Russell Dunlop
Encyclopedia
Russell Dunlop was a prominent Australian
musician, singer, composer and record producer-engineer, best known for his partnership with Bruce Brown and their co-production of notable 1980s albums and singles by Australian performers including Mental As Anything
, The Reels
and Machinations
.
and was educated at Bourke Street Primary and Narwee Boys' High School
. After leaving school he worked as a tiler's labourer and in a pharmaceutical factory.
He began playing in bands as a drummer at 16 and in the late 1960s he joined Aesop's Fables, a pop vocal group featuring singer Cheryl Blake and organist Gary Moberly, who went on to work with The Bee Gees. Dunlop also soon found himself in steady demand for session work as a drummer and vocalist.
In February 1970, Moberley and Dunlop formed a new version of the band, initially called "The New Aesop's Fables", with Brenda Glover (vocals, ex-Jet Set), Brian Holloway (guitar; ex-The Dream, Image) and Owen Booth (bass). Holloway quit about two months later and was replaced by Melbourne guitar legend Les Stacpool. The band moved to Melbourne in mid-1970, where Charlie Tumahai
briefly replaced Booth as bassist in mid-1970. It was during this period that Dunlop met Judi Johnston and they married three months later.
Aesop's Fables disbanded around October 1970 and the couple moved back to Sydney, where Russell joined Mother Earth, another jazz-rock group which featured Renee Geyer
as lead singer.
Aesop's Fables' only single was "Little Yellow Pills" / "Sandman" which came out as the first single on Gus McNeil's Generation Records label in February 1971, several months after the group had split. "Little Yellow Pills" was a cover of a song by British singer Jackie Lomax
, and "Sandman" was a Les Stacpool original.
During 1972 Dunlop played drums on several songs on the album Prussian Blue, the debut LP by singer-songwriter Richard Clapton
, and in January 1973 Clapton briefly replaced Renee Geyer as lead singer of Sun.
In the mid-1970s Dunlop replaced original drummer Mark Kennedy in the jazz-rock fusion band Ayers Rock
, touring the United States and renewing his friendship with Jimmy Doyle; the two subsequently toured Australia many times in the Aussie Blue Flames, backing the British performer Georgie Fame
. Dunlop also recorded and toured with the Aunty Jack Show
team, among many other acts, while becoming more involved in recording.
In the late '70s, Dunlop began a highly successful collaboration with producer-engineer Bruce Brown at Albert Studios and they formed their own independent production company BAD (Brown And Dunlop).
Dunlop’s credits as producer or co-producer (with Bruce Brown) include Machinations' Esteem, Mental As Anything
’s Cats and Dogs and Creatures of Leisure
, Jon English
's "Words Are Not Enough" and the Doug Ashdown
hit single "Winter In America
". As well as recording dozens of local acts, Dunlop and Brown enjoyed success of their own right as a recording act with the 1980 novelty
hit "Space Invaders", inspired by the popular video game of the same name, which they released under the pseudonym Player One for Warner Bros. Records
. Under the pseudonym The Monitors, Brown and Dunlop scored another Australian hit with the single "Singing In The 80s".
Dunlop continued to play in live bands but session work gradually dried up during the 1990s, especially for drummers, as computerised rhythm machines increasingly replaced live musicians for recording. He worked as a radio operator for a courier company for a decade, before moving with his family to Lismore
in 2007, where he set up a small studio, and more recently he worked as an ensemble coach at Southern Cross University
. One of his last music projects was producing and mixing the soundtrack for the Rachel Ward
movie Beautiful Kate
, which had its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival
in June 2009.
Dunlop died suddenly in May 2009 while playing drums at his son's wedding in Sydney. He is survived by his wife Judi, son Aaron and daughter Kane.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
musician, singer, composer and record producer-engineer, best known for his partnership with Bruce Brown and their co-production of notable 1980s albums and singles by Australian performers including Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything are an Australian New Wave–rock music band formed at an art school in Sydney in 1976. Their most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne "Bird"...
, The Reels
The Reels
The Reels is an Australian rock/indie pop group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian...
and Machinations
Machinations (band)
Machinations was a popular Sydney-based outfit working the mid-1980s independent Australian music scene. Notable national hits included "Pressure Sway", "My Heart's On Fire" and "No Say In It". They also achieved indie prominence with the two versions of their first single, "Average Inadequacy"...
.
Biography
Dunlop was born in Paddington, New South WalesPaddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
and was educated at Bourke Street Primary and Narwee Boys' High School
Narwee High School
Narwee High School , known from 1958-1991 as Narwee Boys' High School , is a former high school in the southern Sydney suburb of Narwee, New South Wales, Australia....
. After leaving school he worked as a tiler's labourer and in a pharmaceutical factory.
He began playing in bands as a drummer at 16 and in the late 1960s he joined Aesop's Fables, a pop vocal group featuring singer Cheryl Blake and organist Gary Moberly, who went on to work with The Bee Gees. Dunlop also soon found himself in steady demand for session work as a drummer and vocalist.
