Dragon (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dragon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Genre(s) | Rock | |
| Years active | 1973-1979, 1982-1998, 2006-present | |
| Members | ||
| Todd Hunter Mark Williams Bruce Reid Pete Drummond |
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| Former members | ||
| Marc Hunter Alan Mansfield Paul Hewson Robert Taylor Tommy Emmanuel Ray Goodwin Neil Storey Kerry Jacobson Terry Chambers Doane Perry Richard Lee Neil Reynolds Graeme Collins Ivan Thompson Don Miller-Robinson Randall Waller Barton Price Mike Caen Jeffrey Bartolomei John Watson Lee Borkman Rajan Kamahl Ange Tsoitoudis Dario Bortolin Mick O'Shea Billy Kervin |
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Dragon was the name of a popular New Zealand/Australian rock band, led by lead singer Marc Hunter and his brother Todd Hunter. Keyboard player Paul Hewson wrote or co-wrote most of the group's earlier hits.
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[edit] Band history
Dragon formed in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1973 with a line-up that featured Todd Hunter, guitarist Ray Goodwin, drummer Neil Reynolds and singer Graeme Collins. By 1974 several personnel changes had occurred, with Marc Hunter joining on vocals and Neil Storey on drums. The band recorded two progressive rock albums in their native New Zealand, Universal Radio and Scented Gardens for the Blind. Robert Taylor from the group Mammal then joined the band as it searched for a more 'pop' feel.
Dragon eventually landed a contract with CBS Records in Australia and relocated to Sydney in 1975. Soon after, they sent for keyboard player Paul Hewson, who they had known in New Zealand and who had a reputation as a pop songwriter.
Often courting or creating controversy, the band was rocked by the heroin overdose death of drummer Neil Storey in 1976. By then, founding member Goodwin had left the group, and their first single to chart, 'This Time', had just begun selling.
Storey was replaced by Kerry Jacobson and, between 1975 and 1979, Dragon scored a string of major hits on the Australian pop charts with songs including "April Sun in Cuba," "Are You Old Enough" and "Still In Love With You" and with the albums Sunshine and O Zambezi, making them one of the country's most popular rock acts.
As a result, the band had hopes of a breakthrough in the American market, but these were scuttled during a disastrous US tour culminating in a show in Austin, Texas at which Marc Hunter incited a crowd by suggesting all Texans were "faggots", resulting in the band having to dodge flying beer bottles.
Marc Hunter left Dragon in 1979 due to drug problems which were, by then, seriously affecting his performances. Singer Billy Rogers formerly of the Perth group Last Chance Cafe and violinist Richard Lee from the Melbourne band Sidewinder were recruited and the group recorded the commercially unsuccessful Powerplay LP before breaking up.
Hunter cleaned up in the post-Dragon years and released two successful solo singles, "Island Nights" (1979) and "Big City Talk" (1981) from the LPs Fiji Bitter and Big City Talk respectively. The video clip for the "Big City Talk" single was filmed in the Broadway Tunnel, a long and dreary pedestrian walkway linking Sydney's Central Station with Broadway. The clip captured the seedy and unsettling atmosphere of the tunnel, adding extra mood to the song's words.
HIs brother Todd had meanwhile teamed up with his partner (and later second wife) Johanna Pigott, formerly of indie group XL Capris, and together they became a successful songwriting team.
The XL Capris were not commercially successful on the Australian charts, although their memorable re-working of crooner Tommy Leonetti's "My City Of Sydney" tune became a minor cult classic. Todd Hunter produced both their albums "Where is Hank" and "Weeds", and played as a member of the band on the second one.
Dragon briefly reformed in 1982 to pay off outstanding debts, with the band then staying together to have another shot at success. Their second comeback single, "Rain", proved to be a massive hit, but Jacobson left the band for health reasons and was replaced by British drummer Terry Chambers, formerly from the band XTC. American keyboard player and producer Alan Mansfield also joined at this point.
The band's 1984 album Body and the Beat became one of the biggest-selling albums in Australia and New Zealand and Dragon was restored to something close to its late 70s glory. Its public profile was further raised at this time by the Marc Hunter solo album, Communication. Its title track became a moderate hit in Australia and featured a loosely cabaret-oriented video-clip filmed in Amsterdam in which Marc — resplendent in a bright red cowbot hat — was flanked by two women who also danced away under red Stetsons.
