After completing an electronics course, he took a job as an audio operator at TVW 9, and in 1972 got his big break when he picked up the support act gig on Roy Orbison’s 1972 tour of Aust. At the end of that tour he relocated to Sydney and secured a recording contract with EMI via Peter Dawkins (above centre), who would produce his future records. He would emerge in the 1970’s as one of Australia’s foremost singer/songwriters along with such contemporaries as Kevin Johnson, Mike McClellan, Richard Clapton and Glenn Cardier.
Ross distributed copies among his friends, and the LP finally came to the attention of Perth radio station 6PM, and manager Al Maricic.
In 1973, he released his second album 'A Poem You Can Keep' which charted well at #22, and went on to record his signature hits later in the same year. The haunting and poetic "I Am Pegasus" was the product of Ryan merging two previously separate compositions, one about a messy love affair with a female flight attendant, and another about the fact that he discovered his name Ross, is a German/Hebrew metonymic name for a horse breeder/ keeper, literally a horse.
In November ’73, he also had success with the albums 'My Name Means Horse' (#3 in ’74) and 'After the Applause' (#35 in ‘75) and he continued to assemble a credible body of work over the next 20 years but never really rose to these heights again.
Album Tracks (as described by Ryan)
Track 1: I Am Pegasus
From the album 'My Name Means Horse' 1974
As anyone who has heard me discuss this song will know, I have always had mixed feelings about the old 'Pegasus'. It would of course be churlish for me to slag off my (as I like to refer to it) 'albatross-foot-in-the-door-song' and I must admit that with the passage of time I've become rather fond of it.
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My call is that "I Am Pegasus" was and still is a great record - and in this regard, the credit for its success should rightly go to producer Peter Dawkins (who alone picked it as a potential hit) and arranger Peter Martin. They took a quirky, almost comedic song that I'd written in my lounge room and turned it into an anthem. How cool is that?
From the album 'My Name Means Horse' 1974
As anyone who has heard me discuss this song will know, I have always had mixed feelings about the old 'Pegasus'. It would of course be churlish for me to slag off my (as I like to refer to it) 'albatross-foot-in-the-door-song' and I must admit that with the passage of time I've become rather fond of it.
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I guess the turning point for me was about 20 years ago when I heard a muzak version of 'Pegasus' as I sat on a plane at Kununurra airport in northern WA. I realised then that the song didn't really belong to me any more. It had a life of its own. I was thrilled!
As a song, I've written better. But for a piece of music that was exactly in the right place at the right time; that was one of those songs that became part of the soundtrack to the lives of many folks I'll never know - I am truly grateful. The track features the legendary Eniruobmat (aka Tambourine)
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Additional Engineering: Richard Lush & Ernie Rose
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: George Bruno
Keyboards: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
Domora: Keith Harris
Eniruobmat: Peter Dawkins
Track 2: Empire lady
From the album 'A Poem You Can Keep' 1973
"Empire Lady" is a very '70s kind of track. Close your eyes and you'll see visions of flared jeans, cheesecloth shirts, unkempt beards and black and white TV. Sort of charming and scary all at the same time.
As a song, I've written better. But for a piece of music that was exactly in the right place at the right time; that was one of those songs that became part of the soundtrack to the lives of many folks I'll never know - I am truly grateful. The track features the legendary Eniruobmat (aka Tambourine)
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Additional Engineering: Richard Lush & Ernie Rose
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: George Bruno
Keyboards: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
Domora: Keith Harris
Eniruobmat: Peter Dawkins
From the album 'A Poem You Can Keep' 1973
"Empire Lady" is a very '70s kind of track. Close your eyes and you'll see visions of flared jeans, cheesecloth shirts, unkempt beards and black and white TV. Sort of charming and scary all at the same time.
An early criticism of my recordings was that they were somewhat over-arranged. Maybe so, but I tend to think that arranger Peter Martin's orchestral approach worked well on this track. I hope you agree.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: Dave Ellis
Piano: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
Tambourine: John Sangster
Backing Vocals: Terry Walker, Mike Leyton, Betty Lys & Bobbi Marchini
From the album 'My Name Means Horse' 1974
Shortly after the success of the Roy Orbison tour, I got to see the other side of show business when I was booked to play at the just opened Wrestpoint Casino in Hobart, supporting Shari Lewis and her loveable puppets - Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse and Lamb Chop (see above).
