Cold Chisel

1973–1978: Beginnings Cold Chisel originally formed as Orange in Adelaide in 1973 as a heavy metal band with Ted Broniecki on keyboards, Les Kaczmarek on bass guitar, Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano. Kaczmarek left Cold Chisel during 1975 and was replaced by Phil Small on bass guitar. In May 1977, Barnes told his fellow members that he would leave again. From July he joined Feather for a few weeks, on co-lead vocals with Swan – they were a Sydney-based hard rock group, which had evolved from Blackfeather. It peaked at No. 4 and was the top-selling album in Australia by a locally based artist for that year; 1981–1982: Swingshift to Circus Animals The Youth in Asia Tour performances were used for Cold Chisel's double live album, Swingshift (March 1981). Half of the songs had lyrics written by Barnes and music by Walker, a new combination for Cold Chisel, with Barnes noting his increased confidence after writing two autobiographies. 2024: 50th anniversary tour On 29 May 2024, Cold Chisel announced The Big Five-O Live tour, celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. The tour began in Armidale on 5 October 2024 and ending in New Zealand in January 2025. It was released on various formats on 8 August 2025. ==Musical style and lyrical themes==

McFarlane described Cold Chisel's early career in his Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (1999): "after ten years on the road, [they] called it a day. Not that the band split up for want of success; by that stage [they] had built up a reputation previously uncharted in Australian rock history. By virtue of the profound effect the band's music had on the many thousands of fans who witnessed its awesome power, Cold Chisel remains one of Australia's best-loved groups. As one of the best live bands of its day, [they] fused a combination of rockabilly, hard rock and rough-house soul'n'blues that was defiantly Australian in outlook." The Canberra Times Luis Feliu, in July 1978, observed, "This is not just another Australian rock band, no mediocrity here, and their honest, hard-working approach looks like paying off." He further wrote, "the range of styles tackled and done convincingly, from hard rock to blues, boogie, rhythm and blues, is where the appeal lies." Influences from blues and early rock n' roll was broadly apparent, fostered by the love of those styles by Moss, Barnes and Walker. Small and Prestwich contributed strong pop sensibilities. This allowed volatile rock songs like "You Got Nothing I Want" and "Merry-Go-Round" to stand beside thoughtful ballads like "Choirgirl", pop-flavoured love songs like "My Baby" and caustic political statements like "Star Hotel", an attack on the late-1970s government of Malcolm Fraser, inspired by the Star Hotel riot in Newcastle. The songs were not overtly political but rather observations of everyday life within Australian society and culture, in which the members with their various backgrounds (Moss was from Alice Springs, Walker grew up in rural New South Wales, Barnes and Prestwich were working-class immigrants from the UK) were quite well able to provide. Cold Chisel's songs were about distinctly Australian experiences, a factor often cited as a major reason for the band's lack of international appeal. "Saturday Night" and "Breakfast at Sweethearts" were observations of the urban experience of Sydney's Kings Cross district where Walker lived for many years. "Misfits", which featured on the B-side to "My Baby", was about homeless kids in the suburbs surrounding Sydney. Songs like "Shipping Steel" and "Standing on The Outside" were working-class anthems and many others featured characters trapped in mundane, everyday existences, yearning for the good times of the past ("Flame Trees") or for something better from life ("Bow River"). ==Recognition==

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993 they were inducted into the Hall of Fame. ==Members==

Current members • Ian Moss – guitars, backing and lead vocals (1973–1984, 1997–1999, 2003, 2009–present) • Don Walker – keyboards, backing vocals (1973–1984, 1997–1999, 2003, 2009–present) • Jimmy Barnes – lead and backing vocals, occasional guitar (1973–1975, 1976–1977, 1978–1984, 1997–1999, 2003, 2009–present) • Phil Small – bass guitar, backing vocals (1975–1984, 1997–1999, 2003, 2009–present) • Charley Drayton – drums, percussion, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (2011–present) Current touring musicians • Dave Blight – harmonica • Andy Bickers – saxophone • Juanita Tippins – backing vocals • Eliza Jane Barnes – backing vocals • Bek Jensen – backing vocals Former members • Steve Prestwich – drums, percussion, backing and lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1973–1983, 1983, 1997–1999, 2003, 2009–2011; his death) • Ted Broniecki – keyboards (1973) • Les Kaczmarek – bass guitar (1973–1975; died 2008) • John Swan – percussion, backing vocals (1975) • Ray Arnott – drums (1983) Former touring musicians • Billy Rogers – saxophone • Jimmy Sloggett – saxophone • Renée Geyer – backing vocals (died 2023) • Venetta Fields – backing vocals • Megan Williams – backing vocals (died 2000) • Peter Walker – acoustic guitar • Joe Camilleri – saxophone • Wilbur Wilde – saxophone Timeline ==Discography==

• Cold Chisel (1978) • Breakfast at Sweethearts (1979) • East (1980) • Circus Animals (1982) • Twentieth Century (1984) • The Last Wave of Summer (1998) • No Plans (2012) • The Perfect Crime (2015) • Blood Moon (2019) ==Awards and nominations==

APRA Awards The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982. ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Cold Chisel was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001. South Australian Music Awards The South Australian Music Awards are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012. The South Australian Music Hall of Fame celebrates the careers of successful music industry personalities. TV Week / Countdown Awards Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. ==See also==