Chantoozies
Encyclopedia
Chantoozies were an Australian pop
group active from 1986 to 1991. The band featured four female singers: Eve von Bibra
, Angie La Bozzetta, Ally Fowler
and Tottie Goldsmith
; and four male musicians: Brett Goldsmith (bass guitar
s, keyboards
, programming), Scott Griffiths (keyboards, programming), Frank McKoy (lead vocals, guitar
s) and David Reyne
(drum
s, backing vocals). Their name is an intentional mispronunciation of the French word for female singer "chanteuse
". Tottie Goldsmith, Ally Fowler and musician David Reyne were well known television celebrities who had acted in Australian soap opera
s at the time the band started.
Chantoozies first single was a #4 hit "Witch Queen" released on Mushroom Records in 1986.
Brett and Tottie Goldsmith are brother and sister; their father is restaurateur and nightclub owner Brian Goldsmith, their mother is actress Rhona Newton-John, and their aunt is English / Australian actress and pop singer Olivia Newton-John
.
Four months after formation, The Chantoozies signed a deal with Mushroom Records, which was followed by the release of their debut single in late 1986, it was a cover of Redbone's
single "Witch Queen" (aka "Witch Queen of New Orleans") and reached #4 on the National singles chart. Their 1987 debut album Chantoozies had five different lead vocalists: von Bibra, La Bozzetta, Fowler, Tottie Goldsmith and McCoy and reached #13 on the national album charts. The second single was a cover of John Kongos
' "He's Gonna Step On You Again
" and was released in June 1987, vying with The Party Boys
' hard rock version of the same song for a place on the charts simultaneously, although The Chantoozies' rendition was the least successful, only reaching #36. The Chantoozies third single, "Wanna Be Up", written by Brett Goldsmith and von Bibra, was released in May 1988 and reached #8 on the national singles chart in August, 1988.
The band's fourth single, another Goldsmith/Von Bibra song, "Kiss'n' Tell", was released in August 1988 and peaked at #25 in October. By that time, Greg Millikan had replaced Griffiths on keyboards. The Chantoozies toured with James Reyne
and Daryl Braithwaite
, and just as their live profile was at a premium they decided to take a break. The Chantoozies returned to the charts in late 1989 with their fifth single, "Come Back to Me". Griffiths and Goldsmith left the band in mid-1990. The band, with just the three vocalists Fowler, Von Bibra and LaBozzetta, issued its fifth single "Walk on" in October 1990.
The 1990 film The Crossing
starring Russell Crowe
had a soundtrack with Australian / New Zealand artists re-recording 1960s songs including Chantoozies version of The Angels'
"My Boyfriend's Back
".
The Chantoozie's second album, Gild the Lily
, was released in April 1991. The singles were covers of Stephen Stills
' "Love the One You're With
" which reached #21 in 1991 and The Jackson 5
's "I'll Be There".
All four female lead vocalists briefly re-formed Chantoozies for the June to August 2006 Countdown Spectacular Tour
; they performed "Wanna Be Up" only.
(APRA):
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 active from 1986 to 1991. The band featured four female singers: Eve von Bibra
Eve von Bibra
Eve von Bibra is a former member of 1980s Australian pop group the Chantoozies as one of four female lead vocalists.Von Bibra featured in the 2006 movie Kenny, playing flight attendant and Kenny's love interest Jackie....
, Angie La Bozzetta, Ally Fowler
Ally Fowler
Alexandra Fowler , better known under her stage name Ally Fowler, is an Australian actress who came to prominence with parts in two major soap operas of the 1980s: Angela Hamilton in Sons and Daughters and Zoe Davis in Neighbours...
and Tottie Goldsmith
Tottie Goldsmith
Tottie Goldsmith is an Australian actress and singer.-Biography:Goldsmith is the daughter of Melbourne restaurateur and nightclub owner Brian Goldsmith and British-born actress Rona Newton-John. Her great grandfather was German physicist and Nobel Prize winner Max Born...
; and four male musicians: Brett Goldsmith (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programming), Scott Griffiths (keyboards, programming), Frank McKoy (lead vocals, 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...
s) and David Reyne
David Reyne
David Nicholas Reyne is an Australian actor, musician and television presenter. He was educated at The Peninsula School, Mount Eliza.-Music career:...
(drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, backing vocals). Their name is an intentional mispronunciation of the French word for female singer "chanteuse
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
". Tottie Goldsmith, Ally Fowler and musician David Reyne were well known television celebrities who had acted in Australian soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s at the time the band started.
Chantoozies first single was a #4 hit "Witch Queen" released on Mushroom Records in 1986.
Brett and Tottie Goldsmith are brother and sister; their father is restaurateur and nightclub owner Brian Goldsmith, their mother is actress Rhona Newton-John, and their aunt is English / Australian actress and pop singer Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
.
Pre Chantoozies
- David Reyne had been drummer for Clutch Cargo (included his brother James ReyneJames ReyneJames Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
) which became Australian CrawlAustralian CrawlAustralian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne , Brad Robinson , Paul Williams , Simon Binks and David Reyne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough...
in late 1978. David Reyne had left before they recorded any material, and continued his acting education. He was also drummer for Cats Under Pressure with Simon Hussey (guitars, keyboards) and Mark Grieg (guitars) in 1984. Reyne also acted on the 1980s television series, Sweet and SourSweet and Sour (TV series)Sweet and Sour is an Australian television series which screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1984. It was created by Tim Gooding and Johanna Pigott and was produced internally for the ABC by Jan Chapman...
and PossessionPossession (TV series)Possession is an Australian television series screened in 1985 and made by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Nine Network. It was the brainchild of the television producer, Reg Watson....
.
- Brett Goldsmith had been in Wayback 5 during 1986 which included Kate CeberanoKate CeberanoKate Ceberano is an Australian singer. She achieved success in the soul, jazz and pop genres as well as in her brief forays into musicals with Jesus Christ Superstar and film...
as a vocalist.
- Ally Fowler and Eve von Bibra were actors in an 1980s television soap operas, Sons and DaughtersSons and Daughters (Australian TV series)Sons and Daughters was a Logie Award winning Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation between 1981 and 1987. The first episode aired in December 1981, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the official broadcast date of the final...
; Fowler also appeared on NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours 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...
, All SaintsAll Saints (TV series)All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
and Big SkyBig Sky-Places:* large expanses of flat land, such as** Montana, U.S. state** East Anglia, UK region*Big Sky, Montana-Television, film and books:*Big Sky , an Australian televised drama that ran from 1997-1999...
.
- Tottie Goldsmith acted in the television soap operas/dramas, The Henderson KidsThe Henderson KidsThe Henderson Kids was an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for Network Ten between 1985 and 1987. It was created and storylined by Roger Moulton, who also wrote 5 episodes in the first series and 2 episodes in the second series....
, The Young DoctorsThe Young DoctorsThe Young Doctors is an Australian early evening soap opera. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff, screened on the Nine Network from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March...
, Starting OutStarting OutStarting Out is an Australian television soap opera made for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation in 1983.The series was the network's replacement for The Young Doctors and was set at a medical college with an emphasis on young people getting their first experience of living away from...
, NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours 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...
and PrisonerPrisoner (TV series)Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
.
- Angelica ('Angie') La Bozzetta appeared on the television series, Special SquadSpecial SquadSpecial Squad was an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Ten Network in 1984.The series focused on an elite division of the Victoria Police, which handled crimes either too sensitive or specialist for regular squads. The Special Squad was headed by Det. Insp. Don...
.
Chantoozies to Gild the Lily
The Chantoozies formed as a good-time covers band to play at Tottie Goldsmith's 25th birthday party. The band's debut club gig attracted 600 people, which was encouragement enough for the musicians to continue.Four months after formation, The Chantoozies signed a deal with Mushroom Records, which was followed by the release of their debut single in late 1986, it was a cover of Redbone's
Redbone (band)
Redbone is a Native American rock group that was most active in the 1970s. They reached the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 with the million-selling gold-certified single, "Come and Get Your Love".-History:...
single "Witch Queen" (aka "Witch Queen of New Orleans") and reached #4 on the National singles chart. Their 1987 debut album Chantoozies had five different lead vocalists: von Bibra, La Bozzetta, Fowler, Tottie Goldsmith and McCoy and reached #13 on the national album charts. The second single was a cover of John Kongos
John Kongos
John Kongos is a singer-songwriter. He is best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single, "He's Gonna Step On You Again".-Career:...
