March has seen a number of key events, hit songs and birthdays that have shaped the Aussie rock music scene. Here’s a list of notable anniversaries and birthdays to highlight from The Australian Truck Radio Rock N Roll Diary.
March 2
1956: It’s AC/DC time again, with the birth of former bass guitarist Mark Evans. He rose to fame as part of AC/DC, playing on albums from 1975 to 1977 including T.N.T, High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Let There Be Rock, before becoming the bass guitarist for Rose Tattoo.
March 5
1954: We go from one popular band to another with the birth of Cold Chisel’s Steve Prestwich on this day. Born in Liverpool, England, he was a drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter. Being part of Cold Chisel since its formation in 1973, he sadly passed in 2011.
March 15
1970: Aussie singer-songwriter Christine Anu is born on this day in sunny Cairns. The musician and actress gained popularity when she covered Warumpi Band’s ‘My Island Home’ in 1995. Since then, she’s won several ARIA Awards and Deadly Awards.
March 20
1955: We go to Cold Chisel again with the birth of Ian Moss on this day. Born in Alice Springs, he went on to become a founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer for the band,
March 22
1946: Born Johannes Hendricus Jacob Vandenberg in the Netherlands’ The Hague, Harry Vanda was born on this day. He would go on to feature in both The Easybeats and Vanda and Young as a musician, songwriter and record producer.
March 26
2005: A bit of sorrow to mix in with these dates, as Paul Hester sadly passed away on this day. Born in 1959, Hester was both a popular musician as the drummer for Split Enz in their last year together and a co-founder of Crowded House.
March 27
2006: Just a year and a day later, Pete Wells of Rose Tattoo passed away. He was the founder and slide guitarist of the Aussie hard rock band from 1976 to 1983, while previously being the bass guitarist of heavy metal band Buffalo until 1976.
March 29
1959: A very popular name as INXS’ Andrew Farriss AM was born on this day. With his signature hat, Farriss became an Australian rock music icon for his multi-instrumentalist capabilities, mastering the keyboard while being a backing vocalist and main composer for the incredibly popular band.
March 31
1955: From one rock music icon to another, just two days later and a few years earlier saw the birth of AC/DC’s Angus Young. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Young and his brother Malcolm co-founded the hit rock band, with Angus remaining as the only continuous member of AC/DC with his schoolboy-uniform outfits still intact.
Hit songs
March, over the past half a century, has been a hot month for hit songs. Starting with the release of ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head’ by John Farnham back in in 1970 through to Queen’s popular hits such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 1976 and ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ in 1980, there are plenty of classics from March.
The trend of March producing rock classics continued into the late ‘80s, where songs like The Proclaimers’ ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ topping the charts in 1989.
That’s just a few of the events for March from The Australian Truck Radio Rock N Roll Diary! Check back in next month for more key dates.
Subscribe to the weekly Owner//Driver newsletter here.