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Graeme Ronald Strachan (pronounced "Strawn") (2 January 1952 – 29 August 2001), professionally billed and known as "Shirley" Strachan or Shirl, was an Australian singer, songwriter, radio and television presenter, and carpenter. He was the lead singer of the rock group Skyhooks (1974–1978, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994). While still a member of Skyhooks, he had solo singles, which charted on the Kent Music Report, with a cover recording of Brenda Holloway's "Every Little Bit Hurts" (October 1976, No. 3) and a remake of The Miracles "Tracks of My Tears" (July 1977, top 20). After leaving Skyhooks in July 1978, he concentrated on his solo career. He was the host of children's TV program Shirl's Neighbourhood (1979–83). From 1993, he appeared on home renovation TV program Our House as a carpenter and co-host. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993, Skyhooks were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Strachan died in August 2001 in a self-piloted helicopter accident.

Biography

Early years

Strachan born in Malvern, Victoria, on 2 January 1952 and grew up in Mount Waverley. He was the older brother of three sisters, and he was the son of Joyce and Ronald Strachan, who was a carpenter and former World War II Navy sailor. Strachan became an avid surfer, and his nickname "Shirley" was applied by fellow surfers due to his long, sunbleached and curly hair (referring to Shirley Temple). He was educated at Mount Waverley High School to the end of year 10, where he completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter.

Strachan was a well-known supporter of the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL.

Music career and Skyhooks

Strachan met "Freddy" Strauks, a drummer, at a performance at Village Green. Strachan would later drive his friend to gigs. Strauks and Greg Macainsh, on bass guitar, were members of Claptrap in 1970, and they asked Strachan to join on lead vocals in the following year. The group were renamed Frame with Strachan; Strauks and Macainsh were joined by Pat O'Brien and Sintjio Oohms, both on guitars. The group's debut performance was on 19 April 1971 at Eltham's Montsalvat, where Strachan "stood facing the band, too shy to face the audience".

In November 1972, Strachan left Frame and moved to Phillip Island to take up surfing and part-time carpentry. He later recalled, "You'd get up in the morning and look out the window and say 'yeah'. Then you'd go down to Woolami and check it out. There'd be a few bars there, and you'd go surfing. Then you'd have lunch and perhaps a couple of hours' work, and then it's high tide, so you go surfing again." While Strachan was surfing at Philip Island, Macainsh and Strauks formed a new band, Skyhooks, in March 1973 with Steve Hill on lead vocals (ex-Lillee), Peter Inglis on guitar (ex–Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band) and Peter Starkie on guitar and vocals (ex–Lipp & the Double Decker Brothers). In March 1974, Strachan replaced Hill on lead vocals in Skyhooks alongside Macainsh, Strauks and Bob "Bongo" Starkie (ex–Mary Jane Union) and Red Symons (ex-Scumbag), both on guitars.

Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane described Strachan as "a natural frontman: young and gifted, loudmouthed and witty, blessed with a sweet yet powerful voice and androgynous good looks". Ed Nimmervoll, a music journalist, opined that "Not only did he have a new identity, he took his singing role on with new maturity and attitude. told him he'd need to work the stage, and 'Shirl' never looked back, roaming the stage like a maniac." In December 1975, they toured nationally, which Strachan declared was "the biggest tour ever undertaken by an Australian group. Every concert will be performed in the open air". The group followed with a tour of the United States with some performances as a support act to Uriah Heep.

Strachan started his solo singing career during his time with Skyhooks. In October 1976, he issued a cover version of Brenda Holloway's 1964 hit "Every Little Bit Hurts" as his debut single, which peaked at No. 3 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart. It was produced by Warren Morgan, engineered by Ross Cockle and recorded at Armstrong Studios on Mushroom Records/Festival Records. The B-side, "Cruisin' Out on You", was co-written by Strachan with Morgan.

His follow-up single, "Tracks of My Tears", a cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' 1965 hit, reached No. 18 in July 1977. It was produced by Ric Formosa, engineered by Cockle, and recorded at Armstrongs. The B-side, "Missing You", was co-written by Strachan and Bob Spencer (Skyhooks' then-current guitarist). According to Nimmervoll, "Skyhooks in the meantime had started to struggle, and not one to do something he wasn't enjoying any more, Shirl left. It didn't mean that much to him." In July 1978 Strachan left Skyhooks, but his departure was not announced until the following January. He was replaced on lead vocals by Tony Williams of Reuben Tice. During 1978, he issued his third solo single, "Mr Summer", which did not chart.

