Vince Lovegrove
Encyclopedia
Vincent "Vince" Lovegrove (born 1948, Fremantle, Western Australia
) is an Australian journalist
, music manager, television producer
, AIDS
awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines
, sharing vocals with Bon Scott
whom he later introduced to heavy rock
group AC/DC
. As a journalist, he wrote for Australia's teen music newspaper Go-Set
from 1971, and was based in London for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years. As a manager, his former clients include pub rock
singer Jimmy Barnes
and rock group Divinyls
.
Both his second wife, Suzi Sidewinder
, and their son, Troy Lovegrove, died of HIV/AIDS; each was the subject of documentaries by Lovegrove, Suzi's Story (1987) and A Kid Called Troy (1993) respectively, which were telecast on Australian TV and internationally. He wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993, and an unauthorized biography of INXS
frontman Michael Hutchence
in 1999. Lovegrove had alleged that Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
, had deceived him and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the subsequent libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from the book's Sydney and London publishers, and the newspaper The Mail on Sunday
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
pop groups, The Dymensions and The Winstons, while working as a sales assistant at Pellew's Menswear. In mid-1966, he formed The Valentines
, as co-lead singer with Bon Scott
from rival band, The Spektors
. Other original members were, Wyn Milson on lead guitar
(Spektors), Ted Ward on rhythm guitar
(Winstons), John Cooksey on bass guitar
(Winstons) and Warwick Findlay on drums
(Ray Hoff and the Off Beats). The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young and Harry Vanda
of The Easybeats
including "Every Day I Have to Cry" which made the Perth top 5. In 1970, they gained a place on the National Top 30
with their single "Juliette". In September 1970, The Valentines were the first Australian band arrested for marijuana possession, each member received a fine of $150 and were put on a good behaviour bond. The Valentines disbanded due to artistic differences after the much-publicised drug scandal. Scott went on to join Fraternity
and later AC/DC
.
in 1970 as a journalist
for a magazine, by 1971 he was writing for Go-Set
, Australia's first pop music
weekly newspaper, as a gossip and information columnist. He also had a brief solo career, with a single in 1971, "Livestock" followed by "Get Myself out of This Place" in 1972. He was a vocalist for Mount Lofty Rangers in early 1974, which included members of Fraternity and his former band mate Bon Scott.
Vincent "Vince" Lovegrove (born 1948, Fremantle, Western Australia
) is an Australian journalist
, music manager, television producer
, AIDS
awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines
, sharing vocals with Bon Scott
whom he later introduced to heavy rock
group AC/DC
. As a journalist, he wrote for Australia's teen music newspaper Go-Set
from 1971, NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. and was based in London for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years. As a manager, his former clients include pub rock
singer Jimmy Barnes
and rock group Divinyls
.
Both his second wife, Suzi Sidewinder
, and their son, Troy Lovegrove, died of HIV/AIDS; each was the subject of documentaries by Lovegrove, Suzi's Story (1987) and A Kid Called Troy (1993) respectively, which were telecast on Australian TV and internationally. He wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993, and an unauthorized biography of INXS
frontman Michael Hutchence
in 1999. Lovegrove had alleged that Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
, had deceived him and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the subsequent libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from the book's Sydney and London publishers, and the newspaper The Mail on Sunday
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
pop groups, The Dymensions and The Winstons, while working as a sales assistant at Pellew's Menswear. In mid-1966, he formed The Valentines
, as co-lead singer with Bon Scott
from rival band, The Spektors
. Other original members were, Wyn Milson on lead guitar
(Spektors), Ted Ward on rhythm guitar
(Winstons), John Cooksey on bass guitar
(Winstons) and Warwick Findlay on drums
(Ray Hoff and the Off Beats). The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young and Harry Vanda
of The Easybeats
including "Every Day I Have to Cry" which made the Perth top 5. In 1970, they gained a place on the National Top 30
with their single "Juliette". NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA
created their own charts
in mid-1988. In September 1970, The Valentines were the first Australian band arrested for marijuana possession, each member received a fine of $150 and were put on a good behaviour bond. The Valentines disbanded due to artistic differences after the much-publicised drug scandal. Scott went on to join Fraternity
and later AC/DC
.
in 1970 as a journalist
for a magazine, by 1971 he was writing for Go-Set
, Australia's first pop music
weekly newspaper, as a gossip and information columnist. He also had a brief solo career, with a single in 1971, "Livestock" followed by "Get Myself out of This Place" in 1972. He was a vocalist for Mount Lofty Rangers in early 1974, which included members of Fraternity and his former band mate Bon Scott.
