Andrew Pendlebury

Early years

Andrew Scott Pendlebury was born in 1952 and grew up in Melbourne. His father, Laurence "Scott" Pendlebury (1914–1986); and mother, Eleanor Constance "Nornie" Gude (8 December 1915 – 24 January 2002); were both visual artists. His older sister, Anne Lorraine Pendlebury (born 21 August 1946), became a stage, film and TV actress. In May 1953 Scott won the Dunlop Art Contest, with a first prize of A£300, ahead of Arthur Boyd.

From the age of four years Pendlebury studied classical violin learning Bach and Vivaldi. After completing secondary education, Pendlebury followed his parents into visual arts and exhibited art works, which were "mainly impressionistic-style landscapes". Inspired by Django Reinhardt and Jimi Hendrix, Pendlebury taught himself guitar and began a career in music. By 1979 Anne appeared in the ABC-TV drama series, Twenty Good Years. Scott's portrait of his two children, Anne and Drew Pendlebury (actress and musician respectively), was a finalist for the 1979 Archibald Prize.

In the mid-1970s Pendlebury was a member of The Sharks with Peter Crosbie on keyboards. In 1976 he joined an R&B, country outfit, The Myriad Band, with Carrl Myriad on guitar and vocals, Mark Ferrie on bass guitar, Phil Smith on drums, and Chris Wilson on organ. This line-up provided three live tracks, "Ballad of the Station Hotel", "Rock 'n' Roll Highway" and "Glenrowan", for a Various Artists album, Live at the Station (1977).

The Sports to debut solo album

In August 1977 Andrew Pendlebury left Myriad to join an R&B, rockabilly group, The Sports. The Sports had formed a year earlier with Stephen Cummings on lead vocals, Ed Bates on guitar, Paul Hitchins on drums, Robert Glover (ex-Myriad) on bass guitar and Jim Niven on piano. Upon joining Pendlebury also assisted Cummings with songwriting. The band released their first album, Reckless, in 1978 on Mushroom Records, which peaked at No. 43 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. It provided four charting singles, "Boys! (What Did the Dective Say)" (No. 55), "When You Walk in the Room" (No. 42), "Who Listens to the Radio?" (No. 35) and "Reckless". "Who Listens to the Radio?", co-written by Cummings and Pendlebury, was their only hit on the United States Billboard Pop Singles chart, peaking at No. 45 in November 1979.

The band toured the United Kingdom in 1979 as support to Graham Parker & the Rumour, signing a deal with UK label Stiff Records. In the US they were released via Arista Records, and the Ariola Label in continental Europe. Their second album, Don’t Throw Stones, consolidated their Australian chart success, peaking at No. 9, and yielding two singles, "Don't Throw Stones" (No. 26) and "Suspicious Minds" (No. 74). Their third album, Suddenly, featured a slicker, more pop sound, and charted at No. 74. It provided two more singles, "Strangers on a Train" (No. 22) and "Perhaps". During his time with The Sports, Pendlebury worked on side projects, including The Gentlemen with Bates, Wayne Duncan (Daddy Cool) on bass guitar, and Freddie Strauks (Skyhooks) on drums. The Sports fourth album, Sondra (No. 20), was released in 1981. It yielded three singles "Stop the Baby Talking", "How Come?" (No. 21) and "When We Go Out Tonight". By the end of the year The Sports had disbanded.

Pendlebury spent a year with The Dugites alongside The Sharks' band mate, Crosbie on keyboards and backing vocals, and Lynda Nutter on lead vocals. During his brief tenure they issued a single, "No Money" (July 1982), and the related mini-album, No Money (August). In 1983 he joined the Stephen Cummings Band reuniting with Cummings and Ferrie. Pendlebury played on Cummings' first solo album Senso (released August 1984) and subsequent three albums, This Wonderful Life (September 1986), Lovetown (January 1988) and A New Kind of Blue (March 1989). Pendlebury also toured Australia with Stephen Cummings' Lovetown. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1990 A New Kind of Blue won 'Best Adult Contemporary Album' for Cummings.

In July 1987 Pendlebury released his debut solo album, Between the Horizon and the Dockyard, on Cleopatra Records which was co-produced by Pendlebury with Mark Woods. For the album he was backed by Ferrie and drummer Peter Jones, with Cummings guesting on lead vocals for "She Set Fire to the House", which was issued as a single in September. According to Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, the album showcased "an eclectic mix of styles from country swing, Spanish, Bluegrass, jazz and rock".

Slaughtermen and more solo work

From 1986 Andrew Pendlebury joined a post-punk, Southern gospel group, Slaughtermen, with Ferrie, Ian Stephen on vocals, piano and organ; and Des Hefner on drums. The group released two albums, Still Lovin' You (1986) and Melbourne, Memphis and a Mansion in the Sky (1988), before Pendlebury re-focused on his solo career. In 1988 Pendlebury released his second solo album, Tigerland, which was followed in 1990 by Zing went the Strings on WEA Records. On both albums Pendlebury worked with Pete Linden (pedal steel), Paul Grabowsky (piano), Stephen Hadley (bass), J. J. Hacket (drums), Shane O’Mara, Nick Smith, Cummings, Doug de Vries and Michael Williams. For his fourth solo album, Don’t Hold Back that Feeling (May 1993), Pendlebury enlisted guest vocalists including Chris Wilson, Deborah Conway, Kate Ceberano and Dave Steel. The album was critically acclaimed and, the following year, won the ARIA Award for 'Best Adult Contemporary Album'. In 1993 he collaborated with De Vries on an album Karate and again in 1995 to record Trouble and Desire for ABC Music.

2000s and The Mercurials

In 2002 Pendlebury reunited with Ferrie and formed a twin guitar duo; the following year they released an album, Late Night at the Nicholas Building. When they added a third member, Adi Sappir, an Israeli cellist, they were named, The Mercurials. Their first performance was at the Ian Potter Gallery in the National Gallery of Victoria in December 2003. In March the next year they appeared at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, which was followed by appearances at the 2006 Port Fairy Folk Festival and Mt Beauty Music Muster. In July 2005 The Mercurials released their debut self-titled album. This was followed by a second one, Tangents in 2008, and a third album, Silver and Gold in 2009.

In 1999 McFarlane had described Pendlebury as having "pursued a career that garnered him much critical acclaim, but little in the way of mainstream success. Although occasionally compared with Tommy Emmanuel, Pendlebury has preferred to follow a more low-key, highly specialised path away from the limelight".

Discography