Swanee (singer)

British-born Australian rock singer

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John Swan

Swanee in 2011

Background information
Birth name| John Archibald Swan
Also known as| Swanee
Born| Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Genres| Rock, hard rock
Instrument(s)| Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active| 1966–2014
Signature

Musical artist

John Archibald Swan OAM, better known as Swanee, is an Australian rock singer. He is the older brother of singer-songwriter Jimmy Barnes.

## Early life

[edit]

John Archibald Swan[1] migrated to Australia as a child with his family in 1961. His father, James Swan, was a violent alcoholic. When his mother remarried in the mid-1960s, he was the only child to keep his biological father's surname. After being the target of sexual abuse by the son of a family friend, he left home aged 13.[2]

## Career

[edit]

### Early bands

[edit]

Swan joined his first professional band, Happiness, as a drummer when he was 14. When he was 17, he enlisted in the Australian Army, and was discharged after two years of service. In early 1974 he was the drummer with The James Wright Band, moving on to Jim Keays' Southern Cross for a short time.

In 1975 he joined Adelaide band Fraternity replacing Bon Scott on vocals for two years. In 1977, Swan became the vocalist with Feather. This band had been known as Blackfeather in the early 1970s, but by 1977 no original members were left so the name was shortened. Feather recorded one single with Swan, "Girl Trouble", before he left in 1978 to establish himself as a solo artist.

### 1979–1986: Early solo career

[edit]

Under the name Swanee by which he was already known, Swan released his debut solo single "Crazy Dreams" in 1979. An album, Into the Night, and several other singles followed but met with little commercial success.

In late 1981, his version of "If I Were a Carpenter" became a national hit, peaking at number 5. The single was followed by the 1982 studio album This Time It's Different which spawned another two hits, "Temporary Heartache" and "Lady What's Your Name", with the latter peaking at number 13 and was the 66th biggest-selling single in Australia in 1982.[3]

In 1986 Swanee featured in an advertising campaign for West End Draught, a South Australian beer. The brewer provided financial support to Swanee's tours and he in turn appeared in the company's TV commercials.

### 1987–1989: The Party Boys

[edit]

Main article: The Party Boys

In 1987, Swanee replaced Angry Anderson as the lead singer of The Party Boys, a touring band with floating membership, formed in 1983 by Paul Christie of Mondo Rock. Swan's tenure with the band was the group's most successful period. A cover of the John Kongos song "He's Gonna Step On You Again" peaked at number 1 on the Australian charts. The band's self-titled album made the Australian top 20. Swan remained with the band until 1989 before going solo again.

### 1990–present: Later solo career

[edit]

Since 1990, Swan's recording career has been less than prolific, producing only two singles that year, including a cover of Little Richard's "Lucille" for The Delinquents film.

In 1997, Swan released Heart and Soul produced by Danny Bryan.

In 2007 Swan released the album Have a Little Faith (Liberation Records). The project was recorded with producer /guitarist Mark Moffatt. The album was recorded with Nashville musicians. The album is a reflection of his past troubles and his love for the Blues.[4]

In 2013 he worked with fellow Australian artists Ray Burgess, Tommy Emmanuel, John St Peeters and Marty Rhone, to release the single "Legends of the Southern Land".[5]

In July 2014 Swanee released the album One Day at a Time, consisting of entirely original work, in collaboration with Darren Mullan from the Adelaide Recording Studio and Tony Minniecon.[4]

In June 2021, Melodic Rock Records released a 20-track compilation titled Greatest Hits.

