We’re back yet again to take a look at key milestones in Aussie rock music history, this time focusing on November. From birthdays, key events and notable album releases, there’s plenty on the horizon this month from the Australian Truck Radio Rock’N’Roll Diary!
November 1
1967: The birth of Tina Arena happened on this day in Melbourne. Although she is associated more with pop, her career and voice intersected rock, stage and crossover styles.
November 2
1951: It was on this day that Belinda ‘Lindy’ Morrison from The Go-Betweens was born. The influential drummer in Australian indie-rock/post-punk circles is also now an activist and social worker after playing for both The Go-Betweens and Xero in her career.
November 6
1983: Fast-forward a couple of decades and you’ll find the date of birth for Evermore’s Jon Hume. The Aussie-born New Zealand musician, songwriter and producer has written plenty of songs for pop icons while also blending rock, pop and alternative music locally.
November 10
1979: It was on this day that Chris Joannou was born. The Macedonian-Australian is best known for being the bassist for the Newcastle-based Aussie rock icons Silverchair, which was one of the nation’s key rock outfits in the 1990s and 2000s.
November 18
1947: This day marks the birth of Aussie singer-songwriter, musician and producer Ross Wilson. He was the co-founder and frontman of longstanding bands Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock while also performing solo and joining various other bands throughout his stellar career.
November 21
1955: In the mid ‘50s, Aussie music was blessed with Peter Koppes. The guitarist was a founding and almost continuous member of The Church, who is highly influential in dreamy/atmospheric/psychedelic-leaning rock and alternative music.
November 28
1948: The iconic Beb Birtles was born on this day. Gerard Bertelkamp was a member of various Australian groups including Zoot, Mississippi, Little River Band and Birtles Shorrock Goble.
November 29
1946: Brian Cadd was born in Perth on this day, with the singer-songwriter, keyboardist, producer and record label founder becoming a staple of local music and entertainment for over half a century.
1951: Iconic member of Cold Chisel Don Walker was born on this day. Credited for writing many of the band’s biggest hits, he’s a key part of the integral group in Aussie rock culture.
1973: While there’s no specific date for this, it’s common knowledge that Aussie rock icons AC/DC was formed in November, 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in Sydney.
1975: It was in November, 1975 that Queen released A Night at the Opera, featuring ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – many regard this album as a turning point in rock pop.
Outside of Australia, the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac’s John McVie, folk rock singer Jesse Colin Young, Tina Turner, Byrds’ Gene Clark and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn were also born in November in what is a stellar month for rock music history.
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