Geoff Cox, better known as “Coxy”, is a star of radio and television, and former drummer in The Bootleg Family, Avalanche and Little River Band. His life in the entertainment industry started out playing drums six nights a week in Rock and Roll Bands, fast becoming one of the top session drummers in Australia, playing on 20+ gold albums. During the 70’s Coxy toured the world with the likes of Russell Morris, the Bee Gees, and Cliff Richard. He also played in Las Vegas for several...

Marty Rhone was born as Karel (or Karl) Lawrence van Rhoon on 7 May 1948 in the Dutch East Indies  (Indonesia) His father was Eddy Emile van Rhoon, his mother was Judith Olive.  She was a singer and actress, who met Eddy through the Sydney jazz scene; he was a visiting pianist.   The couple married in 1947, and migrated to Australia on 21 April 1950 and briefly lived in Sydney and Brisbane, and then moved to Darwin.   Rhone was taught piano by his father but he preferred singing. In August...

Irwin Thomas (born Irwin Thomas Whittridge; 6 January 1971) is an American-born Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He performs professionally using the stage name Jack Jones from when he was the lead vocalist-guitarist in the band Southern Sons (1990–1996). His other bands collaborations include Electric Mary, She Said Yes and Ahmet Zappa. He is known for his collaborations with John Farnham and Rick Price. He released his debut solo album, The Evolution of Irwin Thomas, in 2002.

Dear Enemy was an Australian indie pop band formed in Melbourne in 1980. The band released a studio album, Ransom Note, in 1984 on EMI and Capitol Records that featured its best known single, "Computer One", a No. 15 hit on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart in January 1984. "Computer One" also reached #59 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock chart in March, 1984. Dear Enemy disbanded in 1988.

On this episode of Gavin Wood’s Countdown podcast, Gavin catches up with Australian saxophonist, television personality and radio presenter – Wilbur Wilde. Perhaps best known for his work as part of the house band on “Hey Hey It’s Saturday!” Wilbur Wilde rose to prominence with the bands Ol' 55 and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. Wilbur has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Skyhooks, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, Split Enz, Roy Orbison, Cold...

Graham William Nash OBE (born 2 February 1942) is an English-American musician, singer and songwriter. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997 and as a member of the Hollies in 2010.He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)...

Susan Kay Quatro was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1950, and grew up pursuing performing. Suzi was playing bongos on stage with her father’s jazz band by the age of eight, and by 14 she’s changed her name to Suzi soul and had left school to become a Go-Go dancer. By the age of 15, Suzi was fronting the band the Pleasure Seekers, with her sisters. The band toured the country and were invited to Vietnam to entertain troops, before changing their name to Cradle in the early 1970’s and...

On this episode, Gavin catches up with Australian media personality and radio broadcaster – Philip Brady OAM. Philip Brady OAM is one of the country’s most experienced and familiar radio broadcasters, with a career spanning more than 6 decades. From Kennedy to Vizard, Newton to Hogan, Philip has collaborated with Australia’s most iconic personalities. Philip’s career started in tandem with the early beginnings of Australian television transmission in the late 1950s. Like many of...

On this episode of Gavin Wood’s Countdown podcast, Gavin catches up with American singer, songwriter and composer - Jimmy Webb. Jimmy Webb achieved success from a young age, aged just 21 when he won his first Grammy Award, winning Song of the Year in 1967, for the song, “Up, Up, and Away”. As well as “Up, Up, and Away”, Jimmy has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst That Could Happen", "Galveston" and...

Tommy Emmanuel was a working professional age of 6, playing rhythm guitar in his family’s band as they toured Australia.   He has never had a formal guitar lesson, in fact, he doesn’t read music or know music theory. However, he’s considered one of the modern masters of the guitar, with Chet Atkins naming Tommy as a Certified Guitar Player, an honour bestowed to only 4 other people.   Tommy’s guitar skills grew from natural talent and decades of practice. His playing incorporates a...

Philip Kenneth Collen (born 8 December 1957) is an English musician who is best known as the co-lead guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard, joining the band in 1982 during the recording of the Pyromania album. Prior to joining Def Leppard, Collen had performed with a number of bands in the burgeoning British glam metal scene. Outside of Def Leppard, with which he still records and performs live, he has been involved in a number of side projects most notably the trio Man Raze, with which he...

Born Christopher John Cheney in 1975, Chris graduated with a VCE from Wheelers Hill Secondary College. Chris played guitar since age 6 and studied jazz at Box Hill Tafe in 1994-95. However, it was at a barbecue Chris' was introduced by his sister to Scott Owen. In 1992 they formed a cover band called 'The Runaway Boys' taken from a Stray Cats song of the same name which performed covers of the band's songs with the odd original song thrown in. In 1994 he got his first album with The Living...

Peter first came to prominence with Stylus in 1975, releasing four albums with hits such as ‘Summer Breeze’ and ‘World of Make Believe’ before the band split in 1980. A successful solo career followed throughout the 80’s, with a top 20 hit for his first release, ‘Fear of Thunder’, and success with the song ‘Blame it on the Weather’ – not only for Peter but also for John Farnham, whose voice, incidentally, Peter’s soaring vocals are often compared to. Peter also became a regular on TV shows...

