MacKenzie Theory was an Australian jazz rock group formed in September 1971 in Melbourne. Lead guitarist, Rob MacKenzie, and electric viola player, Cleis Pearce were the mainstays. They recorded two albums, Out of the Blue (1973) and Bon Voyage (1974) for 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...

 before disbanding in May 1974. Out of the Blue peaked at No. 19 on Go-Set

Go-Set

Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...

Australian Albums chart. In the 1990s, MacKenzie was a member of United States rock'n'roll revival act, Sha Na Na

Sha Na Na

Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....

.

History

MacKenzie Theory was formed in Melbourne by lead guitarist, Rob MacKenzie, with bass guitarist Mike Leadabrand, drummer Andrew Majewski and electric viola player Cleis Pearce in September 1971. Previously MacKenzie had been a member of Leo and Friends, and King Harvest. MacKenzie Theory played instrumental jazz rock with elements of John Coltrane

John Coltrane

John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...

, King Crimson

King Crimson

King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...

, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Santana

Santana (band)

Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...

. At early gigs they supported other artists including, Band of Light

Band of Light

Band of Light was an Australian heavy blues style based rock band formed in October 1972 and disbanded in late 1974. Phil Key was the founding member, bringing with him Peter Roberts, both of whom were originally with The La De Das. Ian Rilen replaced Roberts after three gigs, with Norm Roue and...

, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs

Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs

Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-sixties. The group enjoyed huge success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early seventies to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period...

, Chain

Chain (band)

Chain are an Australian blues band formed in Melbourne as The Chain in late 1968 with a lineup including guitarist, vocalist Phil Manning; they are sometimes known as Matt Taylor's Chain after lead singer-songwriter and harmonica player, Matt Taylor...

, Madder Lake

Madder Lake (band)

Madder Lake is an Australian progressive rock band formed in Melbourne in 1971. They were one of the first band's signed to the Michael Gudinski co-owned Mushroom Records which released their debut single, "Goodbye Lollipop" in February 1973, followed by the album Stillpoint in August. This...

 or Spectrum

Spectrum (band)

Spectrum is an Australian progressive rock band that formed in Melbourne in 1969 and, in its original period, remained in existence until 1973. Its members also performed under the alter-ego Indelible Murtceps...

.

They performed at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1972 and at the second festival in January 1973. Their track, "New Song And", was included on the triple live album, The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973 which appeared 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 April. Their debut album, Out of the Blue was issued in July, which peaked at No. 19 on Go-Set

Go-Set

Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...

Australian Albums chart in August. During September, Leadabrand and Majewski left and were replaced by Paul Wheeler (ex-Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) on bass guitar and Greg Sheehan (ex-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...

) on drums; pianist, Peter Jones joined.

MacKenzie Theory appeared at Sunbury again in 1974 and "Supreme Love" appeared on Highlights of Sunbury '74 Part 2. They disbanded by mid-year before MacKenzie and Pearce travelled to the United Kingdom, their final appearance on 15 May was recorded and released as a live album, Bon Voyage by Mushroom Records. In the 1990s, MacKenzie was a member of United States rock'n'roll revival act, Sha Na Na

Sha Na Na

Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....

. In December 2009, Aztec Music, issued a remastered version of Out of the Blue on CD.

Personnel

• Rob MacKenzie – guitar (1971–1974)
• Mike Leadabrand – bass guitar (1971–1973)
• Andrew Majewski – drums (1971–1973)
• Cleis Pearce – electric viola (1971–1974)
• Paul Wheeler – guitar (1973–1974)
• Greg Sheehan – drums (1973–1974)
• Peter Jones – piano (1973–1974)