Air Supply is an Australian
soft rockSoft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
duo, consisting of
Graham RussellGraham Cyrill Russell is a British musician and, with Russell Hitchcock, is one of the mainstays of soft rock group Air Supply which formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1975 and had top ten hits nationally and in United States.He released The Future, his 10-track, debut solo album...
as guitarist and singer-songwriter and
Russell HitchcockRussell Charles Hitchcock is an Australian musician and one half of the group Air Supply. He formed the group after meeting Englishman Graham Russell in 1975 on the set of a production of Jesus Christ Superstar....
as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s. They formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1975 and have included various accompanying musicians and singers.
Formation and early years: 1975–79
Chrissie Hammond, Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell met in May 1975 while performing in the Australian production of the
Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
and
Tim RiceSir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
musical,
Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
. With Hammond and Hitchcock on vocals and Russell on guitar, they formed a harmony vocal group in Melbourne, while the show was still playing. Hammond left the vocal group to form
CheetahCheetah were an Australian rock band active between 1977 and 1982. The main members and vocalists were sisters Chrissie Hammond and Lyndsay Hammond . They had been session vocalists for many Australian artists including Jo Jo Zep, Jon English, Marc Hunter, Flash and the Pan and as a vocal duo...
and was replaced by Jeremy Paul (ex-Soffrok and later Divinyls) on bass guitar and vocals in 1976. Together, Hitchcock, Russell and Paul formed Air Supply. The group's first single, "Love and Other Bruises", peaked at No. 6 on the Australian
Kent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart in January 1977. It was followed by
Air Supply, their debut album, in December, which reached No. 17 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart and achieved gold in Australia. The album was produced by
Peter DawkinsPeter Dawkins is a New Zealand-born record producer and musician, best known for his hit 1970s productions for Australian-based pop artists, including Dragon, Australian Crawl and Air Supply. He has won multiple production awards, including the Countdown Producer of the Year...
(
SpectrumSpectrum is an Australian progressive rock band that formed in Melbourne in 1969 and, in its original period, remained in existence until 1973. Its members also performed under the alter-ego Indelible Murtceps...
,
Ross RyanRoss Ryan is an Australian singer-songwriter and producer who is best known for his signature tune "I Am Pegasus" .-Early years:Ross Ryan was born December 13, 1950 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. The family moved to Albany, Western Australia in 1959...
) with Air Supply line-up as Hitchcock, Paul, Russell and drummer Jeff Browne, guitarist
Mark McEnteeMark McEntee is an Australian musician, he was the guitarist for the rock band Divinyls. In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction", written by lead singer Christina Amphlett and McEntee, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time...
and keyboardist, arranger Adrien Scott. Other singles were "If You Knew Me", "Empty Pages" and "Feel the Breeze" but none reached the Top 40. A national tour followed with Hitchcock, Paul, Russell and Scott joined by Nigel Macara (ex-
Tamam ShudTamam Shud were an Australian psychedelic and progressive rock band, formed in Sydney in 1967, which released two albums, Evolution and Goolutionites and the Real People before disbanding in 1972...
,
ArielAriel was an Australian progressive rock band based around the duo Mike Rudd and Bill Putt, who formed the band in 1973 after the breakup of their previous group Spectrum . The original Ariel line-up was Rudd , Putt , Tim Gaze , Nigel Macara and John Mills...
) on drums and Brenton White (Skintight) on guitar.
Their second album,
The Whole Thing's Started, also produced by Dawkins, was released in July 1977 with White replaced on lead guitar by
Rex GohRex Goh is a rock guitarist. In 1972, he moved to Australia, settling down in Sydney. He has toured and recorded with many famous artists including Air Supply, Savage Garden, Randy Crawford, Tom Jones and Daryl Braithwaite...
. The album spawned the singles "Do What You Do" (June), "That's How the Whole Thing Started" (October) and "Do It Again" (February 1978) but neither album nor singles charted into the Top 40. From late 1977, the group supported
Rod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
during his tour of Australia—he invited them to continue on to the United States and Canada. Their third album,
Love & Other BruisesLove & Other Bruises is the third studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply. The album met modest success in Australia, with the single "Love and Other Bruises" reaching #2 on Australian charts...
