Information
- • Hometown: - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- • Nationality: - Australian
- • Years Active: - 1978–1986 • 1996–2002 (occasional reunions until 2012) • 2019–present
- • Genre(s): - New Wave • Pop Rock • Reggae Rock
- • Label(s): - Columbia • Epic
- • Associated Acts: - The Black Sorrows
- • Website: -
Biography
Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as "Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", "Be Good Johnny", "Overkill", and "It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is Colin Hay, who performs on lead vocals and guitar. After playing as an acoustic duo with Ron Strykert during 1978–79, Hay formed the group with Strykert playing bass guitar and Jerry Speiser on drums. They were soon joined by Greg Ham on flute, saxophone, and keyboards and John Rees on bass guitar, with Strykert switching back to lead guitar. The group was managed by Russell Depeller, a friend of Hay, whom he met at La Trobe University. This line-up achieved national and international success during the early to mid 1980s.
In January 1983, they were the first Australian artists to have a simultaneous No. 1 album and No. 1 single on the United States Billboard charts: Business as Usual (released on 9 November 1981) and "Down Under" (1981), respectively. With the same works, they achieved the distinction of a simultaneous No. 1 album and No. 1 single on the Australian, New Zealand, and United Kingdom charts. Their second album Cargo (2 May 1983) was also No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in New Zealand, No. 3 in the US, and No. 8 in the UK. Their third album Two Hearts (3 April 1985) reached the top 20 in Australia and top 50 in the US.
They won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1983, they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1994, and they have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. In May 2001, "Down Under" was listed at No. 4 on the APRA Top 30 Australian songs and Business as Usual appeared in the book 100 Best Australian Albums (October 2010).
In 1984, Speiser and Rees were asked to leave the group, leaving Hay, Ham, and Strykert. During the recording of the Two Hearts album, Strykert decided to leave. Soon after the release of Two Hearts, Ham left also, leaving Hay as the sole remaining member. From 1996 until 2002 Hay and Ham toured the world as Men at Work. On 19 April 2012, Ham was found dead at his home from an apparent heart attack.
In 2019, Hay revived the Men at Work moniker and began touring with the assistance of a backing band including none of the other original members.
• For more information goto their Wikipedia page Click Here
Band Members
- • Colin Hay – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass (1978–1986, 1996–2002; occasional performances until 2012; 2019–present)
- • Jimmy Branly – drums (2019–present)
- • San Miguel Perez – guitar, backing vocals (2019–present)
- • Yosmel Montejo – bass, backing vocals (2019–present)
- • Scheila Gonzalez – saxophone, flute, keyboards, backing vocals (2019–present)
- • Cecilia Noel – backing vocals (2019–present)
Videos
"Who Can It Be Now?" is a song recorded by Australian band Men at Work. It was released in Australia in 1981.
Who Can It Be Now
"Down Under" is a song recorded by Australian rock band Men at Work. It was originally released in 1980 as the B-side).
Down Under
"Be Good Johnny" is a song recorded by the Australian band Men at Work, released in April 1982 as the third from their debut album.