Jerry Speiser
Encyclopedia
Jerry Harold Speiser is an Australian drummer
and sometime guitarist. He was a founding member of 1980s pop music
group Men at Work
; which had Australian, United States and United Kingdom hits with their singles, "Who Can It Be Now?
" and "Down Under
" and their albums, Business as Usual and Cargo
. He left the band in 1984 and was a member of other groups including FX, One World and Frost
.
Following Men at Work's breakup in 1984, he briefly joined pop band FX (featuring keyboard-player John McCubbery), and then Ross Hannaford
's band, One World as a guitarist. In 1986, he and former Men at Work producer and sound engineer Peter McIan had a short stint with American band The City, where he played the drums while McIan played keyboards and produced the album Foundation. After that, Speiser joined pop rockers Frost
where he played the drums in the single "You and Me" from their album The Usual Suspects.
Speiser (Drums/vocals) and Ben Fitzgerald (Guitars/vocals) co-founded a guitar-driven style rock band named Where's Claire?. In 1990 they were joined by Andrew Midson (Bass/vocals) and Brenden Mason (Guitars/vocals) and released their first commercial album, Long Time Coming in 2002.
He also formed his own low keyed rock band The Working Stiffs and had a single called "Who Can It Be Down Under?"
Jerry Speiser is now playing as a drummer for an Australian band After Burner.
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and sometime guitarist. He was a founding member of 1980s pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group Men at Work
Men at Work
Men at Work are an Australian rock band who achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United States . They achieved the same distinction of a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United Kingdom...
; which had Australian, United States and United Kingdom hits with their singles, "Who Can It Be Now?
Who Can It Be Now?
"Who Can It Be Now?" is a song by Australian band Men at Work. It was the second single and first track from their 1981 debut album, Business as Usual. "Who Can It Be Now?" was first released as a single in Australia in June 1981, prior to the recording of the rest of the album...
" and "Down Under
Down Under (song)
"Down Under" is a pop song recorded by Men at Work for their debut album Business as Usual . The song went to #1 on American, British, Canadian and Australian charts....
" and their albums, Business as Usual and Cargo
Cargo (album)
Cargo is the second album by Australian band Men at Work, released in 1983. . Rolling Stone magazine noted that while it lacked a blockbuster hit, "song for song, it is a stronger overall effort than Business as Usual."...
. He left the band in 1984 and was a member of other groups including FX, One World and Frost
Frost (Australian band)
FROST is an Australian pop rock band formed in 1997 in Melbourne. Although the band has change several drummers since its inception, they are becoming an increasingly popular independent group in Australia...
.
Biography
In an early session, he played on Greg Sneddon's Mind Stroll album in 1974, Sneddon was also part of the initial Men at Work lineup.Following Men at Work's breakup in 1984, he briefly joined pop band FX (featuring keyboard-player John McCubbery), and then Ross Hannaford
Ross Hannaford
Ross Andrew Hannaford is an Australian musician. He is often referred to by his nickname "Hanna". Widely regarded as one of the country's finest rock guitarists, he is best known for his long collaboration with singer-songwriter Ross Wilson, which began as teenagers, and with whom he formed the...
's band, One World as a guitarist. In 1986, he and former Men at Work producer and sound engineer Peter McIan had a short stint with American band The City, where he played the drums while McIan played keyboards and produced the album Foundation. After that, Speiser joined pop rockers Frost
Frost (Australian band)
FROST is an Australian pop rock band formed in 1997 in Melbourne. Although the band has change several drummers since its inception, they are becoming an increasingly popular independent group in Australia...
where he played the drums in the single "You and Me" from their album The Usual Suspects.
Speiser (Drums/vocals) and Ben Fitzgerald (Guitars/vocals) co-founded a guitar-driven style rock band named Where's Claire?. In 1990 they were joined by Andrew Midson (Bass/vocals) and Brenden Mason (Guitars/vocals) and released their first commercial album, Long Time Coming in 2002.
He also formed his own low keyed rock band The Working Stiffs and had a single called "Who Can It Be Down Under?"
Jerry Speiser is now playing as a drummer for an Australian band After Burner.
External links
- Where's Claire? on MySpace
- Jerry's Cross Rocks' page
- Jerry's MySpace page
- Jerry's Band The Working Stiffs
- http://www.elwoodrsl.com.au/afterburner.html