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Biography
Use Australian English|date=May 2011Use dmy dates|date=May 2011: For eucalyptus species, see Red Gum ; or for the deciduous tree see American Sweetgum . Infobox musical artist | name = Redgum | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = Adelaide , Australia | genre = Folk music|Folk , Rock music|Rock | years_active = 1975& ndash;1990 | label = Larrikin Records|Larrikin , Epic Records|Epic , CBS Records|CBS , Columbia Records|Columbia | associated_acts = Gordon Franklin & The Wilderness Ensemble, John Schumann , John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew , Crossroads | website = | current_members = | past_members = Michael Atkinson (musician)|Michael Atkinson John Schumann Verity Truman Chris Timms Gordon McLean Tom Stehlik Russell Coleman Dave Flett Hugh McDonald (Australian musician)|Hugh McDonald Stephen Cooney Brian Czempinski Michael Spicer
Redgum were an Australian bush band|folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann , Michael Atkinson (musician)|Michael Atkinson on guitar s/vocals and Verity Truman on flute /vocals; they were soon joined by Chris Timms on violin .cite web |url= http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/r/redgum.html |work= Australian Rock Database |title=Redgum discography|editor=Magnus Holmgren |accessdate=13 October 2008 All four had been students at Flinders University and together developed an intensely passionate and outspoken outlook.cite book |title= Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |url= |last=McFarlane |first=Ian |authorlink= Ian McFarlane |publisher= Allen & Unwin |year=1999 |chapter= Encyclopedia entry for 'Redgum' |chapterurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20030515200023/www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp? articleid=679 |isbn=1-86448-768-2 |accessdate=13 October 2008 They are best known for their protest song exploring the impact of war in 1983's " I Was Only Nineteen|I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk in the Light Green) ", which peaked at #1 on the Kent Music Report|National singles charts .cite book|title= Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 |last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location= St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives , N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|accessdate=24 March 2009 NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.cite web|url= http://www.australian-charts.com |title=Australian Charts portal |publisher=australian-charts.com|accessdate=13 October 2008cite web |title=Best of 1983 |publisher=Oz Net Music Chart |url= http://www.onmc.iinet.net.au/AUST/83.htm |accessdate=13 October 2008 Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot The song is in the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) list of APRA Top 30 Australian songs|Top 30 of All Time Best Australian Songs created in 2001.cite web |url= http://abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_people/Transcripts/s881927.htm |date=18 June 2003 |title= Dimensions Episode 20: John Schumann |publisher= Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) |accessdate=13 October 2008 cite web |url= http://www.debbiekruger.com/pdfs/aprathirty.pdf |format=PDF |last=Kruger |first=Debbie |authorlink=Debbie Kruger|title=The songs that resonate through the years|publisher= Australasian Performing Right Association|APRA |date=2 May 2001 |accessdate=13 October 2008
Redgum also covered Australian consumer influences on surrounding nations in 1984's "I've Been To Bali Too", both hit singles were written by Schumann.cite web |title=APRA search engine |url= http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt |publisher= Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)|accessdate=13 October 2008 Note: requires user to input song title, e.g. I WAS ONLY NINETEEN " The Diamantina Drover ", written by Timms replacement, violin ist/vocalist Hugh McDonald (Australian musician)|Hugh McDonald and "Poor Ned", written by Trevor Lucas of Fairport Convention , are examples of their bush songs.Lucas produced their best performed album, the June 1983 live Long Play|LP Caught in the Act , which peaked at #3 on the National albums chart.Schumann left the band and pursued a solo career from 1986, Atkinson left in 1987 and Redgum finally disbanded in 1990.
Since 2005 Schumann and McDonald have been performing together again as part of John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew .
History
Redgum were formed in 1975 when three students at Flinders University , John Schumann , Michael Atkinson (musician)|Michael Atkinson (not the future Labor politician of the Michael Atkinson|same name ) and Verity Truman, collaborated for a musical assessment piece for their Politics and Art course. The trio quickly gained fame around the University community for their forthright songs, and by 1976 had been joined by violinist Chris Timms who had previously attended Flinders University. The group were soon in demand for parties, pubs and rallies throughout South Australia and Victoria (Australia)|Victoria . Initially a part-time band, performing weekends and school holidays (two members were teachers), it was only after they released their second album, Virgin Ground (late 1980), to strong sales and critical acclaim, that the group became full-time and started touring nationally.
Music
On the first album, '' If You Don't Fight You Lose '' (1978) Redgum showed it was one of the few Australian bands prepared to tackle domestic politics and culture. "One More Boring Night in Adelaide" for some will remain, despite some of its dated references, a classic analysis of Australian provincial parochialism . The group's success continued to grow with the release of their next three albums, Virgin Ground , Brown Rice and Kerosene (1981) and the EP Cut to the Quick (September 1982), and they weathered several line-up changes including the addition of a didgeridoo and the replacement of Timms in May 1982 with Hugh McDonald (Australian musician)|Hugh McDonald , among others. They released a Song book|songbook The Redgum Songbook: Stubborn Words, Flagrant Vices (1981).
Collaboration with influential Australian folk producer Trevor Lucas (from UK folk group Fairport Convention ) brought the high-point of their career - the live LP Caught in the Act (Redgum album)|Caught in the Act was released in June 1983 and " I Was Only Nineteen " aka "A Walk in the Light Green" (March 1983) hit number one on the Australian singles chart. The song precipitated a Royal Commission into the use and effects of chemical agents in the Vietnam War by the Australian military. The album included "The Diamantina Drover" and "The Last Frontier" which are indicative of their folk music style.
