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Cancer finally caught up with Mick Cocks
FORMER Rose Tattoo member and Bilambil Heights resident Geordie Leach thought his mate Mick Cocks had more time. But the Aussie rocker, who passed away on Tuesday night after his battle with liver cancer, will always be remembered by his fellow band member as a “good old boy.” “Even though we knew he was terminal, all of us thought he had a bit more life in him,” Mr Leach said yesterday. “It is a sad day for all of us, he was one of the founding members of Rose Tattoo besides Gary ‘Angry’ Anderson.” “It’s just bad luck. If you live the rock and roll life too much it catches up with you in the end.” Mr Leach said he first met Mr Cocks in 1975 following the break up of his band, Buster Brown. A year later, Cocks and Anderson helped form rock band Rose Tattoo. Years later Mr Leach would join them on bass guitar where they recorded hit songs including Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw and Bad Boy for Love. “It was always a pleasure working with him (Cocks) and tour overseas with him,” Mr Leach said. Mr Leach, now based in Burleigh Heads, last saw his friend at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney in July to raise money for Cocks. Rose Tattoo, Jimmy Barnes, You Am I, Ian Moss and The Screaming Jets all performed for the benefit. “We just wanted to help him live the rest of his life in comfort,” Mr Leach said. The band announced in April that Cocks had developed liver cancer. The statement said Cocks, a smoker, was in good spirits after the diagnosis and was being treated by the “very best” doctors in Sydney, adding that he was “ready for a fight.” A service for Cocks will be held on December 30. Mr Leach said he would attend. Cocks is the fourth member of the band to pass away following Ian Rilen and Pete Wells in 2006 and Lobby Loyde in 2007. ROSE TATTOO STAR COCKS TO BE BURIED BEFORE NEW YEAR
Friends and family of late Australian rocker MICK COCKS will say their last goodbyes to the star when he is buried on 30 December 2009 in Sydney. The Rose Tattoo founder passed away on Tuesday 22 December 2009, after losing his battle with liver cancer. According to Undercover.com.au, Cocks' loved ones will gather to honour the late star at a service held at the St. Augustine Catholic Church next Wednesday. Mick Cocks Service To Be Held On December 30
A service for the late Rose Tattoo guitarist Mick Cocks will be held in Sydney on December 30. Friends and family will gather to honour Mick who passed away yesterday from a relatively short battle with liver cancer. Mick was diagnosed with the disease a year ago and told fans in April. The service will be held at the St Augustine Catholic Church in Eaton St, Balmain at 1pm on the 30th. The last five years have been devastating for Rose Tattoo. Mick was the forth member to die since 2006, following Ian Rilen and Pete Wells in 2006 and Lobby Loyde in 2007. A brief statement was released last night announcing Mick’s death. "We're very sad to announce that Rose Tattoo founding member and guitarist Mick Cocks lost his battle against liver cancer and passed away today, on December 22," the statement read. Angry Anderson pays tribute to guitarist Mick Cocks
MICK Cocks, founding member of rock band Rose Tattoo, was "one of a vanishing kind", Angry Anderson said in tribute today. Anderson described his bandmate, who died yesterday in a Sydney hospital after a long battle with liver cancer, as “a unique player who had a style and rhythm that was entirely his own”. The guitarist is the fourth member of the legendary band to have died from cancer in the past three years, following the deaths of Pete Wells and Ian Rilen in 2006 and guitarist Lobby Loyde in 2007. Cocks formed Rose Tattoo with singer Anderson when the two musos moved from Melbourne to Sydney in the late 1970s. Cocks, who co-wrote many of the band's songs, had been suffering from liver cancer for a year. In July a benefit concert was held for him in Sydney, featuring acts such as You Am I, The Screaming Jets, The Radiators, Jimmy Barnes and members of Cold Chisel. “He's one of a vanishing kind,” Anderson said. “He'll be remembered as long as people play his songs. And he'll be remembered for his loving nature and a genuine lust for life.” Guitarist Mick Cocks Dies
Mick Cocks, rhythm guitarist and founding member of seminal Australian hard rock band Rose Tattoo, has lost his battle with liver cancer. He died on December 22 at Sydney hospital. Cocks becomes the fourth member of a Rose Tattoo line-up to pass away in as many years, following the deaths of feted guitarist Lobby Loyde in 2007 and the 2006 losses of bass player Ian Rilen and guitarist Pete Wells, all of whom had suffered with cancer. Cocks established the band in 1976 with the late Wells and Rilen. Two years later, Albert Records issued Rose Tattoo's self-titled debut album two years later. It became an instant classic, with tracks as "Rock'n'Roll Outlaw" and "Bad Boy For Love. With the instantly-recognizable frontman Gary "Angry" Anderson on the mic, the hits kept coming with "We Can't Be Beaten," "Scarred for Life," and "One of the Boys.' The band's success crossed borders and inspired a new generation of rock outfits, including Motley Crue, LA Guns and Guns N'Roses, who covered Rose Tattoo's track "Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock'n'Roll)." Cocks left the band in 1979 and went on to create his own solo projects and work with the likes of Aussie rockers the Ted Mulry Gang and Heaven. Rose Tattoo was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006. The band announced in April that Cocks had developed liver cancer. Three months later, Rose Tattoo joined forces with Jimmy Barnes, You Am I and an array of the best in Australia's rock fraternity to play a benefit gig in Sydney for the ailing guitarist. Rose Tattoo guitarist Mick Cocks dies from cancer, months after benefit gig