Vincent "Vince" Lovegrove (born 1948, Fremantle, Western Australia
) is an Australian journalist
, music manager, television producer
, AIDS
awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines
, sharing vocals with Bon Scott
whom he later introduced to heavy rock
group AC/DC
. As a journalist, he wrote for Australia's teen music newspaper Go-Set
from 1971, NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. and was based in London for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years. As a manager, his former clients include pub rock
singer Jimmy Barnes
and rock group Divinyls
.
Both his second wife, Suzi Sidewinder
, and their son, Troy Lovegrove, died of HIV/AIDS; each was the subject of documentaries by Lovegrove, Suzi's Story (1987) and A Kid Called Troy (1993) respectively, which were telecast on Australian TV and internationally. He wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993, and an unauthorized biography of INXS
frontman Michael Hutchence
in 1999. Lovegrove had alleged that Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
, had deceived him and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the subsequent libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from the book's Sydney and London publishers, and the newspaper The Mail on Sunday
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
pop groups, The Dymensions and The Winstons, while working as a sales assistant at Pellew's Menswear. In mid-1966, he formed The Valentines
, as co-lead singer with Bon Scott
from rival band, The Spektors
. Other original members were, Wyn Milson on lead guitar
(Spektors), Ted Ward on rhythm guitar
(Winstons), John Cooksey on bass guitar
(Winstons) and Warwick Findlay on drums
(Ray Hoff and the Off Beats). The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young and Harry Vanda
of The Easybeats
including "Every Day I Have to Cry" which made the Perth top 5. In 1970, they gained a place on the National Top 30
with their single "Juliette". NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA
created their own charts
in mid-1988. In September 1970, The Valentines were the first Australian band arrested for marijuana possession, each member received a fine of $150 and were put on a good behaviour bond. The Valentines disbanded due to artistic differences after the much-publicised drug scandal. Scott went on to join Fraternity
and later AC/DC
.
in 1970 as a journalist
for a magazine, by 1971 he was writing for Go-Set
, Australia's first pop music
weekly newspaper, as a gossip and information columnist. He also had a brief solo career, with a single in 1971, "Livestock" followed by "Get Myself out of This Place" in 1972. He was a vocalist for Mount Lofty Rangers in early 1974, which included members of Fraternity and his former band mate Bon Scott. With his first wife Helen, he also ran a band management and booking agency, Jovan, in Adelaide in the 1970s. According to Lovegrove, Scott was given odd jobs in their office and was recommended to Angus Young
and Malcolm Young
as vocalist for their band AC/DC. Jovan briefly managed AC/DC
(now with Scott as vocalist) and Cold Chisel
(with Jimmy Barnes
, ex-Fraternity). Becoming a parent and other factors led him to concentrate on journalism and television production
including compering local TV show, The Move. From 1977, Lovegrove helped develop and broadcast Australian Music to the World for Adelaide radio station, 5KA, and in 1978 produced a TV documentary of the same title. Lovegrove relocated to Melbourne
, reported on youth issues for Nine Network
's A Current Affair and produced The Don Lane Show in 1978.
and became manager for rock band Divinyls
, he organised their transfer from WEA to Chrysalis and their first tours of the United States. Lovegrove had a minor role in the film, Monkey Grip
(1982), with Divinyls' members Christina Amphlett
and Mark McEntee
supplying the soundtrack
. As manager of Divinyls, he split his time between Sydney and New York
to promote them and during one of his many trips, Lovegrove met his future second wife, American
-born actress Suzi Sidewinder
.
After living together for four years, Lovegrove married Sidewinder, but not long after the birth of their son Troy Lovegrove in 1985, the family learnt that both mother and child were HIV-positive. Suzi had unknowingly contracted HIV several years earlier and had transmitted the virus to unborn Troy. In response to experiencing prejudice and ignorance due to AIDS
, Lovegrove and Suzi chose to speak out and developed Suzi's Story. The documentary won the 'Television Documentary Award' at the 1987 Human Rights Medal and Awards. and assisted to dispel public's fears, ignorance and belief that HIV was a "gay disease". Because of numerous personal pressures involving the HIV status of his wife and son, Lovegrove withdrew from managing the Divinyls, and concentrated on his wife and son. Suzi died on 14 June 1987, weeks before Suzi's Story was screened on Network Ten
across Australia, it featured interviews of Suzi Lovegrove and Holly Lovegrove (his daughter from his first marriage) and footage of Troy.