' "He's Gonna Step On You Again
He's Gonna Step On You Again
"He's Gonna Step On You Again" was a hit single, co-written by Christos Demetriou and performed by John Kongos in 1971.It is cited in the Guinness Book of Records as being the first song to have used a sample, however, according to the sleeve note of the CD reissue of the Kongos album, it is...
" and was released in June 1987, vying with The Party Boys
The Party Boys
The Party Boys was an Australian rock band with floating membership that existed from 1982 until 1992. Initially established by Mondo Rock bass player Paul Christie as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from other projects, the group has boasted members from acts such as...
' hard rock version of the same song for a place on the charts simultaneously, although The Chantoozies' rendition was the least successful, only reaching #36. The Chantoozies third single, "Wanna Be Up", written by Brett Goldsmith and von Bibra, was released in May 1988 and reached #8 on the national singles chart in August, 1988.
The band's fourth single, another Goldsmith/Von Bibra song, "Kiss'n' Tell", was released in August 1988 and peaked at #25 in October. By that time, Greg Millikan had replaced Griffiths on keyboards. The Chantoozies toured with James Reyne
James Reyne
James Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
and Daryl Braithwaite
Daryl Braithwaite
Daryl Braithwaite is an Australian pop singer. Best known as the lead vocalist of Sherbet, Braithwaite has also sustained a successful solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including the No...
, and just as their live profile was at a premium they decided to take a break. The Chantoozies returned to the charts in late 1989 with their fifth single, "Come Back to Me". Griffiths and Goldsmith left the band in mid-1990. The band, with just the three vocalists Fowler, Von Bibra and LaBozzetta, issued its fifth single "Walk on" in October 1990.
The 1990 film The Crossing
The Crossing (1990 film)
The Crossing is a 1990 Australian drama film directed by George Ogilvie and starring Russell Crowe, Robert Mammone and Danielle Spencer, which was filmed in the towns of Junee and Condobolin in New South Wales.-Box office:...
starring Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
had a soundtrack with Australian / New Zealand artists re-recording 1960s songs including Chantoozies version of The Angels'
The Angels (band)
The Angels are an American girl group, best known for their 1963 million selling #1 hit single, "My Boyfriend's Back".-History:The group originated in New Jersey as The Starlets which consisted of sisters, Barbara "Bibbs" and Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut, Bernadette Carroll, and Linda Malzone. They had...
"My Boyfriend's Back
My Boyfriend's Back (song)
"My Boyfriend's Back" was a hit song in 1963 for The Angels, an American girl group. It was written by the songwriting team of Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer . The recording was originally intended as a demo for The Shirelles, but ended up being released as recorded...
".
The Chantoozie's second album, Gild the Lily
Gild the lily
Gild the lily is an idiom that refers to wastefully and unnecessarily adding to something that is already perfect. The term is a derived from a misquotation from William Shakespeare's play The Life and Death of King John: "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, to throw a perfume on the violet,...
, was released in April 1991. The singles were covers of Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
' "Love the One You're With
Love the One You're With
"Love the One You're With" is a 1970 single by folk rocker Stephen Stills. The first release off his first solo album Stephen Stills, it rose to the top twenty of the pop singles chart, peaking at No. 14....
" which reached #21 in 1991 and The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
's "I'll Be There".
Post Chantoozies
- Eve von Bibra returned to acting with roles on mid-1990s TV with Time TraxTime TraxTime Trax was an American/Australian co-produced science fiction television series that first aired in 1993. A police officer, sent through time into the past, has to track down and return convicted criminals who have escaped prison in the future...
and The Damnation of Harvey McHughThe Damnation of Harvey McHughThe Damnation of Harvey McHugh is a television miniseries made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series consists of 12 episodes and was first broadcast on the ABC in 1994.-Cast and crew:...
; and more recently as Jackie in the 2006 film KennyKenny (2006 film)Kenny is a 2006 Australian mockumentary film starring Shane Jacobson as Kenny Smyth, a Melbourne plumber who works for corporate bathroom rental company Splashdown....
.
- Angelica La Bozzetta was the first actress to play Natalie Nash in Home and AwayHome and AwayHome and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, and also appeared on 1990s episodes of Blue HeelersBlue HeelersBlue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
and Big Sky; and more recently in 2003 film The Rage in Placid Lake.
- Ally Fowler also returned to TV with 1990s Cody and Big Sky; and since 2005 as a regular on All SaintsAll Saints (TV series)All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
.