The band released their next LP, Frontline (Redgum album)|Frontline (August 1984) with its single "I've Been to Bali Too", and started touring folk venues in the UK and Europe with some success. Late in 1985, Schumann announced that he had signed a solo deal with CBS Records and would be quitting. Redgum released one more album of new material, Midnight Sun (Redgum album)|Midnight Sun (1986), and a last single "Roll it on Robbie" (1987) after which Atkinson left. There were plans to release another albumThat Striped Sunlight Sound blog http://stripedsunlight.blogspot.com/2008/06/redgum-lost-album.html Redgum: The lost album but this didn't occur. The remaining members performed until 1990 before breaking up.
Redgum post-Redgum
After leaving the band, Schumann released two solo albums before pursuing a brief political career with the Australian Democrats , standing for the South Australian seat of Division of Mayo|Mayo in the 1998 Federal election and losing by a small margin. He left the Democrats in 2000 and returned to further solo works. Schumann returned to recording in 2005 with the John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew|Vagabond Crew (which includes fellow Redgum member Hugh McDonald (Australian musician)|Hugh McDonald ) and new albums were released in Lawson (album)|2005 and Behind the Lines (John Schumann album)|2008 .cite web |url= http://www.schumann.com.au/john/news.html |title=John Schumann Official website Latest News |accessdate=3 November 2007
Chris Timms left to further a career in Adult Education within the Dept. of TAFE in South Australia. He was active within the Australian Labor Party for a time.Bmusic http://www.bmusic.com.au/links/whatsnew/newsletters/archives/newsno216.html#where Where are they now? Redgum (Updated)
Other members of Redgum continue to work in the Australian music scene. Michael Atkinson (musician)|Atkinson has worked in film and television.cite web |url= http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040771 |title=Internet Movie Database entry on Michael Atkinson |publisher= Internet Movie Database|IMDb |accessdate=3 November 2007 He composed the music for films including '' Heaven's Burning (1997), starring Russell Crowe.
Truman performs in Adelaide as a long time member of cabaret/cover band CrossRoads.
In 2005, Redgum were again brought to attention through the recording of an acoustic / hip hop music|hip hop cover of "I Was Only 19" by Australian group The Herd (Australian band)|The Herd with Schumann providing some vocals. The song received high rotation on popular national radio station Triple J . Michael Spicer is currently teaching MIDI, Synthesis & Composition in Singapore Polytechnic.
Members
In chronological order:
Michael Atkinson (musician)|Michael Atkinson ( vocals , bass guitar , mandolin , piano ) 1973& ndash;1987
Against the Grain (Redgum album)|Against the Grain (2004)
The Essential Redgum (2011)
Songs
"Long Run" (Schumann) / "Little Hampton's Calling Me" (Atkinson, McDonald, Truman, Schumann) (January 1981) Re-released August 1983 with B side "Fabulon" (McDonald, Truman, Atkinson, Schumann)
"100 Years On" (Schumann)cite web |url= http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt? action=workSearch& switchDet=Y |title=Australasian Performing Right Association |publisher= Australasian Performing Right Association|APRA |accessdate=6 November 2007 / "Nuclear Cop" (Schumann, Atkinson, Truman, Timms) (November 1981)
"Working Girls" (Schumann) (1982)
"Caught in the Act" (Schumann, Atkinson, Truman, Timms) / "Stewie" (Schumann) / "Lear Jets Over Kulgera" (Atkinson) (1983 EP, also released with LP of same name)
" I Was Only Nineteen " (Schumann) / "Yarralumla Wine" (Atkinson) (March 1983)
"I've Been to Bali Too" (Schumann) / "Still Life" (Truman, McDonald) (February 1984)
"Just Another Moment on Your Own" (Atkinson, Schumann) / "Kerang (Moon Over Water)" (McDonald) (1985)
"The Drover's Dog" (Schumann, Atkinson) / "It Doesn't Matter to Me" (Schumann, Atkinson) (1985)
"Running With the Hurricane" (Atkinson, McDonald) / "Street to Die" (McDonald) (November 1986)
"Roll it on Robbie" (McDonald, Spicer) / "Empty Page" (Truman, Spicer) (May 1987)
Video
On the Frontline (1990, Hoyts / Polygram)cite web |first=Chris |last=Spencer |coauthors=Thomas Hurst, Bob Bolton, Wendy Lowenstein |date=8 June 2000 |title=Australian Folk Songs Discography M-Z |publisher=Australian Folk Songs |url= http://folkstream.com/data/AFS_M-Z.html |accessdate=8 November 2007
References
External links
http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/r/redgum.html Australian Rock Database's Redgum discography
http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/redgum Rate Your Music's Redgum discography
http://www.hughmcdonald.com Hugh McDonald's web site
http://www.schumann.com.au/john/john.html John Schumann's official site
http://www.bmusic.com.au/links/whatsnew/newsletters/archives/newsno102.html#where bMusic.com.au newsletter no. 102 (11 January - 17 January 2004 ) - "Redgum: Where Are They Now? "
http://www.bmusic.com.au/links/whatsnew/newsletters/archives/newsno216.html#where bMusic.com.au newsletter no. 216 (2 May - 8 May 2006 ) - "Redgum: Where Are They Now? - UPDATED"
Category:Australian folk music groups Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1990 Category:Musical groups established in 1975 Category:South Australian musical groups
az:Redgum
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