Rockmelons | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Rockies |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Pop,electronic,R&B |
| Years active | 1983–2002 |
| Labels | Phantom,Festival,True Tone,Mushroom |
| Past members | Raymond Medhurst Bryon Jones Jonathon Jones |
Rockmelons, often referred to as theRockies, were an Australianpop/dance/R&B group formed in 1983 inSydney.[1] Primary members are Bryon Jones, his brother Jonathon Jones and Raymond Medhurst.[1][2] They had two Australian top five hit singles in the early 1990s with "Ain't No Sunshine" and "That Word (L.O.V.E.)",[3] both sung byDeni Hines.[1] The associated album,Form 1 Planet, peaked at number 3 on theARIA albums chart in 1992,[3] and was certified platinum in Australia.[4]
The group concept was formed in 1983 at a warehouse party inSydney when Raymond Medhurst (keyboards)[2] wanted a band to perform for a private party.[5] He contacted the Jones brothers Bryon (keyboards,bass guitar,backing vocals)[2] and Jonathon (keyboards,guitar,drums)[2] and Medhurst's schoolmate, Vincent Dale (keyboards)[2] to join.[1][5]
Sandi Chick (lead vocals) and Peter Kennard (guitar,percussion) entered in late 1983 and were followed closely by Geoffrey Stapleton (keyboards, guitar, percussion) (later inGANGgajang) in early 1984.[1][2] Stapleton had worked with the Jones brothers when they were in Les Ukeleles and No Heavy Lifting by recording their songs.[6] VocalistsPeter Blakeley and John Kenny (known to Stapleton in Adelaide) were brought in and with Stephen Allkins (operated turntables at gigs) made them a ten-piece.[1][2]
The group's first single, "Time Out (For Serious Fun)", was released on Phantom Records on 4 February 1985 with lead vocals by Chick. A second single, "Sweat It Out" was released in September of the same year with vocals by Blakeley. Chick and Stapleton left that year.
1987 saw the arrival of Mary Azzopardi (backing vocals) andWendy Matthews (vocals). The pattern of using different vocalists continued during the recording of their debut album. In June 1987, the group released "Rhymes", a cover of a 1974 song byAl Green with vocals by John Kenny. In November 1987, the group released "New Groove", which was followed by "What's It Gonna Be" in February 1988. All three singles peaked inside the Australian top 50. The albumTales of the City was released in May 1988 and peaked at number 9 on the Australian charts. Three further singles were released from the album in 1988.
At theARIA Music Awards of 1989, Rockmelons shared theARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Album with1927's album...ish.[7] The album peaked at number 6 on the Australian charts.[3][8]
By 1990 the Rockmelons were down to Medhurst and the Jones brothers after all others including founding member Dale had left.[1]
In 1991, Rockmelons recruited vocalistDeni Hines and recorded their cover ofBill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine", which reached number 5 in Australia in January 1992,[3] and was certified gold.[4] Their follow-up single "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" (written by B. Jones, J. Jones, Medhurst and Robin Smith)[9] reached number 4 in Australia,[3] and was also certified gold.[4] By 1992, Doug Williams had joined as a vocalist whilst Hines left to have success as a solo artist, with the "It's Alright" single (1995) peaking at #4 in Australia.[10] Rockmelons were nominated for ARIA Album of the Year award in 1993 forForm 1 Planet,[7] which peaked at number 3 in Australia in August 1992[3] and was certified platinum by ARIA.[4]
Rockmelons' third album,Rockies 3 was released in October 2002. Rockmelons used eight different vocalists on the album.[8] TheJeremy Gregory lead single "All I Want Is You" was nominated for 2003APRA Most Performed Dance Work.[11] Other vocalist were:Roxane LeBrasse, Darren Paul, Doug Williams, Emma Morton, Sydney Bouchaniche, and Evelyn Rubuen.[12]
Collectively, the trio of Medhurst, B. Jones and J. Jones (as Rockmelons) have produced (or co-produced):Time of Our Lives forMarcia Hines,[2] "Hook Me Up" and "Let it Whip" forCDB,[13]No Commandments for Kaylan, and two tracks forDisco Montego forDisco Montego (aka Kaylan).[13] The Rockmelons have also produced music forSophie Monk.
Bryon Jones, also known as Bry Jones, has worked as a producer for artists, especiallyAustralian Idol contestants includingGuy Sebastian,Shannon Noll,Anthony Callea,Casey Donovan,Jessica Mauboy,Damien Leith,Kate DeAraugo,Stan Walker, andWes Carr. He has also producedThe Voice artistsRachael Leahcar,Harrison Craig, andFatai; andThe X Factor artist Jason Owen. Bryon also produced the music and soundtrack for the Australian movieThe Sapphires, featuring Jessica Mauboy.[13]
Jonathon Jones remixed "Love & Glory" forTina Harrod.[13]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [3][14] | NZ [15] | |||
| Tales of the City | 6 | — | ||
| Form 1 Planet |
| 3 | 14 | |
| Rockies 3 |
| 208 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Serious Fun: Tales of the Rockmelons (1985–2002) |
|
| Year | Title | Lead vocalist | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [3][14] | NZ [15] | UK [17] | ||||
| 1985 | "Time Out (For Serious Fun)" | Sandi Chick | 81 | — | — | Singles only |
| "Sweat It Out" | Peter Blakeley | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Rhymes" | John Kenny | 26 | — | — | Tales of the City |
| "New Groove" | 21 | — | — | |||
| 1988 | "What's It Gonna Be" | 41 | — | — | ||
| "Thief"/"Boogietron" | 81 | — | — | |||
| "Jump" (As Rockmelons featuringWendy Matthews) | Wendy Matthews | 78 | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "Ain't No Sunshine" (As Rockmelons featuringDeni Hines) | Deni Hines | 5 | 8 | — | Form 1 Planet |
| 1992 | "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" (As Rockmelons featuring Deni Hines) | 4 | 5 | 90 | ||
| "It's Not Over" (As Rockmelons featuring Deni Hines) | 15 | 17 | — | |||
| 1993 | "Form One Planet (Power to the People)" (As Rockmelons featuring Eric Sebastian) | Eric Sebastian | 73 | — | — | |
| 1994 | "Stronger Together" | Doug Williams | 96 | — | 80 | |
| "Love's Gonna Bring You Home" (As Rockmelons featuring Doug Williams) | promo | promo | — | |||
| 2002 | "All I Want Is You" (As Rockmelons featuring Jeremy) | Jeremy Gregory | 41 | — | — | Rockies 3 |
| "I Ain't Playin'" (As Rockmelons featuring Roxane) | Roxane LeBrasse | 79 | — | — | ||
| "Police Woman 2002" (with Groove Quantize) | N/A | promo | promo | — | Variations to a Theme | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
TheAPRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by theAustralasian Performing Right Association (APRA).
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | All I Want Is You" (Bryon Jones, Jonathan Jones, Raymond Medhurst, Daniel Dharumasena, Andrew De Silva, Paul Cecchinelli) | Most Performed Dance Work[18] | Nominated |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music.[19]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Tales of the City | Breakthrough Artist – Album | Won |
| 1995 | "Stronger Together" | Best Dance Release | Nominated |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
