Australian music legend dies

Just heard on the radio the Billy Thorpe, one of Australia's greatest rock and roll singers has died of a massive heart attack.:cry Nothing on the Net as yet.

Google links http://www.thorpie.com/ Official site, although I couldn't log on to it.

Also lots of links at http://www.google.com.au/search?num...q=+"billy+thorpe"&btnG=Search&meta=lr=lang_en

His band, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs had lots of hits in the 70's.

He will be sorely missed. I met him in the 90's and got a CD of his autographed after a solo gig at a Townsville venue. Bazza

 

http://imdb.com/name/nm0861654/board/threads/ This is all I found about him.

 

Expect TV will be having rolling tributes for Thorpey. That's the end of another era....my friends and I often frequented nightclubs he and the Aztecs played at in the early days...he really got the dance floor jiving. Another closed chapter to part of my youth and those of my mates.

He certainly became an Aussie icon by pulling in different generations at his concerts and has left my friends and I with many fond memories of "the old days".

 

And so they go one by one. I was in the car this morning when I heard, really shitty way to die - no goodbyes. What a great musician we have all lost!

I always remember where I was when they make these terrible announcements, just like the day when John Lennon died. :grouphug

 

Only the good die young

Truly a pioneer of Australian music, he will be sorely missed

 

Tribute concert to Thorpie this weekend. Check for screening details in weekend papers.

Link to concert.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21310690-661,00.html

R.I.P., Thorpey.:cry :cry :cry

Bazza

 

Thanks for that info Bazza. Thorpey will be sorely missed by many of different generations. He certainly made an impact.

LS

 

Oh no!....just heard myself, terrible news and a great loss to the Australian Music Industry.

Billy was a pioneer within the rock industry....I remember him back to when music was real music?

RIP.. Billy Thorpe

Thanks for the update and links Bazza and others!


Regards..

 

I lent my CD copy of "Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, The Best & the Rest of Lock up your Mothers" to a local radio station as part of their tribute to Thorpey.

The last 4 tracks on the CD are live from Sunbury 72, 73 and the Melbourne Myer Music Bowl. They are unbelievable. 11 minutes of "Oooh Poo Pah Doo", too long for the radio station to play unfortunately. A fabulous example of Thorpey working the crowd.

They did play "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", the live version, leaves all others versions and other artists, in the dust, IMHO, of course. Bazza

 

That would be very interesting

 

Yes, it is a shame that the DJ's only play, or only know, the "standard" recorded version. Bazza

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Excellent Baz....So nice of you to do that.

Cheers

LS

 

Interesting biography that I just came across.

http://www.mushroommusic.com.au/songwriters/songwriter.asp?id=107

Bazza:cry

 

How odd. When I started reading this thread, I had no idea this was the same Billy Thorpe whose nearly 30 year-old album "Children of The Sun" I happen to own-- on vinyl, no less. Just as the article mentioned his Australian fans had no clue he had any US success, I heretofore had no clue as to his obviously huge Australian one. I even heard the title cut from the "revisited" version of the album on the radio just the other day.

 

Good synopsis on his life....they even mentioned "Surf City" at King's X :cool .....that was a great venue in its day - the place really rocked!

Thanks Baz

 

You're welcome. Bazza :cry

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Billy Thorpe special on RAGE - right now
:guitar :dood :dancer :hyper :clap :cool :drink

 

Damn, missed it.:cry Hope it is better publicised and run again. Bazza

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Hopefully, might depend on how many requests they get

looked very comprehensive, interviews etc
would have been all of the file footage they had access to I would imagine.