Human Nature (band)
Encyclopedia
Human Nature are an Australia
n pop vocal group. The group was originally formed as a doo-wop
band in 1989 while the current members were at school together in Sydney
. So far, the band has had 17 Top 40 hits and five Top 10 hits in Australia since 1996 when their first album Telling Everybody
was released. Three of Human Nature's albums have reached multi-platinum certification in Australia with four others reaching platinum. The group has certified sales of 1.6 million records in Australia. They have also had minor chart
success in the United Kingdom
and New Zealand
.
and Michael Tierney joined with Toby Allen and Phil Burton
while at Hurlstone Agricultural High School
- representing their school in a combined regional schools concert at the Bankstown
Town Hall on November 27, 1989. The quartet were known as The 4 Trax, a name that they retained until they began their recording career. The band performed "Earth Angel
"- a 1950s hit for The Penguins
.
Before being in Human Nature, Toby Allen worked as a perfume salesman while studying to be an accountant, Andrew Tierney was studying to be a physical therapist, Phil Burton was studying to be a music teacher and once stacked beer for a living. The youngest member of the band Michael Tierney was studying for his Higher School Certificate in high school.
After an initial stint as buskers and wins in a number of club talent quests, The 4 Trax started performing professionally in clubs and built up a following winning- several awards as club entertainers. They started sending demos off to record labels. The band was signed to Sony Music Australia after walking into the office of Sony CEO, Denis Handlin, and performing an a cappella version of "People Get Ready
". A recording contract
was offered immediately. The band changed their name to Human Nature at a suggestion from Michael Tierney.
and Céline Dion
on their respective Australian tours.
The band teamed up with John Farnham
for "Every Time You Cry" which was one of the biggest hits of 1997, and due to the success of the previous tours, were asked personally by both Celine Dion and Michael Jackson to continue to support them throughout their European tours in June–September 1997. The band played to crowds often numbering over 100,000 people, and also took the stage for three nights at Wembley Stadium. Upon their return to Australia in October Human Nature embarked on their first ever national concert tour.
Counting Down
released in 1998 continued the band's momentum, and debuted at number one on the ARIA charts and generated five gold singles in Australia - "Last To Know", "Don't Cry", "Cruel", "Be There With You" and "Eternal Flame
" a cover version
of the 1989 hit by The Bangles
. The band also appeared in an Australian concert tour of symphonic versions of Beatles
songs conducted by Sir George Martin
.
In 1999 Human Nature appeared in a tour of the musical version of the television series Happy Days
.
The band released a self-titled album in 2000 with lead single "He Don't Love You" reaching Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart
and being the second best selling Australasian single in Australia for that year. The album was recorded in Sydney, London, Stockholm, Los Angeles and New York and featured a songwriting session with Gary Barlow
of Take That
.
In September 2000 the band performed the Australian National Anthem at the 2000 Summer Olympics
with Julie Anthony and James Morrison
. The band also appeared in Australian soap opera Neighbours
in November 2000 and performed "He Don't Love You" at Erinsborough High's debutant ball and sang "Wishes" a capella at the ball's after party.
A greatest hits album, Here & Now: The Best of Human Nature
, followed in late 2001. The accompanying single "Always Be With You" also made the Australian top 30, with the appearance of comic character Guido Hatzis
in the accompanying video.
Throughout 2002 and into early 2003, Allen took on the role of MC in a major production of the musical Cabaret
. This portrayal earned him a Helpmann Award
. In 2003, they also performed the national anthem at the second State of Origin Rugby League match.
Human Nature's fourth studio album Walk the Tightrope
was released on 26 April 2004. The first single "When You Say You Love Me" was written by Darren Hayes
, formerly of Savage Garden
, and it reached the Top 10 in Australia in 2004. The album also featured "Love Is Blind" written by Barry Gibb
of the Bee Gees
, a cover of "Guilty" by Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand
, and a cover version of "To Be With You", a 1992 hit by glam metal
band Mr. Big
.
Mid 2005 saw Allen again hit the musical theatre scene, playing Kenickie in an arena version of the musical Grease
.
