Ian Moss
Encyclopedia
Ian Moss is an Australia
n rock
musician
, best known as the guitarist
and occasional singer of Cold Chisel
. In that group's initial ten year career, Moss recorded eight albums, three of which were No. 1 national hits. His solo career began with a No. 1 album and single and five ARIA Awards. Since then his career has been more low-key, interspersed with periodic tours and albums with a reformed Cold Chisel.
lessons but switched to guitar at age 11. When Ian Moss was a child, he would perform for his family and friends. When he was nine years old, he sang "The Battle Of New Orleans" for his school. When Ian Moss was fourteen, he was asked to join a local band called "The Scene". Ian played rhythm guitar, so he had to plug in his acoustic to the bass player's amplifier. "The Scene" played at their local centers and soon began organizing their own dances. Ian Moss sang a couple of songs with "The Scene" and a year later, he bought an electric guitar to replace his acoustic.
"I was with them for about a year and by that time I was starting to get my own band happening," Ian recalls. That band was Anger & Tears.
Anger and Tears debuted when they played at the Alice Springs High School in 1970. The band also played at the school's dance and a local Battle of the Bands contest. Moss had failed a year of high school and decided to repeat in Adelaide. After attending high school in Adelaide he met songwriter and organist
Don Walker
and together they joined bass
player Les Kaczmarek in a band called Orange. Within months the line-up also included drummer
Steve Prestwich
and singer Jimmy Barnes
and the group's name became Cold Chisel.
While Moss' main role in the band was as its guitarist, he would often be called upon to take over lead vocals as well (when Barnes walked out of the band, as he did repeatedly). After periods spent in Adelaide, Armidale
and Melbourne, Cold Chisel settled in Sydney in mid-1977 and finally won a recording contract with WEA
late that year and recorded their self-titled debut album.
While Barnes remained the group's identifiable front man and lead vocalist, Moss also added lead vocal to several of the band's songs, the first of which was "One Long Day", the B-side of the "Khe Sanh
" single and the closing track on side one of the debut album. His vocals feature on some of the band's best known songs, including the hits "My Baby", "When the War is Over" and "Saturday Night" and on "Bow River", which Moss wrote and the track that has since become his signature tune. "Bow River" was the only Cold Chisel song Moss performed when he returned to live work as a solo artist in 1988 and remains the only one he consistently performs to the present. Moss also sang lead on Cold Chisel's version of "Georgia
" which became a staple of their live shows, although the only recording of this is on the 1984 album Barking Spiders Live: 1983.
Already established as a singer and musician, by late in the band's career Moss had also gained status as a songwriter, contributing "Never Before" for the East
album, the track that was chosen as the first to be aired by Triple J
when it switched from AM to FM in 1980. Songs on later albums included "Bow River" and "No Good For You" on Circus Animals
, and The Last Wave of Summer's
"Red Sand". He also featured on recordings by other artists, playing a guitar solo on the track "Skin" from the album Icehouse
by Sydney New Wave
band Flowers
and an uncredited appearance on Richard Clapton
's The Great Escape, that also featured Jimmy Barnes.
", co-written with Don Walker, was released on Mushroom Records
in March 1989 and was a No. 1 hit. Another Walker composition, "Telephone Booth", also went Top 10. Matchbook
, released in August, reached number one on the album charts, remaining at the peak spot for three weeks. Two further singles, "Out of the Fire" and "Mr. Rain" were also minor hits and at the ARIA Awards
early the following year Moss won five awards including Best Male Artist and Album of the Year.
1991's Worlds Away featured the same style of commercial pop-rock as Matchbook but was less successful and Moss did not record another album of his own for five years. In the meantime, however, he played in Don Walker's Catfish, contributing to the Ruby album. He also made guest appearances on albums by The Black Sorrows
on a track called "Ain't Love The Strangest Thing" and Richard Clapton and made a cameo on Jimmy Barnes' Heat
, the first time he had worked with Barnes in ten years.
