Warren Carr - (You Are My) Sunshine

(You Are My) Sunshine/Middle 8

Warren Carr was a pianist who played with John Konrad's Kaydets (1960) and in Johnny O'Keefe's backing band. Warren made many recordings for Leedon in his own name from 1961 to 1964, they are mostly in what has been described as "honky tonk party piano style" rather than anything resembling rock music.(You Are My) Sunshine/Middle 8 was released in 1961 and later that year he had an instrumental hit with "Li'l Old Me" both on the Leedon Label. He later went on to play Piano on the ABC'S childrens show Playschool.

JA-AR - Please Help Me I'm Falling

Please Help Me I'm Falling/Girl Girl Girl

John Rowles was born on 26th March 1947 in Whakatane and raised in Kawerau in the Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand. His parents were Eddie and Phyllis Rowles. Eddie played on the wing and three-quarter for the Maori All Black's in 1938, and was also a talented singer. John had five sisters, Georgina, Carol, Gabrielle, Cheryl and Tania, and two brothers, Edward and Wally. Edward unfortunately died when John was two, and out of respect for him, John adopted his name as his middle name throughout his career. Wally had a small singing career himself, originally going under the name Frankie Price, before changing to Frankie Rowles.
John's musical background is quite extensive with his first performance being at the age of 10, when he entered a local talent quest and sang "All Shook Up", taking out first prize. Whilst still at school he organised a group called the Shadows, named after the original group, and John played lead guitar. His father managed the group and they played at local dances at weekends. He was encouraged by his father and he even bought him his first electric guitar.
In 1962, when he was 15, John left school and got a job in a forestry camp. However, music was of prime importance in John's life and when he was sixteen he moved to Auckland where he acquired a job as a guitar player in a club. When the vocalist there became ill, John took over the vocal duties as well. While in Auckland he had a short spell with Sonny Day and the Sundowners, and it was while with them that he met Eddie Low.
John and Eddie moved to Australia in 1963 after signing a nine month contract to sing at the Riverside Inn in Melbourne. After that contract expired, John moved to Sydney and joined a group called the Dingdongers. John stayed with them for about a year and during his time with them, the group changed their name to the Sundowners.
By 1966, still in Australia, John had decided to go solo and secured the services of New Zealand promoter Graham Dent as his manager. Graham had previously been responsible for the successful career of Johnny Devlin and had also managed Max Merritt and the Meteors for a while. Graham gave John a new image, changed his hair style, new mod clothes and impressed upon him the importance of putting effort and action into his music and performances. Dent organised to have John appear on Australian television's "New Faces Of 1966". At this stage Dent had him performing under the name "The Secret", and he was so popular that there were huge numbers of offers for work. Dent kept him away from the promoters and press until after he had made an appearance on "Bandstand". He then launched John to the Australian music world as JA-AR and promoters were scrambling to sign him up.
John's first single as a soloist was released in 1966 on both the Sunshine and Komotion labels in Australia as JA-AR and was called "The End (Of The Rainbow)"/"You Still Love Him". This was followed early in 1967 with "Please Help Me I'm Falling"/"Girl Girl Girl" just on the Sunshine label. Owing to his television exposure, both singles did quite well. http://www.sergent.com.au/johnrowles.html

I'm Talking - Do Yo Wanna Be 12inch single

Do You Wanna Be (Dance Mix)/Do You Wanna Be/Do Yo Wanna Be (Instrumental)

I'm Talking was a 1980's Funk Pop band that came about after the break-up of the experimental funk band Essendon Airport in 1983, members Robert Goodge (guitar), Ian Cox (saxophone) and Barbara Hogarth (bass) recruited Stephen Charlesworth on Keyboards Cameron Newman on drums then Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne on vocals.

"Do you Wanna Be" was releasd in 1986 and went to #8 on the charts.

