Roddy Radalj
Encyclopedia
Roddy Radalj is a rock music
ian and singer-songwriter
who grew up in Perth, Western Australia
. He has provided guitar
, bass guitar and vocals in several influential Australia
n bands starting with Perth punk
bands in the late 1970s before relocating to Sydney to become a founder of Le Hoodoo Gurus
in 1981 and of Dubrovniks
in 1988. Since 1989, as Roddy Ray'Da he has released a number of solo albums, including Guns Girls & Guitars in 2005.
punk band The Exterminators who, via The Invaders, eventually became The Scientists
in May 1978. Their earliest line-up were Kim Salmon
(later a crucial member of the Beasts of Bourbon
and The Surrealists) and ex-Victims drummer James Baker
. Radalj stayed long enough in The Scientists to appear on their debut single, "Frantic Romantic", long regarded as one of the most collectable artefacts of the Australian punk rock era.
(another Perth expatriate and ex-leader of the Victims) and Kimble Rendall
(ex-XL Capris
) as founders of Le Hoodoo Gurus
. Their debut single, "Leilani
" on the Phantom label (October, 1982) was an instant classic: it had three lead guitars and no bass. Just as the single appeared Radalj left the band (which became Hoodoo Gurus) to form irreverent cow-punk trio The Johnnys, nevertheless he had been a Guru long enough to have co-written with Faulkner several outstanding songs - "Leilani", "(Let's All) Turn On", "Arthur" and "Death Ship" - which appeared on the band's 1984 debut album, Stoneage Romeos
. Hoodoo Gurus iconic status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame
.
Once again, Radalj only remained long enough with The Johnnys to appear on one single, "I Think You're Cute". In 1985, Radalj together with James Baker
(ex Hoodoo Gurus) released a single, a cover of The Troggs
’ "I Can’t Control Myself" with an original, "Born to Be Punched" on the B-side. The single was credited to The James Baker Experience. In 1986 Radalj teamed up again with Baker
(by then ex-Beasts of Bourbon
), plus Boris Sujdovic (ex-Rockets, The Scientists
, Beasts of Bourbon
) and Peter Simpson (ex-Spectre's Revenge) as the Adorable Ones. Within a year the Adorable Ones had renamed themselves the Dubrovniks
in honour of the fact that both Radalj and Sujdovic had been born in the historical Croatia
n city of Dubrovnik
. The band's clattering yet accessible rock'n'roll appealed on record in the shape on two 1988 singles for the Citadel label, "Fireball of Love" and "My Coo Ca Choo" and contributed to their album Dubrovnik Blues before Radalj was involved in fisticuffs onstage at the Greek Theatre in Melbourne and he moved on again. His next sideline project, the Punjabbers, issued one single, "Rock'n'Roll Loveletters", on the original Timberyard
label in 1988.
and Hitmen
member Chris Masuak
, Lost Lonely and Vicious was an immediate success on the Australian independent charts. As well as producing the single "Dynamite Party" the album included a rip-roarin’ cover of the Dictators
’ "Master Race Rock". The second album, Orgazmatazz, was brimming with dexterous trash rock and a healthy sense of the absurd, as epitomised by tracks such as "Hammer the Motor", "Hellcat's Howl", "Galaxy Girl" and "Evil Woman in a Mini Skirt".
Following one more album in 1993, Mouthful of Chicken, Radalj returned to Perth
in order to attend to family matters.
label, the album was put together over a lengthy period, in four different studios, with the aid of fellow musicians Murry Cook, Matt Reddell, Mick Radalj, Simon Goodridge, Reg Zar, Lucy DeSoto, Rose Tattoo
's Pete Wells, Chris Welsh, Bob Spencer and others. In late 2006 Radalj formed his latest band, The Smokin’ Eldorados, sharing guitar and vocal duties with Matthew de la Hunty (Tall Tales & True), and initially with drummer Reg Zar (The Elks, Bhundu Boys
and with Jeff Martin
from The Tea Party
) and bassist James Rogers (The Fault, Harlequin League). Rogers being replaced with Laurie Sinagra (sound engineer, who has worked with Jebediah
, Downsyde
, Dom Mariani, Sodastream
, Gyroscope
and Turnstyle) and Zar with Tim Bates.