Melbourne-born sisters, Vika and Linda Bull, grew up singing at church, and were taught how to harmonize by their Tongan mother. The talented siblings first made their mark as members of Joe Camilleri’s The Black Sorrows in the late 1980s, also providing backing vocals for other artists including Hunters and Collectors, Archie Roach, John Farnham, Deborah Conway, and Paul Kelly. In 1994 they left the band to launch their own career as a duo, releasing their debut self-titled album that same...

Tania Doko become a pop sensation in 1998 as one half of Melbourne duo ‘Bachelor Girl’. Their 1998 debut single, "Buses and Trains", was a top-10 hit in Australia and New Zealand; it peaked in the top 30 in Sweden and charted in the UK. The follow-up single, "Treat Me Good", reached the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand and their debut studio album, Waiting for the Day, was released in 1998 and reached the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart and achieved platinum certification. A successful...

Lee (Vassilis) Simon was born in 1954 in Melbourne to Greek immigrant parents. At age five, he changed his first name to Lee, as "it was easier to use." He worked as an audio engineer from 1971 at local radio station, 3AW. His first job as a DJ was for radio 2BE in Bega, New South Wales followed by stints at 7HT (Hobart), 2NX (Newcastle) and 2SM (Sydney). Simon returned to Melbourne as a DJ and announcer for radio station 3XY (from 1975) and then EON FM (from 1980), where he became their...

Mike Brady was born in England and moved with his family to Australia when he was 11 years old. His recording career began in the mid 60’s with the formation of MPD Ltd (Mike, Pete & Danny). After MPD Ltd, Mike spent the majority of his time building his career as producer and writer of jingles for Television and Radio. One such jingle brought Mike back into the public spotlight. He was asked to record a promotional song for Channel Seven’s Football program. This song being “Up There...

Bill Armstrong - Legendary Music Producer was born  in 1929.   The Melbourne audio technician-turned-producer has been at the forefront of the local music industry for more than 60 years.   In the mid-50s, Armstrong was working as a "balance officer" at ABC Radio, producing live-to-air programs, outside broadcasts and variety shows and working with the likes of Graham Kennedy. In 1956, he was charged with overseeing the PA system at the main stadium of the Melbourne Olympic Games.   In...

Bill Armstrong - Legendary Music Producer was born  in 1929.   The Melbourne audio technician-turned-producer has been at the forefront of the local music industry for more than 60 years.   In the mid-50s, Armstrong was working as a "balance officer" at ABC Radio, producing live-to-air programs, outside broadcasts and variety shows and working with the likes of Graham Kennedy. In 1956, he was charged with overseeing the PA system at the main stadium of the Melbourne Olympic Games.   In...

John St Peeters was born in Melbourne, in 1956, to Italian-born parents, Pasqualino Lo Piccolo – a greengrocer – and Giovanna (née Basile). He grew up in Richmond with a younger sister, Josephine "Jo".  Early in his career he performed as Johnny Lo Piccolo. From the age of 11 he played piano accordion on TV talent quests, such as Brian and the Juniors, New Faces, variety shows, including In Melbourne Tonight, and at clubs in Melbourne.   John St Peeters and the Sharells were formed in 1974,...

For over 40 years Shane Howard has established himself as one of Australia's most influential writers and singers and created a uniquely Australian voice. From the red heart, where he penned his enduring song ‘Solid Rock, Sacred Ground’, to the wilds of Tasmania that gave birth to ‘Let the Franklin Flow’, Howard's songs have created a new map of Australia. His songs challenge existing social paradigms and dig down into what it means to be a modern Australian. They also reach across the...

Mark Dixon Kitchen (born 8 September 1950), known professionally as Mark Gable, is an Australian musician who serves as the frontman and a founding member of the rock band The Choirboys. The band was formed in Sydney in 1979. Mark was born in Captains Flat, New South Wales. Starting in 2012, Mark hosted The Awesome Eighties on 107.7 2GO in The New South Wales Central Coast, with assistance from Mike Duncan. In 2008/9 Gable hosted and co-produced a weekly series for smoothfm, The Sunday...

Tim Finn was born in  New Zealand.  In 1971 he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Auckland. It is there that he met Mike Chunn, Robert Gillies, Philip Judd and Noel Crombie. Phil and Tim formed a band called Split Ends, which became Split Enz before they started to tour Australia. Finn recorded his first solo album, Escapade, in 1983. This album was very successful in Australia and New Zealand,  he then decided to leave Split Enz in 1984.   In early 1985, Tim moved...

Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, multi-instrumentalist David Immerglück, bass guitarist Millard Powers, and guitarist Dan Vickrey.Counting Crows gained popularity following the release of its first album, August and Everything After (1993). With the breakthrough hit single "Mr. Jones" (1993), the album sold more than 7...