, included re-recordings of some earlier tracks, was made mid-tour in Los Angeles in July–August and released later that year in US on
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
with Jimmy Horowitz producing. During the tour, Paul left the band with a the new line-up of Goh, Hitchcock, Macara, and Russell, plus Joey Carbone on keyboards, Robin LeMesurier on lead guitar and Howard Sukimoto on bass guitar. Paul, in 1980, recruited fellow Air Supply bandmate McEntee in the lineup of
DivinylsDivinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
, fronted by
Chrissie AmphlettChristine Joy Amphlett was the lead singer of Australian rock band Divinyls. She is also known as Chrissy Amphlett.She grew up in Geelong as a singer and dancer...
. Air Supply performed in London supporting
ChicagoChicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
and
Boz ScaggsWilliam Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
.
Although their music had some commercial success, Russell claimed, on a 1995
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, that he and Hitchcock were so poor that they were reduced to checking the backs of hotel sofas for change so that they could buy bread to make toast. By early 1978 the line-up was Hitchcock, Macara and Russell, with Ken Francis on guitar, Rick Mellick on keyboards and Bill Putt (Spectrum, Ariel) on bass guitar. However, by mid-1978, only Hitchcock and Russell remained in the line-up backed by Ralph Cooper (
WindchaseSebastian Hardie were Australia's first symphonic rock band. They formed in Sydney in 1967 as Sebastian Hardie Blues Band but dropped the 'Blues Band' reference when they became pop-oriented. By 1973 they developed a more progressive rock style, and later performed as Windchase, but disbanded in 1977...
) on drums, Brian Hamilton (ex-Sailor) on bass guitar and vocals, and David Moyse (Sailor) on guitar.
In April 1979, the band released
Life SupportLife Support is the fourth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1979. The album contains the original version of the later hit single "Lost in Love", which peaked at #1 on Australian charts...
, a concept album which included a picture disc on its first printing. Session musicians included Mike Bukowsky on brass,
Tommy EmmanuelWilliam Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their...
on guitar,
Frank Esler-SmithFrank Esler-Smith was an arranger and keyboard player for the soft-rock band Air Supply in the 1970s and during their 1980s heyday....
as arranger and keyboardist, Geoff Oakes on brass, Coz Russo on keyboards and Peter Walker (ex-Bakery) on guitar. Esler-Smith had been the orchestral arranger for the production of
Jesus Christ Superstar where Hitchcock and Russell had initially met, and he would maintain a long association with Air Supply throughout his life. Produced by
Charles FisherCharles Fisher is an Australian record producer. Often referred to as the song doctor. He is widely known as the producer of Savage Garden's eponymous album which yielded 10 ARIAs in 1997. "I Want You", a single from the aforementioned album also won a Channel V award in India...
(
Radio BirdmanRadio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
,
Ol' 55Ol' 55 was an Australian band specialising in retro, 1950s-era Rock 'n' Roll. They formed as Fanis in 1972 in Sutherland, Sydney, New South Wales . Drummer Geoff Plummer was working with Glenn A. Baker at the NSW Department of Media and invited Baker to hear his part-time band, including Pat...
), the album was recorded in the Trafalgar Studios in Sydney, Australia where, as Russell recalled on the 2005 DVD, he had half an inch between the end of his guitar and the studio wall. The album had a five-and-a-half minute version of "
Lost in Love"Lost in Love" is a 1980 song recorded by the Australian group Air Supply. The song was written by group member Graham Russell and included on their Life Support...
", written by Russell in fifteen minutes; it was released as a single and peaked at No. 13 in Australia and No. 13 in New Zealand. The track caught the attention of
Arista RecordsArista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
boss
Clive DavisClive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
, who remixed the song and released it as a single in the US early the next year.