Radalj (with de la Hunty and Jeff Strong) supplied new music for Greenhead (2007) a 55-min movie directed/produced by Mark Howett
with Sinagra as Sound Producer/Engineer and starring Kelton Pell, de la Hunty and Derek Kreckler.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ian and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who grew up in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. He has provided guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitar and vocals in several influential Australia
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 bands starting with Perth punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands in the late 1970s before relocating to Sydney to become a founder of Le Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
in 1981 and of Dubrovniks
Dubrovniks
The Dubrovniks are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1987. The band's name was coined from the fact that founding members Roddy Radalj and Boris Sujdovic were born in Dubrovnik, a town in Croatia....
in 1988. Since 1989, as Roddy Ray'Da he has released a number of solo albums, including Guns Girls & Guitars in 2005.
Perth punk bands
Radalj got his start with PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
punk band The Exterminators who, via The Invaders, eventually became The Scientists
The Scientists
The Scientists are an influential post-punk band from Perth, Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as Exterminators and then Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk band of the late 1970s and the Sydney/London-based swamp rock band of the 1980s...
in May 1978. Their earliest line-up were Kim Salmon
Kim Salmon
Kim Leith Salmon is an Australian indie rock musician and songwriter, who attained fame in June 2004, when he was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame....
(later a crucial member of the Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
and The Surrealists) and ex-Victims drummer James Baker
James Baker (musician)
James Baker is a rock musician from Perth, Western Australia. He has drummed with, and was instrumental in the founding of several influential Australian bands including The Scientists, Le Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Dubrovniks.-Early days:Baker has named Ronnie Bond of The Troggs as...
. Radalj stayed long enough in The Scientists to appear on their debut single, "Frantic Romantic", long regarded as one of the most collectable artefacts of the Australian punk rock era.
Sydney bands
His next band Rockets issued one single, "Mean Mistress" before Roddy relocated to Sydney where, in January 1981, he joined Baker, Dave FaulknerDave Faulkner (musician)
Dave Faulkner is an Australian rock musician who also performed as Dave Flick. Faulkner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist; he has performed with several bands, but is best known as a member of Hoodoo Gurus...
(another Perth expatriate and ex-leader of the Victims) and Kimble Rendall
Kimble Rendall
Kimble Rendall is an Australian director, musician and writer mostly known for his Second unit direction of Matrix Reloaded , Matrix Revolutions , I, Robot , Casanova and Ghost Rider...
(ex-XL Capris
XL Capris
XL Capris were an Australian indie-punk band formed in Sydney in 1978 by Julie Anderson, Tim Gooding, Johanna Pigott and Kimble Rendall.Their best known single was a punk version of Tommy Leonetti's "My City of Sydney"...
) as founders of Le Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
. Their debut single, "Leilani
Leilani (song)
"Leilani" was the first single by iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus when they were called Le Hoodoo Gurus and was released on Phantom Records in October 1982. It had been written by all four Gurus: James Baker, Dave Faulkner, Roddy Radalj and Kimble Rendall. Rendall left shortly before its...
" on the Phantom label (October, 1982) was an instant classic: it had three lead guitars and no bass. Just as the single appeared Radalj left the band (which became Hoodoo Gurus) to form irreverent cow-punk trio The Johnnys, nevertheless he had been a Guru long enough to have co-written with Faulkner several outstanding songs - "Leilani", "(Let's All) Turn On", "Arthur" and "Death Ship" - which appeared on the band's 1984 debut album, Stoneage Romeos
Stoneage Romeos
Stoneage Romeos was iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus' first album and saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live performances. The album name is from a Three Stooges short film...
. Hoodoo Gurus iconic status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
.
Once again, Radalj only remained long enough with The Johnnys to appear on one single, "I Think You're Cute". In 1985, Radalj together with James Baker
James Baker (musician)
James Baker is a rock musician from Perth, Western Australia. He has drummed with, and was instrumental in the founding of several influential Australian bands including The Scientists, Le Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Dubrovniks.-Early days:Baker has named Ronnie Bond of The Troggs as...
(ex Hoodoo Gurus) released a single, a cover of The Troggs
The Troggs
The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in UK and the US. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", and "Love Is All Around"...
