The Sports
Encyclopedia
The Sports were a popular Australian rock
group
that performed and recorded between 1976 and 1981.
Based in Melbourne, Victoria, the group released a number of successful singles and albums. Their sound fitted well with both 1970s British pub rock
bands (such as Brinsley Schwarz
) and British New Wave
(such as Elvis Costello
). Their best known songs include "Boys (What Did the Detective Say?)", "Don't Throw Stones", "When You Walk in the Room", "How Come", "Who Listens to the Radio?", "Perhaps" and "Strangers on a Train".
who was the singer of Melbourne rockabilly
group, The Pelaco Brothers, (which comprised Cummings, Joe Camilleri
, Peter Lillie and Johnny Topper). Cummings and ex-The Pelaco Brothers bandmate Ed Bates, with Robert Glover (ex-Myriad) on bass guitar
, Jim Niven on piano
(ex-The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band
) and Paul Hitchins on drums
. Their early sets contained covers of Chuck Berry
, Billy Emerson, Don Covay
, Company Caine
and Graham Parker
. Original songs, mostly written by Cummings and Bates, completed their sets. The Sports' debut recording was the EP
, Fair Game in early 1977. A friend in London posted the record to the New Musical Express which declared it 'Record Of The Week'. The Sports found themselves right in tune with the very latest music trend dominating London rock. They became part of the promise of a new beginning for song-based rock as an antidote to punk, dubbed New Wave
. "We were totally surprised," Cummings says of the NME review.
Andrew Pendlebury
(ex-Myriad) joined on guitar in August 1977 and assisted Cummings with songwriting. Cummings recalls
on guitar, vocals and songwriting to replace Bates in August 1978.
The Sports had top 30 hits on the Australian Kent Music Report
singles charts with, "Don't Throw Stones" (1979), "Strangers on a Train" (1980) and "How Come" (1981); and top 20 albums with, Don't Throw Stones (#9, 1979), Suddenly (#13, 1980) and Sondra (1981). "Who Listens to the Radio?", co-written by Cummings and Pendelbury, peaked at #35 on the Australian singles charts in 1978, and was their only hit on the United States Billboard
Pop Singles
chart, peaking at #45 in November 1979. The song was also featured on an episode of the TV sitcom WKRP In Cincinnati
.
The Sports broke up in 1981 with lead singer Stephen Cummings
going on a successful solo singing career. Guitarist Martin Armiger
became a successful composer for film and TV.
In October 2010, their 1979 album, Don't Throw Stones, was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
.
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...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that performed and recorded between 1976 and 1981.
Based in Melbourne, Victoria, the group released a number of successful singles and albums. Their sound fitted well with both 1970s British pub rock
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
bands (such as Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lodge.-Formation:...
) and British New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
(such as Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
). Their best known songs include "Boys (What Did the Detective Say?)", "Don't Throw Stones", "When You Walk in the Room", "How Come", "Who Listens to the Radio?", "Perhaps" and "Strangers on a Train".
Biography
The Sports were formed in 1976 by Stephen CummingsStephen Cummings
Stephen Donald Cummings is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and writer. He was lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports, during 1976–1981, followed by a solo career which has met with critical acclaim but has had limited commercial success...
who was the singer of Melbourne rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
group, The Pelaco Brothers, (which comprised Cummings, Joe Camilleri
Joe Camilleri
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Camilleri, aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is an Australian vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows...
, Peter Lillie and Johnny Topper). Cummings and ex-The Pelaco Brothers bandmate Ed Bates, with Robert Glover (ex-Myriad) on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Jim Niven on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(ex-The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band
The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band
The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band was an Australian band, active throughout the 1970s. It was based in Melbourne and centred around singer and multi-instrumentalist Mic Conway and his brother Jim Conway, who is widely regarded as one of Australia's finest exponents of the blues harmonica.Inspired...
) and Paul Hitchins on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Their early sets contained covers of Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Billy Emerson, Don Covay
Don Covay
Don Covay is an American R&B/rock and roll/soul music singer and songwriter most active in the 1950s and 1960s, who received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1994...
, Company Caine
Company Caine
Company Caine, also known as Co. Caine and Company Kane, is an Australian progressive rock band of the 1970s. The band was formed in Melbourne in 1970 with member as follows:* Gulliver Smith * Russell Smith * Jeremy Noone 1970-71, 1975...
and Graham Parker
Graham Parker
Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
. Original songs, mostly written by Cummings and Bates, completed their sets. The Sports' debut recording was the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Fair Game in early 1977. A friend in London posted the record to the New Musical Express which declared it 'Record Of The Week'. The Sports found themselves right in tune with the very latest music trend dominating London rock. They became part of the promise of a new beginning for song-based rock as an antidote to punk, dubbed New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
. "We were totally surprised," Cummings says of the NME review.
"It was the last thing you'd expect. It was my making and my undoing in some ways. When you have everything go right so quickly you expect that everything after that is going to be good and that easy. It meant that I probably didn't put myself out as much as I should have."
Andrew Pendlebury
Andrew Pendlebury
Andrew Pendlebury is an Australian, Melbourne based guitarist known for his membership of bands such as The Sports and Slaughtermen , as well as other projects and solo efforts.-Biography:...
