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Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly
GenresJazz-rock
Years active1971 (1971)–1972 (1972)
LabelsM7, Atlantic
Past members
  • Sheryl Black
  • Ian Bloxsom
  • Russell Dunlop
  • Dave Ellis
  • Greg Foster
  • Mickey Leyton (aka Michael Puddyfoot)
  • Jim Kelly
  • Mike Kenny
  • Peter Martin
  • Don Wright
  • Ian Saxon

Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly or SCRA was an Australian jazz-rock group formed in mid-1971 by Sheryl Black on lead vocals, Ian Bloxsom on percussion, Russell Dunlop on drums (ex-Aesop's Fable, Levi Smith's Clefs), Dave Ellis on bass guitar, Greg Foster on trombone and harmonica (ex-Heart 'n' Soul), Mickey Leyton (aka Michael Puddyfoot) on lead vocals, Jim Kelly on lead guitar (ex-Affair, Levi Smith's Clefs), Mike Kenny on trumpet (Levi Smith's Clefs), Peter Martin on guitar and vocals (ex-Little Sammy and the in People) and Don Wright on tenor sax and flute (ex-Ram Jam Big Band). [1] [2] [3]

In December 1971 the band issued the debut album, SCRA, which Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, compared to their regular "brash, commercial sound" when performing live – the album was "more restrained and slickly arranged." [1] It was produced by Allan Crawford and issued on M7 Records and provided three singles including their debut, " C C Rider", which was a cover version of Ma Rainey's original. In September 1971 they performed it live-in-the-studio for Australian Broadcasting Corporation's TV programme, GTK. Their second single, "Roly Poly", was released in December which peaked at No. 27 on the Go-Set National Top 40, and No. 28 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, in April of the following year. [1] [4] [5]

SCRA appeared at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1972 and provided a live version of "Roly Poly" for a double album, Sunbury, by various artists on EMI/ HMV. [1] John Dixon directed and produced a documentary film of the festival, Sunbury (1972), which includes footage of SCRA's version of " I Just Want to Make Love to You" with Black on lead vocals. McFarlane praised her as a "gutsy blues singer of rare talent." [1] By April the group had relocated to the United States. [1] Ian Saxon joined as their third lead vocalist. [1] [3] Also in April SCRA members appeared as the studio backing band for Dig Richards' country music album, Harlequin. [1]

SCRA recorded their second album, The Ship Album (1972), at The Hit Factory in New York; [1] and at United Sound Studios, Sydney. [3] It was produced by Martin and issued by Atlantic Records. McFarlane felt they had "dispensed with the lighter pop moments of the debut to concentrate on a more innovative and bluesy progressive jazz-rock sound". [1] The group disbanded by the end of that year. [1] Black, Dunlop, Ellis, Foster, Kelly, Kenny and Martin all did session work in subsequent years. [1] Dunlop and Kelly both joined Mother Earth; Dunlop was later a member of Johnny Rocco Band and then Ayers Rock; Bloxsom, Kelly, and Kenny were members of Crossfire. [1]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
KMR
[6]
SCRA
  • Released: November 1971
  • Label: M7 Records (LW3312)
  • Formats: LP
 25
The Ship Album —


Singles

List of singles
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
KMR
[6]
" C C Rider" 1971 — SCRA
"Roly Poly" 35
"Sydney Born Man" 1972 —
"Our Ship" — The Ship Album
"It's a Game" — non album single

References

General
  • McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN  1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2015. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m McFarlane, 'Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (SCRA)' entry. Archived from the original on 22 June 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  2. ^ Kimball, Duncan (2002). "The Clefs / Levi Smith's Clefs". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions. Archived from the original on 6 March 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (1972), The Ship Album, Atlantic Records. National Library of Australia, retrieved 13 January 2015
  4. ^ Nimmervoll, Ed (8 April 1972). "Go-Set National Top 40". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN  0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  6. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 285. ISBN  0-646-11917-6.
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