Carson (band)
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Carson
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| alias = Carson County Band
| origin = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| genre = Blues rock, boogie rock
| years_active = 1970–1973
| label = Rebel, Havoc, EMI, Harvest
| associated_acts = The Dingoes, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members =
}}
Carson were an Australian blues rock and boogie rock band, which formed in January 1970 as Carson County Band. As Carson, their classic lineup was Gary Clarke on bass guitar, Greg Lawrie on slide guitar and dobro, Mal Logan on keyboards, Tony Lunt on drums, Broderick Smith on vocals and harmonica and Ian Winter on guitar. They had a top 30 hit single on the Go-Set National Top 40 with "Boogie" in September 1972. The group released their debut studio album, Blown, in November on EMI/Harvest, which peaked at No. 14 on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums. Their performance at the second Sunbury Pop Festival in late January 1973 was issued as a live album, On the Air, in April, but the group had already disbanded.
Founding pianist and vocalist, John Capek had left by mid-1970 and relocated to North America by 1973 where he worked as a composer (often with Marc Jordan), record producer and keyboardist both in Toronto, Canada and in Los Angeles, United States. After Carson disbanded, Smith formed the country rock band the Dingoes in 1973 and also had a successful solo career. Broderick Smith died in 2023, aged 75.
History
Carson formed in Melbourne in January 1970 as the Carson County Band and, influenced by United States group Canned Heat, they performed blues rock and boogie rock. Founders of Carson County Band were John Capek on piano and vocals, Ian Ferguson on bass guitar and vocals, Greg "Sleepy" Lawrie on slide guitar and dobro (Creatures, Chocolate), Tony Lunt on drums.{{cite web |url=http://lynx.aba.net.au/people/cs/ozblues/bands/c/carsoncountyband.html |title=Carson County Band, The |author=Smith, Craig |website=lynx.aba.net.au |date=1997 |via=National Library of Australia | archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19980131161737/http://lynx.aba.net.au/people/cs/ozblues/bands/c/carsoncountyband.html |archive-date=31 January 1998 |access-date=15 February 2025 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Other early members were Tony Enery on piano, Paul Lever on guitar, harmonica and vocals, and guest musician, Matt Taylor on guitar, harmonica and vocals. Their debut single, "On the Highway", was issued in May on Rebel Records. Capek left in mid-1970 to join King Harvest and moved to North America in 1973. He worked as a composer (often with Marc Jordan), record producer and keyboardist both in Toronto and in Los Angeles.
In October 1970 Carson dropped the County Band from their name to avoid being confused for a country music group.Ian Winter joined Carson on guitar at the beginning of 1971. Broderick Smith (ex-Adderley Smith Blues Band) joined in mid-year, providing vocals and harmonica.{{cite web |url=http://lynx.aba.net.au/people/cs/ozblues/bands/c/carson.html |title=Carson |author=Smith, Craig |website=lynx.aba.net.au |date=28 January 1998 |via=National Library of Australia | archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19980131151126/http://lynx.aba.net.au/people/cs/ozblues/bands/c/carson.html |archive-date=31 January 1998 |access-date=15 February 2025 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The group released a second single, "Travelling South" in August on Havoc Records, which was written by Lawrie.{{cite web | publisher = APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) | title = Song Catalogue Search Results for 'Travelling South' | url = https://www.apraamcos.com.au/works-search?works=true&title=On%20the%20Highway&writer=&performer=Carson | access-date = 15 February 2025 }} Ferguson left in July to be replaced successively by Barry Sullivan and then Gary Clarke. Mal Logan on keyboards joined later that year. Carson performed at the first Sunbury Pop Festival in late January 1972. On the Easter weekend, 31 March–2 April 1972, they played two sets at the Mulwala Pop Festival, supporting head-liners Canned Heat and Stephen Stills. Smith spent part of 1972 recording solo material.