Mick Cocks, founder of Rose Tattoo, has lost his battle with liver cancer. A brief statement on the band's website confirmed the death of the Sydney rocker yesterday. "We're very sad to announce that Rose Tattoo founding member and guitarist Mick Cocks lost his battle against liver cancer and passed away today, on December 22th,'' the statement read. He had been battling the disease for about twelve months. The performer passed away in a Sydney hospital. Describing him as a "true Australian rocker'', Rose Tattoo manager Stephen White said that Cocks' death was "devastating''. "It is devastating. You know, what can you say though?'' Mr White told Fairfax Radio Network. "Mick got ill about a year ago and it was looking pretty good for a while but he got very ill.'' A fan posting on the Rose Tattoo official website said the musician was a legend. "Mick is one of the legends of Australian music. He's still too young to be leaving us,'' the fan wrote. The band announced in April that Cocks had developed liver cancer, saying it made the announcement to prevent speculation about his illness. The statement said Cocks, a smoker, was in good spirits after the diagnosis and was being treated by the "very best'' doctors in Sydney, adding that he was "ready for a fight''. Cocks, along with frontman Gary "Angry" Anderson, was a founding member of Rose Tattoo. The band went on to enjoy significant international success with its brand of slide-guitar driven rock. His death comes just months after some of Australia's best-loved rockers joined forces to put on a benefit gig for the stricken performer. Rose Tattoo, Jimmy Barnes, You Am I, Ian Moss and The Screaming Jets played at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney in July to raise money for Cocks. Cocks is the fourth member of the band to die from cancer since 2006. Ian Rilen and Pete Wells died in 2006, Lobby Loyde in 2007. Drummer Digger Royal died in 1991. Rose Tattoo Founder Mick Cocks Dies From Liver Cancer
Rose Tattoo has lost their 4th member in 4 years. Rhythm guitarist Mick Cocks has died from liver cancer after being diagnosed in April this year. Micks Cocks was a founding member for Rose Tattoo. He formed the band in 1976 with the late Pete Wells, who had recently left Buffalo. Ian Rilen, also now deceased was the bass guitarist. At one stage in 1981, the band also featured guitar legend Lobby Loyde, who died of cancer in 2007. Rose Tattoo are one of Australians greatest ever bands. They inspired Guns N Roses, who recorded a cover of their song ‘Nice Boys’ on ‘G N’ R Lies’. The bands hits include ‘Bad Boy For Love’, ‘We Can’t Be Beaten’ and ‘One of the Boys’. Mick was also a former member of Heaven and one-time member of Ted Mulry Gang. Watch Mick Cocks with Rose Tattoo performing Nice Boys in Germany in 2006. Rose Tattoo's Mick Cocks loses cancer battle
ROSE Tattoo guitarist Mick Cocks has died from cancer. A brief statement on the band's website confirmed the death of the Sydney rocker tonight. "We're very sad to announce that Rose Tattoo founding member and guitarist Mick Cocks lost his battle against liver cancer and passed away today, on December 22th,'' the statement read. He had been battling the disease since April this year. It comes just months after some of Australia's best-loved rockers joined forces to put on a benefit gig for the stricken performer. Rose Tattoo, Jimmy Barnes, You Am I, Ian Moss and The Screaming Jets played at the Enmore Theatre in July to raise money for Cocks. Guitarist Pete Wells, who died in March 2006 from cancer, formed Rose Tattoo in 1976, joining forces with Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Ian Rilen and Dallas Royal. Rose Tattoo is well known for its hits including We Can't Be Beaten, Scarred for Life, Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw and Bad Boy for Love. A SPECIAL CONCERT FOR MICK COCKS
SUPPORT ACT LIMITED PRESENTS: Anderson doubts 'very much' that Zaetta had sex with soldiers
Veteran rock singer Angry Anderson says he doubts "very, very, very much" that fellow entertainer Tania Zaetta had sex with Australian soldiers during their visit to Afghanistan last month. ROSE TATTOO Special Edition Of 'Blood Brothers' To Include Bonus DVD
Wacken Records/SPV will release a "special edition" of "Blood Brothers" (cover artwork), the latest album from the Australian rock legends ROSE TATTOO, on June 13. Besides the regular album, the "special edition" will feature a DVD containing the Wacken Open Air show from 2006 plus the Tatts TV interviews. The track listing is as follows: CD: 01. Black Eyed Bruiser DVD - Live At Wacken Open Air 2006: 01. Rock N´Roll Outlaw ROSE TATTOO's video for the track "Black Eyed Bruiser" can be viewed below. The song was the first single from "Blood Brothers", which was produced by veteran Australian producer Mark Opitz (INXS, COLD CHISEL, KISS). "Black Eyed Bruiser" was written by the band's original production team, Harry Vanda and George Young, who also were AC/DC's producers. Blood Brothers
