The Flying Circus

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Greg Grace [vcls] 1968-69, 1971-73
Bob Hughes [bs, vcls] 1968
Red McKelvie [kbds] 1970
Doug Rowe [lead gtr, vcls]
Sam See [kbds] 1970-71, 1973-74
Colin Walker [dr]
Warren Ward [bs] 1968-69
Terry Wilkins [bs] 1969-73
James Wynne [rhythm gtr, vcls] 1968-71

The Flying Circus is one of the most misunderstood and underrated Australian groups of the '64-75 era. Although they're usually only remembered for their "bubblegum" hits, they were in fact pioneers of country-rock in Australia and they were a superb live band, highly respected by fellow musicians. Greg Quill, leader of the acclaimed Country Radio, has this to say of them:

"Wrongly labelled a pop band because of their lightweight recordings, they were actually a complex and very progressive live act, the first link in Australia between pop and country rock."

It also has to said that after their initial burst of pop success, Flying Circus were given dismal support by Australian commercial radio, who blatantly failed to get behind the emerging trends in country rock and progressive music. In the USA the music market was broadening significantly, thanks to FM broadcasting and the new album-oriented rock (AOR) format, but Australian radio, trapped on the AM band, was becoming even more conservative. Commercial AM stations had a stranglehold on the Australian pop market, and apart from one or two valiant ABC efforts like Room To Move, commercial radio was the only outlet for pop and rock music in this country. This problem was compounded at the turn of the '70s, when many stations around the country adopted the new programming regime promoted by the Digamae consultancy, headed by 2SM supremo Rod Muir and DJ Hans Torv. Narrowly focused, rigidly-controlled and hugely profitable, this model favoured a small, pop-oriented playlist on high rotation, with  all programming choice removed from the DJs. This was a critical change, since many leading "personality" DJs - like Sydney's Ward 'Pally' Austin and Melbourne's Stan 'The Man' Rofe - had been crucial in breaking and supporting local acts throughout the 1960s. Programming fell under the control of a collusive network of faceless programmers and record company A&R managers, for whom the ultimate obscenity was "uncommercial". Diversity and innovation were stifled, overseas pop fodder was favoured over innovative local music and many fine Australian bands -- including Flying Circus -- suffered as a result.

The Flying Circus formed in August 1968, and in fact they started out as a country/folk-rock band, performing "harmony-rich covers of Byrds, Dylan and Dillards country songs"[McFarlane]. Lead guitarist Doug Rowe (born NZ) had been a member of Kiwi bands The Castaways and The Saints before coming to Australia. Their original bassist/singer Bob Hughes left in early 1969 and has since become a successful actor. Bob has been a familiar presence in the Australian media for many years through his acting, advertising and voice-over work. He starred as the reporter in ABBA The Movie (1976) and will be well known to millions of Australians for his title role in the long-running and very successful TV sitcom Hey Dad! He was replaced by bassist Warren Ward, a former member of Nutwood Rug, Stonehenge (with Tim Gaze & Nigel Macara), A Love Supreme (with Gulliver Smith) and Quill.

Flying Circus signed to EMI in late '68 and made one of their first major appearances at an outdoor concert in Sydney's Domain on Australia Day 1969. They had their first chart success soon after with their debut single Hayride (Feb. '69); it was a national Top 40 hit (#26) in March and reached #5 in Sydney. Although it was innocuous bubblegum pop, the song reportedly created a minor controversy in New Zealand, where objections to the shocking line "...making love in the hay..." resulted in the NZ release being delayed by about two months, while the group battled to prevent it being banned.

The national success of Hayride was also an interesting pointer to the future direction of Australian pop. Even though Flying Circus had not toured outside New South Wales at that stage, the song gained vital national exposure thanks to a promotional film-clip which was aired on nationally-screened TV pop shows like Uptight!. The clip was made for them by Aggy Read and David Perry (from Sydney underground media collective UBU.) The following year, Chris Lofven's now-classic promotional films played an important part of the national success of Spectrum's I'll Be Gone and Daddy Cool's Eagle Rock, and over the next few years music video (as it came to be known) took on an ncreasingly important role in the marketing of pop music. This culminated in the huge change which came with the advent of the ABC-TV's Countdown at the end of 1974, when the power base shifted from radio to television as the major venue for breaking pop bands and records.

Flying Circus' second single, La La, was an even bigger hit -- it made both the Sydney and national Top Ten in June. Unfortunately, the first two singles (formulaic pop pabulum, written by the American team of Buzz Cason and Mac Gaydon) had virtually nothing to do with the real musical interests of the members of the group. Their chart success proved problematic for the development of their career, and some of the blame must rest with EMI's A&R department, who were doubtless responsible for the selection of the early material. Although the singles were perfectly suited the chart trends of the day (and were more than ably performed by the band), they immediately branded Flying Circus as a one-dimensional bubblegum act among certain sections of the audience and the media -- a major impediment at a time when many artists were trying to shake off their "pop" image and be seen as as serious musicians. But on the other hand, younger fans drawn to their concerts by the pop singles were bemused by the group's serious, musicianly stage presence and their mostly country-rock repertoire.

