About Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981 by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd . Their popularity peaked in the mid- to late 1980s with albums Mars Needs Guitars!, Blow Your Cool! and Magnum Cum Louder.
Hoodoo Gurus had a string of pop-rock singles including "Leilani" , "Tojo" , "My Girl" , "I Want You Back" , "Bittersweet", "Like Wow – Wipeout" , and "What's My Scene?" . After touring the United States from 1984 onward they gained popularity on the U.S. college rock circuit with the singles "Come Anytime" reaching no. 1 and "Miss Freelove '69" reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The Hoodoo Gurus' biggest Australian single was their 1987 top-3 song "What's My Scene?". The song was parodied for the National Rugby League 2000s theme "That's My Team".
The Hoodoo Gurus were inducted into the Australia's 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame. The band's induction announcement stated that the Gurus were one of the most "inventive, lyrically smart and exciting" bands from Australia. From 1960s power pop and garage punk to hard rock and funky psychedelic kitsch, the group's music stood out from Sydney's Detroit-inspired bands.
Originally formed under the Hoodoo Gurus name in Perth late 1970s. Original lineup was Dave Faulkner , Mark Hayward , Brad Clarke , Paul Blacbie . They had about fourteen songs ready to go, then a fall-out between Faulkner and Clarke split the band. Faulkner moved on to join the Manikins for a short while before moving to Sydney and re-forming a new Hoodoo Gurus lineup there.
Three Hoodoo Gurus founders were from Perth protopunk and punk bands: Dave Faulkner was a former member of the legendary Manikins left after a fallout with frontman Robbie Porritt. James Baker of The Victims; while Baker had been with Roddy Radalj in The Scientists. The fourth founding member, Kimble Rendall was formerly in Sydney punk rockers XL Capris. The three guitarists Faulkner, Rendall and Radalj met at an end-of-1980 New Year's Eve party and were joined by Baker to form Le Hoodoo Gurus.
Le Hoodoo Gurus unorthodox line-up of three guitars and no bass player, fused pop melodies, punk guitars and an American trash culture ethic. This was captured on their first single, "Leilani", released in October 1982, on Phantom Records. This told the story of a maiden sacrificed to the gods and an erupting volcano while her true love looked on helplessly. They dropped the 'Le', to become Hoodoo Gurus, not long after the single's release. As the Hoodoo Gurus, they gave their first ever performance on a segment of the kids' TV program Simon Townsend's Wonder World; this was followed by a performance alongside a man and his singing dog, on The Don Lane Show.
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