to the Grammy Awards, theMTV Video Music Awards were established in the end of the summer of 1984 byMTV[50] to celebrate the top music videos of the year.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "I Touch Myself" | Video of the Year | Nominated | [51] |
| Best Group Video | Nominated | |||
| Viewer's Choice | Nominated |
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