(ex-Myriad) joined on guitar in August 1977 and assisted Cummings with songwriting. Cummings recalls
"I just vaguely met people and dragged them into it. I always wanted Andrew in the group as a guitarist and I had an idea for a rockabilly country sound. But I always wanted to change it because I really liked the MC5Cummings brought in Martin ArmigerMC5The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
and wanted to make it more like that as well."
Martin Armiger
John Martin Armiger is an Australian musician, record producer and film/TV composer. He was singer-songwriter and guitarist with Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports during 1978–1981, which had Top 30 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart with, "Don't Throw Stones" , "Strangers on a...
on guitar, vocals and songwriting to replace Bates in August 1978.
The Sports had top 30 hits on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The 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 charts with, "Don't Throw Stones" (1979), "Strangers on a Train" (1980) and "How Come" (1981); and top 20 albums with, Don't Throw Stones (#9, 1979), Suddenly (#13, 1980) and Sondra (1981). "Who Listens to the Radio?", co-written by Cummings and Pendelbury, peaked at #35 on the Australian singles charts in 1978, and was their only hit on the United States Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The 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...
chart, peaking at #45 in November 1979. The song was also featured on an episode of the TV sitcom WKRP In Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
.
The Sports broke up in 1981 with lead singer Stephen Cummings
Stephen Cummings
Stephen Donald Cummings is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and writer. He was lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports, during 1976–1981, followed by a solo career which has met with critical acclaim but has had limited commercial success...
going on a successful solo singing career. Guitarist Martin Armiger
Martin Armiger
John Martin Armiger is an Australian musician, record producer and film/TV composer. He was singer-songwriter and guitarist with Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports during 1978–1981, which had Top 30 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart with, "Don't Throw Stones" , "Strangers on a...
became a successful composer for film and TV.
In October 2010, their 1979 album, Don't Throw Stones, was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
.
Members
- Martin ArmigerMartin ArmigerJohn Martin Armiger is an Australian musician, record producer and film/TV composer. He was singer-songwriter and guitarist with Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports during 1978–1981, which had Top 30 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart with, "Don't Throw Stones" , "Strangers on a...
– guitar (1978–1981) - Ed Bates – guitar (1976–1978)
- Stephen CummingsStephen CummingsStephen Donald Cummings is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and writer. He was lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports, during 1976–1981, followed by a solo career which has met with critical acclaim but has had limited commercial success...
– vocals (1976–1981) - Robert Glover – bass guitar (1976–1981)
- Paul Hitchins – drums (1976–1980)
- Iain McLennan – drums (1980)
- Jim Niven – vocals, keyboards (1976–1980)
- Andrew PendleburyAndrew PendleburyAndrew Pendlebury is an Australian, Melbourne based guitarist known for his membership of bands such as The Sports and Slaughtermen , as well as other projects and solo efforts.-Biography:...
– guitar, vocals (1976–1981) - Freddie Strauks – drums (1980–1981)
- Red SymonsRed SymonsRedmond Symons is an Australian musician, writer, actor and radio host, probably best known as lead guitarist with Skyhooks and as the snide judge of "Red Faces", a segment of the long-running Hey Hey It's Saturday variety television show...
– keyboards (1980)
Albums/EPs
- Fair Game (EP) - Zac Records (1977) (limited to 500 copies)
- Reckless - Mushroom RecordsMushroom RecordsMushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
(1978) #43 AUS - Don't Throw Stones - MushroomMushroom RecordsMushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
/AristaArista 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...
/SireSire RecordsSire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
(February 1979) #9 AUS #194 US - So Obvious (EP) - StiffStiff RecordsStiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
(1979) - O.K., U.K.! (EP) - Mushroom (August 1979) #40 AUS
- Suddenly - Mushroom/Arista (1980) #13 AUS
- Sondra - Mushroom (May 1981) #20 AUS
- The Sports play Dylan (and Donovan) (EP) - Mushroom (1981) #70 AUS
- All Sports - Mushroom (1982) #35 AUS
- Missin' Your Kissin - RavenRaven RecordsRaven Records is an Australian record label that specializes in retrospectives and reissues or recordings by American, British and Australian artists.Raven Records was established in 1979 by Glenn A. Baker, Kevin Mueller and Peter Shillito....
(1987) - This Is Really Something - Mushroom (1997)
- Definitive Collection - Festival (August 2004)
Singles
- "Boys! (What Did the Detective Say)"/"Modern Don Juan" - Mushroom (March 1978) #55 AUS
- "When You Walk in the Room" - Mushroom (July 1978) #42 AUS
- "Who Listens to the Radio?" - Mushroom/Ariola (November 1978) #35 AUS, #50 US
- "Reckless"/"Mailed it to Your Sister" - Mushroom (1979)
- "Don't Throw Stones"/"Terror Hits" - Mushroom/AristaArista 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...
(March 1979) #26 AUS - "Suspicious Minds"/Bruises" - Mushroom (April 1979) #74 AUS
- "Poor Mouth"/"Heart of Darkness" - Mushroom (1980)
- "Strangers on a Train"/"Can't Ever Decide" (live) - Mushroom (March 1980) #22 AUS
- "Perhaps" - Mushroom (April 1980)
- "Stop The Baby Talking"/"Big City Lights" - Mushroom (October 1980)
- "How Come"/"Drug Sluts" - Mushroom (March 1981) #21 AUS
- "When We Go Out Tonight"/"Some Brass Thing" - Mushroom (July 1981)
- "Sunshine Superman"/"Cargo Cult" - Mushroom (November 1981) #72 AUS