His Petrolhead album from 1996 was an album of hard edged raw blues
and was followed a year later by a live album. Neither made an impact on the national chart, but during 1998, after fifteen years Cold Chisel reunited to record a new album, The Last Wave of Summer
and perform live once again. The reunion was a huge success, resulting in sold out concerts with both the album and several singles becoming chart hits. Another Cold Chisel tour, Ringside, in 2003 proved to be just as successful.
During 2005, Moss was invited to record an album of acoustic songs for Liberation Music
and Six Strings was the result. To support the release he undertook an extensive tour with former Noiseworks
and INXS
singer Jon Stevens
. The same year he worked with Barnes again on Double Happiness
.
Ian Moss' sixth album Let's All Get Together was released in 2007.
In 2008, Ian Moss was on the Australian television singing show, It Takes Two.
Moss went to New York in August 2008 to record "Soul on West 53rd", a collection of mainly soul songs of the 60's & 70's. The album, produced by Danny Korthmar, featured musical greats such as Steve Jordan, Neil Jason, Leon Pendarvis and Hugh McCracken. The album was released in Oct 2009.
relationship with Australian actor Megan Williams for eleven years until they split up in the 1990s.
Ian Moss has a son named Julian with his wife Margeaux Rawstron. His album Six Strings has a song written for Julian named "Song for Julian". The song is an instrumental.
entire catalogue, see Cold Chisel
solo:
Other appearances:
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 rock
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...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known as the guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and occasional singer of Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
. In that group's initial ten year career, Moss recorded eight albums, three of which were No. 1 national hits. His solo career began with a No. 1 album and single and five ARIA Awards. Since then his career has been more low-key, interspersed with periodic tours and albums with a reformed Cold Chisel.
Early life and Cold Chisel
Born in Alice Springs to Geoff and Lorna Moss on 20 March 1955 , Moss originally took pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons but switched to guitar at age 11. When Ian Moss was a child, he would perform for his family and friends. When he was nine years old, he sang "The Battle Of New Orleans" for his school. When Ian Moss was fourteen, he was asked to join a local band called "The Scene". Ian played rhythm guitar, so he had to plug in his acoustic to the bass player's amplifier. "The Scene" played at their local centers and soon began organizing their own dances. Ian Moss sang a couple of songs with "The Scene" and a year later, he bought an electric guitar to replace his acoustic.
"I was with them for about a year and by that time I was starting to get my own band happening," Ian recalls. That band was Anger & Tears.
Anger and Tears debuted when they played at the Alice Springs High School in 1970. The band also played at the school's dance and a local Battle of the Bands contest. Moss had failed a year of high school and decided to repeat in Adelaide. After attending high school in Adelaide he met songwriter and organist
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
Don Walker
Don Walker (musician)
Don Walker is an Australian musician and songwriter known for writing many of the hits for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. He played piano and keyboard with the band from 1973 to 1983, when they disbanded. He has since continued to record and tour, both solo and with Tex, Don and Charlie,...
and together they joined bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player Les Kaczmarek in a band called Orange. Within months the line-up also included drummer
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...
Steve Prestwich
Steve Prestwich
-External links:* *...
and singer Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
and the group's name became Cold Chisel.
While Moss' main role in the band was as its guitarist, he would often be called upon to take over lead vocals as well (when Barnes walked out of the band, as he did repeatedly). After periods spent in Adelaide, Armidale
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
and Melbourne, Cold Chisel settled in Sydney in mid-1977 and finally won a recording contract with WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
late that year and recorded their self-titled debut album.
While Barnes remained the group's identifiable front man and lead vocalist, Moss also added lead vocal to several of the band's songs, the first of which was "One Long Day", the B-side of the "Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh (song)
"Khe Sanh" is an Australian song, released as a 45 rpm single in May 1978, and named after the Battle of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War. The song, performed by Cold Chisel, having been written by pianist Don Walker and featuring the vocals of Jimmy Barnes, is about an Australian Vietnam veteran...
" single and the closing track on side one of the debut album. His vocals feature on some of the band's best known songs, including the hits "My Baby", "When the War is Over" and "Saturday Night" and on "Bow River", which Moss wrote and the track that has since become his signature tune. "Bow River" was the only Cold Chisel song Moss performed when he returned to live work as a solo artist in 1988 and remains the only one he consistently performs to the present. Moss also sang lead on Cold Chisel's version of "Georgia
Georgia on My Mind
"Georgia on My Mind" is a song written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell . It is the official state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael. However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state or...