Paul Hewson left Dragon and died of a drug overdose in New Zealand in January 1985, and band members Terry Chambers and Robert Taylor left some time after. American drummer Doanne Perry replaced Chambers, and Taylor was eventually succeeded by local Sydney guitar ace Tommy Emmanuel. This line-up produced the Todd Rundgren-produced Dreams of Ordinary Men album and later toured Europe with Tina Turner under the name Hunter (in 1987).
After this, Dragon again split up in 1988 although a year later the Hunter brothers and Mansfield had reconvened once again with guitarist Randall Waller and drummer Barton Price, ex-Models, for the Bondi Road album, which also featured Emmanuel's guitar playing.
Dragon continued to record and tour with varying line-ups centered around Todd and Marc Hunter and Mansfield until 1997, although Todd Hunter had largely retired from the band to do production and soundtrack work on Heartbreak High after the 1995 album Incarnations, which featured reworkings of earlier hits.
In 1998, Marc Hunter was diagnosed with severe throat cancer and died on 17 July 1998. The compilation CD Forever Young, released on Raven Records, captures many of the highlight tracks of his career.
Dragon reformed in 2006 with a line-up of Mark Williams (vocals), Bruce Reid (slide guitar), Todd Hunter (bass) and Pete Drummond (drums). This Dragon Acoustic line up released Sunshine to Rain under the Liberation Blue Acoustic Series Label in June 2006 and is currently touring Australia.
Official Website: Dragon Online
Historic fan-based websites Dragon The Band
Dragon Bio & Discography
[edit] Personnel
- Todd Hunter (bass) 1972 -1995, 2006
- Marc Hunter (vocals) 1973 - 1979, 1982 - 1997
- Alan Mansfield (keyboards) 1982 - 1997
- Paul Hewson (keyboards) 1975 - 1985
- Robert Taylor (guitar) 1975 - 1985
- Tommy Emmanuel (guitar) 1985 - 1988, 1995
- Ray Goodwin (guitar) 1972 - 1975
- Neil Storey (drums) 1972 - 1975
- Kerry Jacobson (drums) 1975 - 1982
- Terry Chambers (drums) 1982 - 1985
- Doane Perry (drums) 1985 - 1988
- Richard Lee (vocals/guitar/violin) 1979 - 1980
- Neil Reynolds (drums) 1972
- Graeme Collins (vocals) 1972
- Ivan Thompson (vocals) 1972 (replaced Collins)
- Don Miller-Robinson (guitar) 1985 (replaced Taylor)
- Randall Waller (guitar) 1989
- Barton Price (drums) 1989
- Mike Caen (guitar) 1989 - 1995, 1996 - 1997
- Jeffrey Bartolomei (keyboards) 1989 - 1996
- John Watson (drums) 1988 - 1989
- Lee Borkman (keyboards) 1988 - 1989
- Rajan Kamahl (keyboards) 1991(?) - 1993(?)
- Ange Tsoitoudis (guitar) 1996 - 1997
- Dario Bortolin (bass) 1996
- Mick O'Shea (drums) 1996 - 1997
- Billy Kervin (bass) 1996 - 1997
[edit] Discography
| Cover | Date of Release | Title | Label | Charted | Country | Catalog Number |
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1974 | Universal Radio | Vertigo Records | - | - | |
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1975 | Scented Gardens for the Blind | Vertigo Records | - | - | |
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1977 | Sunshine | - | - | ||
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1977 | Running Free | - | - | ||
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1978 | O Zambezi | - | - | ||
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1979 | Power Play | - | - | ||
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1979 | Dragon's Greatest Hits Vol. 1 | - | - | ||
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1984 | Body and the Beat | - | - | ||
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1985 | Live One | - | - | ||
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1986 | Dreams of Ordinary Men | - | - | ||
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1989 | Bondi Road | - | - | ||
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1990 | So Far: Their Classic Collection | - | - | ||
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1994 | Scented Gardens for the Blind (rereleased as a CD) |
TRC Records | - | - | TRC045 |
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1995 | Incarnations | Roadshow Music | - | - | 14251-2 |
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2006 | Sunshine to Rain | - | - |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Charted | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "April Sun in Cuba" | - | ||
| 1978 | "Are You Old Enough?" | - | - | |
| 1978 | "Still In Love With You" | - | ||
| 1983 | "Rain" | - | - |
