The Road To Guitar

GUITAR - 40%

PIANO - 40%

TRUMPET - 20%

VOCALS - 5%

My mother managed to get me to take piano lessons by insisting that I didn't have to, I chose of my own free will to submit myself to six years of discipline just to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything.

Others in the family were quick to get in on the act and take affirmative action to provide support and encouragement in the hope of cashing in on the action and get fat off the royalties.

The first to step up to the mark was my sister, Ann. On December 25th 1969 she presented me with my first acoustic guitar (albeit a four stringer of diminuative size commonly called a ukele). I annoyed everyone that Christmas by playing the same song over and over again all day.

Things stepped up a notch when my handsome brother Garry, with great foresight, sourced a cheap unnamed electric guitar and amp from Barry his work mate. I think it cost $25 all up. That sucked young Croc down the musical road, much like water down a plughole. Not only that, but Garry also cadged up a drum kit so that 'Wipeout' wouldn't be so lonely and thus Black Frog was conceived.

Black Frog's inaugural concert was at the local church hall when Ross on the cheap drums, me on the cheap electric guitar, and my sister Ann on the church Hammond organ performed Fleetwood Mack's Albatross. That was it. My career in music had begun. We ditched Ann in favour of Stanley on bass. We were all in the same classes at school and it just seemed the right thing. Three blokes to become rock legends.

From those formative times of great hope has sprung a gushure of musical expanditreous.

THE YOUNG MORMANS
I'm the one in black with the glasses.

CLEAVAGE
yellow shirt

Works

They say that a good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I've never really understood that because it's hard to have one or two without the other. I think the beginning for me was 'Second Hand Blues' when I was 19. The middle was 'Cleavage'. The end is nigh and it's what I'm doing now.

There's no plan.

The Latest Works

'Song For A Little Boy' is a piano piece I wrote inspired by a young lad having not so good stuff go on around him in a faraway land.

'Arthur Streeton's Eyes' was written by a friend of mine, Hans Poulsen, about the Australian artist Arthur Streeton. I used to produce his music but we never got around to recording this song. In this version I did the arrangement, played all the instruments, and even sang. I'm not a singer but hey, someone's got to do it otherwise it's not a song.

'Crocodile' is a song inspired by a car ad.

'Can't Find My Keys, Can't Remember Her Name' is a song inspired by an old fellow up the road who maintains that when he can’t stand life anymore he’s going to get in his boat and go out to sea until the petrol runs out. The song gives a nod to Joan Baez towards the end. It was a great excuse for two long guitar solos.

Song For A Little Boy

Me playing the piano

Arthus Streeton's Eyes

I just wanted to play all the instruments.

s

Crocodile

inspired by a car ad

Can't Remember Her Name

A song about Alzheimers

Cleavage

French composer Claude Debussy once said, "Music is the space between the notes" hence the name ... think about it.

The girls didn't like it.

THE BUS SONG

the singer got stuck in a broken down bus

GOOD TIMES AIN'T HERE

a song about Roger Rogerson and the Manly detectives

CRAZY CAT

back to the blues

SECOND HAND BLUES

Second Hand Blues was four blokes having fun in a rock band. Me on guitar.

The only recording was when my brother brought along a cassette recorder and put it in the middle of the hall, so sound quality's not great. We were doing three gigs a week at this stage.

The tracks have been edited to remove the boring bits and keep the guitar solos. At nineteen I just wanted to play loud guitar with a Marshall stack and a Stratocaster.