Artists
Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes is the heart and the soul of Australian rock and roll. His nickname, “Barnesy”, conjures up thoughts of rock music at an ear-splitting volume, and of soul standards given a unique reading. Jimmy has been through it all, and literally lived to tell the tales. He has sold more records in Australia than any other local rock & roll artist. He has enjoyed eighteen #1 albums here – more than The Beatles - and for over 40 years he has delivered some of our most intense and iconic live performances. He is truly in a league of his own.
Flesh And Blood, Jimmy’s twentieth studio album, was released in July 2021 and debuted at #1.
Born out of the literally hundreds of live-at-home performances that comforted many during the isolation that was 2020, the ten brand new recordings on Flesh And Blood feature multiple contributions from Jimmy’s extended family including his son Jackie on drums, his daughters Mahalia, Eliza-Jane and Elly-May all contributing vocals, as does Jackie and granddaughter, Tyra Harrison. His son-in-law, Ben Rodgers, engineered the album, played bass and collaborated with Jimmy’s nephew, renowned photographer Jesse Lizotte, on the album cover, plus he and Jane also duet together on the American classic Love Hurts.
Mondo Rock
For more than a dozen years Mondo Rock dispensed punchy, craftily professional, adult pop-rock. Between 1977 and 1991 the Australian charts were enriched and enlivened by their sleek and proficient offerings.
The first Mondo Rock came together in February 1977, the band’s first single ‘The Fugitive Kind’ made top thirty nationally – the first of 17 Mondo Rock hits. Three more singles were released, the album Primal Park making top forty. After line-up changes, Mondo Rock took a break at the beginning of 1980.
A man of determined nature, Ross Wilson was back within three months with a new band, a new record deal and very much a new sound. Standing alongside him was the guitarist from the band Matchbox, one Eric McCusker, a songwriter of skill and focus with James Black on keyboards, Paul Christie on bass and J.J. Hackett on drums – the definitive Mondo Rock formation – the band was one of the most popular in Australia; a powerful draw card on the national touring circuit.
Jon Stevens
After 40 years in the entertainment industry Jon Stevens has truly cemented his place as Aussie rock royalty...
Best known as lead singer of 80's juggernaut Noiseworks, then later fronting INXS in the early 2000's, Jon has also had huge success as a solo artist with his powerhouse vocals and electrifying live shows.
Jon's career has gone from strength-to-strength since his debut consecutive #1 singles ‘Montego Bay’ & ‘Jezebel’ in his homeland of New Zealand. Then onto Platinum record success in Australia with the Noiseworks hits ‘Take Me Back’, ‘Touch’ & ‘Hot Chilli Woman’.
Diesel
Born in Fall River Massachusetts, the youngest of seven from a sax playing electronics technician father and a mother in nursing, Mark Lizotte aka DIESEL grew up in Australia and in the U.S. He formed the band ‘Johnny Diesel & The Injectors’ in 1986 from remnants of a previous band before embarking on a solo career in 1991.
In 2017 Diesel celebrated 30 years “off the bus” landing in Sydney in 1987 after a 3-day bus journey across Australia, launching into 9 shows per week - the rest is history. With over thirty five singles, sixteen albums, 6 ARIA awards and record sales edging 1 million, DIESEL is a journeyman of music.
With blues music in his DNA, an influence largely from his Father’s record collection, DIESEL has blended styles to come up with a truly unique sound, punctuated with his distinct guitar playing and vocals.
Vanessa Amorosi
This far into her stellar career, Vanessa Amorosi remains one of the most exciting singers on the planet. Her song-writing and dynamic vocal range have seen the artist sell over two million records worldwide. She has released 6 commercially and critically acclaimed studio albums, received sixteen ARIA and APRA nominations, and stopped the world in it's tracks with her performance of ‘Heroes Live Forever’ and ‘Absolutely Everybody’ at the Sydney Olympics.
Vanessa reached incredible success in 1999 with her debut single ‘Have A Look’ followed by mega-hits in Australia and Europe with ‘Absolutely Everybody’ and ‘Shine’. Her debut album ‘The Power’ reached #1 in Australia, #7 in the United Kingdom, #1 in Hungary and the top 10 in several European countries. In 2008 Vanessa returned with her third album ’Somewhere In The Real World’. Radio smash-hit ‘Perfect’ became the most played song by an Australian artist in 2008.
2009 saw the release of Vanessa’s most successful album so far, the platinum selling ‘Hazardous’. The first single to be released, ‘This Is Who I Am’ debuted at #1 on the ARIA singles chart and achieved Double Platinum sales. In 2019 Vanessa released her 5th studio album ‘Back To Love’ followed by an Australian solo tour and successful festival tours. In March 2020, Vanessa released her first single 'Coming Down Off You’ from her album titled 'The Blacklisted Collection'.
1927
Way before Australian Idol and The Voice existed, a wily kid named Eric Weideman was talent-spotted after a scorching performance on Red Faces for Hey Hey It’s Saturday! Weideman teamed up with former Moving Pictures songwriter Garry Frost, his brother Bill Frost and James Barton to form 1927.
They gigged until they were tight then landed a hit with smoky, rocking chugger That’s When I Think of You. It was the first single taken from debut album …ish (1989), followed by yearning power ballad If I Could, a song that still blindsides you with its vulnerability. They weren’t done, releasing You’ll Never Know and Compulsory Hero, all from …ish which topped the album charts and helped the band win at the 1989 ARIA Awards for Breakthrough Single and Breakthrough Album.
Next came The Other Side (1990) which went to number three on the ARIA Album charts backed by soaring pop hit Tell Me a Story. 1927 disbanded and things went quiet but the music remained until 2009 when there was a demand for 1927, people wanted to hear 1927 play those jams live. The demographic of 1927 has changed and developed. The songs have managed to reach a new generation of music fans – punters who know greatness when they hear it.