Rose Tattoo seamlessly mixed old classics with stomping newies that proved they are still very much relevant. Much of the recent Guns N' Roses/Rose Tattoo tour was a sense of deja vu; 14 years on, Axl still didn't seem to have any good new songs. However, Rose Tattoo seamlessly mixed old classics with stomping newies that proved they are still very much relevant. Once in a Lifetime, a gospelly blues-rock ode to late Tatts guitarist Pete Wells, with slide played by his replacement Dai Pritchard, and 1854, a tribute to the victims of the Eureka Stockade, were both classic catchy rock anthems with killer choruses that date back to the band's legendary Scarred for Life album. The album opens with a very true version of Stevie Wright's Black Eyed Bruiser, and on the tender City Blues the band slow down the pace and prove it's not all about the boogie. Many of these songs should be all over commercial radio, but of course they prefer to stick with the band's old classics. This was supposed to be the Tatts' swan song, but after rediscovering their chemistry they have decided that there will be at least one more after this. And that's great news for fans, because they just don't make bands like Rose Tattoo any more. Blood Brothers
Legendary Australian band Rose Tattoo recently celebrated 30 years in the business and have just recently been touring the country with US band Guns N’ Roses as the special request of that act’s infamous singer, Axl Rose. The band, which now comprises of original singer Angry Anderson, original guitarist Mick Cocks, new guitarist Dai Pritchard, drummer Paul De Marco and bass player Stephen King (not the famous author or local DJ) have also just released a new studio album, Blood Brothers, which they had already considered recording when original guitarist Pete Wells passed away due to prostate cancer. “Pete and I had talked about an album and thought it might actually be the last one for Rose Tattoo,” Angry said from the comfort of his hotel settee before admitting that he disliked doing interviews. “It’s not that I’m not interested, it just that after all these years I find it surprising that anyone would want to talk to us,” he laughed. “Anyway, after we did Pain, which was a real pain, I thought we were in our last days so I really wanted to make one last really good album,” Angry continued. “So we were going to make it with Pete but that was not to be. And who knows if it will be out last album? If Pete had been involved with it maybe it would have.” “That would have been back in 1983 or maybe ’84,” he announced. “ Apparently - and I don’t actually remember it myself even though I’ve since seen the photos - we met up back stage a couple of times. And Guns N’ Roses were a bit like a glam rock band back then – lots of make-up and shit – but then they adopted a more rock’n’roll style similar to the Tatts. So it’s been said that, as a style, there hasn’t been such an influential Australian band as the Tatts. There are also a lot of AC/DC clones. Bands such as The Black Crowes, Faster Pussycat and to a certain extent The Georgia Satellites all said we were a big influence. It always gives you a nice little tickle and particularly if you like that band anyway. “But I often think it’s more about the look and attitude more so than the music,” he then mused. “And George Thorogood always wanted to catch up with Pete [Wells] whenever he toured Australia,” Angry continued. “But George, and no disrespect, always wanted to talk slide guitar, string and picks and shit like that and Pete just didn’t have any interest. He would have been more interested in just having a few beers and shooting a few games of pool than talking about all that shit. Although, secretly, I think the crusty old bugger felt quite honoured. “I then I lived in LA for about eight months in 1989 – that was where I recorded my Blood From A Stone album – and Mushroom Records had flown me over there to supposedly put me in a ‘creative atmosphere’,” he explained further. “I don’t know how you do that. I don’t think any place is more creative than another because creativity is all in your head. “Anyway, I was hanging around with Axl and Slash in those days,” Angry added, “and they said, ‘You should meet this guy called Sebastian Bach. He’s a big Tatts fan’. And I think Sebastian was still a teenager back then. He was pretty young anyway.” Producer Mark Opitz, who has worked with most major Australian acts including The Angels, Hoodoo Gurus, The Divinyls, Noiseworks and Cold Chisel, was selected to work on Rose Tatoo’s new offering. “And here’s a funny story,” Angry laughed. “Mark Opitz told us that his first job was working with us although we couldn’t really remember him. He told us that he was 19-years old and he came to Alberts and they said that he had to put some apprenticeship hours in. So they said, ‘We’ve got this band coming in this weekend to jam around and we want you to record everything they do’. So that was his first job at Alberts and our first session at Alberts. That would have been 1976 or something like that. “So that was interesting because we went back and listened to some of those old tapes and resurrected a couple of songs from back then – a song called Sweet Meat and another called Creeper,” he added. “At the time they were considered too bluesy to go on our debut album. We were told if we were going to make an impact, everything had to be loud and fast. And fair enough at the time. “But it’s been interesting that those couple of songs from 30 years ago that Mark originally