Skyhooks (band)

Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1973. Their classic lineup (1974–1977) comprised Graeme "Shirley" Strachan (vocals), Greg Macainsh (bass and backing vocals), Red Symons (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Bob "Bongo" Starkie (guitar and backing vocals), and Freddie Strauks (drums).

Known for their flamboyant costumes and makeup, their music addressed a variety of issues including drugs, sex, and the gay scene while frequently referencing Australian places and culture. Evolving from a series of groups with Macainsh and Strauks in the late 1960s and early 1970s, they rose to national prominence when their debut album Living in the 70's (1974), which was initially a moderate success upon release, gained unprecedented popularity the following year, aided by the nascent ABC music show Countdown; the album topped the Australian Kent Music Report chart for a record-breaking 16 weeks and sold over 200,000 copies, becoming the best-selling Australian album at the time. Their second album Ego Is Not a Dirty Word (1975) topped the Kent Music Report for 11 weeks.

Symons and Strachan left in 1977 and 1978 respectively and became media personalities; Symons was replaced with Bob Spencer and Strachan was replaced with Tony Williams, before they disbanded in 1980. The classic lineup reunited four times in the ensuing years, with reunions in 1990 and 1994 producing new material, including the number-one song "Jukebox in Siberia" in 1990. Strachan died in a helicopter crash in 2001; original lead singer Steve Hill, who left and was replaced by Strachan, died in 2005, and original guitarist Peter Starkie died in 2020.

Music historian Ian McFarlane stated that the band "made an enormous impact on Australian social life". In 1992, the group was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. In 2011, the Skyhooks album Living in the 70's was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry.

History

1966–1974: Early years and formation

Greg Macainsh and Freddie Strauks both attended Norwood High School in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood and formed Spare Parts in 1966 with Macainsh on bass guitar and Strauks on lead vocals. Spare Parts was followed by Sound Pump in 1968, Macainsh formed Reuben Tice in Eltham, with Tony Williams on vocals. By 1970 Macainsh was back with Strauks, now on drums, first in Claptrap and by 1971 in Frame which had Graeme "Shirley" Strachan as lead vocalist. Frame also included Pat O'Brien on guitar and Cynthio Ooms on guitar. Strachan stayed in Frame for about 18 months but left for a career in carpentry and a hobby of surfing in Phillip Island. on guitar (The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band), Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, Peter Starkie on guitar and backing vocals (Lipp & the Double Dekker Brothers) and Strauks on drums and backing vocals. Six of the ten tracks on their debut album, Living in the 70's, were banned by the Federation of Australian Commercial Broadcasters for their sex and drug references: Although Skyhooks were not the first Australian rock band to write songs in a local setting—rather than ditties about love or songs about New York City or other foreign lands—they were the first to become commercially successful doing so. ahead of the album, and peaked at No. 28 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Charts. The album, Living in the 70's initially charted only in Melbourne upon its release on 7 October 1974. It went on to spend 16 weeks at the top of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Charts from February to June 1975.

Skyhooks returned to the Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1975. They were declared the best performers by Rolling Stone Australia and The Age reviewers, and Gudinski now took over their management. The second single, "Horror Movie", reached No. 1 for two weeks in March. A live version of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" from a December performance was released as a single in March 1976 and reached No. 26. and despite limited success in Boston, Massachusetts and Jacksonville, Florida they failed to make inroads into the general US market. This tour was released on LP as Live in the 80's.

A one-off reunion concert took place in October 1984, and in 1990 the band finally recorded new material, including "Jukebox in Siberia", released in September, In November, The Latest and Greatest, a compilation album, was released, which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Charts. while their manager, Gudinski, and record label, Mushroom Records, received a 'Special Achievement Award'. Producer of their first three albums, Wilson, had been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 as an individual and again as a member of Daddy Cool in 2006.

The final release of new Skyhooks material came in June 1999 when a twin-CD, Skyhooks: The Collection, was issued. and is an intellectual property lawyer.

Strachan was killed in an air crash on 29 August 2001, when the helicopter he was learning to fly solo crashed into Mount Archer near Kilcoy, northwest of Brisbane. A memorial concert was held on 11 September 2001 at the Palais Theatre, tributes were paid and some remaining members—Strauks, Macainsh, Starkie, Symons and Spencer—performed with guest vocalists Daryl Braithwaite and Wilson. It is the only time Symons and his replacement, Spencer performed together on stage. Braithwaite performed "All My Friends Are Getting Married" with the band while Wilson sang the rare Skyhooks track "Warm Wind in the City".

