The Party Boys
Encyclopedia
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 Status Quo, The Angels
, Sherbet
, Skyhooks, Rose Tattoo
, The Choirboys
, Australian Crawl
, Divinyls
, Models
, Dragon
and Swanee
plus international stars including Joe Walsh
, Eric Burdon
, Alan Lancaster
and Graham Bonnett.
(ex The La De Das
, Kevin Borich Express), who aptly came up with the name The Party Boys and Harvey James (Mississippi
, Ariel
, Sherbet
) and drummer Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup
, who had recently left The Angels
. Australian Crawl
vocalist James Reyne
was in Sydney shooting the TV mini-series Return to Eden and agreed to play some shows between filming. The band did a short run of shows in Sydney performing cover songs chosen by various members. Recordings made of these performances became the basis for the group's album Live at Several 21sts. When Reyne's filming schedule was over, he returned to Melbourne and left the band; however, the album reached #9 on the ARIA chart
and proved so successful that Christie and Borich were encouraged to continue with the project. Richard Clapton
was brought in as Reyne's replacement and Don Raffaele on Sax the band toured the east coast, again playing only covers from artists including Bob Dylan
, Aerosmith
and the Rolling Stones. A second live album, Greatest Hits (of Other People)
was the result of the tour, after which Clapton and James left the group. This second album peaked at #25 on the national chart. The singer for the next tour was former Skyhooks vocalist and TV personality Shirley Strachan
with Rose Tattoo guitarist Robin Riley replacing Harvey James; this version of the band produced the album No Song Too Sacred
, yet another live album of covers.
The band's 1985 line-up saw Strachan, Riley and Bidstrup (who was now with GANGgajang
) replaced by Marc Hunter
from Dragon
, ex-Divinyls
drummer Richard Harvey and US guitar hero Joe Walsh
. The sold-out national tour that followed formed the basis of the album You Need Professional Help that featured an extended guitar duel between Walsh and Borich on Walsh's track "Rocky Mountain Way
".
In 1986, Christie, Borich and Harvey teamed up with Rose Tattoo lead singer Angry Anderson
, guitarist John Brewster from The Angels and ex-Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster
to form a new version of the Party Boys. With Lancaster now on bass, Christie switched to drums so the band now had two drummers. No recording was made of this line-up and following the tour, Anderson was replaced by John Swan
, ushering in the band's most successful period.
hit "He's Gonna Step On You Again", a song that was reportedly also being considered as a comeback release for John Paul Young
at around the same time (Young did not record the track). The single reached #1 on the Australian singles chart and was followed by the band's first ever studio album, The Party Boys
, which featured several originals, plus covers of tracks by AC/DC
, Argent
, The Angels, Them
and La De Das. Both the album and follow-up single, the Argent tune "Hold Your Head Up" charted well but Swan left the band for contractual reasons and to work on a film that was never completed.
Swan was replaced by Graham Bonnett, the British singer who had recorded with an array of bands including the Marbles, Rainbow
and Alcatrazz
and who had enjoyed solo success as a solo artist in the 1970s. After only two performances, however, Bonnett was ejected when Swan returned and the group toured nationally with AC/DC in February, 1988 for that band's first Australian tour in seven years. Swan left the Party Boys after these shows, having served the longest continuous period as the band's singer, broken only by Bonnett's two week tenure. Joe Walsh returned to the band during a brief Australian visit and the group recorded a single, "Follow Your Heart" that was released in mid-1989.
), Mal Logan (keyboards) and Warren McLean (drums).
By late 1989, the Party Boys had become Christie, Ross Wilson
(Daddy Cool
, Mondo Rock) on vocals, guitarist Stuart Fraser (Noiseworks
, Swanee), Dorian West on bass, Adrian Cannon on drums, Brett Jacobson on drums, and backing vocalists Kevin Bennett and Alex Smith. A version of Manfred Mann
's "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" was recorded but Wilson's vocals had to be replaced due to contractual obligations. Vince Contarino of Adelaide Led Zeppelin
tribute band The Zep Boys re-recorded the lead vocal track and the single became a No. 24 Australian hit in early 1990.