produced for us, have ended up on our new album,” Angry laughed. “So it’s synchronicity because, it this is to be our last album, then we wanted it to come full cycle. “People have said, ‘The Tatts will never survive without Pete Wells’,” Angry continued, “but I remember him saying to me once, ‘It’d be really hard to continue Rose Tattoo without you, but I’d probably give it a go’. That was, I think, a way of Pete saying to me, ‘So if I go first then you’d better continue on’.” The band will soon head to Europe for the summer festival season. “We’ve been doing that for the last 10 years now,” Angry concluded. “It works for us – we even did a live album over there to celebrate our 25th anniversary – because we can go over there [Europe- and play lots of gigs and then come home and forget about it all for a while and just do our other stuff.” Angry Anderson challenge
The idea of Angry Anderson's challenge is to pull together the money and materials for a regional youth centre by October. With a target of $2.5 million, Angry has so far raised more than $1 million. Gayle Dunn, mother of Craig Dunn, started up the program to give youths of Australia the future her son never got to see. Local Ulladulla surfers Craig Dunn and Danny Lewis were killed in the Bali Bombings. This project will be a permanent memorial for those who lost their lives in the Bali attack by providing young people with a positive and practical vision for the future. It
aims to enhance their skills, create employment and teach leadership
skills to the youths.
Support the centre and get more information about Angry Anderson's challenge at www.dunnlewisfoundation.org.au Lobby Loyde dead at 65
Veteran rock guitarist Lobby Loyde has died from cancer at 65. Loyde, whose loud, plectrum-bending guitar style blasted from rock pubs and concert venues throughout the 60s and 70s, was acknowledged as a father figure of Australian rock music. He died in Box Hill Hospital last night after a long battle with lung
cancer that eventually spread throughout his body. In 2005 he was diagnosed with cancer and in 2006 he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Murphy said Loyd's represented the end of an era. "It's sad day for Oz roc. But Lobby woudn't anyone crying. He'd want us to go out and party." Mums the Word for Rose Tattoo
Angry Anderson brought a special lady along for the Rose Tattoo induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame his mother. Rose Tattoo were honoured by the Australian Music Industry for a career dating back to the mid 70s. The band was inducted by former Superjesus singer Sarah McLeod who said she got into Rose Tattoo after finding out that the song 'Nice Boys' on the Guns 'n' Roses record 'G'n'R Lies' was actually theirs. Jet performed their classic hit 'We Can't Be Beaten'. Angry vowed that Rose Tattoo will continue as a live act. Shortly before the death of Pete Wells this year, he said he visited Wells and Wells gave the okay for the Tatts to play on. "It is what he wanted" Angry said. Jet To Perform Rose Tattoo
Melbourne's Jet will cover Rose Tattoo's classic 'We Can't Be Beaten' at the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame dinner. The Jet performance is a special tribute to the Tatts who will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame that evening. "We're going to do 'We Can't Be Beaten' - I think it fits us more than their other sons. And it captures an attitude which is ingrained in every Australian”, said Jet's Nic Cester. Other inductees on the night include Helen Reddy, Divinyls, Daddy Cool, Icehouse and Lobby Lloyd. Brooke Fraser will perform Reddy's 1973 hit 'Delta Dawn' and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs will perform a musical tribute to Lloyd. Icehouse will reform for the evening and do 'We Can Get Together' and 'Great Southern Land'. Daddy Cool will also reform for the night singing 'Eagle Rock' and 'Come Back Again'. Divinyls will play for the first time in 12 years. They have selected 'I Touch Myself' and 'Boys In Town'. The 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame will take place on August 16 at the Plaza Ballroom at Melbourne's Regent Theatre. Jet honor Rose Tattoo
The 2006 Aria Hall Of Fame event on Wednesday August 16th at the Plaza Ballroom at Melbourne's Regent Theatre will see Jet pay tribute to Rose Tattoo, and a band that remains a strong influence on them. Back home to play two warm up shows in preparation for the release of their much anticipated new album 'Shine On', will perform the Tatts' 'We Can't Be Beaten'. Australian based New Zealand star Brooke Fraser will perform Helen Reddy's 'Delta Dawn'. Divinyls founding members Chrissy Amphlett and Mark McEntee, will take to the stage for the first time in almost 12 years to perform two of their biggest hits, 'I Touch Myself' and 'Boys in Town' while Daddy Cool will regroup to perform their iconic hits, 'Eagle Rock' and 'Come Back Again'. Iva Davies and Icehouse will perform 'We Can Get Together' and a special rendition of their classic song Great Southern Land and finally, Billy Thorpe And The Sunbury Aztecs will perform a very special musical tribute to Lobby Loyde. The 2006 Aria Hall Of
Fame event will be broadcast exclusively on Foxtel and AusStar Digital
subscribers will be able to see this special telecast on VH1 on Sunday, August
20th at 8.30pm. On August 31 Jack White's The Raconteurs will be a part of this
year's MTV 'Video Music Awards', but not as mere performers on the annual show.