Sons & Daughters and A Country Practice

Sons & Daughters Theme/ Some Kind Of Friend - Ian Rawlings/Bosom Buddies - Pat McDonald & Rowena Wallace/The More I See You - Peter Phelps & Kim Lewis/Behind Closed Doors - Thomas Richards & Leila Hayes/Sometimes When We Touch - Steven Comey/ Help Me Make It Through The Night - Leila Hayes/Friends - Rowena Wallace

This record album was released in 1983 and is a compilation of tunes performed by some of the stars of the popular shows "Sons and Daughters" and "A Country Practice". Two shows that I used to watch religiously we all hated Pat the Rat I used to watch Sons and Daughters each week to see who was doing what to whom. You just don't get T.V. like this any more.

A Country Practice Theme/Dream A Little Dream - Shane Withington/As Time Goes By - Brian Wenzel/Let's Call The Whole Thing Off - Penny Cook & Grant Dodwell/True Love - Lorrae Desmond & Brian Wenzel/Yesterday When I Was Young - Lorrae Desmond/Woolloomooloo - Syd Heylen/ My First Night Without You - Helen Scott
 

And what about a country practice what a team Bob Hatfield, Esme Watson, Vernon "Cookie" Locke, Shirley and Frank, the doctors Terence and Simon and Molly and Simon who can forget when Molly Died(tear in eye)

Flowers - Can't Help Myself 10" Limited Edition

Can't Help Myself/Send Somebody/Can't Help Myself (Extended Version)

Flowers released one album "Icehouse" then changed their name to Icehouse. Led by Iva Davies the only constant member throughout and the driving force behind Icehouse.

Flowers released their debut single in May 1980, Can't Help Myself (written by Davies),which hit the Australian Top 10 in June 1980. This was followed by their debut album Icehouse, which reached #4 on the National albums chart and became one of the year's biggest selling albums in Australia. Further singles We Can Get Together and Walls from Icehouse also hit the Top 20.

Ripped from vinyl at 320kbps

Download here

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=452Z7F92

Peter Nelson and the Castaways - Skye Boat Song

Skye Boat Song/Goin' Out Of My Mind

Peter Nelson and the Castaways originated in Christchurch, where Peter Nelson had previously been in another Christchurch group called The Diamonds. The Diamonds consisted of Ray Messervy on bass, Don Clarkson on guitar, Doug Petrie on drums, David Henderson on guitar, with Kaye Bassett and Peter Nelson handling the vocals. They released one single in 1963 which was "Ventures In Paradise"/"Lucille", both sides were instrumentals. When The Diamonds split up, Peter Nelson and The Castaways with Kaye Bassett was formed, and the new line-up consisted of Peter Nelson and Kaye Bassett (Vocalists), Len Ormsby (Lead Guitar), Don Clarkson (Bass), Doug Henderson (Rhythm Guitar) and Doug Petrie (Drums). On moving to Wellington in 1965 (at which time Kaye Bassett left), they became known exclusively as Peter Nelson and The Castaways. Peter Gillette on the VOX continental organ (who had been playing in The Opposition at The Plainsman when the Castaways left Christchurch), was recruited into the band, and he then also moved to Wellington. Once established in Wellington, Peter Nelson and the Castaways played locally and appeared on the local TV show Teen Scene. They recorded two singles, "Down the Road A Piece"/"I'll Go Crazy" and "Baby Can I Take You Home"/"I'll Never Be Blue". By this time the band had substantiated the following line-up: Peter Nelson (Lead Vocalist), Len Ormsby (Lead Guitar), Don Clarkson (Bass), Doug Henderson (Rhythm Guitar), Doug Petrie (Drums), Peter Gillette (Keyboards). Peter Nelson and the Castaways made a strong reputation for themselves with their quirky choice of their own originals mixed with rhythm and blues. Their biggest hit was "Down In The Mine" written by Peter Hindmarsh.

Another single was released, "Skye Boat Song/Goin' Out Of My Head" and by this time the band had built up a large following in Sydney owing to their appearances in sydney Discos their single reached #23 mainly due to sales in Sydney alone success was hampered by the fact that Perth band Glen Ingram and the Hi five had also released a version and it was their single that did better nationally. Interestingly in New Zealand the singles A-side was Goin' Out Of My Head but was changed to the B-side in Australia when Sydney radio stations started to play Skye Boat Song due to the success of the Glen Ingram platter.

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