Christie continued to tour with various Party Boys line-ups until 1992. Other musicians to pass through the band included guitarists Brad Carr (ex-Choirboys) and Steve Williams (ex-Wa Wa Nee
), former AC/DC bass player Mark Evans
and ex-Models and Mondo Rock drummer Barton Price. In 1992, the band (featuring the 1987 line-up) released a cover of the Billy Preston
song "That's the Way God Planned It" before coming to an end. The Party Boys was revived for some shows in 1999 with Christie, Price, ex-Angels members James Morley and Bob Spencer and singer Mark Gamble.
A version of the band, entitled 'Kevin Borich's Party Boys', scheduled some live dates for early 2011. The line-up for the 'Back From Exile' tour was billed as: Angry Anderson, John 'Swanee' Swan, Kevin Borich, Izzy Osmanovic (from The Screaming Jets), Harry Brus
and Mick Skelton.
Australian rock
Australian rock, sometimes called OZ Rock is used to describe the various rock and many pop bands and solo artists from Australia. Australia has a rich history of rock music and an appreciation of the roots of various rock genres, usually originating in the United States but also Britain, Ireland,...
band with floating membership that existed from 1982 until 1992. Initially established by 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:...
bass player 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...
as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from other projects, the group has boasted members from acts such as Status Quo, The Angels
The Angels (Australian band)
The Angels are a hard rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1970. The band later relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success until well into the 1990s. For the purposes of international release, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The...
, 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...
, Skyhooks, Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life"...
, The Choirboys
The Choirboys (band)
The Choirboys are an Australian hard rock band from Sydney formed in 1979 with mainstays Mark Gable on lead vocals and Ian Hulme on bass guitar and were later joined by drummer Paul Wheeler. Their hit "Run to Paradise" reached No. 3 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart in late 1987. The...
, Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne , Brad Robinson , Paul Williams , Simon Binks and David Reyne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough...
, Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls 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...
, Models
Models (band)
Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,...
, Dragon
Dragon (band)
Dragon is a popular New Zealand rock band, they were formed in Auckland, New Zealand in January 1972 and relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975. They were previously led by singer Marc Hunter and are currently led by his brother bass player Todd Hunter...
and Swanee
Swanee (singer)
John Swan, better known as Swanee, is a Australian rock singer. He was born John Archibold Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952. He is the older brother of rock singer Jimmy Barnes and the uncle of singer and stage performer David Campbell. He emigrated to Australia with his family in 1961...
plus international stars including Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
, Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
, Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster is a bassist and a founding ex-member of the English rock band, Status Quo...
and Graham Bonnett.
Early line-ups
Christie put together the first line-up of the Party Boys during 1982, with guitarists and co founding member Kevin BorichKevin Borich
Kevin Nicholas Borich is a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter...
(ex The La De Das
The La De Das
The La De Das were a leading New Zealand rock band of the 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in New Zealand in 1963 , they enjoyed considerable success in both New Zealand and Australia until their split in 1975....
, Kevin Borich Express), who aptly came up with the name The Party Boys and Harvey James (Mississippi
Mississippi (band)
Mississippi was an Australian band , which featured some big names in Australian rock music, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Kerryn Tolhurst...
, Ariel
Ariel (band)
Ariel 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...
, 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...
) and drummer Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup
Graham Bidstrup
Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup is an Australian musician, songwriter, music producer and artist manager. He has been a member of The Angels, The Party Boys and Gang Gajang. He has managed Jimmy Little, Nathan Cavaleri and Diana Ah Naid. He is part of the management team for the Jimmy Little Foundation.-The...
, who had recently left The Angels
The Angels
The Angels may refer to:*The Angels , an American girl group who had hits in the 1960s*The Angels , an Australian hard rock band*The Angels is the English translation of Los Angeles, California in the U.S.A....
. Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne , Brad Robinson , Paul Williams , Simon Binks and David Reyne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough...
vocalist James Reyne
James Reyne
James Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
was in Sydney shooting the TV mini-series Return to Eden and agreed to play some shows between filming. The band did a short run of shows in Sydney performing cover songs chosen by various members. Recordings made of these performances became the basis for the group's album Live at Several 21sts. When Reyne's filming schedule was over, he returned to Melbourne and left the band; however, the album reached #9 on the ARIA chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and proved so successful that Christie and Borich were encouraged to continue with the project. 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"...
was brought in as Reyne's replacement and Don Raffaele on Sax the band toured the east coast, again playing only covers from artists including Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
and the Rolling Stones. A second live album, Greatest Hits (of Other People)
Greatest Hits (of Other People)
Greatest Hits is the second album by Australian rock band The Party Boys. It was recorded live during a tour in 1983.-Track listing:#I'm a Rocker#I Fought the Law#Highway Chile#Runaway#Sweet Emotion#Sugar Shack#Stealer...
was the result of the tour, after which Clapton and James left the group. This second album peaked at #25 on the national chart. The singer for the next tour was former Skyhooks vocalist and TV personality Shirley Strachan
Graham Strachan
Graeme "Shirley" Strachan was the lead singer of Australian 1970s rock group Skyhooks.Born in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern, he was an avid surfer, and his nickname "Shirley" was given to him by his surfer friends because of his long, sunbleached and very curly hair, referring to Shirley...
with Rose Tattoo guitarist Robin Riley replacing Harvey James; this version of the band produced the album No Song Too Sacred
No Song Too Sacred
No Song Too Sacred is the third album by Australian rock band The Party Boys. It was recorded during a tour in 1984. The band's line-up on thise release included the founding members Kevin Borich, Paul Christie and Graham Bidstrup along with former Skyhooks singer Shirley Strachan and Rose...
, yet another live album of covers.
The band's 1985 line-up saw Strachan, Riley and Bidstrup (who was now with GANGgajang
GANGgajang
Gang Gajang are an Australian rock band who formed in 1984. The three principal figures in the original lineup were former Riptides frontman Mark "Cal" Callaghan and two former members of popular Australian hard rock band The Angels, bassist Chris Bailey and drummer Graham "Buzz"...
) replaced by Marc Hunter
Marc Hunter
Marc Alexander Hunter was a New Zealand rock and pop singer best known as the lead vocalist with Dragon, a band formed by his older brother Todd in Auckland in 1973....
from Dragon
Dragon (band)
Dragon is a popular New Zealand rock band, they were formed in Auckland, New Zealand in January 1972 and relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975. They were previously led by singer Marc Hunter and are currently led by his brother bass player Todd Hunter...
, ex-Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls 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...
drummer Richard Harvey and US guitar hero Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
. The sold-out national tour that followed formed the basis of the album You Need Professional Help that featured an extended guitar duel between Walsh and Borich on Walsh's track "Rocky Mountain Way
Rocky Mountain Way
Rocky Mountain Way is a compilation album released in 1985 by rock musician Joe Walsh.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Ben Davies wrote of the album "considering both the amount of classic Walsh songs not featured on Rocky Mountain Way and the many other more extensive and better chosen...
".
In 1986, Christie, Borich and Harvey teamed up with Rose Tattoo lead singer 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...
, guitarist John Brewster from The Angels and ex-Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster is a bassist and a founding ex-member of the English rock band, Status Quo...
to form a new version of the Party Boys. With Lancaster now on bass, Christie switched to drums so the band now had two drummers. No recording was made of this line-up and following the tour, Anderson was replaced by John Swan
Swanee (singer)
John Swan, better known as Swanee, is a Australian rock singer. He was born John Archibold Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952. He is the older brother of rock singer Jimmy Barnes and the uncle of singer and stage performer David Campbell. He emigrated to Australia with his family in 1961...
, ushering in the band's most successful period.
The Swanee years
The Party Boys' first release with Swan was a cover of the John KongosJohn 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", a song that was reportedly also being considered as a comeback release for John Paul Young
John Paul Young
John Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
at around the same time (Young did not record the track). The single reached #1 on the Australian singles chart and was followed by the band's first ever studio album, The Party Boys
The Party Boys (album)
The Party Boys is self-titled album by Australian rock band The Party Boys. It was the band's first and only studio album. Tracks 2, 4, 5 and 8 were originals, the rest of the songs were originally recorded by : Argent, John Kongos, Them, The Angels, La De Da's and AC/DC, however "It Could Have...