The 30th anniversary of the release of the Living in the 70's album was commemorated in 2004, with different incarnations of the band performing. Absent were Strachan, Hill and Inglis. Vocals were performed by Wilson, Williams and Bob Starkie. The original line-up of Skyhooks, including Hill, reformed in 2005 at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney for a one-off gig, a benefit for Hill, who had been diagnosed with liver cancer. The line-up of Inglis, Peter Starkie, Strauks and Macainsh joined him onstage. Hill died six weeks later. In November 2009, the "Skyhooks Tour Archive", displayed on the band's website, listed 925 live shows.

Macainsh, Starkie and Strauks appeared as Skyhooks at the 2009 Helpmann Awards in Sydney. They performed "Women in Uniform" with Australian rock singer, Jimmy Barnes. Symons was also slated to perform with the band, but was replaced by Diesel on guitar after withdrawing a few days before the show.

Original guitarist Peter Starkie died of complications after a fall, in mid-September 2020, at the age of 72. Guitarist Bob Starkie died from leukaemia on 29 November 2025, at the age of 73.

Members

;Classic lineup

Greg Macainsh – bass, backing vocals (1973–1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994)
Imants Alfred "Freddie" Strauks (aka "Freddie Kaboodleschnitzer") – drums, backing vocals, percussion (1973–1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994)
Bob Starkie (aka "Bongo Starr") – guitar, backing and lead vocals (1973–1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994; died 2025)
Red Symons – guitar, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1973–1977, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994)
Graeme "Shirley" Strachan – lead vocals (1974–1978, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994; died 2001)

;Other members (200,000+)

|align="center"|1975

|Ego Is Not a Dirty Word

Label: Mushroom Records (T35575)

| align="center"| 1

AUS: 250,000 (70,000)

|align="center"|1994

|Singles and B sides

Label: Mushroom Records (D80984)

| align="center"| —

|align="center"|1999

|The Lost Album

Label: Mushroom Records (MUSH33153.2)

| align="center"| 36

|align="center"|2015

|Hits'n'Riffs

Label: Festival Records / Warner Music Australia (FEST601043)

| align="center"| 32

|align="center" colspan="4" style="font-size: 85%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Video albums

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" width="33"|Year

! rowspan="2" width="240"|Title

! colspan="1"|Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2"|Certifications

!style="width:4em"| AUS DVD

Live albums

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" width="33"|Year

! rowspan="2" width="240"|Title

! colspan="1"|Peak chart positions

!style="width:4em"| AUS KMR

| chartC = UK

| title2 = Horror Movie | year2 = 1975 | yearspan2 = 4 | peak2A = 1

| title3 = Ego Is Not a Dirty Word | album3 = Ego Is Not a Dirty Word | albumspan3 = 2 | peak3A = 2

| title4 = All My Friends Are Getting Married | peak4A = 2

| title5 = Million Dollar Riff | album5 = Straight in a Gay Gay World | peak5A = 6

| title7 = This Is My City | peak7A = 32 | album7 = Straight in a Gay Gay World | albumspan7 = 2

| title8 = Blue Jeans | peak8A= 12 | peak8B = 3

| title9 = Party to End All Parties | album9 = The Skyhooks Tapes | year9 = 1977 | peak9A = 24

| title11 = Meglomania | peak11A = 93

| title13 = This Town Is Boring | year13 = 1980 | yearspan13 = 2

| title14 = Keep the Junk in America

| title15 = Hooked on Hooks | year15 = 1982 | album15 = | peak15A = 21

| title17 = Tall Timber | peak17A = 66

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Skyhooks inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

| 1992

| Skyhooks

| ARIA Hall of Fame

Australian Record Awards

| 1975

| Ego Is Not a Dirty Word

| Group Album of the Year

King of Pop Awards

The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers of TV Week. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.

| rowspan="3" |1975

| "Horror Movie"

| Australian Record of the Year

| Ego is not a Dirty Word

| Most Popular Australian Album

| Greg Macainsh (Skyhooks)

| Best Australian Songwriter

|1976

| Straight in a Gay Gay World

| Best Cover Design

|1978

| "Hotel Hell" by Skyhooks on Nightmoves

| Best Australian TV Performer

Note: wins only

References

;General

Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.

;Specific

External links

Skyhooks at MusicBrainz
Skyhooks discography at Billboard