Python Lee Jackson: Difference between revisions

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'''Python Lee Jackson''' werewas an Australian [[rock music|rock]] band active from 1965 to 1968, before a brief sojourn in the United Kingdom from late 1968 to mid-1969. The group had recorded a single, "[[In A Broken Dream]]" (October 1970), featuring [[Rod Stewart]] as guest vocalist in April 1969. The group reformed in 1972 and the single was re-released in August: it peaked at No. 3 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and No. 56 on the United States [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. The group disbanded again later that year. Their early vocalist, Mal McGee (1966–68) died on 17 May 2012.

== Australian period ==

Python Lee Jackson werewas formed in December 1965 in Sydney by two men from the United Kingdom – Frank Kennington and Mick Liber (born 1 March 1944, [[Peebles, Scotland]]) – and David Montgomery (born September 1945, Melbourne) on drums (ex-[[Jeff St John|Jeff St John & the Id]]). Both Liber, on guitar, and Kennington, on vocals, were former members of the Denvermen, a surf instrumental group in Sydney, from mid-1965 and contributed to that group's single, "I Can Tell" (November).<ref name="Kimball">{{cite web | archiveurl = http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/35967/20100315-0848/www.milesago.com/artists/denvermen-2.html | url = http://www.milesago.com/Artists/friends.html | title = The Denvermen | last1 = Kimball | first1 = Duncan | publisher = Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions | year = 2002 | archivedate = 7 March 2008 | accessdate = 23 May 2017 }}</ref>

With Roy James on bass guitar, Python Lee Jackson played the underground circuit. In early 1966, Kennington was deported to the UK, and former [[theThe Missing Links]] singer, Bob Brady, filled in for several months before Liber and Montgomery put a new line-up together. In March 1966 keyboard player and singer, David Bentley (born 1943, Brisbane), left Jeff St John & the Id to join his old bandmate, Montgomery, alongside Liber, together with former Unit 4 bass player, Lloyd Hardy (a.k.a. "Cadillac" Lloyd Hudson).<ref name="McFarlane">{{cite book | last1 = McFarlane | first1 = Ian | authorlink1 = Ian McFarlane | title = [[Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop]] | chapter = Encyclopedia entry for 'Python Lee Jackson' | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20040806231537/www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=660 | chapterurl = http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=660 | year = 1999 | publisher = [[Allen & Unwin]] | ___location = [[St Leonards, New South Wales|St Leonards, NSW]] | archivedate = 6 August 2004 | isbn = 1-86508-072-1 }}</ref><ref name="Lewes"/>

In June, the quartet added former [[Wild Cherries]]' Melbourne-born singer, Malcolm McGee (1 November 1945{{spaced ndash}}17 May 2012), and opened Rhubarb's club in Sydney's [[Liverpool Street, Sydney|Liverpool Street]]. McGee described how Python Lee Jackson is "the ultimate name. Group names are becoming more and more ridiculous – PLJ is the name to end all names."<ref name="Lewes">{{cite news | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44025118 | title = Clothes Help on the (L)Adder to success | last = Lewes | first = Jackie Lee | newspaper = [[The Australian Women's Weekly]] | volume = 34 | issue = 25 | date = 16 November 1966 | accessdate = 22 May 2017 | page = 61 | via = [[National Library of Australia]] }}</ref>

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In 1972, David Bentley, Mick Liber, and David Montgomery made recordings with new members Gary Boyle (guitar) and former [[The Easybeats]]' member Tony Cahill (bass). These tracks subsequently appeared on the band's only album (also titled ''In a Broken Dream'') alongside the earlier Rod Stewart recordings from 1969. This resulted in the release of the song and the subsequent charting. The song was popular in Europe and appeared on the [[soundtrack]] of [[film]]s and documentaries (including the art house [[film|movie]] ''[[Breaking the Waves]]'') and became the subject of many cover versions. [[Rod Stewart]] included the [[song]] on two anthologies of previously recorded work and in 1996 an English band, [[Thunder (band)|Thunder]], delivered a high-octane rendering that propelled it into the [[United Kingdom|UK]] chart for the second time. In 2004, a cover of the song appeared on ''[[Relations (album)|Relations]]'', recorded by British [[singer]] [[Kathryn Williams]]. In 2009, [[Half A Cow]] released ''[[Sweet Consolation (album)|Sweet Consolation]]'', a 24 track anthology of the band's work. Meant to be a definitive collection, it does not contain "In A Broken Dream" as the producers were unable to obtain the required licences needed to include their most famous song.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sweet Consolation|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-consolation-r1697276/review|publisher=www.allmusic.com|accessdate=1 December 2011}}</ref> Cahill was replaced on bass by Chris Belshaw shortly before the band dissolved.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

Following the dissolution of the band, Montgomery would gowent on to briefly play drums for the [[United States|American]] band [[King Harvest]]. He had beenwas due to meet with [[Brian Jones]] on the day of Jones's death to discuss a collaboration.

== Members ==