When thinking of Australia, one usually pictures the oft-quoted “shrimp on the Barbie” phrase, actors like Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, kangaroos, and Crocodile Dundee. Music isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But, it should be – the country is actually home to a pretty kickin’ music scene.
Here are 8 great bands and musicians that have come out of Australia:
- Jet. A Melbourne-based rock band formed in 2001, Jet has sold a staggering 6.5 million records worldwide. Their debut album, Get Born, produced their most popular single, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?”, and the album was met with much positive acclaim from critics and fans alike.
- Nick Cave. Cave is not only a world-renowned singer, songwriter and musician; he is also an author and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his work with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, a 1980s rock group. Cave has been inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame, and continues to be a very popular and influential musician.
- AC/DC. Most people don’t know that this popular hard rock band is based out of Australia. Fronted by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, AC/DC is frequently touted as being a serious pioneer of heavy metal. The band has sold an estimated 200 million records worldwide, including the famed Back in Black album.
- INXS. This famed rock band was fronted by Michael Hutchence for twenty years, and was formed in Sydney in 1977. They are known their eclectic musical style, which mixes genres such as ska, pop, and funk. INXS has won a number of ARIA Music Awards, including “Best Group” for a record three years.
- The Seekers. The Seekers were a 60s era pop music band based out of Melbourne. They were an extremely popular band during this time, and also have the honor of being the first Australian pop music group to achieve successful album sales in the U.K. and the United States.
- Savage Garden. This pop rock performing duo was formed in Brisbane in the early 90s. They enjoyed worldwide success with singles such as “Truly Madly Deeply” and “I Knew I Loved You”. Their first two albums were number one on the charts in Australia, and in the top ten in both the U.S. and the U.K.
- Silverchair. A Newcastle-based alternative rock band formed in 1992, Silverchair has won 21 ARIA Music Awards, and has been nominated 49 times. The group recently proclaimed an indefinite hiatus in May 2011, but up until that point had sold over six million albums.
- The Bee Gees. The Bee Gees are arguably one of the greatest and most well-known singing groups of all time. They remained popular for the 40 plus years that they recorded music, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Their record sales total has been estimated to be around 220 million, making them one of the biggest-selling music groups of all time.
About Today's Guest Writer:
This is a post by James from SeekSydney,
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