1980s
A re-recorded and remixed version of "Lost in Love" was released internationally as a single in January 1980 on Arista Records. The associated album,
Lost in Love, appeared in March and contained three US Top Five singles, including the title track which peaked at No. 3 on
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and No. 11 in the United Kingdom
Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The album was produced by former teen steel guitarist,
Robie PorterRobie Porter is an Australian country, pop/rock musician, producer and record label owner.Beginning in 1959 he performed under the stage name Rob E.G. and recorded lap steel guitar instrumentals or covers of country-style vocals. He provided four top ten hits including two #1 hits in Sydney with...
(
Daddy CoolDaddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan , Ross Hannaford , Ross Wilson and Gary Young . Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks...
,
Rick SpringfieldRick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
) for his Wizard Records label. The other US Top Five singles were "Every Woman in the World" (No. 5) and "
All Out of Love"All Out of Love" is a pop–ballad by Air Supply, released in 1980. It reached number 2 in the US and number 11 in the UK. The song is considered to be one of the greatest love songs, placing 92nd in VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Love Songs....
" (No. 2). Both singles were Top 10 in Australia with "All Out of Love" reaching No. 17 in
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. During 1980, the line-up of Hitchcock, Russell, Esler-Smith, Cooper, and Moyse was augmented by David Green on bass guitar, with Goh returning on lead guitar in 1981. The album sold two million copies in the US and peaked at No. 22 on
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
In 1981 Air Supply released
The One That You LoveThe One That You Love is the sixth album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1981. The album became their most famous and successful in their career...
, with
title track"The One That You Love" is a popular song written by Graham Russell and sung by Air Supply that reached number one in the United States in 1981. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart on July 25, 1981, and remained there for one week....
issued as a single which went to No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100. It also featured two other Top Ten hits, "
Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)"Here I Am" is the title of a popular song from 1981 by the Australian group Air Supply. It was written by Norman Sallitt and included on the group's album The One That You Love....
was written by Norman Saleet" and "Sweet Dreams". A fourth single "I'll Never Get Enough", co-written by Jeanne Napoli,
Gary PortnoyGary Portnoy is a singer/ songwriter from New York, best known for co-writing and singing the theme songs to two U.S. television sitcoms:*Cheers Theme: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name"*Punky Brewster Theme: "Every Time I Turn Around"...
and Judy Quay, was released in
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and achieved Top 10 status. Their next album, in 1982,
Now And ForeverNow and Forever is the seventh studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1982. It was the band's last platinum album in America, and their last album to continue the band's successful popularity, peaking at #25 on US charts...
, continued the group's popularity with the Top 10 hit, "
Even the Nights Are Better"Even the Nights Are Better" is the title of a popular song from 1982 by the Australian group Air Supply. It was written by Terry Skinner, J.L. Wallace and Ken Ball, a songwriting collaboration that also yielded a hit song for The Carpenters...
" and two Top 40 singles "Young Love" and "Two Less Lonely People in the World". In 1983, they released their "Greatest Hits" album with a new single, "
Making Love out of Nothing at All"Making Love Out of Nothing At All" is a power ballad written and composed by Jim Steinman and first released by Australian rock band Air Supply for their 1983 compilation album Greatest Hits. It reached #2 on the U.S...
", written by
Jim SteinmanJames Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
. The song was one of their biggest hits ever spending three weeks at number 2, and the album eventually sold 5 million copies. In 1984, their song "I Can Wait Forever" was included in a scene in the blockbuster movie
GhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
, and was included on the soundtrack album.
Air Supply released their first live video,
Air Supply Live in Hawaii. In 1985, they had one semi-major Billboard hit with "Just as I Am" and a couple of minor hits. Russell and Hitchcock recorded a 1987
ChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
album before taking a break from studio recordings. During this time, Hitchcock released his self-titled album in 1988 which was not a big seller. However, he did have the single "Swear to Your Heart" in 1990 from the movie soundtrack for
ArachnophobiaArachnophobia is a 1990 American comedy horror film directed by Frank Marshall and starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. It was the first film released by Hollywood Pictures....
which received significant airplay.