For their fifth studio album, Human Nature decided to release an album of Motown covers, Reach Out: The Motown Record
, on 6 November 2005. It peaked at number one on the Australian charts and has reached 5 times platinum, with sale of over 350,000. They toured extensively around Australia in 2006 on The Motown Show theatre tour with special guest Doug Parkinson
, and members Burton and Allen both starred in reality TV shows during 2005/06: Burton in the Nine Network's Celebrity Overhaul 2 and Allen on Channel 7's Dancing With The Stars, plus both of them on Channel 10's Australia's Brainiest Musician in March 2006 (Burton came first, and Allen second).
On 29 October 2006, Human Nature won their first ARIA - highest selling album - after 15 nominations; Tierney joked saying they were the "John Wood
" of the ARIAs.
With Reach Out being such a success, the quartet decided their sixth studio album would be along similar lines. Dancing In The Street: The Songs Of Motown II was released on 13 October 2006, and debuted at number one.
Mid-2007 saw Human Nature return to Australian arena stages with the Dancing In The Street Arena Tour, with special guests Paulini and The Naturelles.
The 24 November 2007 saw Human Nature hit No.1 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart with Get Ready, the third Motown-themed album, which this time featured appearances by several original Motown artists including Smokey Robinson
, Martha Reeves
, Mary Wilson
of The Supremes
and The Temptations
. Smokey Robinson flew to Australia around the release of the album and performed with the group on Dancing With The Stars
and Channel Seven's Sunrise
.
All three Motown albums have now sold close to a million copies in Australia. Human Nature's total album sales in Australia number almost two million.
At the start of 2008, Human Nature headed over to perform for the first ever time in the United States
, with a two-month engagement at Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino. In April 2008, Human Nature took the stage with The Supremes
' Mary Wilson
on the television show It Takes Two. They performed two duets from their Get Ready album: "It Takes Two
" and "River Deep, Mountain High".
Towards the end of that year, Human Nature teamed up with old friend Eliot Kennedy
(the producer of many songs on their self-titled album) to record an album with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The album, "A Symphony Of Hits
", was released on 10 November 2008. Human Nature followed up the release of this album with three performances at the Sydney Opera House
with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
in early December. Early 2009 saw further shows in Melbourne with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
and in Perth with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
.
In May 2009, Human Nature began a year-long engagement in Las Vegas
at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino
, performing 6 nights a week. They are the first Australian band to have a residency on the strip. The group made a brief return to Australia in December 2009 to perform a "homecoming" show with Smokey Robinson at the Wyndham Estate winery in the NSW Hunter Valley
wine region.
On 11 May 2010, Human Nature announced that the Imperial Palace had signed them for a further two years, and had also given the group the honour of renaming the Imperial Palace Showroom after them. They currently perform six nights a week in the "Human Nature Theatre". The mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman
, decreed that 11 May 2010 would be known as "Human Nature Day".
Human Nature released their ninth studio album- "Vegas: Songs from Sin City
" in November 2010. The album contains covers of many classic Vegas songs or songs by Vegas headliners past and present. It also contains a duet with current Vegas headliner Barry Manilow
. On 27 November 2010, they performed a medley of the two Elvis Presley
covers from the album ("A Little Less Conversation
" and "Viva Las Vegas
") - complete with Vegas Showgirls - on the final Hey Hey It's Saturday
show, and received a presentation award for their 21st anniversary of performing (November 27 also happened to be the exact date of the anniversary).
December 2010 saw Human Nature touring Australia backed by state symphony orchestras. They once again performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
, and also performed for the first time with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
.
In July 2011 Human Nature recorded their Las Vegas show for the PBS network, and it is scheduled to air on PBS in the USA in December.
As of November 2011, Human Nature are continuing to perform at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, and are firming up plans for their first ever tour of the USA in Spring 2012.
This is the same lineup that performed as the 4Trax in 1989.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n pop vocal group. The group was originally formed as a doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
band in 1989 while the current members were at school together in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. So far, the band has had 17 Top 40 hits and five Top 10 hits in Australia since 1996 when their first album Telling Everybody
Telling Everybody
Telling Everybody is the debut album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature released on December 2, 1996.- Track listing :#"Tellin' Everybody" – 4:01...
was released. Three of Human Nature's albums have reached multi-platinum certification in Australia with four others reaching platinum. The group has certified sales of 1.6 million records in Australia. They have also had minor chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Early career
Brothers AndrewAndrew Tierney
Andrew James Tierney is a member of Human Nature.Andrew and brother Mike are the main songwriters of the group, co-writing the singles, Got It Goin' On, Telling Everybody, Don't Say Goodbye, Whisper Your Name, Be There With You, When We Were Young , Always Be With You and Don't Come Back...
