Who is Australia's best ever singer/songwriter?

[Professor Knowall]

Solo person - Paul Kelly

Collective - The Bee Gees ...

Barry Gibb was very much the chief (and for quite some years, the only), songwriter of the Bee Gees. In addition, he has also written a number of other huge international hits for others. This Washington Post article lists some of them -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2023/11/27/barry-gibb-kennedy-center-honors-bee-gees/

The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb has written more hit songs than almost anyone​

The last surviving Bee Gee left his aural imprint on six decades of popular music​

"... A performer since age 9 who quit school five years later, Gibb seized the cultural moment, becoming one of the most successful songwriters of all time, with 220 million albums in sales ... second only to Paul McCartney ..." -

 

[Gough]

Peter Allen might not be everyone's cup of tea but he was a great songwriter.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Barry Gibb was very much the chief (and for quite some years, the only), songwriter of the Bee Gees. In addition, he has also written a number of other huge international hits for others. This Washington Post article gives some of them -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2023/11/27/barry-gibb-kennedy-center-honors-bee-gees/

The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb has written more hit songs than almost anyone​

The last surviving Bee Gee left his aural imprint on six decades of popular music​

"... A performer since age 9 who quit school five years later, Gibb seized the cultural moment, becoming one of the most successful songwriters of all time, with 220 million albums in sales ... second only to Paul McCartney ..." -

Great article, thanks for sharing.

 

[PhatBoy]

Ian Moss is a good shout. Wrote Bow River for Cold Chisel as well as producing a number of his own albums over the journey.


I’ll throw in one that has only been mentioned once that I could see anyway. Daniel Johns.
His voice is better than the best storyteller that anyone has nominated - Paul Kelly (that will always count against Kelly I’m afraid. Much as I adore his songs and never tire of listening to them, the guy’s singing is awful). Johns even as a 14 year old had power in his voice that was ballsy but he could hit a note as well as anyone. And he could write a melody. And he could write a lyric. If you can do all three you’re ticking the box.

He went way off track with a couple of the later efforts, no doubt about that, but a compilation of their best work - which let’s face it, was all his best work - would be as good as anything over the last 30 years.


Another shout too - Tim Freedman from The Whitlams, and Kevin Mitchell from Jebediah. Both with unique but tuneful voices, did all the songwriting for their bands, wrote some good stories, and had a knack for melody.

 

[Gough]

Ian Moss is a good shout. Wrote Bow River for Cold Chisel as well as producing a number of his own albums over the journey.


I’ll throw in one that has only been mentioned once that I could see anyway. Daniel Johns.
His voice is better than the best storyteller that anyone has nominated - Paul Kelly (that will always count against Kelly I’m afraid. Much as I adore his songs and never tire of listening to them, the guy’s singing is awful). Johns even as a 14 year old had power in his voice that was ballsy but he could hit a note as well as anyone. And he could write a melody. And he could write a lyric. If you can do all three you’re ticking the box.

He went way off track with a couple of the later efforts, no doubt about that, but a compilation of their best work - which let’s face it, was all his best work - would be as good as anything over the last 30 years.


Another shout too - Tim Freedman from The Whitlams, and Kevin Mitchell from Jebediah. Both with unique but tuneful voices, did all the songwriting for their bands, wrote some good stories, and had a knack for melody.

Mick Thomas from the Weddos wrote some great tunes, they were great live too.

 

[PhatBoy]

Mick Thomas from the Weddos wrote some great tunes, they were great live too.

Arguably my favourite song to sing at gigs is Father’s Day - I’ve never been lucky enough to see him or them live but I’ve heard many people say exactly that.

 

[Gough]

Arguably my favourite song to sing at gigs is Father’s Day - I’ve never been lucky enough to see him or them live but I’ve heard many people say exactly that.

I saw them about half a dozen times, most memorably FA Cup final night in 1994 at a scuzzy club in New Cross where I learned Newcastle Brown Ale is not for me.

 

[Andrewy]

John Williamson could put a fair song together solo
and
Jim Moginie in a group
and
Harry Vanda and George Young as a pair.

 

[rocker_oz33]

Iva Davies

Ice house still touring too.

 

[rocker_oz33]

For music Sausage fingers Farriss

 

[sdfc]

No David McComb or Tim Rogers?

 

[Lach72]

When people talk about Chisel they always say Don Walker, but for car king songs, Steve Prestwich wrote a heap of the best ones.

Forever Now
When the War is Over
Flame Trees

All his

 

[PhatBoy]

When people talk about Chisel they always say Don Walker, but for car king songs, Steve Prestwich wrote a heap of the best ones.

