Maurice Frawley
| Maurice Frawley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Maurice Gerard Frawley |
| Born | 5 May 1954 |
| Origin | Elmore, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 16 May 2009 (aged 55) Rochester, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Australian rock, country blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instruments | vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1979–2009 |
| Labels | Strine White Id/Mercury Campaspe Red Finn |
| Associated acts | Japanese Comix Paul Kelly and the Dots/Paul Kelly Band The Olympic Sideburns Maurice Frawley's Big City Burnout Maurice Frawley and Working Class Ringos Frawleys and Friends Maurice Frawley and the Yard Hands |
Maurice Gerard Frawley (5 May 1954 – 16 May 2009) was an Australian rock and country blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Maurice Gerard Frawley was born on 5 May 1954, the son of Gerard Patrick and Eileen Marie Frawley, he grew up with three siblings, Brendan, Mary and Leo, on the family farm near Elmore, Victoria. He attended Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School (a Catholic primary school) in Elmore, Rochester Lourdes High School in nearby Rochester and then Salesian College in Sunbury (an outer suburb of Melbourne), where he completed an agricultural studies course. After working in wool sheds in rural Victoria, he moved to Melbourne in the late 1970s to pursue a musical career.
Frawley formed power pop band Japanese Comix in 1979, with vocalist Shane Day (ex-Cruisers, High Rise Bombers), bass guitarist Chris Jobson, drummer Greg Simpkins and James Williams (High Rise Bombers). They played the Melbourne pub circuit and released a four-track extended play, Japanese Comix on the Mambo Records label in 1980. Simpkins was replaced by Michael Barclay but the group soon disbanded. As a melodic guitarist, Frawley developed a reputation as a down-to-earth, "musician's musician". Late in 1980 he had a brief stint in A Howling Life with Day, Williams and Bill Tulloch.
In late 1981, Frawley replaced Mick Holmes on guitar in Paul Kelly and the Dots (Kelly was ex-High Rise Bombers) after that band had recorded their second album Manila. The album's release was delayed until August 1982 due to line-up changes and Kelly being side-lined with a broken jaw. While working with Kelly, Frawley co-wrote "Look So Fine, Feel So Low". The band recorded "Rocking Institution" for the soundtrack of pop musical film, Starstruck. It was released as a shared single with Jo Kennedy's "Body and Soul", which peaked at No. 5 in May 1982 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The Dots disbanded by August 1983 and Frawley briefly joined the Paul Kelly Band but left before year's end. Kelly relocated to Sydney in late 1984 and "Look So Fine, Feel So Low" appeared on his solo album Post (1985), it was re-recorded by Paul Kelly & the Messengers for Gossip (1986) and released as a single in July 1987, which did not reach the Top 50.
...
Wikipedia