Purple Hearts (Australian band)

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The Purple Hearts were an Australian rock group, formed in Brisbane in 1964. The band consisted of lead vocalist Mick Hadley, lead guitarist Barry Lyde (known as Lobby Loyde), rhythm guitarist Fred Pickard, bassist Bob Dames, and drummers Adrian 'Red' Redmond (1964-66) and Tony Cahill (1966-67). It is perhaps no coincidence that Brisbane, traditionally the most conservative of all the post-colonial British cities in Australia, has fostered some of this country's most anarchistic rock bands (The Saints). Brisbane’s Purple Hearts were the obvious backlash of a prudent society – tough, arrogant and pioneering. Lobby Loyde was Australia’s first true rock guitar hero – busy blowing up speaker boxes before high volume and feed-back became rock staples.

Though they were part of a label stable which comprised mostly teenage idols of the romantic variety, The Purple Hearts were uncompromising in their attitude toward record making. Subsequently, their handful of singles are priceless artefacts of a tough R & B era, made even tougher by the regional influence mentioned earlier. Even their name, emerging a good year before Vietnam (in particular the backlash to conscription for the Vietnam War)made such noxious substance more famous than its medallion namesake, was a brash and outrageous gesture.

Hadley, Dames and Pickard were, like so many of Australia’s rock stars, English migrants. Upon arrival in 1963 they joined forces with two other young R & B sympathisers – Lyde and Adrian Redmond – to form the "mighty" ‘Arts. Rednibd was kater replaced by Tony Cahill, who in turn became Snowy Fleet’s replacement in The Easybeats.

Early in 1966 the group moved base to Melbourne, where they enjoyed minor chart success with “Early In The Morning”. A year later they exited with suave by issuing a press release stating that they had ceased to progress musically, were becoming stagnant and, therefore, had no reason to continue.

Dames and Hadley kept the Hearts tradition alive by forming The Coloured Balls, while Loyde revitalised a traditional jazz band known as The Wild Cherries and later led a reformed version of The Coloured Balls.