John Swan, better known as Swanee, is a Australia

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...

n rock singer

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

. He was born John Archibold Dixon Swan in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 in 1952. He is the older brother of rock singer Jimmy Barnes

Jimmy Barnes

James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...

 and the uncle of singer and stage performer David Campbell

David Campbell (Australian musician)

David Joseph Campbell is an Australian singer and stage performer. He has performed and recorded many different genres of music from rock to classics. He is the son of singer Jimmy Barnes.-Theatre career:...

. He emigrated to Australia with his family in 1961. When his mother remarried in the mid-60s, he was the only child to keep his natural father's surname. While his music career has never reached the heights of that of his more famous younger brother, Swan is well known and respected in his own right.

Early career

John Swan was born in Scotland. Swan joined his first professional band, Happiness, as a drummer when he was 14. When he was seventeen, Swan enlisted in the Australian Army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

, and was discharged after two years of service. In early 1974 he was the drummer with the James Wright Band, moving on to Jim Keays

Jim Keays

James "Jim" Keays is an Australian musician who fronted rock band The Masters Apprentices as singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonica-player during 1965–1972, and subsequently had a solo career including leading Jim Keays' Southern Cross...

' Southern Cross for a short time. By late 1974 he was playing in Fraternity

Fraternity (band)

Fraternity were an Australian rock band which formed in Sydney in 1970 and relocated to Adelaide in 1971. Former members include successive lead vocalists Bon Scott , John Swan , and his brother Jimmy Barnes...

, the Adelaide band best known as AC/DC

AC/DC

AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...

 singer Bon Scott

Bon Scott

Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...

's former group. Brother Jimmy Barnes had replaced Scott as Fraternity's singer but his stay was brief before he left to join Cold Chisel

Cold Chisel

Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...

 and Swan took over on vocals. He also appeared live with Cold Chisel from time to time, providing backing vocals and percussion.

After Fraternity, Swan became the vocalist with Feather in 1977. This band had previously been known as Blackfeather

Blackfeather

Blackfeather was an Australian rock group in the 1970s. The group had many members and went through two major incarnations - the earlier heavy rock version of the group, which recorded the album At The Mountains of Madness and the hit single "Seasons of Change", and the later piano-based lineup...

 in the early 1970s but by 1977 no original members were left so the name was shortened. Feather recorded one single, "Girl Trouble" with Swan before he left in 1978 to establish himself as a solo artist.

Solo career

Under the name Swanee, by which he was already known, he released his first solo single "Crazy Dreams" in 1979. An album, Into the Night, and several other singles followed but met with little commercial success. In late 1981, however, his version of "If I Were a Carpenter" became a national hit. The single was a precursor to the 1982 album This Time is Different that spawned another two hits, "Temporary Heartache" and "Lady What's Your Name", propelling Swanee to national fame. While later releases failed to achieve the same level of success, Swanee has remained one of Australia's best known live acts. Over the years, his band has maintained a floating membership. Among those who have played in Swanee over the years are guitarists Stuart Fraser (Feather, Noiseworks

Noiseworks

Noiseworks is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens...

), Harvey James (Sherbet

Sherbet (band)

Sherbet was one of the most prominent and successful Australian rock bands of the 1970s. Their biggest singles were "Summer Love" and "Howzat" , both reaching number one in Australia. "Howzat" was also a top 5 hit in the UK. Though the band's success in the U.S...

, Ariel) and Bradford Kelly (Heaven) and bass player Mark Evans

Mark Evans (musician)

Mark Whitmore Evans is an Australian bass guitarist who was an early member of hard rock band AC/DC from March 1975 to June 1977. His playing featured on their albums T.N.T, High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock and 74 Jailbreak...

 of AC/DC and Finch, among many others.

In 1986 Swan featured in an advertising campaign for West End Draught, a South Australian beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

. The brewer provided financial support to Swanee's tours and he in turn appeared in the company's TV commercials. The following year, he replaced Angry Anderson

Angry Anderson

Gary Stephen "Angry" Anderson AM is an Australian rock singer, television presenter/reporter, actor and conservative political activist. He is best known as the vocalist with the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976 but he is also recognised for his acting roles and his charity work...

 as lead singer of The Party Boys

The Party Boys

The Party Boys was an Australian rock band with floating membership that existed from 1982 until 1992. Initially established by Mondo Rock bass player Paul Christie as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from other projects, the group has boasted members from acts such as...

