David Alexander John Steel is an Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former member of folk rock group, Weddings Parties Anything (1985–88) and pop band, The Whipper Snappers (1990–91). Steel has released eleven solo studio albums, including one as leader of Dave Steel and the Roadside Prophets and two albums with folk singer, Tiffany Eckhardt. He has been nominated for three ARIA Music Awards.
Career
1976-1984: Early bands
Early in his musical career Steel was a member of various Melbourne pub bands: Related Mechanics in 1976 with Iain Colquhoun, Peter Lillee, John Lloyd and Nick Reischbeth; Moonshine from 1976 to 1977, the Trouts in 1977 with Mark Bell, Stuart Crosby, Dave McNaughton and Rob Stevens; the Satellites from 1978 to 1981; Zeros in 1981; Strange Tennants in 1981 with Alex Formosa, Lawrence Maddy, Bruce Worrall; and Fire Below from 1984 to 1985.[1][2]
Fire Below had a line-up of Steel with Lloyd Campbell on guitar, Nigel Harrison on drums and vocals, Michael Kennedy on bass guitar, and Peter Myers on guitar.[1][2] They issued a single, "Walk Tall", in 1985 and provided a track, "Johnny's Tombstone", for a various artists compilation album, A Slab of Vic, in that year.[1] According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane they, "played a tough brand of pub rock."[1]
In 1985, Steel, on guitar, vocals and harmonica, joined a newly formed folk rock band, Weddings Parties Anything, alongside Dave Adams on drums; Mick Thomas on lead vocals, bass guitar, guitar and mandolin; Mark Wallace on piano accordion, keyboards and vocals.[2][3] Steel is recorded on their first two studio albums, Scorn of the Women (April 1987) and Roaring Days (April 1988).[2][3][4]
Prior to their second album, Karen Middleton of The Canberra Times, described how the group, "[were] compared to Irish post-punk folk rockers the Pogues, the more mellow Bushwackers and even Redgum. Steel ignored such comparisons. 'It's a rock 'n roll band', he said."[5] Steel wrote the Weddings Party Anything tracks, "Big River", "Shotgun Wedding" and "Up for Air".[1][3][6] Steel left in mid-1988 because of strained relations; however, according to AllMusic's Aaron Badgley, it was, "due to exhaustion."[7] He was replaced in the group by Richard Burgman on guitar and saxophone.[2][3]
Steel's debut album, Bitter Street was produced by Graham Bidstrup and released in September 1989.[1][2] McFarlane observed, "Steel's concise and economical arrangements, narrative style vocal manner drew comparisons with Paul Kelly, albeit in a very positive light."[1] Badgley felt, "most of the songs are well-crafted country/folk/rock, but there is little variety. Steel cannot sustain an entire album on his own... [they] are, for the most part, pretty depressing. Pleasant melodies, but the songs start to sound all the same by the end of the disc."[7]
During 1990 to 1991 he fronted the Dave Steel Band with Bidstrup on drums, Chris Bailey on bass guitar, Wayne Goodwin on fiddle, guitar and keyboards, Peter Howell on bass guitar, Graham Rankin and Dave Sandford on saxophone.[1][2] He was also a guitarist of pop group, The Whipper Snappers.[1][2] That line-up provided a cover version of Russell Morris' "Sweet, Sweet Love" (February 1991), which appeared on the various artists' compilation, Used and Recovered By... RRR, in 1993.[9]
In 1991, Steel released his second solo album, Angels Never Cry, with Bidstrup producing again.[1][2] His bandmates, Bailey and Goodwin, were joined in the studio by Michael Barclay on drums, James Black on keyboards, John Brewster on guitar, Peter Bull on keyboards, Mark Dennison on saxophone, Kevin Dubber on trumpet and Charlie McMahon on didgeridoo.[1]
The Last Radio, Steel's third album, was released in August 1992.[1][2] Charles Miranda of The Canberra Times noticed, "he shows why he is a respected writer. As with his past offerings, the recording is a blend of acoustic guitar and rhythm and blues."[10] McFarlane observed, "another well-crafted set of songs competently played... It did little, however to further [his] status as one of this country's most promising singer/guitarists."[1]
Also in 1992 Steel formed The Maddisons with Clyde Bramley (ex-the Hitmen, Hoodoo Gurus, Damien Lovelock's Wigworld) on bass guitar, Brent Marks on drums and Wayne Tritton on guitar and lead vocals (both ex-Pressmen).[1][2] That group released their debut EP, Just Fine, in September with Steel also producing, before they disbanded.[1][10]
1993-2000s: Solo career and band work
In 1993 Steel formed the Dave Steel and the Roadside Prophets with Tritton, Darren Gower on drums and Gerry Kortesgast on bass guitar.[1][2] They released an album, Cross My Palm in June 1993 and an extended play, Broken English in March 1994.[1][2]Cross My Palm was nominated for Best Independent Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 1994.[11]
From November 1994 to August 1995 Steel recorded his next album, Old Salt Blues which was released in June 1996.[1][2] For the album he co-wrote two tracks with Andrew Pendlebury.[1] Steel also toured as a member of the Deadly Band (1995–97) with Archie Cuthbertson, Kerry Gilmartin, Ruby Hunter, Amos Roach and Archie Roach.[1][2] He worked as a session musician for various artists.[1][2]
Steel's sixth album, The Edge of the World was released in May 1999 and according to McFarlane "featured a collection of contemporary Australian acoustic roots tunes with plenty of charm".[1][2] One of his guest musicians was folk singer, Tiffany Eckhardt.[1][2]
Tiffany Eckhardt and Dave Steel have performed as a duo and released two albums, Sunday (2010) and Big Big Sky (2014).[1] As from January 2015 they are married and live in Franklin, Tasmania with their two children.[14][15]
Steel was inducted into the EG Fall of Fame in 2012 for his contribution to Australian music as a member of Weddings Parties Anything.[16]
Broken English (Dave Steel and the Roadside Prophets)
Released: 1994
Label: Ravenswood (RV1008)
Format: CD
Singles
Title
Year
Album
"The Hardest Part"
1988
Bitter Street
"Hurt By You"
1989
"The News"
1990
"Bay of Swans"
1991
Angels Never Cry
"Angels Never Cry"
"Suzanne"
1992
The Last Radio
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Steel has been nominated for three awards.[8][11][12]
The Age EG Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. Steel was inducted into its Hall of Fame as part of group Weddings, Parties, Anything.[18]
Dave Steel: Holmgren, Magnus; Love, Jim; Baxter, Peter; Colquhoun, Iain. "Dave Steel". hem2.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
Weddings Parties Anything (1985–88): Holmgren, Magnus; Clarke, Gordon; Love, Jim. "Wedding Parties Anything". hem2.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
^ abcdMcFarlane, Ian (2017). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Weddings Parties Anything'". The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Jenkins, Jeff (Foreword) (2nd ed.). Gisborne, Vic: Third Stone Press. pp. 507–508. ISBN978-0-9953856-0-3.
^McFarlane, Ian (2017). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Whipper Snappers'". The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Jenkins, Jeff (Foreword) (2nd ed.). Gisborne, Vic: Third Stone Press. p. 513. ISBN978-0-9953856-0-3.
^ ab"Life After Wedding Hours". The Canberra Times. Vol. 66, no. 20, 948. 20 August 1992. p. 19. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
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