Meanwhile, Carson, with Smith returned, issued their next single "Boogie" in September 1972, which reached No. 30 on the Go-Set National Top 40. It was co-written by Lawrie and Smith.{{cite web | publisher = APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) | title = Song Catalogue Search Results for 'Boogie' | url = https://www.apraamcos.com.au/works-search?works=true&title=Boogie&writer=Smith&performer=Carson | access-date = 15 February 2025 }} This was followed in November by their debut album, Blown on Harvest produced by Rod Coe, which reached No. 14 on Go-Set Top 20 Albums. Michael Foster of The Canberra Times observed, "a Melbourne group of considerable ability and inventiveness, if still needing some more joint experience. I enjoyed [Lawrie]'s bottleneck guitar and found good listening in tracks such as 'Banana Power', 'Sunday in the City' and, nostalgically, 'Boogie'."{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110699977 |title=Turntable with Michael Foster |first=Michael |last=Foster |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=47 |issue=13,368 |location=ACT, Australia |date=26 February 1973 |access-date=15 February 2025 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia }} Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described it as a "powerful" recording, "full of free-flowing, bluesy hard rock".
Carson also performed at the second Sunbury Pop Festival, on the Australia Day long weekend in late January 1973. Ian Winter left soon after and by February, Carson had disbanded. A live recording of their Sunbury set, On the Air was released in April 1973. Smith was a founding member of country rock band, the Dingoes and later had a successful solo career. In 2020 Aztec Records issued an expanded version of On the Air with additional live tracks from performances at Melbourne club Thumpin' Tum in August 1970, Mulwala Rock Festival (April 1972) and at Melbourne's Festival Hall (November 1972).{{cite web |url=http://www.noise11.com/news/classic-carson-on-the-air-released-on-cd-for-the-first-time-20200128.html |title=Classic Carson On the Air Released On CD For The First Time |website=Noise11.com |author=Cashmere, Paul |author-link=Paul Cashmere |date=28 January 2020 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20200909003841/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/178078/20200909-0000/www.noise11.com/news/classic-carson-on-the-air-released-on-cd-for-the-first-time-20200128.html |archive-date=9 September 2020 |access-date=15 February 2025 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Broderick Smith died in 2023, aged 75.{{cite web |last1=Cashmere |first1=Paul |title=Vale Broderick Smith at 75 |url=https://www.noise11.com/news/vale-broderick-smith-at-75-20230501 |website=Noise11.com |date=1 May 2023 |access-date=1 May 2023 |archive-date=1 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501031658/https://www.noise11.com/news/vale-broderick-smith-at-75-20230501 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://themusic.com.au/news/aus-music-legend-broderick-smith-of-carson-the-dingoes-passes-away/X37dc3J1dHc/01-05-23|title=Aus Music Legend Broderick Smith of Carson & the Dingoes Passes Away |first=Mary |last=Varvaris |website=theMusic.com.au |access-date=1 May 2023 |archive-date=1 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501031416/https://themusic.com.au/news/aus-music-legend-broderick-smith-of-carson-the-dingoes-passes-away/X37dc3J1dHc/01-05-23 |url-status=live }}
Personnel
- John Capek – piano, vocals, keyboards {{Small|(1970)}}
- Ian Ferguson – bass guitar, vocals {{Small|(1970–1971)}}
- Greg Lawrie – slide guitar, dobro {{Small|(1970–1973)}}
- Tony Lunt – drums {{Small|(1970–1973)}}
- Tony Enery – piano {{Small|(1970)}}
- Paul Lever – guitar, harmonica, vocals {{Small|(1970)}}
- Ian Winter – guitar {{Small|(1971–1973)}}
- Broderick Smith – vocals, harmonica {{Small|(1971–1973)}}
- Barry Sullivan – bass guitar {{Small|(1971)}}
- Gary Clarke – bass guitar {{Small|(1971–1973)}}
- Mal Logan – keyboards {{Small|(1971–1973)}}
- Mal Capewell – saxophone {{Small|(1972–1973)}}
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:790 height:auto barincrement:22
PlotArea = left:110 bottom:118 top:15 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1970 till:01/05/1973
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1970
Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:harm value:gray(0.8) legend:Harmonica
id:sax value:tan2 legend:Saxophone
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:slide value:drabgreen legend:Slide_guitar,_dobro
id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
id:single value:gray(0.7) legend:Non-album_single
LineData =
color:album layer:back
at:01/11/1972
at:01/04/1973
color:single
at:01/05/1970
at:01/08/1971
BarData =
bar:Smith text:Broderick Smith