In February 1970, Moberley and Dunlop formed a new version of the band, initially called "The New Aesop's Fables", with Brenda Glover (vocals, ex-Jet Set), Brian Holloway (guitar; ex-The Dream, Image) and Owen Booth (bass). Holloway quit about two months later and was replaced by Melbourne guitar legend Les Stacpool. The band moved to Melbourne in mid-1970, where Charlie Tumahai
Charlie Tumahai
Charles Turu Tumahai was a New Zealand singer, bass player and songwriter who was a member of several noted rock groups in New Zealand, Australia and the UK...
briefly replaced Booth as bassist in mid-1970. It was during this period that Dunlop met Judi Johnston and they married three months later.
Aesop's Fables disbanded around October 1970 and the couple moved back to Sydney, where Russell joined Mother Earth, another jazz-rock group which featured Renee Geyer
Renée Geyer
Renée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and...
as lead singer.
Aesop's Fables' only single was "Little Yellow Pills" / "Sandman" which came out as the first single on Gus McNeil's Generation Records label in February 1971, several months after the group had split. "Little Yellow Pills" was a cover of a song by British singer Jackie Lomax
Jackie Lomax
John Richard 'Jackie' Lomax is a British guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his association with George Harrison and Eric Clapton...
, and "Sandman" was a Les Stacpool original.
During 1972 Dunlop played drums on several songs on the album Prussian Blue, the debut LP by singer-songwriter Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Sydney, New South Wales. His solo top 20 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart are "Girls on the Avenue" and "I Am an Island"...
, and in January 1973 Clapton briefly replaced Renee Geyer as lead singer of Sun.
In the mid-1970s Dunlop replaced original drummer Mark Kennedy in the jazz-rock fusion band Ayers Rock
Ayers Rock (band)
Ayers Rock was a jazz fusion/progressive rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group formed in 1973, and included many well-travelled rock performers; drummer Mark Kennedy had previously played in Spectrum, and played on sessions for King Harvest and Friends...
, touring the United States and renewing his friendship with Jimmy Doyle; the two subsequently toured Australia many times in the Aussie Blue Flames, backing the British performer Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
. Dunlop also recorded and toured with the Aunty Jack Show
The Aunty Jack Show
The Aunty Jack Show was a Logie Award–winning Australian television comedy series that ran from 1972 to 1973. Produced by and broadcast on ABC-TV, the series attained an instant cult status that persists to the present day....
team, among many other acts, while becoming more involved in recording.
In the late '70s, Dunlop began a highly successful collaboration with producer-engineer Bruce Brown at Albert Studios and they formed their own independent production company BAD (Brown And Dunlop).
Dunlop’s credits as producer or co-producer (with Bruce Brown) include Machinations' Esteem, Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything are an Australian New Wave–rock music band formed at an art school in Sydney in 1976. Their most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne "Bird"...
’s Cats and Dogs and Creatures of Leisure
Creatures of Leisure
- International Edition :The version of Creatures Of Leisure released in North America dropped the tracks "Space To Let", "Not Enough" and "Country In The Concrete", and added "Working For The Man" and "Seems Alright To Me"...
, Jon English
Jon English
Jonathan James "Jon" English is an Australian rock singer, musician, actor and writer. English emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1961...
's "Words Are Not Enough" and the Doug Ashdown
Doug Ashdown
-External links:* * [ Doug Ashdown] at Allmusic...
hit single "Winter In America
Winter in America
Winter in America is a studio album by American recording artist Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson, released in May 1974 on Strata-East Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during September to October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland...
". As well as recording dozens of local acts, Dunlop and Brown enjoyed success of their own right as a recording act with the 1980 novelty
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
hit "Space Invaders", inspired by the popular video game of the same name, which they released under the pseudonym Player One for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner 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...
. Under the pseudonym The Monitors, Brown and Dunlop scored another Australian hit with the single "Singing In The 80s".
Dunlop continued to play in live bands but session work gradually dried up during the 1990s, especially for drummers, as computerised rhythm machines increasingly replaced live musicians for recording. He worked as a radio operator for a courier company for a decade, before moving with his family to Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
in 2007, where he set up a small studio, and more recently he worked as an ensemble coach at Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University
Southern Cross University is a university based on the North and Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is a regional University with more than 14,000 students. The University's primary campus is in Lismore, with other campuses located at Coffs Harbour and Tweed Heads.The University is...
. One of his last music projects was producing and mixing the soundtrack for the Rachel Ward
Rachel Ward
Rachel Claire Ward, AM is a British actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter who has primarily pursued her career in Australia.-Early life:...
movie Beautiful Kate
Beautiful Kate
Beautiful Kate is a 2009 Australian film directed by Rachel Ward and starring Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown, Sophie Lowe and Ben Mendelsohn. Rachel Ward adapted the script from a 1982 novel of the same name by Newton Thornburg; this was the first novel by Thornburg used for a movie since Cutter's Way...
, which had its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
in June 2009.
Dunlop died suddenly in May 2009 while playing drums at his son's wedding in Sydney. He is survived by his wife Judi, son Aaron and daughter Kane.