Dingoes

In Australia in the early '70s, the Dingoes took the lead in the worldwide shift toward the country-influenced rock sparked by the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, also inspiring the Eagles. In the Dingoes' case, it was very much an Australian contribution, with songs clearly placed in Australian settings, something of a rarity in Australian rock at that point. Even the band's name expressed their Australianism: The dingo is an indigenous wild dog. However, it was the quality of the songs and the musicianship that set the Dingoes apart and leave them one of the truly legendary groups of Australian music. Their beginnings lie back in the mid-'60s with the Adderley Smith Blues Band, a purist blues group who prided themselves on informing audiences about where the Rolling Stones' music was actually coming from. A number of singers and musicians appeared in the ranks over the band's three year existence, most notably founding guitarist Kerryn Tolhurst and eventual singer and harmonica player Broderick Smith. Significantly, both were called up for National Service during the controversial days of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. It was the letter every '60s musician dreaded; it meant two years out of their lives, and for many, the end of their music careers. When Tolhurst and Smith emerged from their period in "detention", they briefly teamed up in a casual blues group while they assessed their musical options. Tolhurst then ended up accepting a summons to join Greg Quill's Country Radio, establishing his songwriting and multi-instrumentalist credentials, while Smith found a home at the microphone in front of blues-rock band Carson, becoming one of Australia's most admired and recognizable vocalists. Two years on, in April 1973, Tolhurst and Smith were both...