Ayers Rock (band)

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Ayers Rock was a jazz fusion/progressive rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group formed in 1973, and included many well-travelled rock performers; drummer Mark Kennedy had previously played in Spectrum, and played on sessions for King Harvest and Friends. Bassist Duncan McGuire had also played with King Harvest, and had been in Australian groups since the late 1950s, including The Phantoms, The Epics, and The Questions. Guitarist Ray Burton had played with The Delltones and The Executives, and done studio work with Helen Reddy in the US. These three (with Jimmy Doyle) formed the group initially as McGuire Kennedy and Burton, and changed their name a few months later to Ayers Rock when Col Loughnan joined the group. They signed to Mushroom Records and issued their first single, "Rock 'N Roll Fight", in December 1973.

Chris Brown replaced Burton in 1974, and that same year the group issued their first full-length, Big Red Rock. The success of the album allowed the group to tour the United States in 1975-1976. After their second album, Beyond, was released in 1976, the group went on a hiatus; in 1979, some members reconvened for a third LP, 1980's Hotspell. The group disbanded in 1981.