Broderick Smith, frontman for 70s Australian rockers The Dingoes, Carson and others, has died at the age of 75. According to an update on Smith’s website, the singer and musician passed away “peacefully at home” on Sunday, 30th April.
Born in England in 1948, Smith moved to Australia with his family in 1959. After stints in a string of bands in the late 60s, Smith joined blues rock band Carson in 1971, replacing previous singer Ian Ferguson. The band, with Smith, released its debut album, Blown, in 1972 before splitting up the following year.
The Dingoes Perform ‘Way Out West’ in 1973
In 1973, Smith was a founding member of blues and country rockers The Dingoes, handling lead vocals and playing harmonica. The band – whose hits included ‘Way Out West’ and ‘Boy on the Run’ – released three albums in the 70s: their self-titled 1974 debut, 1977’s Five Times the Sun and 1979’s Orphans of the Storm.
The Dingoes disbanded at the end of the decade, but reunited in 2009, the same year they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. They released a new album called Tracks in 2010, and embarked on an Australian tour.
Smith also fronted various groups under his own name, including Broderick Smith’s Big Combo between 1979 and 1982. That group found success with their 1981 self-titled album and singles like ‘Faded Roses’ and ‘My Father’s Hands’.
Smith had a sideline as an actor on stage and screen: he played The Father in an Australian production of The Who‘s rock opera Tommy in 1973, and appeared in two episodes of the police drama Blue Heelers in the 90s.
Smith was the father of Ambrose Kenny-Smith, a co-lead vocalist and harmonica player in King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. The band’s second album, 2013’s Eyes Like the Sky, is a collaboration with Smith, who wrote the spoken word lyrics for the record and played the role of its narrator. Kenny-Smith is also the frontman for The Murlocs, who cut short a performance in Perth yesterday due to Smith’s death.
Further Reading
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Tame Impala’s Jay Watson (aka GUM) and King Gizzard’s Ambrose Kenny-Smith Unite on New Single
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