" which became a staple of their live shows, although the only recording of this is on the 1984 album Barking Spiders Live: 1983.
Already established as a singer and musician, by late in the band's career Moss had also gained status as a songwriter, contributing "Never Before" for the East
East (album)
East was the third studio album by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel, released in June 1980. The album peaked at No. 2 and spent 63 weeks on the national chart. It was the biggest-selling Australian album release of the year...
album, the track that was chosen as the first to be aired by Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
when it switched from AM to FM in 1980. Songs on later albums included "Bow River" and "No Good For You" on Circus Animals
Circus Animals
Circus Animals was a studio album released by Australian band Cold Chisel in 1982. It was recorded and mixed at Paradise Studios and EMI Studio 301, Sydney . It reached number one on the Australian charts, remaining in the charts for 40 weeks...
, and The Last Wave of Summer's
The Last Wave of Summer
The Last Wave of Summer is the 1998 reunion album for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. It reached number-one in Australia for one week in October 1998....
"Red Sand". He also featured on recordings by other artists, playing a guitar solo on the track "Skin" from the album Icehouse
Icehouse (album)
Icehouse was the debut album released by Australian rock Synthpop band Flowers, later known as Icehouse, on the independent label Regular Records in October 1980. The title and the artist are sometimes incorrectly swapped, because the band changed their name from Flowers into Icehouse after this...
by Sydney New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Flowers
Icehouse (band)
Icehouse is an Australian rock band, formed as Flowers in 1977 in Sydney. Initially known in Australia for their pub rock style, they later achieved mainstream success playing new wave and synthpop style music and attained Top Ten singles chart success in both Europe and the U.S...
and an uncredited appearance on 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"...
's The Great Escape, that also featured Jimmy Barnes.
Solo career
After Cold Chisel disbanded in 1983, Moss retired from the music industry for several years before launching a solo career in 1988. His first single, "Tucker's DaughterTucker's Daughter
"Tucker's Daughter" was the first single from former Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss. Co-written by Moss and his Cold Chisel bandmate Don Walker , the song reached No. 1 on the Australian singles chart on 20 March, 1989. "Tucker's Daughter" became the first track on Moss's album Matchbook, released...
", co-written with Don Walker, was released on Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
in March 1989 and was a No. 1 hit. Another Walker composition, "Telephone Booth", also went Top 10. Matchbook
Matchbook (album)
Matchbook is an album by ex-Cold Chisel member Ian Moss released in 1989. It spent 3 weeks at the top of the Australian Album charts in 1989 and was preceded by the single "Tucker's Daughter" which was also a No. 1 hit. The first four tracks on the album were all released as singles...
, released in August, reached number one on the album charts, remaining at the peak spot for three weeks. Two further singles, "Out of the Fire" and "Mr. Rain" were also minor hits and at the ARIA Awards
Australian Recording Industry Association
The 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...
early the following year Moss won five awards including Best Male Artist and Album of the Year.
1991's Worlds Away featured the same style of commercial pop-rock as Matchbook but was less successful and Moss did not record another album of his own for five years. In the meantime, however, he played in Don Walker's Catfish, contributing to the Ruby album. He also made guest appearances on albums by The Black Sorrows
The Black Sorrows
The Black Sorrows are an Australian band founded by Joe Camilleri, the group's only constant member. Founded in 1983, The Black Sorrows are still active today, and are best remembered for their top 40 Australian hits of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "Hold On To Me", "Chained To The...
on a track called "Ain't Love The Strangest Thing" and Richard Clapton and made a cameo on Jimmy Barnes' Heat
Heat (Jimmy Barnes album)
Heat is the sixth album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. It reached number 2 on the ARIA album charts in 1993, and features the singles Sweat It Out, Stand Up, Stone Cold and Right By Your Side.-Track listing:# Sweat it Out# Wheels in Motion...
, the first time he had worked with Barnes in ten years.
