Doc Neeson
| Bernard "Doc" Neeson | |
|---|---|
 The Forum, November 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 4 January 1947 |
| Origin | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Genres |
Hard rock Blues rock Rock and roll |
| Instruments | Vocals, Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1971—present |
| Associated acts |
The Angels Red Phoenix |
Bernard "Doc" Neeson (born in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an iconic Australian rock star. Neeson gained fame as the lead singer for Australian hard rock band The Angels.
Early life
Neeson was conscripted into the Australian army, serving as an education corps sergeant in Papua New Guinea for eighteen months in the late 1960s.[1] He subsequently went back to Flinders University and completed degrees in film and drama.
Career
Even before The Angels there was the Moonshine Jug and String Band! Doc and the Brewster brothers started out with this quirky band with high energy and great music in a pub in Modbury, north east of Adelaide. Every Tuesday evening they honed their skills and then moved on interstate to bigger and more high profile gigs.
Since the 1970s, Neeson has been known as the lead singer and frontman for The Angels.
He initiated The Tour of Duty - Concert for the Troops held for the InterFET Troops in East Timor which took place in December 1999. He performed a number of Angels songs and duets with John Farnham, Kylie Minogue and The Living End.[2]
On New Year's Eve 1999, Neeson announced his departure from The Angels at the MGM Grand Darwin Millennium Concert after suffering a severe spinal injury in a car accident on a Sydney "M4" motorway that year. Always known for his very physical live performances, he was warned by a back specialist that he ran the risk of being in a wheelchair if he kept performing [3]
2000 to Present
In February 2001, Neeson performed at the Tour of Duty Encore! concert at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.[4][5] In the same year the ABC had featured Doc Neeson and The Angels in the music TV series Long Way To The Top which was an insight to 50 years of Australian rock 'n' roll.[6]
In December 2003, he formed the band Doc Neeson's Angels.[7]
In May 2005, Neeson formed the band Red Phoenix.[8] and released a self-titled album.[9] The band lineup was Doc Neeson, David Lowy, Peter Northcote, Jim Hilbun and Fab Omodei.
In 2006, Doc Neeson of The Angels was featured on a postage stamp for Australia Post as part of their "Australian Rock Posters The Stamps" collection.[10]
In August and September 2007[11] Neeson appeared and toured with the Doc Neeson's Angels for the Countdown Spectacular 2 tour.[12]
During October and November 2007, Doc Neeson's Angels was on the "Tour de Force" tour of Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, supporting the Australian troops. Neeson was presented with two military medals in Baghdad while touring across the Middle East as part of a morale-boosting concert series for Australian troops known as 'Tour de Force.'The band lineup for this tour consisted of Dave Leslie (guitar), Mick Skelton (drums), Sara Gray (bass) and Mitch Hutchinson (guitar).[13]
In 2008, Doc Neeson reunited with the original Angels band - Rick and John Brewster, Buzz Bidstrup and Chris Bailey - who have since done extensive national touring. Multiple Angels CD and DVD releases by Alberts Music coincided with the release by Albert Music of the 30th Anniversary edition of the “Face To Face” album, along with previously unreleased material and a DVD of a live concert in Melbourne “This is It Folks!”
In August 2008, Doc Neeson and his songwriting partners in The Angels, the Brewster Brothers, were inducted into The Australian Songwriters Association Hall of Fame, in recognition of their songwriting contribution to Australian music.
In 2009, Neeson toured nationally with The Angels to sell-out crowds, and was named by The Irish Echo newspaper as one of the Top 100 Irish People in Australia of all time. He also performed in “A Symphony of Angels” in April 2010 at the Adelaide Festival Theatre with The Adelaide Arts Orchestra.
In 2010, he began a solo project. In November of that year he played semi-acoustic concerts with a band including former Angels bassist Jim Hilbun. For the time being he is still involved with The Angels but he is preparing to record a new solo album.
In 2012 the Doc Neeson band continues to perform across Australia. The current band lineup consists of Mitch Hutchinson (guitar), Mark Fenwick (guitar), Dave Roberts (drums) and Justin Bianchi (bass).
On Thursday, 10th January, 2013 it was announced that Neeson was diagnosed with a brain tumour and will undergo immediate treatment. The Angels 100% Tour management released this statement: "To all The Angels friends, fans, venues and media It is with deep regret and shock that The Angels have to announce that Mr Doc Neeson was admitted to hospital over the recent Christmas/New Year period. He has just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, (brain tumour). This will require immediate intensive radiation and chemotherapy treatment and will continue for the next 6-12 months."
References
- ↑ Catanzaro, Joseph (2007-12-04). "No sleep till Baghdad". The Bulletin. pp. 36–41. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ↑ Tour of Duty information and Set list
- ↑ Angels Biography accessed 24 May 2007
- ↑ Thousands flock to Open Day Open Night - Australian War Memorial
- ↑ Australian War Memorial - Open Day 2001
- ↑ Long Way To The Top Berserk Warriors 1973-1981 (Episode 4)
- ↑ Doc Neeson's Angels
- ↑ Triple M Concerts - Red Phoenix
- ↑ Red Phoenix CD information - Sanity.com.au
- ↑ - Australian Rock Posters The Stamps (Australia Post)
- ↑ The Doc's ready to rock - The Herald Sun, 24 June 2007
- ↑ "The Countdown Spectacular #2". Frontier Touring. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
- ↑ "Rock star awarded military honours". Australian Government Department of Defence. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
External links
|