A member of what is doubtlessly the most important songwriting dynasty in Australian history, John Paul Young is bringing the Vanda and Young songbook to Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on November 24.
A product of the famed songwriting partnership between George Young and Harry Vanda, John Paul Young rose to the top of the Australian music industry in the 1970s thanks to hits written by the duo.
Friday on My Mind, Falling in Love Again Evie (Parts 1,2 & 3), Hey St Peter, Down Among the Dead Men, Love Is In The Air, The Love Game, Silver Shoes, Birmingham, Keep On Smilin'’, I Wanna Do It With You, Where The Action Is, Yesterday's Hero, It's a Long Way To The Top – all songs which have defined the Australian musical experience, and all songs written by Harry Vanda and George Young.
With hits written for The Easybeats, AC/DC, Grace Jones, Ted Mulry, Vanda and Young's own studio unit Flash and the Pan to the wealth of hits written for John Paul Young, this show will have you up and dancin' like it's 1979.
Young himself is one of the most iconic artists in Australian music's history, with over 4 million worldwide album sales and numerous awards which garnered him an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 2012 Young received an Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to charity and the music industry.
From Young’s first release with Pasadena, in 1972, he then went on to become the unofficial co-presenter alongside Molly Meldrum on ABC TV's Countdown, and to the present day he has been a constant presence on the live music scene and in theatre with roles in the original Jesus Christ Superstar, Shout - The Johnny O'Keefe Story, Leader of the Pack - The Ellie Greenwich Story and most recently, Grease, The Musical.
The Allstar Band features two of the original Vanda and Young members in Warren "The Pig" Morgan – who cut his teeth in the original Aztecs – and Ronnie "Rockwell T James" Peel, of The Missing Links and La De Das fame.
Both have been with Young since the beginning and have been joined over the years by Greg Plimmer, Juan Gonzalez and Michael "China" Walker, with Paul Kirtley (percussionist) a recent addition to the troupe.
Vanda and Young defined, and continue to define, the shape of Australian songwriting, and with original members of their incredibly fruitful songwriting stable playing their hits, the show is sure to bring their magic full-circle.
The show hits Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on Thursday November 24.
Call 9550 3900 or go to manpac.com.au for tickets.
