Wendy Saddington
Encyclopedia
Wendy June Saddington (born 1949) is an Australian blues / soul
/ jazz singer and was in the bands Chain
, Copperwine and the Wendy Saddington Band. She wrote for teen pop
newspaper Go-Set
from September 1969 – September 1970 as an agony aunt in her weekly "Takes Care of Business" column and as a feature writer. Saddington had Top 30 chart success with her 1972 solo single "Looking Through a Window", which was written and produced by Billy Thorpe
and Warren Morgan of the Aztecs
.
-based soul
band Revolution and then Adelaide
-based psychedelic rock
band James Taylor Move, with Kevin Peek on guitar
(later in Sky
), Trevor Spencer on drums
and Alan Tarney on bass guitar
. Her inspirations were Nina Simone
, Bessie Smith
, Aretha Franklin
and Bob Dylan
. When Perth
blues group, The Beaten Tracks relocated to Melbourne, Saddington joined and the group was renamed, The Chain
, in December 1968. Saddington provided the name from Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools
". The Chain line-up were Saddington on vocals, Phil Manning
on guitar / vocals, Warren Morgan on piano
/ vocals and Murray Wilkins on bass guitar. Saddington left in May 1969 prior to any known recordings, the band later shortened their name to Chain and had a hit with "Black and Blue".
Teen pop
newspaper, Go-Set
started publishing in 1966 and contained an agony aunt column, "Dear Leslie Pixie", initially written by Sue Flett and then by Jean Gollan. From September 1969 – September 1970, Saddington provided the weekly "Takes Care of Business" column in its stead and was also a feature writer. Australian music historian
, David Kent
, described her column, "Saddington dealt with the realistic issues of pregnancy, loneliness, and sometimes suicide. Her approach was to focus on the reality of the teenagers' problems, and provide answers that met that reality head-on." In 1969, Go-Set was the only Australian newspaper or magazine dealing with teen issues and culture, rival newspapers attacked Saddington's direct approach and parents on talk-back radio challenged her answers as not being aimed at the correct age group; Saddington defended her column with "Obviously some people can't face reality". According to Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) TV show, Long Way to the Top
(2001), "[Saddington] had a wild appearance with heavily made-up eyes, a huge afro, and usually wore copious beads and bangles with a pair of Levis and a cheesecloth top". In an interview on ABC TV series, GTK
in October 1969, she stated that some members of the public laughed at her appearance and even became abusive, she also expressed dissatisfaction with the superficiality of the pop scene which made success difficult.
From March 1970 – February 1971, Saddington was co-lead vocalist with Jeff St John in Copperwine. Other members were, Harry Brus
on bass guitar, Ross East on guitar / vocals, Peter Figures on drums, and Barry Kelly on keyboards
/ vocals. In January 1971, Copperwine attended the Wallacia
Festival, in central New South Wales, and recorded a live album
without leader, St John. It was released as Wendy Saddington and Copperwine Live but Saddington had left before its release by Festival Records on their Infinity label. Saddington was not pleased with the quality of the live album. "Looking Through a Window", written and produced by Billy Thorpe
and Warren Morgan, was released as a solo single in July. Soon after, Saddington formed Teardrop which were featured in an 11-minute documentary short for Film Australia
, Australian Colour Diary No. 43: Three Directions in Australian Pop Music directed by Peter Weir
(future director of Dead Poets Society
and Master and Commander
). Top 30 chart success for "Looking Through a Window" led Festival to re-release the Copperwine album as Looking Through a Window with the single added as a bonus track in 1972.
In March 1973, The Who
's rock opera Tommy
was performed as an orchestral version in Australia with Saddington in the role of The Nurse. Other Australian artists were Daryl Braithwaite
(as Tommy), Billy Thorpe, Doug Parkinson
, Broderick Smith
, Jim Keays
, Colleen Hewett
, Linda George
, Ross Wilson, Bobby Bright, and Ian Meldrum
(as Uncle Ernie in Sydney).
Saddington became a follower of Prabhupada
and joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
from the early 1970s, her performing career declined in the late 1970s as her involvement became a major focus. In 1983, she returned to her music career by forming Wendy Saddington Band with, Bobby Gebert on keyboards, Harvey James on guitar, Billy Rylands on bass guitar and Chris Sweeney on drums. A second version appeared in 1986–1987 with, Angelica Booth on bass guitar, Rose Bygrave
on organ, Mick Liber on guitar and Des McKenna on drums. One Night Jamm by Kevin Borich
and the Express, which has guest vocals by Saddington and Ross Wilson (ex-Daddy Cool
, Mondo Rock
), was released in 1999.
Around 1985 Saddington formed a duo with pianist Peter Head
, performing mainly at the Civic Hotel and various Kings Cross and Darlinghurst venues. They performed together on and off for the remainder of the decade and in 2002 Head organised a Wendy Saddington concert at Sydney's infamous jazz and blues institution, the Basement, handpicking a band for her of Sydney's finest soul/jazz musicians. The lineup was bass player Jacky Orzascky, drummer Peter Figures, Hammond organist Lachlan Doley with Head on piano. The concert was recorded but is as yet unreleased.
