Artist Profile
Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs was an Australian rock band formed 1963 in Sydney by Vince Melouney (lead guitar, vocals), Val Jones (rhythm guitar), John "Bluey" Watson (bass), Colin Baigent (drums), and Billy Thorpe (vocals, guitar). Initially Vince Malouney was lead vocalist but he departed to join The Bee Gees. Other notable early members were Tony Barber (guitar, vocals), Col Risby (lead guitar), Mike Downes (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jimmy Taylor (piano), and Johnny Dick (drums). Guitarist Lobby Lloyd from Purple Hearts and Wild Cherries also played with the Aztecs for two years before leaving to form The Coloured Balls. At the peak of their popularity in the early '70s the Aztec's classic lineup was Thorpe, Teddy Boi (bass), Warren Morgan (piano, vocals), and Gil "Rathead" Matthews (drums). Starting out, the band surfaced in 1964 with their cover of "Poison Ivy", which kept the Beatles from top spot of the Sydney charts during the latter's Australian tour. They enjoyed further success through 1965 when the original members quit after a financial dispute. After a brief solo career, Thorpe resurrected the Aztecs name with a new line-up and a heavier rock direction influenced by guitarist Lobby Loyde. By the 1970s, the new Aztecs had become one of the most popular hard rock bands in the country with appearances at Sunbury Pop Festival and hit songs such as "Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)". Their blues-based heavy-rock repertoire was dramatically different in style from the original beat group, and they quickly became notorious for the ear-splitting volume at which they played. Thorpe also drastically changed his appearance—he grew a beard, often wore his now shoulder-length hair braided in a pigtail, and he had long since traded tailored suits for jeans and T-shirts. Their breakthrough album, The Hoax Is Over (1970) was a clear signal of their new direction, with only four tracks, dominated by a 24'35" version of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Gangster of Love", and Thorpe's own "Mississippi" which ran 19'35". In early 1972 they released their biggest hit, and Thorpe's signature tune "Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)", a song now widely regarded as one of the classics of Australian rock. Billy Thorpe relocated to America from 1976 to 1996 to pursue a solo career. He released the space opera Children of the Sun which peaked in the top 40 of Billboard's Pop Album chart in 1979. He then worked with ex-Aztec Tony Barber to form a soft toy company and co-wrote stories for The Puggle Tales and Tales from the Lost Forests. Thorpe also worked as a producer and composed music scores for TV series including War of the Worlds, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Columbo, Eight Is Enough and Hard Time on Planet Earth. Returning to Australia in 1996, Thorpe continued as a performer and producer, additionally writing two autobiographies, Sex and Thugs and Rock 'n' Roll (1996) and Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy) (1998). Standout band albums include Poison Ivy (1964), Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs (1965), Don't You Dig This Kind of Beat? (1966), The Hoax is Over (1971), Live (1971), Aztecs Live! at Sunbury (1972), More Arse Than Class (1974) and Time Traveller (1980). Also recommended are the solo albums, Million Dollar Bill (1975), posthumous release Tangier (2010), and Thorpe's duo with pianist Warren Morgan Downunda (1973) under the moniker Thump'n Pig and Puff'n Billy. Billy Thorpe died from a heart attack in Sydney on 28 February 2007, aged 61.