Post-Skyhooks and Shirl's Neighbourhood

After Skyhooks, Strachan worked as a radio and television presenter. He became known to a new generation as the host of a magazine-style children's TV series, Shirl's Neighbourhood, from 1979 to 1983. He issued his debut solo album, It's all Rock 'n' Roll to Me, in 1980. At the Logie Awards of 1983, Shirl's Neighbourhood won Best Children's TV Series. He organised and participated in several Skyhooks reformations during the 1980s and 1990s.

Party Boys, radio, Our House and Skyhooks reunions

In 1984, Strachan joined a rock supergroup, the Party Boys, for a national tour and was recorded on lead vocals for their third live album, No Song Too Sacred, alongside founding members Graham Bidstrup on drums, Kevin Borich on guitar and Paul Christie on bass guitar, and new guitarist, Robin Riley (ex-Rose Tattoo). The album provided their cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" as a single.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993 in March, Skyhooks were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Strachan relocated to Queensland in that year and started as a regular presenter on home makeover program, Our House, where he resurrected skills from his pre-Skyhooks carpentry trade. He also presented a breakfast radio show, with Gary Belcher and Dean Miller, on the radio station Triple M Brisbane in the 1990s. Strachan left Triple M in 1997 following a pay dispute. He died in August 2001 while solo-piloting a helicopter, aged 49.

A biography of Strachan, Shirl: The Life of Legendary Larrikin Graeme 'Shirley' Strachan, written by Jeff Apter, appeared in 2012. Apter had already written 15 celebrity biographies; for Shirl, Apter had access to Skyhooks' band members, Strachan's family, and "music industry figures, people from Strachan's later career in TV and radio, and the surfing gang he assembled after relocating to Queensland in the 90s." Alistair Jones of The Australian felt that Apter's sources "all contribute to a picture of a good bloke fondly remembered" with the biography's strength being the "input that keeps the journey of a larger-than-life character grounded in personal terms" while a "down-side" was that "in sympathetically honouring the trust of his sources, Shirl becomes something of a tear-jerker."

Personal life

In August 1975, Strachan married Sandra Davis at a registry office in London. The pair had started dating when he was surfing and working on Phillip Island in 1972–73. By October 1977, the couple had separated. Strachan's second wife was Sue Scott. The couple met in 1981 when he was a guest of the TV game show Catch Us If You Can, where Scott was a model and presenter. In 1993, the Strachans moved to Queensland.

Death

Strachan was killed in a helicopter crash on 29 August 2001, at the age of 49. He had been a fixed-wing pilot for many years and had been undergoing training for a helicopter pilot's licence, with a view to buying a helicopter and taking friends and family on surfing safaris. On a solo flight near Mount Archer, Queensland, in clear weather and inexplicably off the course planned by his instructor, Strachan encountered mountain turbulence which caused the rotor of his Bell 47G to sever the tailboom, crashing the helicopter onto the north-north-eastern slope of Mount Archer. The day Strachan died was, coincidentally, the day an ABC documentary episode on rock and roll in Australia, Long Way to the Top, which referred to the Skyhooks, aired on TV.

Tributes

In early September 2001, a beachside funeral was attended by Strachan's family and friends, including Skyhooks' guitarist, Red Symons, and radio colleagues, Gary Belcher and Dean Miller. His ashes were scattered into the sea from a helicopter by his wife, Sue.

Triple M Brisbane, Strachan's former employer, held a day-long on-air tribute to him on the day after his death. Old archived audio was played on air. An episode of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary Long Way to the Top featuring Skyhooks was broadcast on the day of his death: it was dedicated to his memory. On 10 September, Channel Nine broadcast a tribute episode of Our House, "Our House – Memories of Shirl", with content filmed in the weeks before his death, along with archival footage. It was the most-watched program on that night, with 2.19 million viewers.

In September 2001, remaining members of Skyhooks reunited for a memorial gig at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda. Guest vocalists included Daryl Braithwaite on "All My Friends Are Getting Married" and Ross Wilson on "Warm Wind in the City".