The band has been appointed to provide the soundtrack for the VMAs live
throughout the show. Final Inductee Announced
for ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA is delighted to announce one final music artist who will be honoured at the ARIA Hall of Fame event on Wednesday August 16 at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne. Arguably one of Australia's legendary guitar heroes, LOBBY LOYDE, will join DIVINYLS, ICEHOUSE, DADDY COOL, HELEN REDDY and ROSE TATTOO into the hallowed ARIA Hall of Fame. Acknowledged as the godfather of heavy rock in Australia, LOBBY LOYDE has influenced countless performers both here and overseas through his playing and songwriting as well as his production work. Barry Lyde - or Lobby Loyde, as he has been known since the late 60's - started out like so many guitar heroes, under the all-pervasive influence of The Shadows' Hank Marvin. His incendiary guitar work has been a focal point of every band he's played with. Among those who have cited Loyde as an influence are Billy Thorpe, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, Pavement's Stephen Malkmus (who covered The Coloured Balls That's What Mama Said), Henry Rollings (who owns all Lobby's recordings), Bored! and Cosmic Psychos. "When kids pick up guitars in this country, they don't say: 'I want to sound like Lobby Loyde', " said Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson. "They say: 'I want to sound like that' - without knowing it's Lobby. More than anyone else, Lobby helped create the Australian guitar sound. Long before Angus (Young) or Billy Thorpe or the Angels or Rose Tattoo. Lobby inspired Australian bands to step forward and play as loud and aggressively as they could. People are still trying to copy it today." Angry Anderson (The Age, Sat June 10th, 2006) The 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame event will be broadcast exclusively on subscription television. Foxtel and Austar Digital subscribers will be able to see this special telecast on VH1 on Sunday, August 20th at 8.30pm ARIA Hall of Fame - Rose Tattoo
Plaza Ballroom - Melbourne - AUGUST 16TH 2006 ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) is proud to announce that Rose Tattoo will be inducted into the HALL OF FAME. Forming in Sydney 30 years ago, ROSE TATTOO first came to prominence playing a similar style of blues-rock made popular by AC/DC and fast became an institution of Australian rock. With their raw, heavy, hard street rock sound and a trademark bluesy slide guitar of Pete Wells, ROSE TATTOO won loyal fans not only internationally but especially struck a chord on local shores where they were anointed one of Australia's premier rock bands. The band was the vision of slide guitarist Peter Wells, and their initial goal was to create the "meanest loudest, most in your face rock band around" and true to their intentions, ROSE TATTOO became notorious as a self-styled gang of rock'n'roll outlaws, bent on mayhem and destruction, and they quickly developed a reputation around Sydney clubs and pubs for their in-your-face, brutal, no-nonsense hard rock. "We feel that as Rose Tattoo we have represented Australian pub rock well overseas. The band has influenced other internationally famous bands but our fame has never been about 10 million sales or mega popularity. It has always been about the music and I am glad that we are being recognised for that.......and Pete would be too." ANGRY ANDERSON The band's initial line-up (which would change many times over during the lifespan of the band) featured the passionate, fierce, throaty vocal performances and dramatic stage antics of Gary "Angry" Anderson, Ian Rilen on bass, Peter Wells on slide guitar, Mick Cocks on rhythm guitar and Dallas "Digger" Royall on drums. Future line-up switches would introduce the likes of Rob Riley (rhythm guitar), Geordie Leach and Steve King (bass guitar) as well as Paul DeMarco (drums) amongst others. ROSE TATTOO first signed to Albert Productions upon recommendation from AC/DC's Bon Scott and worked on their first four albums with the help of ex- Easybeats' Harry Vanda and George Young. Their 1978 debut album Rose Tattoo featured the single Bad Boy for Love, which climbed into the Australian Top 20. In the three years that followed, the band toured relentlessly, maintaining their outlaw image performing at several penal institutions, including Parramatta Jail. In the early eighties the band toured the UK and Europe, including a legendary, frenzied performance at the Reading Festival where Angry head-butted the amp stacks until his forehead was bleeding. In 1981 they released their second album Assault & Battery. The album reached Number 1 on the UK Heavy Metal Charts and the Top 30 in Australia and produced two big singles Out of This Place and Manzil Madness. Their classic
1982 album Scarred for Life followed and produced three singles including We
Can't be Beaten, which reached Number 14 on the Australian charts. Their fourth
studio LP and the final recording produced by Vanda and Young, Southern Stars,
was released in 1984 and included the hit single I Wish and saw the band once
again, true to form, serve up their unique brand of rootsy, hard-rock and metal.