bar:Capewell text:Mal Capewell
bar:Lawrie text:Greg Lawrie
bar:Lever text:Paul Lever
bar:Winter text:Ian Winter
bar:Capek text:John Capek
bar:Enery text:Tony Enery
bar:Logan text:Mal Logan
bar:Ferguson text:Ian Ferguson
bar:Sullivan text:Barry Sullivan
bar:Clarke text:Gary Clarke
bar:Lunt text:Tony Lunt
PlotData =
width:11
bar:Smith from:01/05/1971 till:10/02/1973 color:vocals
bar:Smith from:01/05/1971 till:10/02/1973 color:harm width:3
bar:Capewell from:30/01/1972 till:10/02/1973 color:sax
bar:Lever from:01/02/1970 till:01/06/1970 color:guitar
bar:Lever from:01/02/1970 till:01/06/1970 color:harm width:7
bar:Lever from:01/02/1970 till:01/06/1970 color:vocals width:3
bar:Winter from:01/01/1971 till:30/01/1973 color:guitar
bar:Lawrie from:start till:10/02/1973 color:slide
bar:Lawrie from:start till:10/02/1973 color:guitar width:3
bar:Capek from:start till:01/08/1970 color:keys
bar:Capek from:start till:01/08/1970 color:vocals width:3
bar:Enery from:01/02/1970 till:01/06/1970 color:keys
bar:Logan from:01/10/1971 till:10/02/1973 color:keys
bar:Ferguson from:start till:01/07/1971 color:bass
bar:Ferguson from:start till:01/07/1971 color:vocals width:3
bar:Sullivan from:01/07/1971 till:01/09/1971 color:bass
bar:Clarke from:01/09/1971 till:10/02/1973 color:bass
bar:Lunt from:start till:10/02/1973 color:drums
}}
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of albums, with Australian chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details ! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart |
| scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | AUS {{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=57}} |
|---|
| scope="row" | Blown
|
| align="center" | 19 |
| scope="row" | On the Air
|
| align="center" | - |
| scope="row" | Travelling Highway Blues
|
| align="center" | - |
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title ! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album |
| scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | AUS |
|---|
| 1970
! scope="row" | "On the Highway" | style="text-align:center;" | - | {{n/a|non album single}} |
| 1971
! scope="row" | "Travelling South" | style="text-align:center;" | - | {{n/a|non album single}} |
| 1972
! scope="row" | "Boogie" | style="text-align:center;" | 29 | Blown |
References
{{Refbegin}}
;General
- {{Cite encyclopedia | last = McFarlane | first = Ian | author-link = Ian McFarlane | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop | title = Whammo Homepage | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040405231007/http://www.whammo.com.au/index.asp | url = http://www.whammo.com.au/index.asp | archive-date = 5 April 2004 | access-date = 9 April 2011 | year = 1999 | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = St Leonards, NSW | isbn = 1-86508-072-1 }} Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
- {{Cite book | title = The Who's Who of Australian Rock | last = Spencer | first = Chris |author2=Zbig Nowara |author3=Paul McHenry | orig-year = 1987 | year = 2002 | publisher = Five Mile Press | location = Noble Park, Vic | isbn = 1-86503-891-1 }} Note: [on-line] version of The Who's Who of Australian Rock was established at [https://web.archive.org/web/20091015024603/http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/aboutww.htm White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd] in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. As from, September 2010 the [on-line] version shows an 'Internal Service Error' and was no longer available.
;Specific
{{Refend}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=25em|refs=
{{Cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040319145153/http://hem2.passagen.se/honga/database/c/carson.html | url = http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/c/carson.html | title = Carson | publisher = Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren) | last1 = Holmgren | first1 = Magnus | archive-date = 19 March 2004 | access-date = 15 February 2025 | url-status=usurped }}
{{Cite news | url = http://www.sitelevel.com/query?slice_title=Entire+Site&query=Carson&crid=727d9294 | newspaper = Go-Set | title = Search results for "Carson" | publisher = Waverley Press | access-date = 28 April 2011}} Note: Go-Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974.
{{Cite web | url = http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2090055 | title = Who's Who of Australian Rock / Compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry | work = catalogue | publisher = National Library of Australia | access-date = 28 April 2011 }}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson}}
Category:Australian blues musical groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1970
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1973
Category:Victoria (state) musical groups