wendy matthews

From their beginnings holding warehouse parties in Sydney's inner city to their string of chart hits in the late '80s and early '90s, Rockmelons always stood out from the rest of the Australian music scene by championing genres that few others did — and taking them mainstream. Formed by the core trio of Ray Medhurst and brothers Bryon and Jonathon Jones, the funk/soul/R&B/hip-hop/dance-influenced band also welcomed a series of regular and guest vocalists to their line-up, including John Kenny (the singer of "Rhymes" and "New Groove", among others), Sandi Chick, Peter Blakeley, Wendy Matthews and Deni Hines (who fronted "Ain't No Sunshine", "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" and "It's Not Over"). In an in-depth interview, Bryon and Ray recall the hurdles they surmounted on first two albums Tales Of The City and Form One Planet — lack of radio support, friction with certain collaborators, recording delays — and their against-the-odds success. They also talk about 2002's comeback album, Rockies 3, and the spanner in the works that prevented that enjoying a higher profile. 

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: chartbeats.au@gmail.com

She's called Australia home for four decades and become one of this country's most beloved singer/songwriters, with three wins for Best Female Artist at the ARIA Awards in the '90s. Originally from Canada, Wendy Matthews cut her teeth as a session singer and backing vocalist before stepping into the spotlight with a series of increasingly high profile projects, culminating in Absent Friends' top 5 remake of "I Don't Want To Be With Nobody But You". Wendy tells us about those early experiences and how she then embarked on a solo career that yielded a string of hits from her first two albums, like "Token Angels", "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" and her platinum-selling, ARIA-winning version of "The Day You Went Away". As she shares the stories behind the songs, Wendy reveals her hesitance in being a solo artist and the degree of control she was able to exert over her career. We also hear about gospel-influenced album The Witness Tree, what happened when her record label, RooArt, was sold to a major international record company, BMG, and why she eventually decided to go back to her independent roots.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: chartbeats.au@gmail.com

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