After the release of Southern Stars, ROSE TATTOO ground to a halt and did not
reform until 1993, when none other than Guns & Roses put in a special request
for them to get back together to support the Gunners on their Australian Tour. ROSE TATTOO's musical grit, guts, guile and sheer rock'n'roll heart has written them into the annals of music history as making a hefty contribution, both in the studio and on stage, to the definition of Australian heavy rock. ARIA Announces More Hall of Fame
Before their 2006 event, ARIA announces another two Hall Of Fame inductees. The 2006 ARIA Hall Of Fame ceremony will take place on August 16 and in the lead up to the big night, the association has announced that this year’s inductees will include such legendary Australian acts as Icehouse, Divinyls and Daddy Cool. Now two more acts have been announced as inductees: feminist folk icon Helen Reddy and pub rock stalwarts Rose Tattoo. Reddy is probably best known for recording what became the unofficial anthem of the feminist movement in the ‘70s, ‘I Am Woman’. In 1965 she won Channel Nine’s Bandstand “Starlight” competition and scored a trip to the US. By the end of her career she’d scored four US number ones, sold 15 million albums and was the first Australian singer to win a Grammy. Sydney’s Rose Tattoo have always been in the shadow of big brothers AC/DC but their barroom rock was no less gutsy and authentic. These rock n’ roll outlaws won fans across Australia and are still recognised internationally for the raw bluesy guitar of the recently departed Pete Wells and the underdog spirit of vocalist Angry Anderson. The ARIA Hall Of Fame event will be broadcast on pay channel VH1 on August 20. ARIA Announces Hall of Fame 2006
ARIA is pleased to announce the return of the ARIA HALL OF FAME; an annual stand alone event which will see the Australian music community pay tribute to artists who have made significant contributions to this country's musical landscape. The ARIA Hall of Fame 2006 event will take place on Wednesday, August 16 at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne's Regent Theatre. The Hall of Fame has been an important part of the ARIAs since 1988. Traditionally taking place during the music awards ceremony, ARIA has inducted a diversity of artists into the Hall of Fame, including AC/DC, Dame Joan Sutherland, Olivia Newton John, Johnny O'Keefe, Paul Kelly, John Farnham, INXS, Slim Dusty, Jimmy Little and more. At this inaugural event, Divinyls, Icehouse, Daddy Cool, Helen Reddy and Rose Tattoo will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame 2006. ARIA is pleased to announce that the evening will include performances by Divinyls, Icehouse, Daddy Cool as well as two very special guest performers who will be announced in the coming weeks. The entire event will be broadcast exclusively on VH1 on Sunday August 20 at 8.30pm. Plaza Ballroom - Melbourne - AUGUST 16TH 2006 Rose Tattoo's Pete Wells Dies
Pete Wells,
slide guitarist and one of the founders of Australian power blues band Rose
Tattoo, died in a Sydney hospital early yesterday morning (March 27). He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002 and had spent the last five weeks in the
hospital. According to friends, he was due to turn 60 this year. tattoos, shaved eyebrows and black T-shirts and jeans. Guns. Pete Wells Dies Age 58
Rose Tattoo guitarist and Australian music icon Peter Wells lost his ongoing battle with prostate cancer last night, age 58. The rock legend had been in hospital for the past 5 weeks and was apparently in pain before his peaceful passing at 10pm on the 27th of March. In a 2005 interview with “60 Minutes,” Wells spoke about his fight against cancer. “…The trick is to get it early,” he said. “I mean, they can fix this damned thing.” “That's the point about the bloody thing is that if I got it early - a year or six months earlier or something - it would have saved an awful lot of inconvenience, I can tell you - pain and misery and the rest of it.” Wells was renowned for his outstanding musical contributions to the local scene, which included not only his most famous outfit Rose Tattoo but also Buffalo, Hillbilly Moon, The Lucy DeSoto Band and Rocks Push. He also released several albums as a solo artist. Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw Benefit Concert