Needless to say, it wasn't a great mix and I just died! Talk about seeing the other side of show business! And so it was an unsettling week-long experience immortalised by the song 'Blood On The Microphone'
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Additional Engineering: Richard Lush & Ernie Rose
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Additional Engineering: Richard Lush & Ernie Rose
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: George Bruno
Keyboards: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
Domora: Keith Harris
Eniruobmat: Peter Dawkins
Track 4: Orchestra Ladies
From the album 'My Name Means Horse' 1974
This song was an early attempt at writing a song sympathetic to the feminist cause. Unfortunately, due to a misguided attempt at humour, it totally missed its mark. So, to all the Australian university campuses that blacklisted me in the 70's because of this song, let me set the record straight. 'Orchestra Ladies' is satire. Not a putdown and certainly not autobiographical.
I won't deny that being an entertainer is a great icebreaker and there are many (Bob Geldoff springs to mind) who openly admit they formed a band to get laid. Because it's not uncommon, after a gig, for a total stranger to come up and to start talking to you like they know you - and in a sense, they do. And if that person happens to be a member of the opposite sex and the chemistry and timing is right ... well it sure beats the pants off speed dating! Title courtesy of Maria Van Vljman.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: Valda Hammick
Keyboards: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
Mandolins: Keith Harris
Accordion: Enzo Toppano
From the album 'A Poem You Can Keep' 1973
This was the opening track on the 'Poem' album and my first single. At the time I recall folks raving about the opening drum fill. I'm still not quite sure what to make of that.
The song was an exercise in writing for a band, any band - rather than something I'd play. However producer Peter Dawkins felt it was somewhat more commercial than most of the material I had at the time and would help balance the album.
As a single it charted in Queensland and in my home state of Western Australia - entering the Go-Set National Top 40 charts (attributed to Ross Egan) at number 38 before vanishing the following week. But hey - I'd made the top 40!
Interesting Note: The single was also released in the U.S Unfortunately, a St Louis radio station - the only station in America with the song on its playlist - was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: Dave Ellis
Keyboards: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
E. Guitar: Peter Martin
Backing Vocals: Terry Walker, Mike Leyton, Betty Lys & Bobbi Marchini
Track 6: Goodbye Mitchie (Mitchy)From the album 'Smiling For The Camera' 1977
Written (somewhat fatalistically and definitely prophetically) for my then girlfriend Jan Miller (now Henderson), 'Mitchy' materialised as a whole song whilst I was driving from Subiaco to my house in West Perth - a 10 minute journey. Ah - those were the days! Maybe it's my farm-boy background, but for some reason - with such lines as "you ain't gone yet" and "I done my best" - it sounds like it was composed by a toothless, Alabama sharecropper. Well, I was driving a Ford Ute at the time.
Sadly, I lost touch with Mitchy after she moved back to New Zealand. If there's anyone out there who knows her whereabouts, please ask her to give me an ahoy!
'Goodbye Mitchy' is not a track I would have necessarily chosen for a 'best of', because it features the worst rhyme of my writing career - "lady" with (ahem ..) "afraid-ee".
This was the opening track on the 'Poem' album and my first single. At the time I recall folks raving about the opening drum fill. I'm still not quite sure what to make of that.
The song was an exercise in writing for a band, any band - rather than something I'd play. However producer Peter Dawkins felt it was somewhat more commercial than most of the material I had at the time and would help balance the album.
As a single it charted in Queensland and in my home state of Western Australia - entering the Go-Set National Top 40 charts (attributed to Ross Egan) at number 38 before vanishing the following week. But hey - I'd made the top 40!
Interesting Note: The single was also released in the U.S Unfortunately, a St Louis radio station - the only station in America with the song on its playlist - was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: Dave Ellis
Keyboards: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
E. Guitar: Peter Martin
Backing Vocals: Terry Walker, Mike Leyton, Betty Lys & Bobbi Marchini
Written (somewhat fatalistically and definitely prophetically) for my then girlfriend Jan Miller (now Henderson), 'Mitchy' materialised as a whole song whilst I was driving from Subiaco to my house in West Perth - a 10 minute journey. Ah - those were the days! Maybe it's my farm-boy background, but for some reason - with such lines as "you ain't gone yet" and "I done my best" - it sounds like it was composed by a toothless, Alabama sharecropper. Well, I was driving a Ford Ute at the time.
