Billy Thorpe

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the Australian musician. For further details of his band, see Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs.

Billy Thorpe
Festival, Mushroom
, Liberation

William Richard Thorpe

Myer Music Bowl in the early 1970s, the Aztecs also developed the pub rock scene and were one of the loudest groups in Australia.[2][4][5]

Thorpe also performed as a solo artist. He relocated to America from 1976 to 1996; after moving, he released the

Columbo, Eight Is Enough and Hard Time on Planet Earth.[2][9]

Thorpe returned to Australia in 1996 and continued as a performer and producer, additionally he wrote two autobiographies, Sex and Thugs and Rock 'n' Roll (1996) and Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy) (1998).[7] According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, "Thorpie evolved from child star, beat pop sensation and cuddly pop crooner to finally emerge as the country's wildest and heaviest blues rocker. Thorpie was the unassailable monarch of Australian rock music".[2] Thorpe was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1991.[10][11] He died of a heart attack in February 2007 and was posthumously appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in June for his contribution to music as a musician, songwriter and producer.[12][13]

Unlike multiple other Australian artists, Thorpe gained musical fame internationally in countries such as Canada and the United States. His cult following, particularly after the aforementioned sci-fi themed album Children of the Sun came out, notably involved dramatic live performances outside of Australia such as with laser light shows playing inside multiple planetariums. That release alone sold approximately half a million copies worldwide.[14]

In 2009, Thorpe was announced as one of the

Q150 Icons selected for historical commemoration by the government of Queensland, his influence being recognized during the Q150
celebrations. His musical legacy continues after his death, particularly around local areas that he frequently played within live.

Career

1946–1962: Early life

Billy Thorpe was born in 1946 in Manchester, England. His parents, Bill and Mabel Thorpe and he emigrated to Australia in 1955, arriving in Melbourne and then settling in Brisbane, Queensland.[2][4] He performed as a ten-year-old under the pseudonym Little Rock Allen.[2][4][5] Six months later, after he was heard singing and playing guitar by a television producer at the back of his parents' Brisbane store, Thorpe made regular musical appearances on Queensland television, brandishing his trademark stock whip.[2][4] He toured regional venues with Reg Lindsay in 1961, and national venues with Johnny O'Keefe and with Col Joye.[2][4] By 1963, as an experienced singer and musician, he decided to relocate to Sydney.[2][4]

1963–1967: Success in Sydney

In 1963, Thorpe moved to Sydney and auditioned for a regular gig at Surf City, a popular

The Aztecs, comprising Colin Baigent (drums), Val Jones (rhythm guitar), future Bee Gees guitarist Vince Melouney (aka Vince Maloney) (lead guitar, vocals), and John "Bluey" Watson (bass guitar).[15] Before Thorpe joined, The Aztecs had released "Smoke and Stack", a surf instrumental.[2] UK-born Tony Barber (rhythm guitar, vocals) soon replaced Jones and they were known as Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs.[2][4][15]

In 1964, the band released their second single, "Blue Day", written by guitarist Barber,

Wizard of Oz tune "Over the Rainbow" in the top ten of the record charts in most state capitals.[2][5]
Thorpe once said that "Mashed Potato" was inspired by a chance meeting with a schoolteacher at the Rex Hotel in Kings Cross, who was so drunk he could only mumble the words, "Mashed Potato."

The original Aztecs lineup split from Thorpe at the beginning of 1965 over a financial dispute, so he created another set,

brass).[2][15] This lineup achieved further success with pop ballads such as "I Told the Brook", "Twilight Time" and "Love Letters".[2][4] On 27 March 1966, Sydney TV station ATN-7 debuted a music show, It's All Happening!, hosted by Thorpe with the Aztecs as the house band.[2][4][5] Each one-hour episode featured both Australian and international musical guests. Despite the TV exposure, later singles did not chart and when the show ended its run in early 1967, the Aztecs broke up.[2][18] Thorpe undertook a brief solo career, he released "Dream Baby" (Roy Orbison cover), in October 1967 but it had no chart success.[2] during 1968 he modified his image to display long hair, moustache and a fringed jacket; he formed a new backing band with Dick, Mick Lieber (guitar) and Dave McTaggert (bass guitar) who was quickly replaced by Paul Wheeler.[2][15] By August, Dick and Liber had left, and Thorpe relocated to Melbourne.[2]