- Brett Goldsmith continued as a singer/songwriter and performer; also as a hospitality venue developer and more recently as a fashion photographer.
- Tottie Goldsmith left Chantoozies before their second album and undertook a solo singing career. She then returned to TV as host of Sex/Life in the mid-1990s; acting during 2000s included StingersStingersStingers was an Australian police drama television series. It ran for eight seasons on the Nine Network before it was canceled in late 2004 due to declining ratings and the late timeslot Channel Nine gave the program...
, Blue Heelers and Life. In January 2011, the 48 year old Goldsmith was allegedly found in possession of an illegal substance (believed to be cocaine) by police as she attempted to enter a music festivel in PortseaPortsea, VictoriaPortsea is a resort town located across Port Phillip from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula....
, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
- David Reyne left early in 1990 and continued with his TV acting on BonyBony (Fictional Character)Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is a half Aboriginal, half-white detective character created by Arthur Upfield. Bony appeared in dozens of Upfield's novels from the late 1920s until the author's death in 1964.-Early life:...
(1990), The Flying DoctorsThe Flying DoctorsThe Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia....
(1988–1994), and then as a presenter on GetawayGetawayGetaway is Australia's longest-running and most popular holiday and travel television programme. Debuting on 14 May 1992, it is currently broadcast on the Nine Network and TLC...
(1992–2006) and 9am with David and Kim9am with David and Kim9am with David & Kim was an Australian morning show which premiered on Monday 30 January 2006 on Network Ten. It aired live from 9am - 11am weekday mornings, and was hosted by former National Nine News presenter Kim Watkins and former Getaway reporter David Reyne...
(2006–2009).
- Scott Griffiths supplied keyboards and synthesizers for Sir Piers 2003 release "Don't You Love Me".
All four female lead vocalists briefly re-formed Chantoozies for the June to August 2006 Countdown Spectacular Tour
Countdown Spectacular
The Countdown Spectacular is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series Countdown.-Countdown Spectacular:...
; they performed "Wanna Be Up" only.
Albums
- Chantoozies - Mushroom (1987) AUS #8 (#41 on ARIAAustralian Recording Industry AssociationThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
1988 End of Year Albums Chart) - Gild the Lily - Mushroom (April, 1991) AUS #62
Singles
Songwriting credits from Australasian Performing Right AssociationAustralasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA):
- "Witch Queen of New Orleans" (P Vegas, L Vegas) / "Chantoozie Shuffle" (Reyne, Goldsmith, Goldsmith, Jones, Fowler, von Bibra) - Mushroom (March, 1987) AUS #4
- "He's Gonna Step On You AgainHe's Gonna Step On You Again"He's Gonna Step On You Again" was a hit single, co-written by Christos Demetriou and performed by John Kongos in 1971.It is cited in the Guinness Book of Records as being the first song to have used a sample, however, according to the sleeve note of the CD reissue of the Kongos album, it is...
" (C Demetriou, J Kongos) / "Twenty Six O Two" (Reyne, Goldsmith, Goldsmith, Jones, Fowler, von Bibra) - Mushroom (June, 1987) AUS #36 - "Wanna Be Up" (B Goldsmith, E von Bibra) / "Little Woman" (B Goldsmith, S Griffiths, D Reyne) - Mushroom (May, 1988) AUS #8 (#22 on ARIAAustralian Recording Industry AssociationThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
1988 End of Year Singles Chart) - "Kiss 'n' Tell" (B Goldsmith, E von Bibra) / "Want to Go" (Peter Jones) - Mushroom (August, 1988) AUS #25
- "Come Back" (B Goldsmith, E von Bibra) / "Come Back to Me (instrumental)" (B Goldsmith, E von Bibra) - Mushroom (December 1989) AUS #97
- "Walk On"/"Walk On" (Instrumental) - Mushroom (October, 1990)
- "Love the One You're WithLove the One You're With"Love the One You're With" is a 1970 single by folk rocker Stephen Stills. The first release off his first solo album Stephen Stills, it rose to the top twenty of the pop singles chart, peaking at No. 14....
" (Stephen Stills) / "Baby Blue" (B Goldsmith, E von Bibra) - Mushroom (March, 1991) AUS #21 - "I'll Be There" (B West, H Davis, W Hutch, J Gordy)/ "Who Cares" (B Goldsmith, E Von Bibra, James ReyneJames ReyneJames Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
) - Mushroom (September, 1991)