Sadly, I lost touch with Mitchy after she moved back to New Zealand. If there's anyone out there who knows her whereabouts, please ask her to give me an ahoy!
'Goodbye Mitchy' is not a track I would have necessarily chosen for a 'best of', because it features the worst rhyme of my writing career - "lady" with (ahem ..) "afraid-ee".
Note: 'Mitchy' has also been spelt 'Mitchie' on some pressings - including the cover of this album.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: Dave Ellis
Piano: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
Handclaps: Peter Martin, Peter Dawkins & RR
Tambourine: Peter Dawkins
Backing Vocals: Terry Walker, Mike Leyton, Betty Lys & Bobbi Marchini
Track 7: Blue Chevrolet Ballerina
From the album 'After The Applause' 1975
"Blue Chevrolet Ballerina" brings together the banjo feel of Neil Young's 'For The Turnstiles' (from 'On The Beach') and Jeanie C. O' Reilly's 60's hit, 'Ode To Billy Joe'. In fact I've just realised how similar these two songs are.
Another influence was Jackson Browne's 'The Late Show' from the album 'Late For The Sky'', a peerless piece of work that I highly recommend to anyone. From that song (and the album's cover) I grabbed 'Chevrolet'. I have little interest in cars but I loved the sound and romance of the word and somehow, and from somewhere, 'ballerina' seemed to fit too. All I had to do then was work out the car's colour!
From 'Billy Joe' came the idea of writing a mysterious, clue-laden short story song. A puzzle, that if you were inclined, you could look closely at and solve. For lots of reasons, I really enjoyed writing 'Blue Chev' and have never tired of performing it.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by Peter Martin
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Doug Gallacher
Bass: Dave Ellis
Piano: Tony Esterman
Acoustic Guitars: Peter Martin & RR
Handclaps: Peter Martin, Peter Dawkins & RR
Tambourine: Peter Dawkins
Backing Vocals: Terry Walker, Mike Leyton, Betty Lys & Bobbi Marchini
From the album 'After The Applause' 1975
"Blue Chevrolet Ballerina" brings together the banjo feel of Neil Young's 'For The Turnstiles' (from 'On The Beach') and Jeanie C. O' Reilly's 60's hit, 'Ode To Billy Joe'. In fact I've just realised how similar these two songs are.
Another influence was Jackson Browne's 'The Late Show' from the album 'Late For The Sky'', a peerless piece of work that I highly recommend to anyone. From that song (and the album's cover) I grabbed 'Chevrolet'. I have little interest in cars but I loved the sound and romance of the word and somehow, and from somewhere, 'ballerina' seemed to fit too. All I had to do then was work out the car's colour!
From 'Billy Joe' came the idea of writing a mysterious, clue-laden short story song. A puzzle, that if you were inclined, you could look closely at and solve. For lots of reasons, I really enjoyed writing 'Blue Chev' and have never tired of performing it.
Arranged by William Motzing
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Will Dower
Bass: John Young
Guitars: Jimmy Kelly & RR
Piano: Ian Mawson
Fiddle: Paul Trenwith
Backing Vocals: Alison MacCallum, Ian Stewart, Sonny Egan
Track 8: Sedel (Never Smiled At Me)
From the album 'After The Applause' 1975
One night, at an after work staff party, some friends were teasing me about an attractive croupier who was sitting alone; encouraging me to go and talk to her. The notion quickly became academic as moments later her boyfriend arrived and whisked her away. This then became the running joke of the evening, creating enough source material for this song. And because I didn't even know the girl's name, I simply made one up. Sedel. I don't know .. it sounded French or something.
The punch line to all this is that over the years I've been contacted by a number of couples who actually named their daughters Sedel. One of these girls even wrote enquiring as to the name's origin. I can only imagine her horror when I told her the story!
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by William Motzing
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Will Dower
Bass: John Bartlett
Guitars: Jimmy Kelly & RR
Synthesizer: Mike Carlos
Track 10: Postcard From Berlin
From the album 'After The Applause' 1975
Boy meets girl. Girl already with another boy. Boy in first instance typically becomes depressive. For effect, writes love song set in Nazi Germany. Uses open G tuning - capo second fret.
"Postcard From Berlin" was written late one night in Melbourne after the final mixing session for "I Am Pegasus".
Track 9: Dancing
The third single taken from the album 'Smile For The Camera'.
Track 11: Who Am I?
This was the first single taken from the album 'Smile For The Camera'.