1968–1975: Melbourne

In August 1968 Thorpe had moved to

Purple Hearts and Wild Cherries guitarist Lobby Loyde joined.[2][15] Thorpe had recorded no new material for over two years, but he emerged after a spell of bankruptcy in 1969, with "Good Mornin' Little School Girl", a Willie Dixon cover, as a single in March 1970.[2] With the encouragement of Loyde, Thorpe's 'new' Aztecs developed a heavier sound and established themselves as one of Australia's premier hard rock groups.[18] By July, Warren 'Pig' Morgan (piano, vocals) had joined and the band recorded, The Hoax Is Over, which was released in January 1971.[2][15] Loyde left to reform Wild Cherries (later called Lobby Loyde & the Coloured Balls).[2][15] After further releases the Aztecs had accrued a considerable reputation in the southern states and became known as one of the loudest acts on the local concert and pub circuit.[2][4][5]
Thorpe described the sound:

[It was] like we were standing on a pair of Boeing 747 engines. It cracked the foundations and broke windows in neighbouring buildings.[5]

— Billy Thorpe

In 1972, the band played two pivotal gigs, first was the

Aztecs.[18][19] The two Aztecs combined for Downunda which was released in 1973 under the names, Thump'n Pig (Morgan) and Puff'n Billy (Thorpe);[18] with the related single, "Captain Straightman", both album and single peaked into the top 40 of the relevant charts.[3] Saddington had provided vocals and co-wrote a track for the album.[18]

In March 1973,

Ian Meldrum (as Uncle Ernie in Sydney).[20]

After more line-up changes Thorpe dissolved the Aztecs early in 1975, as a solo artist he recorded Million Dollar Bill,

funk and country.[2] In December 1976, he relocated to Los Angeles in the United States,[2][18][21] although he returned to Australia periodically to tour with varied line-ups of the Aztecs.[2][18]

1976–1995: United States

From December 1976, Thorpe continued his musical career in the US. By 1979, he released his solo space opera, Children of the Sun,[4][5] which reached the top 40 of the Billboard Pop Album chart,[6] and top 50 in Australia.[3] The related single, "Children of the Sun" reached #41 on the Billboard Singles chart.[22] He released three more studio albums while living in the US, with 21st Century Man (1980) peaking on the Billboard Pop Album chart top 200.[6] "In My Room" from 21st Century Man had top ten chart success in Canada.[2] Other US-based releases were Stimulation (1981) and East of Eden's Gate (1982).[2]

In 1984, Thorpe stopped performing live music. He had started an electronics consulting company which did work for

Columbo, Eight Is Enough and Hard Time on Planet Earth.[2] Former Aztec bandmate, Tony Barber had written a series of children's books, collectively called The Puggle Tales from 1981.[23] Barber and Thorpe had formed a soft toy company in 1987, Sunshine Friends, and also released children's songs on cassettes and video.[2] In 1989 Barber and Thorpe co-wrote three more stories for The Puggle Tales series: Double trouble, Flying's easy and Marco and the book of wisdom.[7]

From 1990, Thorpe collaborated with

boxed set in 1994, Lock Up Your Mothers, which peaked at No. 15 on the ARIA Charts.[26] The Lock Up Your Mothers tour included media appearances on Hey Hey It's Saturday, Denton and 60 Minutes.[2]

1996–2006: Return to Australia

In 1996 Thorpe formed the Billy Thorpe Band with Andy Cichon (bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals), Steve Edmonds (guitar, vocals), Paul DeMarco/Mick O'Shea (drums) and Randall Waller (guitar, vocals, keyboards), and toured Australia in July.[2] He had returned to live in Sydney and authored his first autobiography, Sex and Thugs and Rock 'n' Roll,[4] on his early experiences in Kings Cross and the formation of the Aztecs, which was released in November.[2][7] He followed with an Australian TV appearance on This Is Your Life.[2] In October 1998, he released his second autobiography, Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy).[2][7] On 14 November 1998, with the Aztecs, Thorpe appeared at the Mushroom 25 Concert, singing "Most People I Know" and "Ooh Poo Pah Doo"; ex-Aztec Lobby Loyde joined them on-stage on guitar.[2] At the Gimme Ted benefit concert on 9 March 2001 Thorpe performed five songs including a duet with INXS.[27]

promoter) and Thorpe.[28] They described their Sunbury festival experiences and the development of pub rock in Australia.[28] According to Chugg, an Aztec performance at Sydney's Bondi Lifesaver club in 1974 was so loud as to kill a tankful of tropical fish in an upstairs area – hence the episode title.[28] During August 2002, promoters Chugg and Kevin Jacobsen with Thorpe as co-producer, organised a related concert tour, Long Way to the Top.[5] Concerts included Thorpe performing with the 'original' Aztecs line-up in one set and the 'Sunbury' Aztecs in a second.[4] Performances at two Sydney concerts in September were recorded, broadcast on ABC-TV and subsequently released on DVD in December.[28]