Pete Wells is the genuine, 100 per cent proof, rock and roll outlaw. With a fag hanging from his mouth and tatts crawling over his body, Wells has often been described as anAustralian version of Keith Richards. Now listen, Wellsey is tougher. He played bass for 1970s rock monsters, Buffalo, and is slide guitarist for the almighty Rose Tattoo. And, of course, he’s a celebrated solo artist, collaborator, and leader of the Pete Wells Band. Right now, though, he’s fighting a battle against prostate cancer. Tough as he is, Pete needs a helping hand, so his mates in the Australian music industry are turning up the watts at the Enmore Theatre on Wednesday, 7 September, 2005. Welcome to the Pete Wells Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw Benefit Show – it’s going to bring down the walls, cave in the floor and bloody rock, okay. All the bad boys (maybe, for love) and a bad girl (or two) are confirmed: Rose Tattoo, Billy Thorpe (MD), Diesel, Jon Stevens + Noiseworks, Tim Gaze (Tamam Shud/Ariel), Dave Tice (Buffalo), Chris Turner (Buffalo), Tim Rogers, Killing Heidi, The Original Angels Band, Ian Moss, The Radiators and Sarah McLeod with more announcements still to come – what a line-up! Talk about back in black. Hell, the bar is going to be busy. There are always kind words said for occasions like this, even though none are necessary. Pete’s mate Angry Anderson (Rose Tattoo) said: “Pete is one of my oldest and closest friends – basically, he's family. We've been together for 30 years in a band, there's no way I wouldn't be there for him as I'm sure he would for me. Anything the rest of the band and I can do to help him out …" Billy Thorpe added “Pete ‘Pops’ Wells is the last of our rock n roll outlaws. From his early days with Buffalo through to the legendary Rose Tattoo Pete’s uncompromising attitude and steel hard, kick arse, brand of unadulterated, undiluted, pure rock n roll has inspired a legion of fans both in Australia and internationally where he is held in the highest regard by the likes of Slash and Keith Richards. “The speed with which everyone has come on board this benefit is a testimony to the high regard in which Pete is held and a true measure of how much he is loved. Tim Rogers summed it up perfectly when I asked him if he’d do the show. He said ‘I’ve never met the man. But Pete Wells! Are you kidding? I consider it an honour to be part of Pete’s benefit concert.’ And so do I”. Pete’s response to the announcement of the benefit show was typically short and warm: "I'm totally overwhelmed by this love and generosity" he said. He’s man of few words is Mr Wells. He prefers to let his guitar do the talking and his snakeskin boots do the walking. But before we get too misty-eyed and start in on the chorus of one of those Tatts anthems, let’s remember why we’re here. There’s a job to be done. The players are in place, the amps are cranked, the guitars are getting tuned, now Sydney it’s up to you. Show Pete Wells you care. Make the Pete Wells Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw Benefit Show a sell-out. He deserves it. Select Venue: The Big
Daddys
The Big
Daddys will be playing they next LIVE SHOW at Dee
Why RSL Club on Friday November 28th, 2003 with special guest ANGRY
ANDERSON. Angry will be joining us during "Act II" of the gig, after
intermission as outlined below. Angry and The Big Daddys
will be performing a special set. More details will be posted soon. Pain
(Steamhammer / SPV) Back in the late '70s and early '80s, the depth of talented Australian rock groups was quite high. Having punk rockers Radio Birdman making some inroads internationally, groups like AC/DC would create a global presence for more than two decades. But for every AC/DC there is Rose Tattoo, a group that had just as much skill and ability but never reaped the rewards they so justly deserved. After breaking up in 1984, the band was requested by Guns N Roses to open for them for the Australian leg of its 1993 world tour. In 2000, the group returned with 25 to Life and a tour of Europe. Now, sounding like they're still joyfully stuck in a time machine circa AC/DC's Highway to Hell, the group has returned with a genuine good time rock and roll record. Led by singer Angry Anderson, an enigmatic bald and heavily tattooed character, the band begins with a meaty and infectious "Black Magic". Not as raspy or ragged as Brian Johnson, Anderson is fully supported by Pete Wells on slide guitar and "Rockin'" Rob Riley on electric guitar. It's a perfect opener that sets the stage for much more of the same. "The Devil Does It Well" has more of an early '80s heavy metal feeling to it, with the constant 4/4 drumming of Paul DeMarco. While it might seem relative simplistic, the KISS philosophy (Keep It Simple, Stupid) sounds just as fresh now as it did in the group's first time around. The track tends to slouch slightly near the conclusion though, perhaps not fading out while it's still on top and instead going for a lengthy jam ending. One aspect of the album you won't find that appealing is the lyrics. The group won't be known for its deep or hidden meanings in the words, but it's not supposed to