Brad Robinson

For the American basketball player, see Brad Robinson (basketball). For the American football player, see Bradbury Robinson.
Brad Robinson
Birth name Bradford Leigh Robinson
Born 1958
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Died 13 October 1996
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres rock
Occupation(s) musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist
Years active 1976–1986
Labels EMI
Geffen
Virgin
Associated acts Spiff Rouch, Clutch Cargo, Australian Crawl

Bradford Leigh "Brad" Robinson (1958 – 13 October 1996) was an Australian rock musician best known as lead and rhythm guitarist with the 1980s band Australian Crawl.[1][2] Robinson had a later career as a manager for musicians and sports personalities.[3][4] In 1993 Robinson was diagnosed with lymphoma and, in October 1996 when Australian Crawl were inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame, he was hospitalised with the disease and unable to attend. Brad Robinson died two weeks later, aged 38.

Biography

Early years

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Robinson was a son of Federal Arbitration Court Justice James Robinson.[5][6] He was raised in Frankston South on the outskirts of Melbourne and educated at The Peninsula School.

Spiff Rouch[1][2] formed in 1976 in the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Mount Eliza. The line-up featured James Reyne, brothers Bill and Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, Robert Walker and Simon Binks.[2][7] By early 1978 Spiff Rouch had separated and a new band was formed with Robinson, Reyne, Binks and Williams, they were joined by James Reyne's younger brother, David Reyne (drums).[2][7]

Australian Crawl

Main article: Australian Crawl

The band members went through various band names, including Clutch Cargo, before they settled on Australian Crawl. They performed their first live gig in October 1978.[8] Bill McDonough replaced David Reyne within the first year. Besides guitars, Robinson also supplied keyboards, backing vocals and song writing for the group.[1] Robinson co-wrote Australian Crawl's early song "Indisposed" with his father, and band mates James Reyne and Bill McDonough.[9] It appeared on the band's debut 1980 album, The Boys Light Up. The song describes the car accident which resulted in Reyne breaking both wrists immediately before they recorded their first single "Beautiful People" (1979).[10] His father also helped Robinson write "Way I've Been" for the album,[9] which was the B-side of their fourth single, "Downhearted". Crawl's second album was 1981's Sirocco, which reached #1 on the Australian Albums Chart and became the best selling Australian album for the year.[11]

During 1981 Robinson was briefly married to actress Kerry Armstrong,[12][13] later an Australian Film Institute Award winner,[14] and they co-wrote "Easy On Your Own",[9] which was also B-side of the single, "Errol".

I met Braddy at that time and he was the first person who absolutely, implicitly understood me and who loved me for every aspect of what I did and who I loved. I had a complete... a resting place finally.
— Kerry Armstrong, 2003.[12]

Armstrong had received a scholarship to study at the Herbert Berghof acting school in New York City and so she emigrated to the USA.[12][13][15] In order to obtain residency, Armstrong and Robinson agreed she would have to marry a US citizen, so they separated and she married her friend Alexander Bernstein.[13] Armstrong only had a professional arrangement with Bernstein, but her long-distance from Robinson dissolved their relationship.[13]

The Crawl's 1982 release Sons of Beaches also reached #1 on the albums charts, this was followed by 1983's Semantics EP which topped the Australian Singles Charts containing the song "Reckless".[1] Upheaval occurred within the band with Bill McDonough leaving in 1983 and his brother Guy McDonough dying of viral pneumonia.[1] Other members left subsequently with the only mainstays, Robinson, Binks and James Reyne, remaining until Binks' resignation forced Crawl to disband in early 1986.[1][2]

Later career

After Australian Crawl disbanded Robinson moved into a career in television (with Network Ten's Page One) and as a co-producer of documentaries. Robinson was an award presenter on Countdown Music & Video Awards broadcast on 20 April 1986.[16] He was the manager for Chantoozies (included David Reyne) in the late 1980s.[3] In the 1990s he managed both Reyne brothers and worked as an agent for the Advantage Sports Management Group, including managing tennis player Mark Philippoussis.[17]

Robinson was a member of the Challenge Board of Management,[18] which assists children with cancer.[19] Australian Crawl had been inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame[20][21] two weeks before Robinson died in Melbourne on 13 October 1996, three years after being diagnosed with lymphoma.[1] His memorial service was held in Melbourne's Botanical Gardens.[22]

Discography

Australian Crawl studio albums with Robinson:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (doc). Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan; Draper, Oliver; McDonough, Bill. "Australian Crawl". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Memorable TV entry on The Chantoozies". Memorable TV. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  4. ↑ Australian Tennis Magazine (December, 1996)
  5. ↑ "Memorable TV Oz Rock: Australian Crawl entry". Memorable TV / Little Acorns Publishing. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  6. ↑ "Today's Law List: High Court". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (National Library of Australia). 20 May 1982. p. 16. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  7. 1 2 Nimmervoll, Ed. "Australian Crawl". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "Nostalgia Central entry on Australian Crawl". Retrieved 2008-03-01.
  9. 1 2 3 "'Indisposed' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 23 March 2014. Note: User may have to click 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:' e.g Indisposed; or at 'Performer:' Australian Crawl
  10. ↑ "Countdown Club entry on Australian Crawl". ABC. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  11. ↑ Angus Cameron, ed. (1986). The Second Australian Almanac. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0-207-15232-2.
  12. 1 2 3 "Australian Story". ABC. February 2003. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Devlyn, Darren (2008-05-07). "Kerry Armstrong finds that life's not a bed of roses". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  14. ↑ Kerry Armstrong at the Internet Movie Database
  15. ↑ McCrossin, Julie. "Back to basics" (pdf). Life etc. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  16. ↑ "Countdown and Recovery episodes". ABC-TV. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  17. ↑ Petkovski, Suzi (December 1996). "Master Blaster". Australian Tennis Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  18. ↑ "Brad Robinson entry". ZoomInfo Business People Information. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  19. ↑ "Challenge - About Us". Challenge, supporting kids with cancer. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  20. ↑ "1996: 10th Annual ARIA Awards". ARIA. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
  21. ↑ "Australia 1996 ARIA Awards". ALLdownunder.com. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  22. ↑ Ellingsen, Peter (2005-04-03). "Something so wrong". The Age. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
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