Thorpe recorded material for a new album,

Tangier, with the Symphonique Orchestra du Maroc in Casablanca, Morocco during September to November 2006 and was working on the album when he died in Sydney in February 2007.[4] Tangier was produced by Daniel Denholm.[29] In December 2006, Thorpe had recorded an acoustic live performance which was released posthumously in April 2007 on Liberation Records as Solo: The Last Recordings,[30] which peaked at No. 19 on the ARIA albums chart.[26] On 27 October 2010, Sony Entertainment announced the release of Tangier at the ARIA Hall of Fame in Sydney.[31]
Tangier was awarded the first-ever posthumous ARIA for best Contemporary Adult album in 2011.

2007: Death

Thorpe suffered from chest pains at his home on 28 February 2007 and was taken by an ambulance to

AEDT after having a massive heart attack.[32] He remained in the emergency ward in a serious condition and went into cardiac arrest around half an hour later; hospital staff unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate him. His family was by his side when he died at 60 years of age.[32] Thorpe is survived by his wife Lynn, and daughters Rusty and Lauren. His manager Michael Chugg said the death was a "terrible tragedy", as Thorpe had just finished recording a new album Tangier and was very happy after a recent acoustic tour.[32] He was posthumously appointed a Member of the Order of Australia on 11 June 2007, with the citation, "For service to the entertainment industry as a musician, songwriter, producer, and as a contributor to the preservation and collection of contemporary Australian music".[12][13] In December 2020, Thorpe was listed at number 31 in Rolling Stone Australia's "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.[33]

Discography

For his work as leader of the Aztecs, see
Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs § Discography
.

Albums

List of albums, with selected details and chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
[34][35]
Downunda
(as Thump'n Pig & Puff'n Billy)
  • Released: July 1973
  • Label: Atlantic (SD 1014)
 40
More Arse Than Class
  • Released: May 1974
  • Label: Atlantic (SD 1017)
 14
The Billy Thorpe Rock Classics
  • Released: 1974
  • Label: M7. (MLX-064)
 —
Million Dollar Bill
  • Released: November 1975
  • Label: Infinity / Mushroom (L 35767)
 —
Children of the Sun
  • Released: August 1979
  • Label: Interfusion (C36980)
 44
21st Century Man
  • Released: February 1981[36]
  • Label: Mushroom (C 37494)
 —
Stimulation
  • Released: 1981
  • Label: Mushroom (C 37700)
 —
East of Eden's Gate
  • Released: 1982
  • Label: Pasha (FZ 38179)
 —
Children of the Sun...Revisited
  • Released: 1987
  • Label: Pasha (ZK 40682)
 —
Solo – The Last Recordings
  • Released: 2007
  • Label: Liberation Blue (BLUE147.2)
 19
Tangier 14

EPs

Title Details
Love Letters
  • Released: 1966
  • Label: Parlophone (GEPO-70039)

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title Peak chart
positions 		Album
AUS
[34]
1967 "Dream Baby"/"You Don't Live Twice" —
1973 "Captain Straightman"/"Bow My Head"
(as Thump'n Pig and Puff'n Billy) 		36 Downunda
1975 "It's Almost Summer"/"Drive My Car" 44
1976 "Do the Best You Can"/"Mama Told Her" —
1979 "Children of the Sun"/"Simple Life" —
"Wrapped in the Chains of Your Love"/"Goddess of the Night" 85
"Dream-Maker"/"The Beginning" —
1980 "In My Room"/"She's Alive" —
1981 "Stimulation"/"Syndrome D.O.A./L.K.O." —
"Just the Way I Like It"/"Rock Until You Drop" —
"You Touched Me"/"No Rules on the Road" —
1982 "No Show Tonight" —
"I can't Stand It" —
"Hold On to Your Dream" —