(ABC) Australia. Troy died on 3 June 1993 - three weeks before his 8th birthday and before it was screened nationally. Lovegrove also wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993. Not long after, Lovegrove was manager for Jimmy Barnes
on his European tour. He was then based in London as a journalist for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years, reporting on the music scene for the on-line magazine.
After the 1997 death of INXS
frontman, Michael Hutchence
, Lovegrove wrote an unauthorised biography, Michael Hutchence : shining through, torn apart (aka Michael Hutchence: a tragic rock 'n' roll story - a definitive biography) in 1999. The book was the subject of court cases in both Sydney and London, by Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
. Lovegrove had alleged that Yates deceived Hutchence and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from its Sydney and London publishers, and the UK newspaper The Mail on Sunday
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
for The Australian
newspaper. This commemorated what would have been Scott's 60th birthday (Scott died in 1980). His band, Mongrels of Passion, featured alongside Noiseworks
and Rose Tattoo
at the Bon Scott Statue unveiling in February 2008. Mongrels of Passion, including Lovegrove and Tim Gaze
performed at the 2008 Adelaide International Guitar Festival held on 29 November – 7 December.
, lived with Lovegrove from 1981, they were married in 1985 until her death from HIV/AIDS on 14 June 1987, which is depicted in an award winning documentary, Suzi's Story shown on Network Ten
in Australia. Their son, Troy Lovegrove born 25 June 1985, contracted AIDS in utero and died on 3 June 1993. His third wife is the mother of his youngest child Lilli (born 1995). Lovegrove lives near Byron Bay, New South Wales
with his daughter Lilli, not far from his elder daughter Holly and her son Arlo (born 1996).
In March 2009 a submission by a former hospital buddy of Troy's was presented to Queanbeyan City Council, a city located on the ACT/NSW border to nominate LOVEGROVE as part of a local street naming project. After many months of meetings and consideration by Mayor Tim Overall, the submission was formally accepted on 11 December 2009.
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
) is an Australian journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, music manager, television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines
The Valentines (rock band)
The Valentines were an Australian pop band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC; and Vince Lovegrove, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.-Band history:The band...
, sharing vocals with Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
whom he later introduced to heavy rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
group AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. As a journalist, he wrote for Australia's teen music newspaper 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...
from 1971, and was based in London for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years. As a manager, his former clients include pub rock
Pub rock (Australia)
Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influencing contemporary Australian music today....
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 rock group Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
.
Both his second wife, Suzi Sidewinder
Suzi Lovegrove
Suzi Lovegrove was an HIV-positive American-born woman whose battle with AIDS was chronicled in a landmark television documentary made at her request, entitled Suzi's Story, which premiered on Australian television in 1987...
, and their son, Troy Lovegrove, died of HIV/AIDS; each was the subject of documentaries by Lovegrove, Suzi's Story (1987) and A Kid Called Troy (1993) respectively, which were telecast on Australian TV and internationally. He wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993, and an unauthorized biography of 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...
frontman Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...
in 1999. Lovegrove had alleged that Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
Paula Yates
Paula Elizabeth Yates was a British television presenter and writer, best known for her work on two television programmes, The Tube and The Big Breakfast.-Early life:...
, had deceived him and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the subsequent libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from the book's Sydney and London publishers, and the newspaper The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
1966–1970: The Valentines
Vince Lovegrove was a singer for 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....
pop groups, The Dymensions and The Winstons, while working as a sales assistant at Pellew's Menswear. In mid-1966, he formed The Valentines
The Valentines (rock band)
The Valentines were an Australian pop band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC; and Vince Lovegrove, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.-Band history:The band...
, as co-lead singer with Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
from rival band, The Spektors
The Spektors
The Spektors were an Australian rock 'n' roll band active in Perth, Western Australia in 1966, best known for their drummer and part-time lead singer, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC....
. Other original members were, Wyn Milson on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(Spektors), Ted Ward on rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(Winstons), John Cooksey on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(Winstons) and Warwick Findlay on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(Ray Hoff and the Off Beats). The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young and Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
of The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
including "Every Day I Have to Cry" which made the Perth top 5. In 1970, they gained a place on the National Top 30
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
with their single "Juliette". In September 1970, The Valentines were the first Australian band arrested for marijuana possession, each member received a fine of $150 and were put on a good behaviour bond. The Valentines disbanded due to artistic differences after the much-publicised drug scandal. Scott went on to join Fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
and later AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
.