Shirley Strachan Memorial Swim

The Noosa Heads Surf Lifesaving Club has been holding a competitive surf swim commemorating Shirley Strachan since 2002 – the Annual Shirley Strachan Memorial Swim. It was originally organised Bruce and Sandy Warren. In November 2016, Bruce Warren died, and subsequent swims have been re-named the Shirley Strachan and Bruce Warren Memorial Swim.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Other singles

References

1. ^ Brown, Jen Jewel (31 August 2001). "Obituaries – We just liked him 'cos he was Shirl". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 10 January 2002. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
2. ^ Nimmervoll, Ed. "Graeme 'Shirley' Strachan". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
3. Saccotelli, Luisa (30 August 2001). "Melbourne mourns the loss of Shirley Strachan". Australian Broadcasting Corporation – via 31 October 2016.
4. ^ Graeme "Shirley" Strahan Australian Rock Database entries:
   • Skyhooks (1974–78, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994): Holmgren, Magnus; Notling, Fredrik; Brown, Jenny. "Skyhooks". hem2.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
   • Party Boys (1984): Holmgren, Magnus; Meyer, Peer. "The Party Boys". hem2.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
5. Jenkins, Jeff; Meldrum, Ian (2007). Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Melbourne, Vic: Wilkinson Publishing. pp. 84, 89, 90, 104–128, 145, 266–267. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1.
6. ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Skyhooks'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
7. ^ "Skyhook's promote tour". The Canberra Times. Vol. 50, no. 14, 236. 29 November 1975. p. 7. Retrieved 31 August 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
9. ^ Every Little Bit Hurts (liner notes). Shirley. Mushroom Records. 1976. K-6588.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. ^ Tracks of My Tears (liner notes). Shirley. Mushroom Records. 1977. K-6820.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. "'Shirley' quits". The Canberra Times. Vol. 53, no. 15, 831. 26 January 1979. p. 12. Retrieved 31 August 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
12. Hooks, Jenny (1980). "Shirl on a shoestring". Metro Magazine: Media & Education Magazine (50): 18–22. ISSN 0312-2654.
13. Zuk, Tony. "Australian Television: 1982–1985 Logie Awards". Australian Television Information Archive. Archived from the original on 6 March 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
14. "1983 – The Logie Awards". Yahoo!7. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
15. ^ McFarlane, 'The Party Boys' entry. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
16. "Winners by Year 1992". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
17. Stafford, P. Rocker was the essence of the '70s: . The Australian. 31 August 2001. p.11. Retrieved 27 May 2021 - via State Library of Queensland
18. Apter, Jeff (2012). Shirl: the life of legendary larrikin Graeme 'Shirley' Strachan. Hardie Grant. ISBN 978-1-74270-260-5.
19. ^ Jones, Alistair (11 August 2012). "Ego not a dirty word for Skyhooks star". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
20. "Married". Canberra Times. Vol. 49, no. 14, 139. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 8 August 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 30 August 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
21. "Strachans separate". The Canberra Times. Vol. 52, no. 14, 909. 18 October 1977. p. 16. Retrieved 30 August 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
22. Smith, Peter (29 April 1981). "Peter Smith". Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 48, no. 47. p. 154. Retrieved 31 August 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
23. Cashmere, Paul (29 August 2001). "Police to retrieve Shirley's Strachan's body today". Undercover Music News. Paul Cashmere, Ros O'Gorman. Archived from the original on 20 September 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
24. "ATSB accident report". Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
25. ^ "A pop star delivered into paradise: surfies, sun and sea eagles out for Shirley's last bow". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 September 2001. p. 7.
26. Our House tribute episode footage
27. Zuk, Tony. "Australian Television: Always Greener: articles". Australian Television Information Archive. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
28. ^ Cashmere, Paul (12 September 2001). "Skyhooks perform one more time for Shirl". Undercover Music News. Paul Cashmere, Ros O'Gorman. Archived from the original on 20 September 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
29. "Proud traditions revived". Noosa Today. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
30. Hui, Jin (23 February 2016). ""Best ever" Strachan swim". Noosa Today. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
31. Hui, Jin (21 March 2017). "Hats off to festival organisers". Noosa Today. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
32. Hui, Jin (8 January 2015). "Safe surfing in the break". Noosa Today. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
33. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 271. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

Notes

• Noel McGrath's Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop – 1978
• An Australian Rock Discography – Chris Spencer −1990 – Moonlight Publishing
• Apter, Jeff (2012), Shirl: the life of legendary larrikin Graeme 'Shirley' Strachan, Hardie Grant, ISBN 978-1-74270-260-5

External links

• Shirley Strachan at IMDb
• Tribute from Dave Warner Archived 17 June 2005 at the Wayback Machine
• Skyhooks Homepage
• Memorial service image – Newspix Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
• Tribute page

• 1952 births
• 2001 deaths
• Accidental deaths in Queensland
• Australian carpenters
• Australian pop singers
• Australian rock singers
• Australian radio presenters
• Tambourine players
• Australian surfers
• Australian television presenters
• Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Australia
• Musicians killed in aviation accidents or incidents
• People from Mount Waverley, Victoria
• Singers from Melbourne
• 20th-century Australian male singers
• Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2001
• Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents in Australia