1990s
On 21 August 1989, using their old producer and welcoming the return of drummer Ralph Cooper, the duo decided to enter the studio again to record
The Earth Is, which was released in 1991 by Giant Records under
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. The recording contains their hit single "Without You," along with singles for "Stronger Than the Night" (with a music video announcing that Air Supply was back) and "Stop the Tears". Inside the album is a note about Hitchcock and Russell's original Musical Director of their meeting place during
Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
(and long time Band Member/Orchestrator): "This Album is Dedicated to the Memory of Frank Esler-Smith." Esler-Smith had died earlier that year (1991) from pneumonia.
The official fan club released
The Earth is World Tour video, a rare collector's item that contains live footage from the band's global tour in support of the album.
The album was followed by
The Vanishing Race in 1993, which was supported by the hit single "Goodbye" produced by
David FosterDavid Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
, with lyrics by Linda Thompson--which, although not popular in the United States, was critically praised and gained a large following outside the country, especially in Asia where in many countries they would reach number No. 1. This would lead to another world tour in 1993 which included
Earth, Wind & FireEarth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
guitarist
Dick SmithDick Smith is a musician who has mostly worked as a guitarist and has played with* 98 Degrees Guitarist 1998* Air Supply Guitarist 1993* Donny Osmond* Dru Hill Guitarist 1998* Earth, Wind & Fire Lead guitarist 1987 - 1993* Emmanuel...
. "It's Never too Late" was another single released from the
Vanishing Race. The album itself was dedicated to the plight of the
American IndiansNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, the "Vanishing Race" of the album's title.
Their third album of the decade,
News from Nowhere, was released in 1995. It contained the
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n hit singles "Someone", "Always", and a cover of "
Unchained Melody"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
", a song made famous by
Al HibblerAlbert George "Al" Hibbler was an American baritone vocalist, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra before having several pop hits as a solo artist. Some of his singing is classified as rhythm and blues, but he is best classified as a bridge between R&B and traditional pop music...
.
Their popularity continued to soar in
Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n countries, culminating in the release of
Now and Forever: Greatest Hits Live, a CD and DVD recording of a live concert in
TaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
,
TaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, also in 1995, which stayed at the top of the Taiwanese album charts for 16 weeks.
2000s
They continued to tour heavily throughout Asia and in select venues in the U.S. as well as record into the new millennium, releasing the more adult contemporary-titled
The Book of Love (1997),
Yours Truly (2001), and
Across the Concrete Sky (2003). In 2005, they once again released a live
CDThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
/
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
recording; also in 2005 they performed in
HavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
,
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, becoming one of the first foreign bands invited to perform in the country. They were booked to perform two concerts, and played the first show on 7 July, the day before
Hurricane DennisHurricane Dennis was an early-forming major hurricane in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico during the very active 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Dennis was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season...
hit the country. In high winds, their first concert had an audience of 175,000. Due to the hurricane, they could not play the second show. Fans staying at the same hotel as Air Supply on 8 July had to be content with Russell performing acoustically for them, as there was no electricity.
Their songs were featured in
Mr. & Mrs. SmithMr. & Mrs. Smith is a 2005 American romantic comedy action film directed by Doug Liman and written by Simon Kinberg. The original music score was composed by John Powell...
,
The Wedding DateThe Wedding Date is a 2005 romantic comedy directed by Clare Kilner, who also directed How to Deal . The release was successful achieving $47 million worldwide at the box office against a budget of $15 million...
and
Bad Company (2002 film)Bad Company is a 2002 action-comedy film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock.-Plot:...
.
In 2006, they released an acoustic album,
The Singer and the Song, and are gearing up for the release of their first studio album in three years,
Zed. In support of the acoustic album, they made their first trip to
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in May 2006. 2 December 2006 saw the duo perform to a capacity crowd in
Kingston, JamaicaKingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. This was their second visit to Jamaica, having performed at the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in January 2006. They also have been seen endorsing Time–Life's Classic Soft-Rock Collection. In 2007, Russell released his first adult contemporary solo album called
The Future.