Forever Now
When the War is Over
Flame Trees

All his

True enough though to be fair Don Walker wrote the lyrics of Flame Trees that make it such a beautiful song (not that the melody is any less beautiful)

 

[raskolnikov]

Chrissie Amphlett deserves a mention.

 

[Plugger35]

Barry Gibb was very much the chief (and for quite some years, the only), songwriter of the Bee Gees. In addition, he has also written a number of other huge international hits for others. This Washington Post article gives some of them -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2023/11/27/barry-gibb-kennedy-center-honors-bee-gees/

The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb has written more hit songs than almost anyone​

The last surviving Bee Gee left his aural imprint on six decades of popular music​

"... A performer since age 9 who quit school five years later, Gibb seized the cultural moment, becoming one of the most successful songwriters of all time, with 220 million albums in sales ... second only to Paul McCartney ..." -

I knew he wrote Heartbreaker.

That was a huge hit for Dionne Warwick in the 80s but it could have been a huge hit for the Bee Gees too with their version.




I didn't know that he also wrote Chain Reaction and Islands in the Stream though, they could have been huge Bee Gees hits too.

No David McComb or Tim Rogers?

David McComb wrote one of the best Australian songs of all time.



Tim Rogers has written some pretty good songs as well, too many to mention.

 

[sdfc]

David McComb wrote one of the best Australian songs of all time.



Tim Rogers has written some pretty good songs as well, too many to mention.

He wrote many great songs. Born Sandy Devotional is full of them.

 

[sdfc]

Calenture, An underrated album.

 

[sdfc]

Arguably the greatest ever Aussie song.

 

[Plugger35]

The first I heard of Helen Reddy was when I watched Pete's Dragon when I was a little kid.



She was a huge star in the States back in the 70s, maybe even bigger than Olivia Newton John.

Calenture, An underrated album.

Those songs stand the test of time, they still sound as good today as they did back then, timeless.

 

[rocker_oz33]

James Hunt for song writing.

 

[Sporno 4 Pyros]

Mike Chapman (born in Queensland)needs more credit for all the amazing 3-4 minute pop songs he wrote/co-wrote (50 top 10’s in total)
Simply the best
Love is a battlefield
Mickey
Livin next door to Alice
Ballroom blitz
Devil gate drive, can the can
He took Blondie to new levels producing Parallel Lines, he produced My Sharona

‘Simply The Best: The Mike Chapman Story’ — Documentary About Prolific Songwriter And Producer To Be Exec Produced By Debbie Harry & Chris Stein From Blondie

‘Simply The Best: The Mike Chapman Story'; Documentary About Songwriter And Producer To Be Exec Produced By Debbie Harry & Chris Stein From Blondie

deadline.com

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Mike Chapman (born in Queensland)needs more credit for all the amazing 3-4 minute pop songs he wrote/co-wrote (50 top 10’s in total)
Simply the best
Love is a battlefield
Mickey
Livin next door to Alice
Ballroom blitz
Devil gate drive, can the can
He took Blondie to new levels producing Parallel Lines, he produced My Sharona

‘Simply The Best: The Mike Chapman Story’ — Documentary About Prolific Songwriter And Producer To Be Exec Produced By Debbie Harry & Chris Stein From Blondie

‘Simply The Best: The Mike Chapman Story'; Documentary About Songwriter And Producer To Be Exec Produced By Debbie Harry & Chris Stein From Blondie

deadline.com

Which ones did he sing on, after all this for singer/songwriter. If you include just songwriter's David Hirschfelder is outstanding for his work in both the music industry with Peter Cupples, Little River Band, John Farnham and his 40 film scores as well as the opening ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He and Chapman have both had outstanding careers.

 

[Sporno 4 Pyros]

Which ones did he sing on, after all this for singer/songwriter. If you include just songwriter's David Hirschfelder is outstanding for his work in both the music industry with Peter Cupples, Little River Band, John Farnham and his 40 film scores as well as the opening ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He and Chapman have both had outstanding careers.

Ahhhh…I missed the ‘singer’ bit (sorry)
Hirchfelder is very good too (his old man used to live next door to my grandmother circa Whispering Jack)
This 3 minute clip gives a good snapshot of Chapman


…and this is about the only time I have ever heard him singing and may explain why he spent more time behind the console

 

[Plugger35]

Eric McCusker is underrated, he wrote most of Mondo Rock's biggest hits.

Including their biggest hit.




Ross Wilson only wrote their second biggest hit.

 

[Plugger35]

I don't want to harp on but it's no wonder Eric McCusker won the Countdown songwriter of the year in 1981 with hits like these.