and Michael Tierney joined with Toby Allen and Phil Burton
Phil Burton
.Phillip Andrew "Phil" Burton is a member of the Australian pop vocal band Human Nature with Toby Allen, Andrew Tierney and his brother Michael Tierney since 1989....
while at Hurlstone Agricultural High School
Hurlstone Agricultural High School
Hurlstone Agricultural High School is an agricultural and selective, co-educational, public high school, located in Glenfield, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
- representing their school in a combined regional schools concert at the Bankstown
Bankstown, New South Wales
Bankstown is a suburb of south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.-History:Prior to European...
Town Hall on November 27, 1989. The quartet were known as The 4 Trax, a name that they retained until they began their recording career. The band performed "Earth Angel
Earth Angel
"Earth Angel " is an American doo-wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label , as the B-side to "Hey Señorita." The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955. It peaked at #3 on the Disk Jockey chart, #8 on...
"- a 1950s hit for The Penguins
The Penguins
The Penguins were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s and early 1960s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit, "Earth Angel ", which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the pop charts...
.
Before being in Human Nature, Toby Allen worked as a perfume salesman while studying to be an accountant, Andrew Tierney was studying to be a physical therapist, Phil Burton was studying to be a music teacher and once stacked beer for a living. The youngest member of the band Michael Tierney was studying for his Higher School Certificate in high school.
After an initial stint as buskers and wins in a number of club talent quests, The 4 Trax started performing professionally in clubs and built up a following winning- several awards as club entertainers. They started sending demos off to record labels. The band was signed to Sony Music Australia after walking into the office of Sony CEO, Denis Handlin, and performing an a cappella version of "People Get Ready
People Get Ready (song)
"People Get Ready" was a 1965 single by The Impressions, and the title track from the album of the same name. The single is today the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart...
". A recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
was offered immediately. The band changed their name to Human Nature at a suggestion from Michael Tierney.
Career highlights
Human Nature released its first album Telling Everybody on 2 December 1996 and it went on to earn triple-platinum status. The first single from the album was "Got It Goin On" which established the band's success with "Tellin' Everybody", "Wishes", "Don't Say Goodbye", "Whisper Your Name", and "People Get Ready" also released as singles. The group also helped build their reputation by working as support acts for Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
on their respective Australian tours.
The band teamed up with John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
for "Every Time You Cry" which was one of the biggest hits of 1997, and due to the success of the previous tours, were asked personally by both Celine Dion and Michael Jackson to continue to support them throughout their European tours in June–September 1997. The band played to crowds often numbering over 100,000 people, and also took the stage for three nights at Wembley Stadium. Upon their return to Australia in October Human Nature embarked on their first ever national concert tour.
Counting Down
Counting Down
Counting Down is the second album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature, released on 25 May 1999.- Track listing :#"Last To Know" 4:26#"Cruel" 5:16...
released in 1998 continued the band's momentum, and debuted at number one on the ARIA charts and generated five gold singles in Australia - "Last To Know", "Don't Cry", "Cruel", "Be There With You" and "Eternal Flame
Eternal Flame (song)
"Eternal Flame" is a song by The Bangles from their 1988 album Everything. It became a hit single, when released in 1989, peaking at number one in the charts in nine countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was written by popular songwriters Billy Steinberg and...
" a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the 1989 hit by The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
. The band also appeared in an Australian concert tour of symphonic versions of Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
songs conducted by Sir George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
.
In 1999 Human Nature appeared in a tour of the musical version of the television series Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
.
The band released a self-titled album in 2000 with lead single "He Don't Love You" reaching Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and being the second best selling Australasian single in Australia for that year. The album was recorded in Sydney, London, Stockholm, Los Angeles and New York and featured a songwriting session with Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
of Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
.
In September 2000 the band performed the Australian National Anthem at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
with Julie Anthony and James Morrison
James Morrison (musician)
James Morrison AM is an Australian jazz musician who plays numerous instruments, but is best known for his trumpet playing...
. The band also appeared in Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
in November 2000 and performed "He Don't Love You" at Erinsborough High's debutant ball and sang "Wishes" a capella at the ball's after party.
A greatest hits album, Here & Now: The Best of Human Nature
Here & Now: The Best of Human Nature
Here & Now: The Best Of Human Nature is a compilation album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature released on November 16, 2001.- Track listing :# "Always Be With You"# "Don't Cry"# "Got It Goin' On"# "He Don't Love You"# "Wishes"...