1970s: Journalism, band management and television production
Lovegrove moved to AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1970 as a journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
for a magazine, by 1971 he was writing for 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...
, Australia's first pop music
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...
weekly newspaper, as a gossip and information columnist. He also had a brief solo career, with a single in 1971, "Livestock" followed by "Get Myself out of This Place" in 1972. He was a vocalist for Mount Lofty Rangers in early 1974, which included members of Fraternity and his former band mate Bon Scott.
Vincent "Vince" Lovegrove (born 1948, Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
) is an Australian journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, music manager, television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines
The Valentines (rock band)
The Valentines were an Australian pop band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC; and Vince Lovegrove, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.-Band history:The band...
, sharing vocals with Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
whom he later introduced to heavy rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
group AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. As a journalist, he wrote for Australia's teen music newspaper 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...
from 1971, NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. and was based in London for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years. As a manager, his former clients include pub rock
Pub rock (Australia)
Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influencing contemporary Australian music today....
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 rock group Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
.
Both his second wife, Suzi Sidewinder
Suzi Lovegrove
Suzi Lovegrove was an HIV-positive American-born woman whose battle with AIDS was chronicled in a landmark television documentary made at her request, entitled Suzi's Story, which premiered on Australian television in 1987...
, and their son, Troy Lovegrove, died of HIV/AIDS; each was the subject of documentaries by Lovegrove, Suzi's Story (1987) and A Kid Called Troy (1993) respectively, which were telecast on Australian TV and internationally. He wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993, and an unauthorized biography of 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...
frontman Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...
in 1999. Lovegrove had alleged that Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
Paula Yates
Paula Elizabeth Yates was a British television presenter and writer, best known for her work on two television programmes, The Tube and The Big Breakfast.-Early life:...
, had deceived him and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the subsequent libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from the book's Sydney and London publishers, and the newspaper The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
1966–1970: The Valentines
Vince Lovegrove was a singer for 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....
pop groups, The Dymensions and The Winstons, while working as a sales assistant at Pellew's Menswear. In mid-1966, he formed The Valentines
The Valentines (rock band)
The Valentines were an Australian pop band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC; and Vince Lovegrove, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.-Band history:The band...
, as co-lead singer with Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
from rival band, The Spektors
The Spektors
The Spektors were an Australian rock 'n' roll band active in Perth, Western Australia in 1966, best known for their drummer and part-time lead singer, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC....
. Other original members were, Wyn Milson on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(Spektors), Ted Ward on rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(Winstons), John Cooksey on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(Winstons) and Warwick Findlay on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(Ray Hoff and the Off Beats). The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young and Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
of The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
including "Every Day I Have to Cry" which made the Perth top 5. In 1970, they gained a place on the National Top 30
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
with their single "Juliette". NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA
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...
created their own charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
in mid-1988. In September 1970, The Valentines were the first Australian band arrested for marijuana possession, each member received a fine of $150 and were put on a good behaviour bond. The Valentines disbanded due to artistic differences after the much-publicised drug scandal. Scott went on to join Fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
and later AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
.
1970s: Journalism, band management and television production
Lovegrove moved to AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1970 as a journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
for a magazine, by 1971 he was writing for 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...
, Australia's first pop music
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...
weekly newspaper, as a gossip and information columnist. He also had a brief solo career, with a single in 1971, "Livestock" followed by "Get Myself out of This Place" in 1972. He was a vocalist for Mount Lofty Rangers in early 1974, which included members of Fraternity and his former band mate Bon Scott.
Vincent "Vince" Lovegrove (born 1948, Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
) is an Australian journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, music manager, television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines
The Valentines (rock band)
The Valentines were an Australian pop band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC; and Vince Lovegrove, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.-Band history:The band...
, sharing vocals with Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
whom he later introduced to heavy rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
group AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. As a journalist, he wrote for Australia's teen music newspaper 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...
from 1971, NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. and was based in London for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years. As a manager, his former clients include pub rock
Pub rock (Australia)
Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influencing contemporary Australian music today....
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 rock group Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
.
