Cold Chisel
| Cold Chisel | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Pub rock, hard rock, rock and roll |
| Years active | 1973–1984, 1998, 2003, 2009–present |
| Labels | Warner Music Australasia, Mushroom, Universal Music Australia |
| Associated acts | Catfish, Little River Band, Tex, Don and Charlie |
| Website | www |
| Members |
Ian Moss Don Walker Jimmy Barnes Phil Small Charley Drayton |
| Past members |
Steve Prestwich Les Kaczmarek John Swan Ray Arnott |
Cold Chisel are an Australian rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia. They had chart success in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and again more recently since reforming in 2011, with nine albums making the Australian top ten. Cold Chisel are regarded as having a distinctly Australian popularity and musicianship, exemplifying "pub rock" and highlighting the working class life in Australia.
Originally named Orange, the band formed in Adelaide in 1973 as a heavy-metal cover-band comprising keyboardist Ted Broniecki and bassist Les Kaczmarek (died December 5, 2008), keyboard player Don Walker, guitarist Ian Moss and drummer Steve Prestwich (died 16 January 2011). Seventeen-year-old singer Jimmy Barnes— called Jim Barnes on the initial run of albums— joined in December 1973, taking leave from the band in 1975 for a brief stint as Bon Scott's replacement in Fraternity.
The group changed its name several times before settling on Cold Chisel in 1974 after writing a song with that title. Barnes' relationship with other band members was volatile; as a Scot he often came to blows with Liverpool-born Prestwich and he left the band several times. During these periods Moss would handle vocals until Barnes returned. Walker soon emerged as Cold Chisel's primary songwriter. Walker spent 1974 in Armidale, completing his studies and in 1975 Kaczmarek left the band and was replaced by Phil Small. Barnes' older brother John Swan was a member of Cold Chisel around this time, providing backing vocals and percussion but after several violent incidents he was fired.
In May 1976, Cold Chisel relocated to Melbourne but found little success, moving on to Sydney in November. Six months later, in May 1977, Barnes announced he would quit Cold Chisel in order to join Swan in Feather, a hard-rocking blues band that had evolved from an earlier group called Blackfeather. A farewell performance in Sydney went so well that the singer changed his mind. The following month the Warner Music Group picked up Cold Chisel.
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