By Callum Ludwig
An icon of 1960s and 70s Australian music is coming to The Memo in Healesville on Friday 4 August.
Brian Cadd, formerly of The Groop, Axiom and the Bootleg Family Band among others, is set to bring an array of his classic hits to town and will feature local band Jeff Jenkins and the Heartstarters as a support act.
Mr Cadd said he has a soft spot for Healesville.
“It is a great little place. I can remember going there when it was a little sleepy town, the guy that ran the record company that I owned with him had a house up there where you could go and just relax,” he said.
“When they made it part of the run, I was very pleased.”
Some of Mr Cadd’s biggest hits throughout his career include Little Ray of Sunshine, Arkansas Grass, Ginger Man and My Baby’s Gone, with his contribution to music seeing him named as an ARIA Hall of Famer and receiving an Order of Australia in 2018.
At 76, Mr Cadd said performing is still an integral part of his life.
“A lot of my audience is not too far from my age, and they started in the 60s being an audience when I started in the 60s being an artist, and like all good people in the 60s they’ve never given up,” he said.
“We get great audiences, but they’re also audiences that, by and large, have grown up with us, I don’t think that’s easy to turn your back on.”
Mr Cadd will be joined on stage by Pete Robinson on guitar, Shane Reilly on pedal steel, John Creech on drums and Paul Cartwright on bass.
Jeff Jenkins said he grew up listening to the music of Brian Cadd himself and he was an important part of his own musical heritage.
“It’s another example of Healesville being on the cultural map again, we’ve had some good acts and terrific comedy at The Memo recently with people like Kitty Flanagan and Jimeoin, and I’d rate Brian as top of the tree,” he said.
“It’s an absolute thrill to be in front of Brian Cadd’s audience, he’ll bring a very eclectic and good crowd along, and it’ll be fabulous to be playing in front of them. I think our sound will sit well with his, and I look forward to hopefully having a chat and a beer with him backstage.”
More information and tickets to the event can be found at: www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Experience/Events/Brian-Cadd.