, a touring band with floating membership formed in 1983 by Paul Christie

Paul Christie (Australian musician)

Paul Christie is an Australian bassist and vocalist. He came to prominence as a member of the second and most successful lineup of the group Mondo Rock, which was founded by former Daddy Cool leader Ross Wilson...

 of Mondo Rock

Mondo Rock

Mondo Rock is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia, most prominent in the early 1980s. The band was formed in late 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Ross Wilson.-Early years: 1976–1979:...

. Swan's tenure with the band proved to be the group's most successful period. A cover of the John Kongos

John Kongos

John Kongos is a singer-songwriter. He is best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single, "He's Gonna Step On You Again".-Career:...

 hit "He's Gonna Step on You Again" was a No. 3 hit and was followed up by a version of Argent

Argent (band)

Argent are an English rock band founded in 1969 by keyboardist Rod Argent, formerly of The Zombies.-Career:The first three demos from Argent, recorded in the autumn of 1968 featured Mac MacLeod on bass guitar though he was not meant to become a member of the group.Original members of the band were...

's "Hold Your Head Up" that also went Top 10. The band's self-titled album made the Top 5. Swan's deal with the band was originally only meant to see him stay long enough to record the album and complete a tour supporting it, but after being briefly replaced by Graham Bonnet

Graham Bonnet

Graham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...

 he returned to the Party Boys line-up and stayed until 1989 before going solo again.

Since 1990 Swan's recording career has been less than prolific, producing only two singles that year and an album, Heart and Soul in 1997, although he still maintains a live presence.

2007 released his first full project since 1997, Have a Little Faith (Liberation Records). The project was recorded with Nashville's

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 best and produced by leading expatriate producer /guitarist Mark Moffatt, now resident in Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

. Musician credits feature players who have been session men for Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks

Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...

, John Fogerty

John Fogerty

John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...

, Billy Joel

Billy Joel

William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

, Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...

 and Shania Twain

Shania Twain

Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...

 among others.

Discography

with Feather

• "Girl Trouble" (single) (1977)

as Swanee (singles):

• "Crazy Dreams" (1979) (AUS#68)
• "Samantha" (1979) (AUS#90)
• "Ol' Rosie" (1980)
• "Linda" (1980)
• "Mathew" (1981)
• "If I Were a Carpenter" (1981) (AUS#05)
• "Temporary Heartache" (1982) (AUS#18)
• "Lady What's Your Name" (1982) (AUS#13)
• "Sail Away" (1983) (AUS#52)
• "Motor Down" (1983)
• "I'm Ready" / "Carrie-Ann" (1983) (AUS#72)
• "You Ought to Know" (1985)
• "Turn Away" (1985)
• "Lucille" (1990)
• "Blood is Thicker Than Water" (1990)

as Swanee (albums):

• Into the Night (1980)
• This Time is Different (1982)
• Ready for Action (1983)
• Days Gone By (1984)
• Bushido (1985)
• Heart and Soul (1997)

as John Swan

• "It Could Have Been You" (single) (1985)
• "You'll Do Something" (single) (1985)
• "Angel" (single) (1986)
• "Have a Little Faith" 2007

with The Party Boys

• "He's Gonna Step On You Again" (single) (1987)
• The Party Boys (1987)
• "Hold Your Head Up" (single) (1987)
• "Gloria" (single) (1988)

other recordings:

• Ray Arnott
  Ray Arnott
  Raymond "Ray" Walter Arnott is an Australian rock drummer, singer-songwriter, he was a member of Spectrum , which had a number one hit with "I'll Be Gone" in January 1971...
  
   - Rude Dudes (1979)
• Mickey Finn - Mickey Finn (1980)
• Kevin Borich Express
  Kevin Borich
  Kevin Nicholas Borich is a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter...
  
   - "Shy Boys Shy Girls" (1981)
• Jimmy Barnes - Double Happiness
  Double Happiness (album)
  Double Happiness is an album by Australian singer Jimmy Barnes. It was released on 18 July 2005 on CD and vinyl. The album contains duets Barnes performed with various solo artists and bands.-Track listing :...
  
  (2005)