There were several personnel changes over the next few months: Greg Grace left in June 1969 (to form Hot Cottage), although he returned to the band later. Warren Ward left in September, partly due to "musical differences",  partly because of a recurring throat problem; he later joined Blackfeather and was replaced in Flying Circus by Terry Wilkins (ex-Quill). Rowe and Wynne also had bouts of ill-health which affected the touring schedule during the latter part of the year. The group recorded their self-titled debut album around this time. The LP was an odd mish-mash of styles, including the pop hits and a rather naff medley of songs from the popular musical Hair, alongside the band's original country-rock numbers.

Their last Australian hit Run Run Run (Dec '69) was also their last "pop" release (this one at least written by Doug Rowe); it made #19 in January 1970. In April they added a fifth member, noted pedal steel player Red McKelvie (ex-Starving Wild Dogs, Quill). Red's arrival steered the group even further towards straight country music and the change was evident on their Frontier EP, which featured four pure country songs, including covers of Dylan's I'll Be Your Baby Tonight and Merle Haggard's The Day The Rains Came. With Red on board they cut their excellent second LP Prepared In Peace, which this time consisted almost entirely of original country-rock songs by the band (except for the closing track, a version of Leadbelly's Goodnight, Irene). It was critically well received, if not a major commerical success (and this excellent album is long overdue for a reissue on CD). It was released in July 1970, and that same month they scored their contentious victory in the Hoadleys National Battle of The Sounds, beating the hot favourites from Adelaide, Zoot (a group who, ironically, were fighting their own battle to overcome their image as bubblegum dandies).

In October Flying Circus released a single from the LP, Red McKelvie's Israel (b/w Giselle ) but he was sacked from the band the same month. It seems to have been an acrimonious parting and according to historian Noel McGrath there was even talk of McKelvie suing the band for his share of the Hoadleys prize (a trip to the USA). Red moved on to solo career and later forned the country-rock groups Chant, Powderhorn and Third Union Band.

McKelvie's departure marked yet another change in style, and a dilution of the strong country flavour of the previous recordings After recruiting keyboard player Sam See (ex-Clapham Junction, Sherbet) they cut a straight-ahead rock LP, the awkwardly titled Bonza, Beaut & Boom Boom Boom, which again consisted of all original material by the group. Two fine singles, Turn Away / The Longest Day (Feb. '71) and It Couldn't Happen Here / Somerville (Aug. '71) were lifted from the LP, but they failed to chart, even though they are regarded as being among the band's best work.

Increasingly frustrated by the lack of recognition at home, Flying Circus availed themselves of the Hoadleys prize and left for North America, where they based themselves in Toronto, Canada. Their next single The Ballad Of Sacred Falls / Finding My Way was released in September. The trip went well, and they secured a deal for a $10,000, two-month tour of Canada from American music agency Music Factory. Just before the tour, Jim Wynne left the band for personal reasons, and although he intended to return he did not do so. The single Turn Away was also released in the USA, but failed to make an impact there.

The band returned to Australia briefly in July 1971, and in September Sam See left to join progressive group Fraternity, led by Bon Scott; he was replaced by the erstwhile Greg Grace. Flying Circus headed back to Canada in late '71 and worked there regularly for most of 1972, finding audiences much more receptive than at home. After scoring a reputed million-dollar contract with Capitol Records, they cut their highly-regarded Gypsy Road LP, which consolidated all their past hard work. The single Old Enough (To Break My Heart) reached #8 on the Canadian charts and the follow-up Maple Lady even made the lower reaches of the US Top 100.

They returned to Australia for the second Sunbury Festival in January 1973, but the time away had watered down their local popularity, and the band was reportedly less than impressed by the lukewarm reception they received. On returning to Canada, Sam See rejoined the group (having left Fraternity while in England) and Greg Grace again left the band, this time for good -- he later became the roadie for Canadian band band Wireless, which included three ex-members of Autumn.

The Flying Circus recorded one more rock album, the aptly titled Last Laugh in 1974 and released the US-only single Jabber Jabber/Gypsy Road but by the end of that year the group had run its course. See and Wilkins toured and recorded with Canadian band Lighthouse, and Doug Rowe settled in Toronto, where he set up his own studio and lived for many years before eventually returning to Australia. Sam See joined up with Greg Quill's Southern Cross, and after that outfit returned to Australia and split he moved on to form Stockley See & Mason with fellow veterans Chris Stockley (Southern Cross, Dingoes, Cam-Pact) and Glyn Mason (Chain, Cooperwine, Home, Ariel).

• Conn, Paul - 2000 Weeks: The First 30 Years of Australian Rock (1996)
• McFarlane, Ian - Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop (1999)
• McGrath, Noel - Australian Encyclopedia of Rock (1978)
• Who's Who of Australian Rock & Roll