, followed in late 2001. The accompanying single "Always Be With You" also made the Australian top 30, with the appearance of comic character Guido Hatzis
Guido Hatzis
Guido Hatzis is a Greek-Australian comic character created by Australian comedians Tony Moclair and Julian Schiller and voiced by Moclair. Guido appeared originally on Schiller and Moclair's radio program "Crud" on the Australian Radio Network Triple M....
in the accompanying video.
Throughout 2002 and into early 2003, Allen took on the role of MC in a major production of the musical Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
. This portrayal earned him a Helpmann Award
Helpmann Award
The Helpmann Awards recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performing arts sectors. The recognized disciplines include musical and physical theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, and dance, with a comedy category introduced in 2006...
. In 2003, they also performed the national anthem at the second State of Origin Rugby League match.
Human Nature's fourth studio album Walk the Tightrope
Walk the Tightrope
Walk the Tightrope is the fourth album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature released on 26 April 2004. After a three year absence since their greatest hits album, Here & Now: The Best of Human Nature, the group returned with a more adult-contemporary sound, presaging their future...
was released on 26 April 2004. The first single "When You Say You Love Me" was written by Darren Hayes
Darren Hayes
Darren Stanley Hayes is a UK-based Australian singer-songwriter. Hayes was the front man and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden, whose 1997 album Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in United Kingdom and No. 3 in United States...
, formerly of Savage Garden
Savage Garden
Savage Garden were an Australian pop rock performance and songwriting duo. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones formed the group in Brisbane, Queensland in 1994...
, and it reached the Top 10 in Australia in 2004. The album also featured "Love Is Blind" written by Barry Gibb
Barry Gibb
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
of the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
, a cover of "Guilty" by Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, and a cover version of "To Be With You", a 1992 hit by glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band Mr. Big
Mr. Big (band)
Mr. Big is an American rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. The band is a quartet composed of Eric Martin , Paul Gilbert , Billy Sheehan , and Pat Torpey ; Mr. Big also included Richie Kotzen, a reputable blues-based guitarist who replaced Gilbert in 1999...
.
Mid 2005 saw Allen again hit the musical theatre scene, playing Kenickie in an arena version of the musical Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
.
For their fifth studio album, Human Nature decided to release an album of Motown covers, Reach Out: The Motown Record
Reach Out: The Motown Record
Reach Out: The Motown Record is Human Nature's fifth album. It debuted at number #6 on the Australian ARIA Album Chart but worked its way up to #1. On the album, the band perform their own renditions of eleven soul music classics...
, on 6 November 2005. It peaked at number one on the Australian charts and has reached 5 times platinum, with sale of over 350,000. They toured extensively around Australia in 2006 on The Motown Show theatre tour with special guest Doug Parkinson
Doug Parkinson
Douglas "Doug" Parkinson is an Australian singer who first came to fame with his band, Doug Parkinson In Focus, in 1969. He has had numerous hits on the Australian Top 40 charts.-Career:...
, and members Burton and Allen both starred in reality TV shows during 2005/06: Burton in the Nine Network's Celebrity Overhaul 2 and Allen on Channel 7's Dancing With The Stars, plus both of them on Channel 10's Australia's Brainiest Musician in March 2006 (Burton came first, and Allen second).
On 29 October 2006, Human Nature won their first ARIA - highest selling album - after 15 nominations; Tierney joked saying they were the "John Wood
John Wood (Australian actor)
John Wood is a Gold Logie Award-winning Australian actor, best known for his role as Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon in the Seven Network's long running police drama Blue Heelers.-TV career:...
" of the ARIAs.
With Reach Out being such a success, the quartet decided their sixth studio album would be along similar lines. Dancing In The Street: The Songs Of Motown II was released on 13 October 2006, and debuted at number one.
Mid-2007 saw Human Nature return to Australian arena stages with the Dancing In The Street Arena Tour, with special guests Paulini and The Naturelles.
The 24 November 2007 saw Human Nature hit No.1 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart with Get Ready, the third Motown-themed album, which this time featured appearances by several original Motown artists including Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
, Martha Reeves
Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves is an American R&B and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Jimmy Mack", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run"...
, Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson (singer)
Mary Wilson is an American singer, formerlymember of the Motown female singing group The Supremes during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson was the only singer to be a consistent member of the group in its eighteen-year tenure...
of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
and The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
. Smokey Robinson flew to Australia around the release of the album and performed with the group on Dancing With The Stars
Dancing with the Stars (Australian TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a Logie Award-winning, Australian light entertainment reality show airing on the Seven Network and filmed live from the HSV-7 studios in Melbourne...
and Channel Seven's Sunrise
Sunrise (TV program)
Sunrise is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network. On weekdays the programme follows Seven Early News, and runs from 6am through to 9am.-History:...
.
All three Motown albums have now sold close to a million copies in Australia. Human Nature's total album sales in Australia number almost two million.
At the start of 2008, Human Nature headed over to perform for the first ever time in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with a two-month engagement at Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino. In April 2008, Human Nature took the stage with The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
' Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson (singer)
Mary Wilson is an American singer, formerlymember of the Motown female singing group The Supremes during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson was the only singer to be a consistent member of the group in its eighteen-year tenure...
on the television show It Takes Two. They performed two duets from their Get Ready album: "It Takes Two
It Takes Two (song)
"It Takes Two" was a hit single recorded in late 1965 by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston for Motown's Tamla label.Produced by Weston's then-husband, longtime Gaye collaborator William "Mickey" Stevenson, and co-written by Stevenson and Sylvia Moy, "It Takes Two" centered around a romantic lyric which...
" and "River Deep, Mountain High".
Towards the end of that year, Human Nature teamed up with old friend Eliot Kennedy
Eliot Kennedy
Eliot Kennedy is an English songwriter and record producer based in Sheffield. He has worked with artists such as the Spice Girls, Bryan Adams, Lulu, S Club 7, Five, Delta Goodrem, and Lovers Electric.-History:...
(the producer of many songs on their self-titled album) to record an album with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The album, "A Symphony Of Hits
A Symphony of Hits
A Symphony of Hits is the ninth album by Australian pop vocal group Human Nature. The album includes reworking of some of their past hits and several new cover versions all with arrangements by Prague Philharmonic Orchestra...
", was released on 10 November 2008. Human Nature followed up the release of this album with three performances at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...
in early December. Early 2009 saw further shows in Melbourne with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
and in Perth with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra , often known as the "Orchestra of the West", is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.-History:...
.
In May 2009, Human Nature began a year-long engagement in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino
Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino
Imperial Palace is a 2,640 room hotel and a casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The hotel and casino were owned by Imperial Palace LLC until purchased by the current owner, Caesars Imperial Palace Corporation a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Corp..-History:From 1959 to...
, performing 6 nights a week. They are the first Australian band to have a residency on the strip. The group made a brief return to Australia in December 2009 to perform a "homecoming" show with Smokey Robinson at the Wyndham Estate winery in the NSW Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
wine region.
On 11 May 2010, Human Nature announced that the Imperial Palace had signed them for a further two years, and had also given the group the honour of renaming the Imperial Palace Showroom after them. They currently perform six nights a week in the "Human Nature Theatre". The mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman
Oscar Goodman
Oscar Baylin Goodman is an American lawyer and politician. He was the mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1999 to 2011. Mayor Goodman is an Independent and a former member of the Democratic Party.-Biography:...
, decreed that 11 May 2010 would be known as "Human Nature Day".
Human Nature released their ninth studio album- "Vegas: Songs from Sin City
Vegas: Songs from Sin City
Vegas: Songs from Sin City is the tenth album by Australian pop vocal group Human Nature released on November 12, 2010. For the first time in their career, bass singer Toby Allen features on lead vocals, on both "A Little Less Conversation" and on "Sway". The track listing below is the way the...
" in November 2010. The album contains covers of many classic Vegas songs or songs by Vegas headliners past and present. It also contains a duet with current Vegas headliner Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
. On 27 November 2010, they performed a medley of the two Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
covers from the album ("A Little Less Conversation
A Little Less Conversation
"A Little Less Conversation" is a song written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange that was originally performed and written for American rock and roll icon Elvis Presley for the 1968 film Live a Little, Love a Little. When the song was released as a single with "Almost in Love" as the b-side, it became...
" and "Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
") - complete with Vegas Showgirls - on the final Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 27 years , debuting on the Nine Network on 9 October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode on 20 November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later...
show, and received a presentation award for their 21st anniversary of performing (November 27 also happened to be the exact date of the anniversary).
