Red McKelvie
Encyclopedia
Red McKelvie is a New Zealand singer-songwriter-instrumentalist and session musician who has been described as "Australasia's greatest pop guitarist".
He has appeared on albums by Richard Clapton
(including the Australian hit "Girls On The Avenue") and The Flying Circus
in Australia and Hello Sailor
, Dave Dobbyn
's DD Smash
, Al Hunter
and Glen Moffatt
in New Zealand.
McKelvie's early forays in the music scene were as lead guitarist for such Auckland, New Zealand, bands as The Chelsea Beats, The Dark Ages and The Avengers, but it was upon his arrival in Sydney, Australia, in 1967 that he became a much in-demand sideman and session player.
Sydney bands in which McKelvie featured included The Starving Wild Dogs, alongside future Blackfeather
pianist Paul Wyld, and Quill before he joined The Flying Circus
and greatly influenced their flirtation with country music.
Despite the first single from The Flying Circus
's Prepared In Peace LP being McKelvie's "Israel", McKelvie was sacked from the band for "confusing the band's direction".
McKelvie released singles as a solo artist and as leader of The Third Union Band and was lead guitarist on the first two Richard Clapton
albums, including playing all the multilayered electric guitar on the Australian number two hit "Girls On The Avenue".
He returned to New Zealand in 1975 where he became a highly sought after session musician, performed on Television New Zealand's primetime That's Country show and produced recordings for the country's queen of country music Patsy Riggir.
Bands McKelvie played with in Auckland, New Zealand, in the 1970s to the 1990s included Cruise Lane, with New Zealand's jingles king Murray Grindlay and Dragon
songwriter Paul Hewson, the Al Hunter
Band, the Glen Moffatt
Band and his own Cajun combo Mumbo Gumbo.
McKelvie returned to his home town of Christchurch in 1997, and in 2007 finally released his debut solo album, Ridin' On Trains - Songs of New Zealand and Australia. Eight of the songs from the album appeared on the 2009 release Troubadours - NZ Singer/Songwriter Series: Vol 1, which also featured Glen Moffatt and Al Hunter.
He has appeared on albums by Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Sydney, New South Wales. His solo top 20 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart are "Girls on the Avenue" and "I Am an Island"...
(including the Australian hit "Girls On The Avenue") and The Flying Circus
The Flying Circus (band)
The Flying Circus was a pioneering Australian country rock band who had a number of pop hits in Australia from 1968 to 1971 and then re-located to Canada from 1971 to 1974 where they also achieved a degree of success.-Beginnings:...
in Australia and Hello Sailor
Hello Sailor (band)
Hello Sailor was a New Zealand pop/rock band originally formed in 1975.- History :The band's history is long and complicated, with guitarist/vocalists Dave McArtney and Harry Lyon having first played together in the mid 1960s. After several lineup changes, the band released its first album, Hello...
, Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn, ONZM is an award-winning New Zealand musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash...
's DD Smash
DD Smash
DD Smash was a New Zealand pop/rock band formed by Dave Dobbyn after the breakup of Th'Dudes.-Members:Members included Dave Dobbyn , Peter Warren , Rob Guy , both formerly of Lip Service , and Lisle Kinney , formerly of Hello Sailor.-Origin:Originally formed in New Zealand, the band was resident...
, Al Hunter
Al Hunter (singer)
Al Hunter is a New Zealand country music singer-songwriter whose debut album, Neon Cowboy, released in 1987, "made country hip".Hunter was a soul singer in such Auckland bands of the late 1960s and '70s as Killing Floor, Cruise Lane, Chapeaux and the Hunter McCallum Band before embracing country...
and Glen Moffatt
Glen Moffatt
Glen Moffatt is a New Zealand country music singer-songwriter who relocated to Brisbane, Australia, in 2002.Moffatt was born in Hastings and raised in Napier. He was a newspaper journalist before moving to Auckland at the end of 1991....
in New Zealand.
McKelvie's early forays in the music scene were as lead guitarist for such Auckland, New Zealand, bands as The Chelsea Beats, The Dark Ages and The Avengers, but it was upon his arrival in Sydney, Australia, in 1967 that he became a much in-demand sideman and session player.
Sydney bands in which McKelvie featured included The Starving Wild Dogs, alongside future Blackfeather
Blackfeather
Blackfeather was an Australian rock group in the 1970s. The group had many members and went through two major incarnations - the earlier heavy rock version of the group, which recorded the album At The Mountains of Madness and the hit single "Seasons of Change", and the later piano-based lineup...
pianist Paul Wyld, and Quill before he joined The Flying Circus
The Flying Circus (band)
The Flying Circus was a pioneering Australian country rock band who had a number of pop hits in Australia from 1968 to 1971 and then re-located to Canada from 1971 to 1974 where they also achieved a degree of success.-Beginnings:...
and greatly influenced their flirtation with country music.
Despite the first single from The Flying Circus
The Flying Circus (band)
The Flying Circus was a pioneering Australian country rock band who had a number of pop hits in Australia from 1968 to 1971 and then re-located to Canada from 1971 to 1974 where they also achieved a degree of success.-Beginnings:...
's Prepared In Peace LP being McKelvie's "Israel", McKelvie was sacked from the band for "confusing the band's direction".
McKelvie released singles as a solo artist and as leader of The Third Union Band and was lead guitarist on the first two Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Sydney, New South Wales. His solo top 20 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart are "Girls on the Avenue" and "I Am an Island"...
albums, including playing all the multilayered electric guitar on the Australian number two hit "Girls On The Avenue".
He returned to New Zealand in 1975 where he became a highly sought after session musician, performed on Television New Zealand's primetime That's Country show and produced recordings for the country's queen of country music Patsy Riggir.
Bands McKelvie played with in Auckland, New Zealand, in the 1970s to the 1990s included Cruise Lane, with New Zealand's jingles king Murray Grindlay and Dragon
Dragon (band)
Dragon is a popular New Zealand rock band, they were formed in Auckland, New Zealand in January 1972 and relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975. They were previously led by singer Marc Hunter and are currently led by his brother bass player Todd Hunter...
songwriter Paul Hewson, the Al Hunter
Al Hunter (singer)
Al Hunter is a New Zealand country music singer-songwriter whose debut album, Neon Cowboy, released in 1987, "made country hip".Hunter was a soul singer in such Auckland bands of the late 1960s and '70s as Killing Floor, Cruise Lane, Chapeaux and the Hunter McCallum Band before embracing country...
Band, the Glen Moffatt
Glen Moffatt
Glen Moffatt is a New Zealand country music singer-songwriter who relocated to Brisbane, Australia, in 2002.Moffatt was born in Hastings and raised in Napier. He was a newspaper journalist before moving to Auckland at the end of 1991....
Band and his own Cajun combo Mumbo Gumbo.
McKelvie returned to his home town of Christchurch in 1997, and in 2007 finally released his debut solo album, Ridin' On Trains - Songs of New Zealand and Australia. Eight of the songs from the album appeared on the 2009 release Troubadours - NZ Singer/Songwriter Series: Vol 1, which also featured Glen Moffatt and Al Hunter.
Discography
| Albums | |||||
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Charted | Certification | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Ridin' On Trains - Songs of New Zealand and Australia | SDL Music | - | - | SDL8042 |
| 2009 | Troubadours - NZ Singer/Songwriter Series: Vol 1 - Glen Moffatt, Al Hunter, Red McKelvie | SDL Music | - | - | SDL8044/2 |