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Thorpe was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.[38][39]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
ARIA Music Awards of 1991 himself ARIA Hall of Fame inductee
ARIA Music Awards of 2011 Tangier ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album Won
David Homer, Aaron Hayward, Debaser for Tangier ARIA Award for Best Cover Art Nominated
Daniel Denholm for Tangier ARIA Award for Producer of the Year Nominated
Greg Clarke for Tangier ARIA Award for Engineer of the Year Nominated

Go-Set Pop Poll

The Go-Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper, Go-Set and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.[40]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1966 himself Australian Acts: Male Vocal 5th
1971 The Hoax Is Over (as Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) Best Album 4th
1972 Aztecs Live at Sunbury (as Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) Best Album 1st
"Most People I Know" (as Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) Best Single 3rd
Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs Best Group 2nd
himself Best Male Singer 5th

King of Pop Awards

The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers of TV Week. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.[40]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1972 himself Best Songwriter Won
Billy Thorp & The Aztecs Best Group Won

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Billy Thorpe won one award in that time.[41]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2006 Billy Thorpe Rock Performer (Posthumous Award) Won

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Song Catalogue Search Results for 'Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy'". APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original
    on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts
    in mid-1988.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Nimmervoll, Ed (2007). "Billy Thorpe (and the Aztecs)". HowlSpace: The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 14 April 2002. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-86403-361-8
    . NOTE: On-line copy has limited view.
  6. ^
    Macrovision
    . Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Search results for 'author:"Thorpe, Billy"'". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  8. ^ Google Book Search inauthor:"Billy Thorpe". 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  9. Internet Movie Database
    (IMDb). Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  10. ^ a b "ARIA 2008 Hall of Fame inductees listing". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  11. ^ a b "Winners by Award: Hall of Fame". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  12. ^
    Australian Government
    . 11 June 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  13. ^ a b "Thorpe receives posthumous honour". ABC Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 11 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
  14. ISBN 978-1925556896
    .
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "Billy Thorpe". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  16. ^ ""Blue Day" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  17. ^ a b Duncan Kimball (ed.). "TED ALBERT". MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs". MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions. 1999. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
  19. ^ ""Looking Through a Window" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  20. ^ a b "Tommy Australian concert production 1973". MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Milesago. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  21. ^ "Billy Thorpe: A Brief Biography". Mushroom Music Publishing. 2004. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
  22. ^ "Billy Thorpe > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  23. ^ "Search results for 'author:"Barber, A. A. (Anthony A.)"'". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  24. ^ "Shakin' the Cage > Overview". allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  25. ^ a b "Winners by Year: 1991 5th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  26. ^ a b "Discography Billy Thorpe". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  27. ^ Holmgren, Magnus. "Gimme Ted – The Ted Mulry Benefit Concerts". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 22 August 2003. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  28. ^ a b c d e "Long Way to the Top: Episode 3: Billy Killed the Fish 1968–1973". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 November 2002. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  29. ^ Cashmere, Paul (27 February 2009). "Final Billy Thorpe Album To Be Released". Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  30. ^ "Bill Thorpe – Solo. The Last Recordings". Liberation Blue Acoustic Series. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  31. News Corporation
    ). Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  32. ^ a b c "Public service to honour Billy Thorpe". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 28 February 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
  33. ^ 50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time – #31: Billy Thorpe. Sarah McLeod, Rolling Stone Australia, 9 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  34. ^
    ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  35. ^ "Discography Billy Thorpe". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  36. Cash Box
    . 14 February 1981. p. 38. Retrieved 4 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
  37. ^ "Billy Thorpe > Credits". allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  38. ^ "Winners by Award: Hall of Fame". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  39. ^ "2011 ARIA Awards Winners By Year". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  40. ^ a b "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  41. ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Double trouble : a puggles story / written by Tony Barber and Billy Thorpe ; illustrated by Michael McHugh, Sharon Ross, Michael Van Cleeve". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  43. ^ "Flying's easy : a puggles story / written by Tony Barber and Billy Thorpe ; illustrated by Michael McHugh, Sharon Ross, Michael Van Cleeve". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  44. ^ "Marco and the book of wisdom : a , a puggles story / written by Tony Barber and Billy Thorpe ; illustrated by Michael McHugh, Sharon Ross, Michael Van Cleeve". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  45. ^ "Sex and thugs and rock 'n' roll : a year in Kings Cross 1963–1964 / Billy Thorpe". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  46. ^ "Most people I know (think that I'm crazy) / Billy Thorpe". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  47. OCLC 223392178
    .
  48. ISBN 9780732911584
    . Retrieved 22 May 2009.

External links

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