In 2003, Saddington provided three tracks for the album, Women 'n Blues, with other tracks by Kate Dunbar, Sally King, Jeannie Lewis
and Margret RoadKnight
.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
/ jazz singer and was in the bands 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...
, Copperwine and the Wendy Saddington Band. She wrote for teen pop
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...
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 September 1969 – September 1970 as an agony aunt in her weekly "Takes Care of Business" column and as a feature writer. Saddington had Top 30 chart success with her 1972 solo single "Looking Through a Window", which was written and produced by Billy Thorpe
Billy Thorpe
William Richard "Billy" Thorpe, AM was a renowned English-born Australian pop / rock singer-songwriter and musician...
and Warren Morgan of 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...
.
Biography
Saddington was a typist after leaving school and started her musical career in 1967 as a singer for MelbourneMelbourne
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...
-based soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
band Revolution and then Adelaide
Adelaide
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...
-based psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band James Taylor Move, with Kevin Peek on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(later in Sky
Sky (band)
Sky was a British instrumental group that specialised in fusing a variety of musical styles including light rock, progressive rock, classical and jazz. The group's best known members were classical guitarist John Williams, bass player Herbie Flowers Sky was a British instrumental group that...
), Trevor Spencer 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 ....
and Alan Tarney on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Her inspirations were Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. When Perth
Perth, 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....
blues group, The Beaten Tracks relocated to Melbourne, Saddington joined and the group was renamed, The 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...
, in December 1968. Saddington provided the name from Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools
Chain of Fools
Chain of Fools is a 2000 heist comedy/romance film about a hapless barber named Kresk .-Plot:...
". The Chain line-up were Saddington on vocals, Phil Manning
Phil Manning (musician)
Philip John "Phil" Manning is an Australian blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. Manning has been a member of various groups including Chain and has had a solo career. As a member of Chain, Manning co-wrote their January 1971 single "Black and Blue", which became their only top 20 hit...
on guitar / vocals, Warren Morgan on piano
Piano
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...
/ vocals and Murray Wilkins on bass guitar. Saddington left in May 1969 prior to any known recordings, the band later shortened their name to Chain and had a hit with "Black and Blue".
Teen pop
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...
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...
started publishing in 1966 and contained an agony aunt column, "Dear Leslie Pixie", initially written by Sue Flett and then by Jean Gollan. From September 1969 – September 1970, Saddington provided the weekly "Takes Care of Business" column in its stead and was also a feature writer. Australian music historian
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
, David Kent
David Kent
David Kent is the name of:*David Kent , Sinn Féin TD 1918–1927*David Kent , historian and creator of the Australian Kent Music Report*David Kent , past member of Hall & Oates band...
, described her column, "Saddington dealt with the realistic issues of pregnancy, loneliness, and sometimes suicide. Her approach was to focus on the reality of the teenagers' problems, and provide answers that met that reality head-on." In 1969, Go-Set was the only Australian newspaper or magazine dealing with teen issues and culture, rival newspapers attacked Saddington's direct approach and parents on talk-back radio challenged her answers as not being aimed at the correct age group; Saddington defended her column with "Obviously some people can't face reality". According to Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) TV show, Long Way to the Top
Long Way To The Top
Long Way To The Top was an Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary on the history of Australian rock and roll from 1956 to the modern era.-Production:...
(2001), "[Saddington] had a wild appearance with heavily made-up eyes, a huge afro, and usually wore copious beads and bangles with a pair of Levis and a cheesecloth top". In an interview on ABC TV series, GTK
GTK (TV show)
GTK was an Australian popular music TV series produced and broadcast by ABC Television.-History:The series title was an abbreviation of the phrase "Get To Know"...
in October 1969, she stated that some members of the public laughed at her appearance and even became abusive, she also expressed dissatisfaction with the superficiality of the pop scene which made success difficult.
From March 1970 – February 1971, Saddington was co-lead vocalist with Jeff St John in Copperwine. Other members were, Harry Brus
Harry Brus
Harry Brus is an Australian bass player and guitarist, best known for his work with Matt Finish, Kevin Borich, Renée Geyer, Australian Crawl, Leo Sayer, Marcia Hines, Jimmy Barnes, Ross Wilson and Billy Thorpe....
on bass guitar, Ross East on guitar / vocals, Peter Figures on drums, and Barry Kelly on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/ vocals. In January 1971, Copperwine attended the Wallacia
Wallacia, New South Wales
Wallacia is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wallacia is located 68 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Penrith and Wollondilly Shire...
Festival, in central New South Wales, and recorded a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
without leader, St John. It was released as Wendy Saddington and Copperwine Live but Saddington had left before its release by Festival Records on their Infinity label. Saddington was not pleased with the quality of the live album. "Looking Through a Window", written and produced by Billy Thorpe
Billy Thorpe
William Richard "Billy" Thorpe, AM was a renowned English-born Australian pop / rock singer-songwriter and musician...
and Warren Morgan, was released as a solo single in July. Soon after, Saddington formed Teardrop which were featured in an 11-minute documentary short for Film Australia
Film Australia
Film Australia was a company established by the Government of Australia to produce films about Australia. Its mission was to create an audio-visual record of Australian culture, through the commissioning, distribution and management of programs that deal with matters of national interest or...