, which featured several originals, plus covers of tracks by 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"...
, 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...
, The Angels, Them
Them (band)
Them were a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career...
and La De Das. Both the album and follow-up single, the Argent tune "Hold Your Head Up" charted well but Swan left the band for contractual reasons and to work on a film that was never completed.
Swan was replaced by Graham Bonnett, the British singer who had recorded with an array of bands including the Marbles, Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
and Alcatrazz
Alcatrazz
Alcatrazz is an American heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea.-History:The band's initial line-up consisted of former Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet, young Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen who had recently left American band Steeler, Gary Shea and Jimmy...
and who had enjoyed solo success as a solo artist in the 1970s. After only two performances, however, Bonnett was ejected when Swan returned and the group toured nationally with AC/DC in February, 1988 for that band's first Australian tour in seven years. Swan left the Party Boys after these shows, having served the longest continuous period as the band's singer, broken only by Bonnett's two week tenure. Joe Walsh returned to the band during a brief Australian visit and the group recorded a single, "Follow Your Heart" that was released in mid-1989.
Later years
In mid 1989, the Party Boys reformed to tour with Eric Burdon. While Burdon is often officially listed as the Party Boys' seventh vocalist, a Burdon website suggests that the band was more correctly his backing group for the Australian tour promoting his album I Used to be An Animal. The line-up for this version of the band was Burdon, Christie, Mal Eastick (guitar, StarsStars (Australian band)
-Other appearances:-Members:*Glyn Dowding – drums *Malcolm Eastick – guitar, vocals *Mick Pealing – vocals *Graham Thompson – bass guitar *Andrew Durant – guitar...
), Mal Logan (keyboards) and Warren McLean (drums).
By late 1989, the Party Boys had become Christie, Ross Wilson
Ross Wilson
Ross Andrew Wilson is an Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer who fronted the groups Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock, and produced albums by Australian band Skyhooks. He has also performed solo, and as a judge on celebrity singing TV series It Takes Two from 2005...
(Daddy Cool
Daddy Cool (band)
Daddy 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...
, Mondo Rock) on vocals, guitarist Stuart Fraser (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...
, Swanee), Dorian West on bass, Adrian Cannon on drums, Brett Jacobson on drums, and backing vocalists Kevin Bennett and Alex Smith. A version of Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
's "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" was recorded but Wilson's vocals had to be replaced due to contractual obligations. Vince Contarino of Adelaide Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
tribute band The Zep Boys re-recorded the lead vocal track and the single became a No. 24 Australian hit in early 1990.
Christie continued to tour with various Party Boys line-ups until 1992. Other musicians to pass through the band included guitarists Brad Carr (ex-Choirboys) and Steve Williams (ex-Wa Wa Nee
Wa Wa Nee
Wa Wa Nee was an Australian funk/pop band, active from approximately 1985 to 1989.-Career: Led by singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams, bassist Mark Gray and drummer 'The Sween', the band signed with CBS Records in 1985. Wa Wa Nee had four singles in the Australian top 40 from...
), former AC/DC 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...
and ex-Models and Mondo Rock drummer Barton Price. In 1992, the band (featuring the 1987 line-up) released a cover of the Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
song "That's the Way God Planned It" before coming to an end. The Party Boys was revived for some shows in 1999 with Christie, Price, ex-Angels members James Morley and Bob Spencer and singer Mark Gamble.
A version of the band, entitled 'Kevin Borich's Party Boys', scheduled some live dates for early 2011. The line-up for the 'Back From Exile' tour was billed as: Angry Anderson, John 'Swanee' Swan, Kevin Borich, Izzy Osmanovic (from The Screaming Jets), Harry Brus
Harry Brus
Harry Brus is an Australian bass player and guitarist, best known for his work with Matt Finish, Kevin Borich, Renée Geyer, Australian Crawl, Leo Sayer, Marcia Hines, Jimmy Barnes, Ross Wilson and Billy Thorpe....
and Mick Skelton.