’ "I Can’t Control Myself" with an original, "Born to Be Punched" on the B-side. The single was credited to The James Baker Experience. In 1986 Radalj teamed up again with Baker
James Baker (musician)
James Baker is a rock musician from Perth, Western Australia. He has drummed with, and was instrumental in the founding of several influential Australian bands including The Scientists, Le Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Dubrovniks.-Early days:Baker has named Ronnie Bond of The Troggs as...
(by then ex-Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
), plus Boris Sujdovic (ex-Rockets, The Scientists
The Scientists
The Scientists are an influential post-punk band from Perth, Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as Exterminators and then Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk band of the late 1970s and the Sydney/London-based swamp rock band of the 1980s...
, Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
) and Peter Simpson (ex-Spectre's Revenge) as the Adorable Ones. Within a year the Adorable Ones had renamed themselves the Dubrovniks
Dubrovniks
The Dubrovniks are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1987. The band's name was coined from the fact that founding members Roddy Radalj and Boris Sujdovic were born in Dubrovnik, a town in Croatia....
in honour of the fact that both Radalj and Sujdovic had been born in the historical Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n city of Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
. The band's clattering yet accessible rock'n'roll appealed on record in the shape on two 1988 singles for the Citadel label, "Fireball of Love" and "My Coo Ca Choo" and contributed to their album Dubrovnik Blues before Radalj was involved in fisticuffs onstage at the Greek Theatre in Melbourne and he moved on again. His next sideline project, the Punjabbers, issued one single, "Rock'n'Roll Loveletters", on the original Timberyard
Timberyard Records
Timberyard Records was a pioneering record label in the Australian independent music movement of the 1980s. Initially releasing prominent underground Sydney acts such as Box the Jesuit, The Dubrovniks, Girl Monstar, Johnny Teen and the Broken Hearts and the Zen Genies plus an early EP of You Am I,...
label in 1988.
Roddy Ray'Da
With backing from his own band, Roddy Ray'Da & the Surfin' Caesars (including Bill Gibson, ex-Eastern Dark and Jim Leone and Paul Larsen from the Celibate Rifles), Radalj released his debut solo album in 1989. Produced by ex-Radio BirdmanRadio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
and Hitmen
The Hitmen
Hitmen are an Australian Hard rock band. The group went through a large number of lineup changes in its short late 1970s and early 1980s run, then regrouped under a new name, Hitmen DTK, between 1989 and 1992. They reformed in 2007 and continue to play....
member Chris Masuak
Chris Masuak
Chris Masuak is a Canadian-born Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter. He is as a member of the influential Sydney-based punk rock group Radio Birdman, which formed in 1974, and for his other outfits The Hitmen, and The Screaming Tribesmen...
, Lost Lonely and Vicious was an immediate success on the Australian independent charts. As well as producing the single "Dynamite Party" the album included a rip-roarin’ cover of the Dictators
The Dictators
The Dictators are an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio...
’ "Master Race Rock". The second album, Orgazmatazz, was brimming with dexterous trash rock and a healthy sense of the absurd, as epitomised by tracks such as "Hammer the Motor", "Hellcat's Howl", "Galaxy Girl" and "Evil Woman in a Mini Skirt".
Following one more album in 1993, Mouthful of Chicken, Radalj returned to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in order to attend to family matters.
Perth return
In 2005 he released Guns Girls & Guitars on the Timberyard RecordsTimberyard Records
Timberyard Records was a pioneering record label in the Australian independent music movement of the 1980s. Initially releasing prominent underground Sydney acts such as Box the Jesuit, The Dubrovniks, Girl Monstar, Johnny Teen and the Broken Hearts and the Zen Genies plus an early EP of You Am I,...
label, the album was put together over a lengthy period, in four different studios, with the aid of fellow musicians Murry Cook, Matt Reddell, Mick Radalj, Simon Goodridge, Reg Zar, Lucy DeSoto, Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life"...
's Pete Wells, Chris Welsh, Bob Spencer and others. In late 2006 Radalj formed his latest band, The Smokin’ Eldorados, sharing guitar and vocal duties with Matthew de la Hunty (Tall Tales & True), and initially with drummer Reg Zar (The Elks, Bhundu Boys
Bhundu Boys
The Bhundu Boys were a Zimbabwean band that played a mixture of chimurenga music with American rock and roll, disco, country, and pop influences...
and with Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)
Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. Martin began his career as a solo artist in October 2005, when The Tea Party disbanded....
from The Tea Party
The Tea Party
The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records...