Track 12. Anthem
The B-Side to Dancing and also taken from the album 'Smiling For The Camera' 1977.
"Anthem" was an attempt at writing the 4 minute Great Australian Novel. Having immigrated to Australian from America back in the 50's as a young child, I ceased to be an American, which at such a young age didn't mean anything anyway - but at the same time I can't say I grew to feel Australian. To paraphrase this song, I've never really known what that meant; and in 1976 when I wrote 'Anthem', it seemed to me that a lot of Australians, in a sense, felt the same way.
Today Oz is a more confident nation; globalisation, the affordability of travel and the communication revolution having helped level the playing field. The cultural cringe hasn't entirely disappeared, but at the same time, despite the certainly cringe-worthy "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" mentality of the sunburn set and the occasional 'Jumbuck Fascist', Australians have little regard for the kind of dangerously moronic patriotism often associated with the land of my birth.
Good on ya! This song was dedicated to Gough and Gunston.
Unfortunately, neither the album nor these singles charted, and the changing trends in music with the emergence of punk and New Wave saw the singer-songwriter 'genre' being perceived as "old hat" by record companies and radio programmers.
Produced & Arranged by Rick Formosa
Engineered by Michael Vidale
Drums: Jim Duke-Yonge
Bass: Les Young
Piano: Roger Frampton
E. Guitar: Rick Formosa
French Horn: Boof Thomsen
Tenor Sax: Tony Buchanan
Vocal Assistance: Mark Holden
Strings: Conducted by Riccardo Formosa, Section Leader: John Lyle
[Extracts from Ross Ryan's Website with thanks]
Following his departure from the label, EMI released this compilation of Ross’ best tracks entitled 'I Thought This Might Happen 1973-77'. During 1977, Ryan supported U.S visitors Roberta Flack and Dr Hook on their respective Australian tours. He then set off on an overseas holiday with his girlfriend (now wife) Helen covering Europe, England and the USA.
Ryan returned invigorated and would embark on a rich and varied second stage of his career that would see a greater emphasis on his comedic leanings, including the cult ABC-TV comedy series 'Give 'Em Heaps', two one-man audio visual shows 'Sing The One About The Horse' (1984-1985) and 'You Can Trust me, I'm A Musician' (1988). Two further singles "Chaplin & Harlow" / "Postmark Paradise" (Polygram) and "Hello Stranger" / "Ballad Of The Double Bay Batman" (Powderworks) failed to chart and apart from another EMI compilation (on CD) entitled 'The Greats Of Ross 1973-1990' (AXIS) all subsequent releases were self-released on his 'Coathanger' label.
Ross' landmark 1974 LP My Name Means Horse has been reissued on CD by Gil Matthews and Ted Lethborg's Aztec Music label. The CD includes two bonus tracks, "Blood On The Microphone" (1984 re-recording) and a live acoustic version of "I Am Pegasus" from GTK in 1973. (see AZTEC RECORDS)
This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl (purchased from Brash Suttons in Geelong back in the late 70's) and includes full vinyl artwork and label scans. As far as I can tell, this compilation has never been released on CD. Although there have been other 'best of' releases since, I think this one is the BEST ! I think I saw Ross play at La Trobe University in 1977 (but am only 50/50 on this as much of my first year at Uni was a blur LOL )
05 I Don't Want To Know 3:10
From the album 'After The Applause' 1975
One night, at an after work staff party, some friends were teasing me about an attractive croupier who was sitting alone; encouraging me to go and talk to her. The notion quickly became academic as moments later her boyfriend arrived and whisked her away. This then became the running joke of the evening, creating enough source material for this song. And because I didn't even know the girl's name, I simply made one up. Sedel. I don't know .. it sounded French or something.
The punch line to all this is that over the years I've been contacted by a number of couples who actually named their daughters Sedel. One of these girls even wrote enquiring as to the name's origin. I can only imagine her horror when I told her the story!
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by William Motzing
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Will Dower
Bass: John Bartlett
Guitars: Jimmy Kelly & RR
Synthesizer: Mike Carlos
Track 10: Postcard From Berlin
From the album 'After The Applause' 1975
Boy meets girl. Girl already with another boy. Boy in first instance typically becomes depressive. For effect, writes love song set in Nazi Germany. Uses open G tuning - capo second fret.
"Postcard From Berlin" was written late one night in Melbourne after the final mixing session for "I Am Pegasus".