, Australian Colour Diary No. 43: Three Directions in Australian Pop Music directed by Peter Weir
Peter Weir
Peter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
(future director of Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams. Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in Vermont in 1959, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry.The script was written...
and Master and Commander
Master and Commander
Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 , it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. Closely based on the historical feats of Lord Cochrane, O'Brian's novel is set in the...
). Top 30 chart success for "Looking Through a Window" led Festival to re-release the Copperwine album as Looking Through a Window with the single added as a bonus track in 1972.
In March 1973, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's rock opera Tommy
Tommy (rock opera)
Tommy is the fourth album by English rock band The Who, released by Track Records and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Decca Records/MCA in the United States. A double album telling a loose story about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, Tommy was...
was performed as an orchestral version in Australia with Saddington in the role of The Nurse. Other Australian artists were Daryl Braithwaite
Daryl Braithwaite
Daryl Braithwaite is an Australian pop singer. Best known as the lead vocalist of Sherbet, Braithwaite has also sustained a successful solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including the No...
(as Tommy), Billy Thorpe, Doug Parkinson
Doug Parkinson
Douglas "Doug" Parkinson is an Australian singer who first came to fame with his band, Doug Parkinson In Focus, in 1969. He has had numerous hits on the Australian Top 40 charts.-Career:...
, Broderick Smith
Broderick Smith
Broderick Smith aka Brod Smith is an Australian singer-songwriter, harmonica, guitar and banjo player. He was a member of 1970s bands Carson and The Dingoes, 1980s Broderick Smith's Big Combo and performed solo...
, Jim Keays
The Masters Apprentices
The Masters Apprentices were an Australian rock band fronted by mainstay Jim Keays on lead vocals, which formed in 1965 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970, before disbanding in 1972...
, Colleen Hewett
Colleen Hewett
Colleen Hewett is an Australian actress and popular singer. She is perhaps best known to international audiences for her 1984 guest role in the television series Prisoner as Sheila Brady.-Pop singer:...
, Linda George
Linda George (Australian singer)
Linda George is an English-born Australian pop, jazz fusion and soul singer from the 1970s. In 1973, George performed the role of Acid Queen for the Australian stage performance of The Who's rock opera, Tommy. She won the TV Week King of Pop award for "Best New Female Artist"...
, Ross Wilson, Bobby Bright, and Ian Meldrum
Ian Meldrum
Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM is an Australian popular music critic, journalist, record producer , and musical entrepreneur...
(as Uncle Ernie in Sydney).
Saddington became a follower of Prabhupada
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a Gaudiya Vaishnava teacher and the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"...
and joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
from the early 1970s, her performing career declined in the late 1970s as her involvement became a major focus. In 1983, she returned to her music career by forming Wendy Saddington Band with, Bobby Gebert on keyboards, Harvey James on guitar, Billy Rylands on bass guitar and Chris Sweeney on drums. A second version appeared in 1986–1987 with, Angelica Booth on bass guitar, Rose Bygrave
Rose Bygrave
Rose Bygrave is an Australian singer/songwriter.-Biography:Roslyn 'Rose' Louise Bygrave grew up in Western Victoria and later attended art school in Ballarat and Melbourne. Her musical career began in 1979...
on organ, Mick Liber on guitar and Des McKenna on drums. One Night Jamm by Kevin Borich
Kevin Borich
Kevin Nicholas Borich is a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and the Express, which has guest vocals by Saddington and Ross Wilson (ex-Daddy Cool
Daddy Cool (band)
Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan , Ross Hannaford , Ross Wilson and Gary Young . Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks...
, Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia, most prominent in the early 1980s. The band was formed in late 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Ross Wilson.-Early years: 1976–1979:...
), was released in 1999.
Around 1985 Saddington formed a duo with pianist Peter Head
Peter Head
Pianist and singer/songwriter Peter Head is an Australian rock musician. He first came to prominence with Adelaide progressive rock band Headband.-Early years:...
, performing mainly at the Civic Hotel and various Kings Cross and Darlinghurst venues. They performed together on and off for the remainder of the decade and in 2002 Head organised a Wendy Saddington concert at Sydney's infamous jazz and blues institution, the Basement, handpicking a band for her of Sydney's finest soul/jazz musicians. The lineup was bass player Jacky Orzascky, drummer Peter Figures, Hammond organist Lachlan Doley with Head on piano. The concert was recorded but is as yet unreleased.
In 2003, Saddington provided three tracks for the album, Women 'n Blues, with other tracks by Kate Dunbar, Sally King, Jeannie Lewis
Jeannie Lewis
Jeannie Lewis is an Australian musician and stage performer whose work covers many different styles such as folk, jazz, Latin, blues, opera, rock, fusion. Her music often includes a strong social consciousness and she is capable of making very strong political statements in her work.-Early...
and Margret RoadKnight
Margret RoadKnight
Margret RoadKnight is an Australian singer. In a career spanning more than four decades, she has sung in a wide variety of styles including blues, jazz, gospel, and folk....
.