Post 556 - The Bootleg Family - Singles Collection

Brian Cadd originally put together The Bootleg Family Band (aka The Bootleg Family & The Bootleg Band) as the house band for the independent label Bootleg, which Fable Records boss Ron Tudor had established with Brian in late 1972. The idea was that the Bootleg house band would provide musical backing for records and tours for him and the other artists signed to the label. The Bootleg members were all seasoned veterans of the Melbourne scene, equally at home on stage or in the studio. Drummer Geoff Cox was one of Melbourne's most in-demand studio players, with a huge string of sessions to his credit.  Gus Fenwick was a former member of the highly-rated but short-lived Healing Force. Trumpeter Russell Smith joined the band in April 1973, making it an eight piece. He was a long-serving member of the Ram Jam Big Band, Levi Smith's Clefs. Other members included Tony Naylor (guitar), Brian Fitzgerald (keyboards) 1973-75, Penny Dyer (vocals), Angela Jones (vocals), Louise Lincoln (vocals), Clive Harrison (bass) 1975, and Ian Mason (keyboards) 1975. Besides backing Cadd and other Bootleg artists, the Bootleg Family Band recorded four Singles (here for you to download) and scored two major hits under its own name. Their debut was a cover of Loggins and Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance" and featured Cadd prominently. The second single "Wake Up Australia" failed to chart but the third single, a cover of the late Betty Everett's "Shoop Shoop Song” became a Top 10 hit. The four single A-sides were combined for the four-track Bootleg Family Band EP alongside their fourth and last single "Green Door", which barely scraped into the Top 100.  By 1975 it was becoming difficult to keep the large band on the road, so in May the line-up was cut back to a four-piece comprising Naylor and Cox with new members Ian Mason replacing Fitzgerald (who moved to America) and Clive Harrison replacing Fenwick. Renamed simply The Bootleg Band, this line-up was used for mostly for touring, although they issued a final single "How Do I Try?" which scraped into the lower half of the Top 100.When Brian Cadd relocated to the States at the end of '75, Mason left the group and the remaining members renamed themselves “Avalanche”. A big thanks to Badger & Tim for the help with a couple of singles because mine had seen better days.    mp3 UPDATE Thanks to WoodyNet for some great art work for this collection ART