1966–1969: The Groop The Groop formed in Melbourne in 1964 and had recorded singles, an
EP and an
LP, before Cadd and Charles were asked to join in October 1966 along with guitarist Don Mudie. On advice from pop magazine
Go-Set writer
Ian "Molly" Meldrum Cadd changed his surname to Caine, before changing it back after his family protested. which reached No. 6 in Melbourne and No. 12 in Sydney in July 1967.It was also a hit in parts of the US. Melbourne singer
Ronnie Burns had a local hit with "When I Was Six Years Old"
1969–1971: Axiom Following the break-up of The Groop, Cadd and Mudie formed
Axiom in May 1969 with
Glenn Shorrock (ex-
The Twilights) on vocals, Doug Lavery (ex-The Valentines) on drums and Chris Stockley (ex-
Cam-Pact) on guitar. Studio musicians used by Cadd became the Bootleg Family Band and had their own hit single by covering
Loggins and Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance", where Cadd provided lead vocals. Cadd also won the composer's section of Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds for 1972 with his song, "Don't You Know It's Magic", this became a top 20 hit for John Farnham (known then as "Johnny" Farnham). and its sequel
Alvin Purple Rides Again in 1975. After releasing his third solo album,
Moonshine, in 1974, Cadd left Australia for the US.
1975–1979: United States Cadd arrived in
Los Angeles in 1975 and began working on a record with
Chelsea Records. The label was forced into bankruptcy and ultimately ceased. Cadd then signed with
Capitol Records and released his fourth studio album,
White On White, in 1976. The album was mixed and produced to have a "pop sound" along the lines of
Elton John and
Billy Joel, but performed poorly in the US. In 1978, Cadd released
Yesterdaydreams which also performed poorly and his contract with Capitol Records ceased. The track "Yesterdaydreams" was covered by
Bonnie Tyler.
1980–1993: The Flying Burrito Brothers and Graffiti Records Early in 1980, Cadd toured France with the "French Elvis",
Johnny Hallyday. He recorded solo albums for Interfusion, his songs were also recorded by
Gene Pitney,
Glen Campbell,
Dobie Gray,
Cilla Black,
Wayne Newton,
Bonnie Tyler,
Joe Cocker and
Ringo Starr. returning to Australia in 1993. In 1997, Cadd built a recording studio Ginger Man Sound. In March 1998 he took over as CEO of The Streetwise Music Group in Brisbane, eventually becoming a co-owner. The company, which is distributed through
Warner Music, now has some 20 acts spread over three labels (Streetwise, Stallion and Belly Laugh). Cadd is the chairman of the Music Industry Advisory Council (Australia), President of the
Australian Music Foundation Cadd lectures at universities as well as continuing to record and perform, he independently released an album of new material
Quietly Rusting in 2005 featuring musicians like Mark Meyer, Tony Naylor,
Wilbur Wilde and
Ross Hannaford together with some of Australia's hottest new players including Paul White, Damien Steele-Scott and
James Meston. In 2007, Cadd was inducted into the
ARIA Hall of Fame, his acceptance speech included: Also in 2007, Cadd was inducted into the Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) Songwriters Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifetime of songwriting achievements. In November 2010, Cadd released his autobiography,
From This Side of Things. In 2011, Cadd released a country album,
Wild Bulls and Horses, with his longtime friend
Russell Morris.
2016–present: Bulletproof and Silver City In November 2016, Cadd released a new studio album with
the Bootleg Family Band,
Bulletproof, which was credited to Cadd and t he Bootleg Family Band. Cadd issued a solo studio album,
Silver City (January 2019). He followed in April 2024, with a country music album,
Dream Train. ==Personal life==