His Petrolhead album from 1996 was an album of hard edged raw blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and was followed a year later by a live album. Neither made an impact on the national chart, but during 1998, after fifteen years Cold Chisel reunited to record a new album, The Last Wave of Summer
The Last Wave of Summer
The Last Wave of Summer is the 1998 reunion album for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. It reached number-one in Australia for one week in October 1998....
and perform live once again. The reunion was a huge success, resulting in sold out concerts with both the album and several singles becoming chart hits. Another Cold Chisel tour, Ringside, in 2003 proved to be just as successful.
During 2005, Moss was invited to record an album of acoustic songs for Liberation Music
Liberation Music
Liberation Music is a boutique, independent Australasian record company, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello. Its stated aim is to find, nurture and then to develop new talent for a world market while remaining independent in the process...
and Six Strings was the result. To support the release he undertook an extensive tour with former Noiseworks
Noiseworks
Noiseworks is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens...
and INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
singer Jon Stevens
Jon Stevens
Jon Stevens is a New Zealand-born singer of Maori descent, now an Australian citizen. Stevens is the brother of New Zealand Idol judge Frankie Stevens....
. The same year he worked with Barnes again on Double Happiness
Double Happiness (album)
Double Happiness is an album by Australian singer Jimmy Barnes. It was released on 18 July 2005 on CD and vinyl. The album contains duets Barnes performed with various solo artists and bands.-Track listing :...
.
Ian Moss' sixth album Let's All Get Together was released in 2007.
In 2008, Ian Moss was on the Australian television singing show, It Takes Two.
Moss went to New York in August 2008 to record "Soul on West 53rd", a collection of mainly soul songs of the 60's & 70's. The album, produced by Danny Korthmar, featured musical greats such as Steve Jordan, Neil Jason, Leon Pendarvis and Hugh McCracken. The album was released in Oct 2009.
Personal life
Ian Moss was in a de factoDe facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
relationship with Australian actor Megan Williams for eleven years until they split up in the 1990s.
Ian Moss has a son named Julian with his wife Margeaux Rawstron. His album Six Strings has a song written for Julian named "Song for Julian". The song is an instrumental.
Discography
with Cold Chisel:entire catalogue, see Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
solo:
Other appearances:
- FlowersIcehouse (band)Icehouse is an Australian rock band, formed as Flowers in 1977 in Sydney. Initially known in Australia for their pub rock style, they later achieved mainstream success playing new wave and synthpop style music and attained Top Ten singles chart success in both Europe and the U.S...
- IcehouseIcehouse (album)Icehouse was the debut album released by Australian rock Synthpop band Flowers, later known as Icehouse, on the independent label Regular Records in October 1980. The title and the artist are sometimes incorrectly swapped, because the band changed their name from Flowers into Icehouse after this...
(1980) - Richard ClaptonRichard ClaptonRichard 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"...
- The Great Escape (1982) - Catfish - Ruby (1991)
- The Black SorrowsThe Black SorrowsThe Black Sorrows are an Australian band founded by Joe Camilleri, the group's only constant member. Founded in 1983, The Black Sorrows are still active today, and are best remembered for their top 40 Australian hits of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "Hold On To Me", "Chained To The...
- Better Times (1992) - Jimmy BarnesJimmy BarnesJames Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
- HeatHeat (Jimmy Barnes album)Heat is the sixth album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. It reached number 2 on the ARIA album charts in 1993, and features the singles Sweat It Out, Stand Up, Stone Cold and Right By Your Side.-Track listing:# Sweat it Out# Wheels in Motion...
(1993) - Richard Clapton - Distant Thunder (1993)
- Don WalkerDon Walker (musician)Don Walker is an Australian musician and songwriter known for writing many of the hits for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. He played piano and keyboard with the band from 1973 to 1983, when they disbanded. He has since continued to record and tour, both solo and with Tex, Don and Charlie,...
- We're All Gunna Die (1995) - Richard Clapton - Diamond Mine (2004)
- Jimmy Barnes - Double HappinessDouble Happiness (album)Double Happiness is an album by Australian singer Jimmy Barnes. It was released on 18 July 2005 on CD and vinyl. The album contains duets Barnes performed with various solo artists and bands.-Track listing :...
(2005)