|
Born in Oldham, England, Edward Mulry emigrated to Australia in 1969 at the age of 20. Just before arriving in Australia Ted had developed an interest in song writing and after impressing many friends and workmates, they encouraged Ted to take his songs to J. Albert and Son, mainstays of independent Australian music publishing for over a century, in the hope that someone might start recording Ted's songs. EMI Records happened to hear Ted's demo material and suggested that he record one of the songs for release. The songwriter had never considered himself a performer, and it took a lot of persuasion before he agreed to record 'Julia' as his first Parlophone label single. Ted's next single had the distinction of being the first release on the Albert label. Instead of releasing a song of his own, 'Falling In Love Again' was written for him by Albert's star writers, Harry Vanda and George Young of the Easybeats. Another McCartney-esque ballad. The result was a national hit. After his third single release ‘Marsha’, Ted then returned to the UK where he'd secured a recording contract with Blue Mountain Records, a subsidiary of Island. In June ‘72 Sherbet scored what proved an important breakthrough for them, their version of Ted's song, 'You're All Woman'. For his own performances Ted Mulry had grown tired of the hit and miss process of picking up a backing band wherever he was appearing and began using Velvet Underground (same name, different band) as his regular backing band - just after their guitarist Malcolm Young left to form another Albert act, AC/DC. One night Ted's bass player decided to throw a tantrum, and stormed off stage. The singer picked up his instrument and completed the rest of the show on vocals and bass. It was the moment which changed everything. Ted started practicing bass and the band's guitarist Les Hall and drummer Herman Kovacs decided to become Ted's permanent band. Together they became the Ted Mulry Gang. Just prior to the release of the first group album, 'Here We Are', in November '74 rhythm guitarist Gary Dixon joined to make the gang a quartet. Their first single failed to make an impression, but then a Sydney radio personality suggested they release another of the album's tracks as a single. Eventually the record company relented. 'Jump In My Car' became a national #1 hit. The Ted Mulry Gang followed up with a souped up version of the 60 year old jazz standard 'Dark Town Strutters Ball'. They were scoring hit records, with their popularity greatly enhanced by their appeal on stage as a hard drivin' good time rock and roll band. They'd become Australia's Faces. When they switched to Mushroom in 1977 the Ted Mulry Gang become plain TMG, and the merriment on stage continued. They called their second Mushroom album 'Disturbing The Peace'. In February 2001 Ted Mulry revealed he was suffering brain cancer. Ted Mulry passed away on September 1, just one day short of his 50th birthday. “Over two extraordinary, intense, enveloping March nights in 2001 the man the Australian music industry thought of as its best ‘mate’ found that he had more of them than he could count. They came from every musical decade since the sixties; they came from rock, pop, blues, prog-rock, metal and country; they came to convey affection, support and enormous admiration." "Hour after hour the roar was relentless, as one Oz Rock icon after another – with not an ego in sight – took to the stage to celebrate a life in music, their performances were given extra edge by the occasion and by the indefatigable audience. It was a night of stellar singers and powerhouse bands – reformed or still rocking – dispensing blistering and sometimes unexpected sets.. one mighty moment tumbling atop another." "As one of the three compares I was privileged to witness a frail, wrapped and emotionally buoyed Ted observe from the wings old sparring partners Sherbert in full flight, his big-voiced brother Steve Mulry out front of his original Gang, and Whitlams leader Tim Freedman gentling rendering his early folkish pop hits Julia and Falling in Love Again. It was Ted’s last outing except medical treatment." "I said it so many times over those two nights and was always near deafened by the response “Gimme a ‘T’, Gimme an ‘E’, Gimme a ‘D’. What does that spell? What does that spell? TED!! TED!! TED!!" "It still rings in my ears. After this it may long ring in yours.” GLENN A. BAKER – February 2003 TRACK LISTING DISC 1 – Friday night 9th March 2001 DISC 2 – Saturday night 10th March 2001
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|