## Recognition and honours

[edit]

In 2015, Swan was announced as South Australia's Senior Australian of the Year.[6]

In 2017 he received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM), "For service to music as a performer, and to the community through charitable organisations".[1][4]

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions  Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[7]
Into the Night |

* Released: October 1980
* Format: LP
* Label: WEA (600076)

| 66
This Time It's Different |

* Released: June 1982
* Format: LP, cassette
* Label: WEA (600121)

| 22
Bushido |

* Released: April 1985
* Format: LP, cassette
* Label: Starcall (SFL1 0126)

| 73
Heart And Soul |

* Released: 1997
* Format: CD
* Label: EastWest (0630188252)

| —
Have a Little Faith
(As John Swan)  |

* Released: 2007
* Format: CD, DD
* Label: Liberation Music (LIBCD9236 2)

| —
One Day at a Time |

* Released: 2014
* Format: CD, DD
* Label: Swanee (SWAN001)

| —

### Live albums

[edit]

List of live albums, with selected details and chart positions  Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[7]
Ready for Action! Live in the Snow |

* Released: October 1983
* Format: LP, cassette
* Label: WEA (250241.1)

| 31

### Compilation albums

[edit]

List of compilation albums, with selected details and chart positions  Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[7]
Days Gone By – The Best of Swanee |

* Released: October 1984
* Format: LP, cassette
* Label: WEA (251477-1)

| 52
Greatest Hits |

* Released: 3 June 2021[8]
* Format: CD, digital
* Label: Melodic Rock (MRR137)

| —

### Singles

[edit]

List of singles, with selected chart positions  Year  | Title  | Peak chart
positions  | Album

|
|
|

AUS
[7]
Credited as Swanee
1979  | "Crazy Dreams"  | 68  | Non-album singles
"Samantha"  | —
1980  | "Ol' Rosie"  | —  | Into the Night
"Linda"  | —
1981  | "Mathew"  | —
"If I Were a Carpenter"  | 5  | This Time It's Different
"Samantha" (re release) | 93  | Non-album single
1982  | "Temporary Heartache"  | 18  | This Time It's Different
"Lady What's Your Name"  | 13
1983  | "Sail Away"  | 52  | Non-album single
"Motor Down"  | —  | Ready for Action! Live in the Snow
1984  | "I'm Ready" / "Carrie-Ann"  | 22  | Non-album single
1985  | "You Ought to Know by Now"  | —  | Bushido
"Turn Away"  | —
Credited as John Swan
1985  | "Say You'll Do Something"  | —  | Non-album singles
"It Could Have Been You"  | —
1986  | "(I'm in Love with An) Angel"  | —
"West End Girls"  | —
Credited as Swanee
1990  | "Lucille"  | —  | The Delinquents (soundtrack)
"Blood Is Thicker Than Water"  | —  | Non-album single
Credited as John Swan
2013  | "Legends of the Southern Land"[5]
(with John St Peeters, Marty Rhone and Ray Burgess featuring Tommy Emmanuel) | —  | Non-album single

#### Other singles

[edit]

List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions  Year  | Title  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[9]
1985  | "The Garden"
(as Australia Too) | 22

## See also

[edit]

* Fraternity (band)
* The Party Boys

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Name: John Archibald SWAN : Award: Medal of the Order of Australia". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
2. ^ Barnes, Jimmy (28 October 2016). "Jimmy Barnes' Hard-Knock Life". Rolling Stone Australia (Interview). Interviewed by Street, Andrew P. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
3. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 - via Imgur.
4. ^ a b c "Bio Swanee Music". Swanee Music. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
5. ^ a b Pascuzzi, Carmine. "'Legends of the Southern Land' – a new Australian anthem". MediaSearch. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
6. ^ 2015 SA Australian of the Year Recipients Announced, australianoftheyear.org.au, 12 November 2014
7. ^ a b c d Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 302\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. ^ "Swanee Greatest Hits". melodicrockrecords. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 22\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

The Party Boys

* Graham Bidstrup
* Kevin Borich
* Paul Christie
* Harvey James
* James Reyne
* Richard Clapton
* Marc Hunter
* Graeme "Shirley" Strachan
* Joe Walsh
* Angry Anderson
* John Brewster
* Alan Lancaster
* John Swan
* Graham Bonnet
* Eric Burdon
* Ross Wilson
* Mark Evans
* Doc Neeson
* Bob Spencer
* Mark Gable
* Harry Brus

Studio albums|

* The Party Boys (1987)

Live albums|

* Greatest Hits (of Other People) (1983)
* No Song Too Sacred (1984)
* You Need Professional Help (1985)

Singles|

* "He's Gonna Step on You Again"

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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