At the time I was 'seeing' (or to be more precise, I was trying to 'see') an air hostess named Kathy who was a major inspiration for the 'horse' song. For reasons that to this day escape me; and completely forgetting her involvement - I stupidly (not to mention tactlessly) invited her to the session at Armstrong Studios. Cue lead balloon metaphors.
My muse was unamused !
Unsurprisingly, I ended up alone in my hotel room. There, under the influence of Leonard Cohen and several bottles of red wine, I took the events of the day, superimposed them over a Nazi Germany scenario and somehow, blind drunk, managed to write 'Berlin'. Sometimes that's what it takes.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by William Motzing
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Russell Dunlop
Bass: Tim Partridge
Guitar: RR
Backing Vocals: Catherine Hastings, Lorraine Dalton & Bronwyn Macintosh
My muse was unamused !
Unsurprisingly, I ended up alone in my hotel room. There, under the influence of Leonard Cohen and several bottles of red wine, I took the events of the day, superimposed them over a Nazi Germany scenario and somehow, blind drunk, managed to write 'Berlin'. Sometimes that's what it takes.
Produced by Peter Dawkins
Arranged by William Motzing
Engineered by Martin Benge
Drums: Russell Dunlop
Bass: Tim Partridge
Guitar: RR
Backing Vocals: Catherine Hastings, Lorraine Dalton & Bronwyn Macintosh
Track 9: Dancing
The third single taken from the album 'Smile For The Camera'.
Track 11: Who Am I?
This was the first single taken from the album 'Smile For The Camera'.
The B-Side to Dancing and also taken from the album 'Smiling For The Camera' 1977.
"Anthem" was an attempt at writing the 4 minute Great Australian Novel. Having immigrated to Australian from America back in the 50's as a young child, I ceased to be an American, which at such a young age didn't mean anything anyway - but at the same time I can't say I grew to feel Australian. To paraphrase this song, I've never really known what that meant; and in 1976 when I wrote 'Anthem', it seemed to me that a lot of Australians, in a sense, felt the same way.
Today Oz is a more confident nation; globalisation, the affordability of travel and the communication revolution having helped level the playing field. The cultural cringe hasn't entirely disappeared, but at the same time, despite the certainly cringe-worthy "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" mentality of the sunburn set and the occasional 'Jumbuck Fascist', Australians have little regard for the kind of dangerously moronic patriotism often associated with the land of my birth.
Good on ya! This song was dedicated to Gough and Gunston.
Unfortunately, neither the album nor these singles charted, and the changing trends in music with the emergence of punk and New Wave saw the singer-songwriter 'genre' being perceived as "old hat" by record companies and radio programmers.
Produced & Arranged by Rick Formosa
Engineered by Michael Vidale
Drums: Jim Duke-Yonge
Bass: Les Young
Piano: Roger Frampton
E. Guitar: Rick Formosa
French Horn: Boof Thomsen
Tenor Sax: Tony Buchanan
Vocal Assistance: Mark Holden
Strings: Conducted by Riccardo Formosa, Section Leader: John Lyle
[Extracts from Ross Ryan's Website with thanks]
 |
| Ross Ryan Pinboard Collage |
Ross's EMI contract came to an end after the release of 'Smiling for the Camera', and he consequently split with his manager 'Doug Henderson'.
Following his departure from the label, EMI released this compilation of Ross’ best tracks entitled 'I Thought This Might Happen 1973-77'. During 1977, Ryan supported U.S visitors Roberta Flack and Dr Hook on their respective Australian tours. He then set off on an overseas holiday with his girlfriend (now wife) Helen covering Europe, England and the USA.
Ross' landmark 1974 LP My Name Means Horse has been reissued on CD by Gil Matthews and Ted Lethborg's Aztec Music label. The CD includes two bonus tracks, "Blood On The Microphone" (1984 re-recording) and a live acoustic version of "I Am Pegasus" from GTK in 1973. (see AZTEC RECORDS)
Track Listing
01 I Am Pegasus 3:40
02 Empire Lady 4:45
03 Blood On The Microphone 4:10
04 Orchestra Ladies 2:50
06 Goodbye Mitchie 3:05
07 Blue Chevrolet Ballerina 4:00
08 Sedel (Never Smiled At Me) 4:15
09 Dancing 4:35
10 Postcard From Berlin 4:40
11 Who Am I? 3:00
12 Anthem 4:45
Ross Ryan Link (233Mb)
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