Ross Wilson is probably the only person in Australian rock music who can't make a comeback simply because he's never been away. In a career that spans over 40 years Ross remains one of this country's most respected artists. From Daddy Cool to Mondo Rock, as a solo artist, or as songwriter of A-grade classics such as Eagle Rock, Cool World and A Touch of Paradise, or producer of the legendary Skyhooks, Jo Jo Zep, The Johnnys, & more recently The Screaming Jets, Ross's involvement with success has continued unabated.
He fronted Daddy Cool & exploded out of the 70s playing rootsy 50s sounds. Then formed Mondo Rock who surfed the contemporary scene with chart topping singles & albums from the mid 70s to the late 80s. As a solo performer and major songwriter he continued to achieve success & make his mark during the 90s & beyond with his songs being recorded by artists as diverse as Jimmy Barnes, John Farnham, DEF-FX, Custard, Jennifer Rush (EU), Troy Cassar-Daley, Leslie Avril, Hey Gringo, You Am I, Uncle Bill, Keke (Spain), Renee Geyer, Christine Anu, Duane Jarvis (US), Elkie Brooks (UK), Ann Kirkpatrick & Lee Kernaghan, Sovereign, Pleasantville, Beccy Cole, Sonic Jihad, and The Wiggles!
On trips to Europe & the USA he collaborated with O/S writers & concluded the millenium as a special guest performer on John Farnham's "I Can't Believe I'm 50" tour & live CD/DVD.
2001 saw Ross back on the frontline as the result of a decision to return to regular live performing & recording. A new solo album GoBONGO GoWild! was released in April 2001 displaying the vital influence that blues-based music, such as early R&B and jazz, continues to have on his performance & songwriting styles. Rave reviews for GoBONGO GoWild! led to an alliance with Shock Records & the November 2001 release of 'Now Listen! The Best of Ross Wilson', a 30 track, 2CD distillation of Ross's career to that point. From his first release with The Pink Finks in 1965, to brand new tracks & previously unreleased early recordings, as well as the major hits of Daddy Cool & Mondo Rock, this wide-rangeing compendium is the official 'history of', as selected by the man himself. (Go to the "NOW LISTEN!" notes below to read the full liner notes that accompanied this important release.)
2003 - Prepared simultaneously with GoBONGO GoWild! and Now Listen!, but not released til February 2003, a third album, 'Country & Wilson', demonstrated the pervasive influence of country & folk music that was hinted at in earlier RW works like Come Back Again & Bed Of Nails. Country & Wilson completed Ross's desire to reveal his fundamental musical sources & uses this genre's accent on story-telling & finely honed lyrics to deliver his most personal work to date. Produced by Nash Chambers & Ross Wilson 10 of the album's 12 songs are written or co-written by Ross. Inspired by his own experiences & beliefs from the humourous '(I Was On) MTV In The 80s', to tales of lost love such as 'Nothin's Right Nothin's Wrong', the politics of 'No Soul', to family history 'Under The Waves (And Far Away)', and backed by some of Australia's finest twangers, on this album you get both kinds of music, Country AND Wilson. Ross's second major release for 2003 was The Essential Mondo Rock, a 29 track 2CD Mondo Rock retrospective released by Sony.
2004 - Mondo Rock's classic Come Said The Boy was sampled for #1 Dance Chart entry 'The First Time' by DJ Damon Boyd Vs Mondo Rock, which is included on the freshest Mondo Rock compilation yet, Mondo Rock - The Greatest (Sony/BMG).
2005 marked the 40th year since his first release & Top 40 entry, The Pink Finks' 'Louie Louie'. This important landmark was accompanied by celebrations, group reunions, & updated retrospectives. On 27 Feb 2005 Daddy Cool performed for the first time since 1975. The 30 year gap hadn't changed them a bit which you can see for yourself on 'The Complete Daddy Cool' DVD that was released later that year. Mondo Rock also reformed for some Sydney shows (Nov 2005) & both groups have continued to be active.
2006: Mondo Rock played to 80,000 on 'The Countdown Spectacular' national arena tour while DC recorded a superb new album 'The New Cool'. 2007: Daddy Cool capped off the reunion with their first national tour in over 30 years when they joined up with US legends, The Beach Boys. On top of this Ross kept a busy tour schedule of his own with his live action band Ross Wilson & The Urban Legends, including national appearances on the successful 'A Day On The Green' series with Chris Isaak & Crosby Stills & Nash, then began sessions for 'Tributary' (Liberation Blue released mid-2008), a semi-acoustic project that revisits songs from his career catalogue resulting in sometimes radical rearrangements of the hits plus fresh airings of worthy lesser known works. Reactions from both critics & fans have been overwhelmingly positive. Late 2008 found Ross in Nashville with producer Mark Moffatt directing sessions for an album full of brand new songs.
These trax were temporarily shelved while he took the 2009 '5 Decades Of Cool' concerts to Melbourne & Sydney & released the resulting filmed footage as the debut RW solo DVD 'Ross Wilson Live At The Palais' showcasing RW's long & diverse catalogue with guest performances from members of The Pink Finks, The Party Machine, Daddy Cool, Spectrum, Mondo Rock, Skyhooks & a 3 song duet with national icon Jimmy Barnes.
NOW here we are in 2010 and the release of the new album 'I Come In Peace' out July 16 (Shock).