Both his second wife, Suzi Sidewinder
Suzi Lovegrove
Suzi Lovegrove was an HIV-positive American-born woman whose battle with AIDS was chronicled in a landmark television documentary made at her request, entitled Suzi's Story, which premiered on Australian television in 1987...
, and their son, Troy Lovegrove, died of HIV/AIDS; each was the subject of documentaries by Lovegrove, Suzi's Story (1987) and A Kid Called Troy (1993) respectively, which were telecast on Australian TV and internationally. He wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993, and an unauthorized biography of 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...
frontman Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...
in 1999. Lovegrove had alleged that Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
Paula Yates
Paula Elizabeth Yates was a British television presenter and writer, best known for her work on two television programmes, The Tube and The Big Breakfast.-Early life:...
, had deceived him and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the subsequent libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from the book's Sydney and London publishers, and the newspaper The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
1966–1970: The Valentines
Vince Lovegrove was a singer for 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....
pop groups, The Dymensions and The Winstons, while working as a sales assistant at Pellew's Menswear. In mid-1966, he formed The Valentines
The Valentines (rock band)
The Valentines were an Australian pop band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC; and Vince Lovegrove, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.-Band history:The band...
, as co-lead singer with Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
from rival band, The Spektors
The Spektors
The Spektors were an Australian rock 'n' roll band active in Perth, Western Australia in 1966, best known for their drummer and part-time lead singer, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC....
. Other original members were, Wyn Milson on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(Spektors), Ted Ward on rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(Winstons), John Cooksey on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(Winstons) and Warwick Findlay on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(Ray Hoff and the Off Beats). The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young and Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
of The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
including "Every Day I Have to Cry" which made the Perth top 5. In 1970, they gained a place on the National Top 30
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
with their single "Juliette". NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA
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...
created their own charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
in mid-1988. In September 1970, The Valentines were the first Australian band arrested for marijuana possession, each member received a fine of $150 and were put on a good behaviour bond. The Valentines disbanded due to artistic differences after the much-publicised drug scandal. Scott went on to join Fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
and later AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
.
1970s: Journalism, band management and television production
Lovegrove moved to AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1970 as a journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
for a magazine, by 1971 he was writing for 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...
, Australia's first pop music
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...
weekly newspaper, as a gossip and information columnist. He also had a brief solo career, with a single in 1971, "Livestock" followed by "Get Myself out of This Place" in 1972. He was a vocalist for Mount Lofty Rangers in early 1974, which included members of Fraternity and his former band mate Bon Scott. With his first wife Helen, he also ran a band management and booking agency, Jovan, in Adelaide in the 1970s. According to Lovegrove, Scott was given odd jobs in their office and was recommended to Angus Young
Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
and Malcolm Young
Malcolm Young
Malcolm Young is a Scottish-born Australian guitarist, best known as a founding member, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, along with the other members of AC/DC...
as vocalist for their band AC/DC. Jovan briefly managed AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
(now with Scott as vocalist) and 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...
(with 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...
, ex-Fraternity). Becoming a parent and other factors led him to concentrate on journalism and television production
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
including compering local TV show, The Move. From 1977, Lovegrove helped develop and broadcast Australian Music to the World for Adelaide radio station, 5KA, and in 1978 produced a TV documentary of the same title. Lovegrove relocated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, reported on youth issues for Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's A Current Affair and produced The Don Lane Show in 1978.
1980s: Divinyls, Suzi, Troy and AIDS
In 1981, Lovegrove moved to SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and became manager for rock band Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
, he organised their transfer from WEA to Chrysalis and their first tours of the United States. Lovegrove had a minor role in the film, Monkey Grip
Monkey Grip (film)
Monkey Grip is a 1982 Australian drama film directed by Ken Cameron. It is based on the novel, also titled Monkey Grip, by Helen Garner...
(1982), with Divinyls' members Christina Amphlett
Christina Amphlett
Christine Joy Amphlett was the lead singer of Australian rock band Divinyls. She is also known as Chrissy Amphlett.She grew up in Geelong as a singer and dancer...
and Mark McEntee
Mark McEntee
Mark McEntee is an Australian musician, he was the guitarist for the rock band Divinyls. In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction", written by lead singer Christina Amphlett and McEntee, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time...
supplying the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. As manager of Divinyls, he split his time between Sydney and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to promote them and during one of his many trips, Lovegrove met his future second wife, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born actress Suzi Sidewinder
Suzi Lovegrove
Suzi Lovegrove was an HIV-positive American-born woman whose battle with AIDS was chronicled in a landmark television documentary made at her request, entitled Suzi's Story, which premiered on Australian television in 1987...
