Ross Hannaford
# Ross Hannaford

Ross Andrew Hannaford (1 December 1950 – 8 March 2016) was an Australian musician, active in numerous local bands. He was often referred to by his nickname "Hanna". Widely regarded as one of the country's finest rock guitarists, he was best known for his long collaboration with singer-songwriter Ross Wilson, which began as teenagers, with The Pink Finks and forming the seminal early '70s Australian rock band Daddy Cool. Hannaford died of cancer after being diagnosed a year earlier.

## The Pink Finks

Ross Andrew Hannaford was born in Newcastle on 1 December 1950, his family moved to Melbourne one year later. Hannaford and Wilson first teamed up in the hometown of Melbourne in early 1965, in the R&B band The Pink Finks, which enjoyed moderate local success. This was followed by the more progressively-oriented The Party Machine, They released a single "You've All Gotta Go" in 1969; their printed songbooks were confiscated and burned by the Victorian Vice Squad for being obscene and seditious. The Party Machine disbanded in 1969, with Wilson travelling to London.

## Sons of the Vegetal Mother

After a short stint in the UK, Wilson returned to Australia and reunited with Hannaford ca. 1970 in the even more avant garde Sons of the Vegetal Mother, which embodied Wilson's enthusiasm for the music of Frank Zappa.

## Daddy Cool

This band eventually evolved into Daddy Cool, which had started out as an informal offshoot of the Vegetals but soon overtook it. After the release of their hugely successful debut single "Eagle Rock" and their debut LP Daddy Who? Daddy Cool, the band became one of the most popular and successful rock acts of the decade, breaking all previous sales records for an Australian act.

Hannaford's unique guitar stylings won wide praise from critics and his goofy stage presence, distinctive baritone voice and trademark 'helicopter' cap made him a favourite with fans. He also wrote several of the group's songs and co-designed the sleeve of their second album, Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven.

* 1970–1972: Original line-up
* 1972–1974: Daddy Cool separates
* 1974–1975: First reformation
* 1975: Second separation

## Mighty Kong

After the first split of Daddy Cool at the end of 1972, Wilson and Hannaford formed the short-lived Mighty Kong with former members of Spectrum and Company Caine and they recorded one album, All I Wanna Do Is Rock, but they split just after the record was released.

### Mighty Kong Band Members

* Ross Wilson – chief vocals, pignose guitar on "Homesick & Horny"
* Ross Hannaford – guitar, deep throat
* Russell Smith – guitar, lead vocals on "Some Other New Address"
* Tim Partridge – bass guitar
* Ray Arnott – drums

## Billy T

During the mid-1970s Ross became a devotee of Satguru Maharaj Ji and the Divine Light Mission. In 1977 he travelled to the USA to attend various religious festivals. While in the US he formed One Foundation with Joe Creighton (bass; from Billy T) to play at Mission conventions. On his return to Australia, Ross, Russell Smith and Joe Creighton then formed Billy T.

### Billy T Band Members

Ross Hannaford - Guitar, Vocals [ The Pink Finks (1965-1967) - The Party Machine (1967-1969) - Sons of the Vegetal Mother (1970) - Daddy Cool (1970-1972, 1974-1975, 1994, 2005-2016) - Mighty Kong (1972-1973) - Billy T (1975-1977) - Diana Kiss - Ross Hannaford Trio (1996) - Hey Gringo (2000) - solo (2015) ]

Joe Creighton - Bass, Vocals [ The Sands (1967-1969) - Dolls House (UK: 1969-1970) - Melissa (1970-1972) - Band of Angels (1973-1975) - Billy T (1975-1978) - Mark Gillespie Band (1978-early 80's) - The Black Sorrows (1983) - Tim Finn touring band (1984) - Venetta Fields - John Farnham touring band (late 80's) - Olivia Newton-John touring band - Kylie Minogue touring band - The Joe Creighton Band - The Revelators (early 90's) - The Black Sorrows ] www.joecreighton.com

Mick Holden - Drums, Vocals [ The Mixtures (1971) - Hot City Bump Band (1973-1976) - Billy T (1977-1978) ]

Geoff Maling - Percussion

Russell Smith - Guitar, Vocals [Com-Pac (1969-1970) - Company Caine (1970-1971, 1975) - Duck - Metropolis - Gulliver's Travels (1976)- Billy T (1977-1978) - The Embers ]

Neal McPherson - Keyboards

The Billy T catalogue is available through Laneway Music on all digital platforms.

thttps://www.lanewaymusic.com.au/billyt

Billy T's promo-video for the single '(Gotta) Keep On Dancing' (May, 1977). Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp1QtrkKU9I Artist Origin: Queensland, Australia Artist Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia Track: (Gotta) Keep On Dancing Release Date: May 1977 Chart Position: Composer: R. Smith, S. Smith, M. Holden Produced by: Peter Dawkins, Russell Kinross-Smith, Billy T Label: CBS Featured on: non-album single Footage Information: A Chris Löfvén Production Artist(s) link: https://www.lanewaymusic.com.au/billyt http://theaussiemusicblog.blogspot.co...

## Bamboo and Lucky Dog

On his return to Australia, after attending various religious festivals in 1977, Ross formed reggae bands Bamboo and Lucky Dog. The original Lucky Dog lineup consisted of Margot Barrett (Vocals; ex Small Axe), Martin Kellock (rhythm guitar and vocals), Mike Krelle (keyboards), Wayne Duncan; bass; ex-Daddy Cool), and Geoff Hassall (drums; ex-Paul Madigan and the Humans). The band issued one independent single, Why Do Fools Fall In Love?/Mr Bones', Wake Up', in December 1980. The Band also released a mini album in 1980 titled Ross Hannaford's Lucky Dog – Lucky Dog. (All on YouTube).

Tracklist: 1. Mr Gibby - Mike Krelle, Ross Hannaford, 2. Let Love Come- Margot Barrett, 3. Spirit Of The Land- Martin Kellock, 4. Camel Train Mike Krelle, 5. Every Day- Martin Kellock, Ross Hannaford, Mike Krelle.

* Remastered At – Audrey Studios

### Credits

* Artwork – Jenny Huntley
* Bass Guitar – Wayne Duncan (2)
* Didgeridoo, Percussion – Kofi
* Drums, Percussion – Geoff Hassall
* Guitar, Vocals – Ross Hannaford
* Keyboards – Mike Krelle
* Rhythm Guitar, Vocals - Martin Kellock
* Percussion, Vocals – Margot Barrett
* Producer – James "Jimbo" Barton
* Remastered By – Craig Pilkington