be given the airtight rhythm section that sounds like it's a live take in the studio rather than being overly produced. "No Mercy" is a blend of the first two tracks, a bit more infectious than both with a faster tempo and more slide guitar deep in the bowels of the track. "Pain" is a Zeppelin-like tempo with Anderson's accent coming to the fore before building into a thundering guitar rock tune. It also has a lot in common with Judas Priest when Rob Halford was still the group's key component. "Kisses and Hugs" is a punk metal track that comes across like Aerosmith's "Young L.U.S.T.". "I don't need no one to tell me how to feel / Don't need a multi album deal," Anderson howls over a head banging, foot stomping tune. "House Of Pain" is perhaps one of the more neatly packaged songs of the 16 presented. With a somewhat cookie-cutting blueprint, the band sounds a bit uninspired and lacking that oomph for the first time on the record. "I Can't Help It If I'm Lucky" has a lot in common with California punk legends Social Distortion in its punishing beat and infectious old-school rock guitar. "Union Man" deals with, well, the support of unions and "an honest day's work for an honest day's pay". "Satan's Eyes" misses the mark with a heavy metal theme and sound that doesn't look good on the quintet. "Hard Rockin' Man" and the quasi-funky "Stir Crazy" are two of the strongest here though, the latter relying far more on a groove than any crunchy guitar riff. The last quarter of the album stands up against the other dozen tracks, but tends to improve on the earlier portions. "Living Outside My Means" has much more of galloping beat to it with Anderson playing more of a bit role than being a dominating force. His madcap laughs and devil-may-care diatribe only adds to the song's appeal. "Illustrated Man" continues on the hard and enjoyable rock path with another high-octane 4/4 tempo and some stellar guitar work. The album isn't the art rock of Radiohead and doesn't truly care to be. If fans of AC/DC or just out and out great guitar rock haven't heard of this underrated band, don't say I didn't tell you! Rose Tattoo
***Last minute low key London gig @ The Garage booked for July 29th*** Rose Tattoo, the legendary Australian blues-rockers, who release 'Pain', their first studio album for 18 years, on SPV on July 1st, have confirmed a short notice low key London gig at the Garage on July 29th. Tickets, priced £7 in advance and £8 on the door, are on sale now from all the regular Mean Fiddler outlets and box office 020 7344 0044. This gig follows their co-headline slot (with Doro) at the Rock and Blues Festival in Derby on July 27th. Last year Rose Tattoo toured the UK for the first time in 18 years and were rewarded with an exceptional KKKKK live review in Kerrang! in their June 16th 2001 issue:- 'It's not always easy finally getting to see a favourite band that you missed the first time around, and I have to confess that if I hadn't been reviewing tonight (and mistakenly believed that Dukes of Hazard were supporting) then I'd probably have given this show a miss. After all, we've all depressingly witnessed a legend or two going through the motions to pay the mortgage, and while Rose Tattoo may be one of the first true bad-ass rock'n'roll bands, they're all knocking on a bit, y'know. Sometimes it's just better to leave fond memories alone. Sometimes I can be a right c**t! Because, quite frankly, if this gig had slipped past then arguably the best show of the year would have been little more than hearsay. Older readers might know the score; Rose Tattoo were a bunch of Aussie headcases who wrote true classics, often covered to this day, like 'Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock And Roll)' and 'Rock 'N' Roll Outlaw' and lived it like they sang it every step of the way. Younger readers may remember the little dude who played Ironbar in 'Mad Max 3'. That was Rose Tattoo's frontman Angry Anderson' and he wasn't acting! You could put the f****r in the Thunderdome with all of Splipknot and he'd be the one who walked away! Anderson simply oozes charisma as he belts them out, like the brother of Bon Scott and wayward father of Axl Rose and Chris Robinson all rolled into one. There's so much soul in that voice as the band swagger through 'Rock 'N' Roll Is King' and 'One Of The Boys' that it simply puts everyone else to shame. And this, bear in mind, is over two decades after they started scaring (and sometimes scarring) audiences Down Under, so it's probably only a shadow of what they once were. No wonder they were revered as Gods in some of the more spit 'n' sawdust bars of the world! Absolutely Awesome!' (Morat). *******Rose Tattoo will be available for interviews on July 30th******** |