Ian Stephen
| Ian Stephen | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | Armadale, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician |
| Instruments | Piano Guitar |
| Labels | Au Go Go, Cleopatra, Endtime |
| Associated acts | Slaughtermen Go Wild in French The Armchairs Far Out Man |
| Website | www |
Ian Stephen (born in Armadale, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian/American musician.
In 1984, with bass player Mark Ferrie, guitarists Terry Doolan and Andrew Pendlebury, and drummer Des Hefner, Ian formed the Slaughtermen in Melbourne, a mid eighties post-punk alternative Southern gospel group (albeit 12,000 miles away from their original source of inspiration, America's Deep South Bible Belt). Around this time Ian began private voice lessons with vocal coach Eve Godley and later at the Melba Conservatorium. Much earlier Ian had studied piano at the Andrios School of Music in Footscray, which was also attended by Mark Ferrie, although not at the same time. Prior to the Slaughtermen, Ian's checkered career included The Armchairs, a satirical four piece outfit co-founded with Johnny Topper which had its debut in 1979 at the infamous Crystal Ballroom in St Kilda. Other members included guitarist Pierre Jaquinot, Andrew Snow, drums, and Fred Cass, bass. Later incarnations featured Rod Haywood, guitar, and Sue Parncutt, bass. The Armchairs released a 7 inch Ep, Ski Lo Lo, and a 12" album, Party Time, on Missing Link Records with the entire B side taken up by a 20-minute version of "La Bamba". The Armchairs, later with the help of Stephen Cummings, who in the early 1980s Ian had struck up a songwriting partnership with, morphed into the mildly successful, yet short lived 11 piece group, Go Wild in French, which featured songs of Elvis Presley, as well as original compositions.
Fed up with the claustrophobic Melbourne scene, Ian moved to Sydney in 1989 and recorded a solo album with some members of The Danglin' Bros and others, entitled Workin' on The Nightshift, which was released on Agape records through EMI. This was followed in 1996 by King of the Cross, released on the Massive label. A collection of original and Southern gospel songs.
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