December 2010 saw Human Nature touring Australia backed by state symphony orchestras. They once again performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...
, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra , often known as the "Orchestra of the West", is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.-History:...
, and also performed for the first time with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was founded as a 17 player radio ensemble in 1936, in Adelaide, South Australia. The orchestra reformed in 1949 as the 55 member South Australian Symphony Orchestra. It reverted to its original and present title, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, in late 1974, and...
, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .-Activities:...
and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra is an Australian orchestra, based principally in Brisbane in the state of Queensland.The QSO played its first concert on 26 March 1947, with the orchestra consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by Percy Code. John Farnsworth Hall was recruited from the Sydney...
.
In July 2011 Human Nature recorded their Las Vegas show for the PBS network, and it is scheduled to air on PBS in the USA in December.
As of November 2011, Human Nature are continuing to perform at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, and are firming up plans for their first ever tour of the USA in Spring 2012.
Band members
As of 2011, the band consists of:- Andrew TierneyAndrew TierneyAndrew James Tierney is a member of Human Nature.Andrew and brother Mike are the main songwriters of the group, co-writing the singles, Got It Goin' On, Telling Everybody, Don't Say Goodbye, Whisper Your Name, Be There With You, When We Were Young , Always Be With You and Don't Come Back...
- Michael Tierney
- Toby Allen
- Phil BurtonPhil Burton.Phillip Andrew "Phil" Burton is a member of the Australian pop vocal band Human Nature with Toby Allen, Andrew Tierney and his brother Michael Tierney since 1989....
This is the same lineup that performed as the 4Trax in 1989.
Albums
- 1996: Telling EverybodyTelling EverybodyTelling Everybody is the debut album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature released on December 2, 1996.- Track listing :#"Tellin' Everybody" – 4:01...
- 1997: Whisper Your Name Australian Tour Pack
- 1999: Counting DownCounting DownCounting Down is the second album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature, released on 25 May 1999.- Track listing :#"Last To Know" 4:26#"Cruel" 5:16...
- 2000: Human Nature
- 2001: Here & Now: The Best of Human NatureHere & Now: The Best of Human NatureHere & Now: The Best Of Human Nature is a compilation album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature released on November 16, 2001.- Track listing :# "Always Be With You"# "Don't Cry"# "Got It Goin' On"# "He Don't Love You"# "Wishes"...
- 2004: Walk the TightropeWalk the TightropeWalk the Tightrope is the fourth album by Australian boy band and pop vocal group Human Nature released on 26 April 2004. After a three year absence since their greatest hits album, Here & Now: The Best of Human Nature, the group returned with a more adult-contemporary sound, presaging their future...
- 2005: Reach Out: The Motown RecordReach Out: The Motown RecordReach Out: The Motown Record is Human Nature's fifth album. It debuted at number #6 on the Australian ARIA Album Chart but worked its way up to #1. On the album, the band perform their own renditions of eleven soul music classics...
- 2006: Dancing in the Street: the Songs of Motown IIDancing in the Street: the Songs of Motown IIDancing In The Street: The Songs Of Motown II is the sixth album by Australian pop vocal group Human Nature and second Motown covers release...
- 2007: Get Ready
- 2008: The Motor City CollectionThe Motor City CollectionThe Motor City Collection is a box set by Australian pop vocal group Human Nature. It is made up of three Motown covers albums and a live DVD....
- 2008: A Symphony Of HitsA Symphony of HitsA Symphony of Hits is the ninth album by Australian pop vocal group Human Nature. The album includes reworking of some of their past hits and several new cover versions all with arrangements by Prague Philharmonic Orchestra...
- 2009: Reach Out (this was a compilation of songs from all 3 Australian Motown tribute albums, and was only available on US iTunes and in Barnes and Noble stores in the USA)
- 2010: Vegas: Songs from Sin CityVegas: Songs from Sin CityVegas: Songs from Sin City is the tenth album by Australian pop vocal group Human Nature released on November 12, 2010. For the first time in their career, bass singer Toby Allen features on lead vocals, on both "A Little Less Conversation" and on "Sway". The track listing below is the way the...
DVDs/VIDEOS
- 1997: "Telling Everybody- The Story" (VHS)
- 2002: Here and Now (DVD)
- 2007: Reach Out, Live at the Capitol (DVD)