) and bassist James Rogers (The Fault, Harlequin League). Rogers being replaced with Laurie Sinagra (sound engineer, who has worked with Jebediah
Jebediah
Jebediah is an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. The group consists of vocalist and guitarist Kevin Mitchell, guitarist Chris Daymond, bassist Vanessa Thornton, and Kevin's brother Brett Mitchell on drums...
, Downsyde
Downsyde
Downsyde are an Australian hip hop group from Perth, Western Australia. The group is composed of six members, Optamus, Dazastah, Dyna-Mikes, DJ Armee, Cheeky, and Hi-Hat.- History :...
, Dom Mariani, Sodastream
Sodastream (band)
Sodastream were an Australian duo consisting of Karl Smith and Pete Cohen . They have toured widely in Australia, US, Europe and Japan and have had national rotation on Triple J....
, Gyroscope
Gyroscope (band)
Gyroscope is an Australian rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in 1997. The band comprises vocalist and guitarist Daniel Sanders, guitarist and back up vocalist Zoran Trivic, bassist and back up vocalist Brad Campbell and drummer Rob Nassif....
and Turnstyle) and Zar with Tim Bates.
Radalj (with de la Hunty and Jeff Strong) supplied new music for Greenhead (2007) a 55-min movie directed/produced by Mark Howett
Mark Howett
Mark Hedley Howett is an Australian director, designer and lighting designer of theatre, film and opera.-Biography:Mark Howett, born 1963 in Perth, Australia, is a lighting designer and director for theatre Dance Opera and Film. The Rake Progress 1983 Director: Jim Sharman for Opera Australia...
with Sinagra as Sound Producer/Engineer and starring Kelton Pell, de la Hunty and Derek Kreckler.
Discography
Radalj has been a member of the following bands:- The Exterminators (1977)
- The Invaders (1977–1978)
- The ScientistsThe ScientistsThe Scientists are an influential post-punk band from Perth, Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as Exterminators and then Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk band of the late 1970s and the Sydney/London-based swamp rock band of the 1980s...
(1978–1979)- "Frantic Romantic"
- The Rockets (1979–1980)
- "Mean Mistress" / "Little Donna" (April, 1980)
- Hoodoo GurusHoodoo GurusHoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
(1981–1982)- "LeilaniLeilani (song)"Leilani" was the first single by iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus when they were called Le Hoodoo Gurus and was released on Phantom Records in October 1982. It had been written by all four Gurus: James Baker, Dave Faulkner, Roddy Radalj and Kimble Rendall. Rendall left shortly before its...
" (1982) - Stoneage RomeosStoneage RomeosStoneage Romeos was iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus' first album and saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live performances. The album name is from a Three Stooges short film...
(1984)
- "Leilani
- The Johnnys (1982–1984)
- "I Think You're Cute" / "Mountain Man" (October, 1983)
- "The Way of the West" / "There's Time"(1984)
- Big Choir (1984)
- Love Rodeo (1984–1985)
- The James Baker Experience (1985–1986)
- "I Can't Control Myself" / "Born To Be Punched" (1985)
- The Adorable Ones (1987)
- The DubrovniksDubrovniksThe Dubrovniks are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1987. The band's name was coined from the fact that founding members Roddy Radalj and Boris Sujdovic were born in Dubrovnik, a town in Croatia....
(1988–1989)- "Fireball of Love / "If I Had a Gun" (April 1988)
- "My Coo Ca Choo" / "Girls Go Maniac" (November 1988)
- "Speedway Girls" / "Freezing Rain" (June 1989)
- Dubrovnik Blues
- The Punjabbers (1988)
- "Rock'n'Roll Loveletters"
- Roddy Radalj Band (1989)
- Lost, Lonely and Vicious (1989)
- "Dynamite Party"
- Roddy Ray'Da and the Surfin' Caesars (1989 — 1994)
- Orgazmatazz (1991)
- A Mouthful Of Chickens (1993)
- Roddy Ray'Da (2005)
- Guns Girls & Guitars (April, 2005)
- The Smokin’ Eldorados (2006–present)
- "Songs In The Car Keys Of Life"