Russell recently made an appearance in
BelieveBelieve is a 2007 mockumentary/comedy about the world of Multi-Level Marketing . This is the first movie by director Loki Mulholland, who is also credited for the screenplay....
, a comedy about
Multi-Level MarketingMulti-level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation...
.
In 2008, based on their chart performance, they were ranked the 83rd best musical act of all time in Billboard Hot 100's 50th anniversary edition.
They appeared on the 19 December 2008, edition of
Don't Forget the Lyrics.
On 4 May 2010, they released their latest album titled "Mumbo Jumbo" featuring 14 new tracks.
An ex-member of their backing band, Criston Barker, became a spokesperson for Hepatitis Australia.
The music video for
All Out of Love"All Out of Love" is a pop–ballad by Air Supply, released in 1980. It reached number 2 in the US and number 11 in the UK. The song is considered to be one of the greatest love songs, placing 92nd in VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Love Songs....
is seen briefly in the 2010 Australian film
Animal KingdomAnimal Kingdom is a 2010 Australian crime drama written and directed by David Michôd, and starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Sullivan Stapleton, Jacki Weaver and James Frecheville...
.
Discography
- Air Supply (1976)
- The Whole Thing's Started (1977)
- Love & Other Bruises
Love & Other Bruises is the third studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply. The album met modest success in Australia, with the single "Love and Other Bruises" reaching #2 on Australian charts...
(1977)
- Life Support
Life Support is the fourth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1979. The album contains the original version of the later hit single "Lost in Love", which peaked at #1 on Australian charts...
(1979)
- Lost in Love (1980)
- The One That You Love
The One That You Love is the sixth album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1981. The album became their most famous and successful in their career...
(1981)
- Now and Forever
Now and Forever is the seventh studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1982. It was the band's last platinum album in America, and their last album to continue the band's successful popularity, peaking at #25 on US charts...
(1982)
- Air Supply
Air Supply is the eighth studio and second eponymous album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1985 . The album was a step down in the band's sales, reaching gold certification and #26 in the US charts...
(1985)
- Hearts in Motion
Hearts In Motion is the ninth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 1986. The album was a serious step down in the band's popularity. While their previous self-titled album had charted gold, Hearts In Motion did not attain any certification, peaking at #84 on the US charts...
(1986)
- The Christmas Album
The Christmas Album is the tenth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 1987. The album features recordings of classic Christmas songs plus the original songs, "Love Is All" and "Eyes of a Child".- Track listing :...
(1987)
- The Earth Is...
The Earth Is... is the eleventh studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 1991. The album was their comeback after having a break from producing music. The album didn't peak at American charts, but it produced a worldwide tour in which the band focused on Asian countries,...
(1991)
- The Vanishing Race
The Vanishing Race is the twelfth album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 1993. The album didn't reach US charts, except the single Goodbye, which peaked at #50. The album became especially relevant in Asia, where singles "Goodbye", which got to be #1 in several Asian countries,...
(1993)
- News from Nowhere
News from Nowhere is the thirteenth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 1995. The album marks a turn for the band from pop to more adult contemporary centered themes. Single "Someone" reached #60 in US Adult Contemporary charts...
(1995)
- The Book of Love
The Book Of Love is the fourteenth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 1997. The album was a serious attempt for the band to penetrate the charts, mainly focusing on mature adult contemporary songs...
(1997)
- Yours Truly
Yours Truly is the fifteenth album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 2001.- Track listing :All songs written by Russell, except where noted.#"Who Am I" - 3:38#"Body Glove" - 4:34#"Don't Throw Our Love Away" - 4:58...
(2001)
- Across the Concrete Sky
Across the Concrete Sky is the sixteenth studio album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply released in 2003. Single "Goodnight" got minor recognition.-Track listing:...
(2003)
- The Singer and the Song (2005)
- Mumbo Jumbo (2010)
External links