.
After living together for four years, Lovegrove married Sidewinder, but not long after the birth of their son Troy Lovegrove in 1985, the family learnt that both mother and child were HIV-positive. Suzi had unknowingly contracted HIV several years earlier and had transmitted the virus to unborn Troy. In response to experiencing prejudice and ignorance due to AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, Lovegrove and Suzi chose to speak out and developed Suzi's Story. The documentary won the 'Television Documentary Award' at the 1987 Human Rights Medal and Awards. and assisted to dispel public's fears, ignorance and belief that HIV was a "gay disease". Because of numerous personal pressures involving the HIV status of his wife and son, Lovegrove withdrew from managing the Divinyls, and concentrated on his wife and son. Suzi died on 14 June 1987, weeks before Suzi's Story was screened on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
across Australia, it featured interviews of Suzi Lovegrove and Holly Lovegrove (his daughter from his first marriage) and footage of Troy.
1990s
Lovegrove's son Troy surpassed his expected life span of 5 years after development of new anti-viral drugs, Troy became a HIV awareness campaigner, and was the subject of another documentary, A Kid Called Troy, which was made for Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) Australia. Troy died on 3 June 1993 - three weeks before his 8th birthday and before it was screened nationally. Lovegrove also wrote, A kid called Troy: The moving journal of a little boy's battle for life in 1993. Not long after, Lovegrove was manager for 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...
on his European tour. He was then based in London as a journalist for Immedia! from 1994 for over eight years, reporting on the music scene for the on-line magazine.
After the 1997 death of 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...
frontman, Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...
, Lovegrove wrote an unauthorised biography, Michael Hutchence : shining through, torn apart (aka Michael Hutchence: a tragic rock 'n' roll story - a definitive biography) in 1999. The book was the subject of court cases in both Sydney and London, by Hutchence's domestic partner, Paula Yates
Paula Yates
Paula Elizabeth Yates was a British television presenter and writer, best known for her work on two television programmes, The Tube and The Big Breakfast.-Early life:...
. Lovegrove had alleged that Yates deceived Hutchence and used her pregnancy to ensnare him, the libel case was settled by an undisclosed amount from its Sydney and London publishers, and the UK newspaper The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
which had serialised parts in April 1999.
2000s
In July 2006 Lovegrove wrote a profile of his friend Bon ScottBon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
for The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
newspaper. This commemorated what would have been Scott's 60th birthday (Scott died in 1980). His band, Mongrels of Passion, featured alongside 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 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"...
at the Bon Scott Statue unveiling in February 2008. Mongrels of Passion, including Lovegrove and Tim Gaze
Tim Gaze
Tim Gaze is an Australian rock and blues guitarist, songwriter, singer and producer. He was a member of several prominent Australian groups of the 1960s and 1970s including Tamam Shud, Kahvas Jute, Ariel and Rose Tattoo.-Biography:...
performed at the 2008 Adelaide International Guitar Festival held on 29 November – 7 December.
Personal life
Lovegrove has been married three times, his first wife Helen assisted him in running a band management and booking agency, Jovan, in Adelaide in the 1970s. They are the parents of Holly Lovegrove (born 1975). His second wife, Suzi SidewinderSuzi Lovegrove
Suzi Lovegrove was an HIV-positive American-born woman whose battle with AIDS was chronicled in a landmark television documentary made at her request, entitled Suzi's Story, which premiered on Australian television in 1987...
, lived with Lovegrove from 1981, they were married in 1985 until her death from HIV/AIDS on 14 June 1987, which is depicted in an award winning documentary, Suzi's Story shown on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
in Australia. Their son, Troy Lovegrove born 25 June 1985, contracted AIDS in utero and died on 3 June 1993. His third wife is the mother of his youngest child Lilli (born 1995). Lovegrove lives near Byron Bay, New South Wales
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2006 Census, the town had a...
with his daughter Lilli, not far from his elder daughter Holly and her son Arlo (born 1996).
In March 2009 a submission by a former hospital buddy of Troy's was presented to Queanbeyan City Council, a city located on the ACT/NSW border to nominate LOVEGROVE as part of a local street naming project. After many months of meetings and consideration by Mayor Tim Overall, the submission was formally accepted on 11 December 2009.
External links
- Mongrels of Passion at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....