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Zoot (band)

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Not to be confused with Zoot Money.

Zoot
Also known asDown the Line
OriginAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
GenresPop rock
Years active
  • 1964–1971
  • 2011
  • 2018
Labels
SpinoffsLittle River Band
Websitezootlive.com

Zoot were a pop rock band formed in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1964 as Down the Line.[1][2][3] They changed their name to Zoot in 1967 and by 1968 had relocated to Melbourne.[1][2] They had a top-five hit on the Go-Set national singles chart with a heavy rock cover of the Beatles' ballad "Eleanor Rigby" released in 1970, but they disbanded in May 1971.

Mainstay members were Beeb Birtles on bass guitar, later a founder of Little River Band in 1975 and Darryl Cotton on lead vocals, later a solo artist and then a television presenter. Their guitarist and singer-songwriter, Rick Springfield, from 1969 to 1971, moved to the United States in 1972, achieved international fame as a solo artist, songwriter and actor.[1] Zoot reunited for the Rick Springfield and Friends cruise in November 2011. Darryl Cotton was diagnosed with liver cancer in May 2012 and died in July 2012.

Career

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1964–1968: Early years

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In 1964, Plympton High School mates John D'Arcy, Gordon Rawson and Gerard Bertlekamp (later known as Beeb Birtles) began to learn and play popular songs of the day. Ted Higgins was added and the band was named Times Unlimited.[4][5] They were joined by Darryl Cotton, lead vocalist from local rivals, The Murmen[3][6] and were renamed Down the Line from The Hollies' version of Roy Orbison's song "Go Go Go (Down the Line)".[3][7] Down the Line performed covers of English Mod groups: The Hollies, The Move, The Who and The Small Faces in many clubs and discos around Adelaide, gradually gathering a following.[1][3]

In May 1967, Darryl Sambell, who also managed rising singer, Johnny Farnham, used Down the Line as session musicians on demo recordings which secured Farnham a contract with EMI Records. After recording with Farnham, Down the Line were approached by Adelaide-based promoters, Alan Hale and Doc Neeson, who were interested in band management and suggested to change their name to Zoot.[3]

Zoot were playing some original material in their set and by early 1968 decided to move to Melbourne. D'Arcy didn't want to go and was replaced on guitar by Steve Stone.[1][3]

1968–1969: Think Pink

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In August 1968, Zoot arrived in Melbourne and were co-managed by Wayne de Gruchy and Tony Knight. The group were signed with Columbia Records/EMI Music and recorded their first single, "You'd Better Get Goin' Now", a Jackie Lomax cover with David Mackay producing.[1][3] Both Higgins and Stone returned to Adelaide and were replaced in September by Rick Brewer on drums (ex-Third Party) and Roger Hicks on lead guitar, respectively.[1][3] It was de Gruchy's idea to create a publicity gimmick, "Think Pink – Think Zoot".[4] On 3 September 1968, de Gruchy invited the music media to Berties discothèque—co-owned by him and Knight—to promote Zoot's debut single.[1][3][4] Continuing the "Think Pink" theme, band members were dressed head-to-toe in pink satin and arrived at venues in Cotton's pink painted car.[1][3] The gimmick brought attention to the group and attracted teenage female fans, however it caused problems in establishing their credibility as serious rock musicians and a backlash from male fans.[1][3]

By December, management by de Gruchy was dropped in favour of Sambell and Jeff Joseph, who also managed Farnham and the Masters Apprentices.[3] The "Think Pink" theme continued.[1][3] Zoot's second single, "1 × 2 × 3 × 4", recorded by the Birtles, Brewer, Cotton and Hicks line-up, was released in January 1969 and reached No. 32 on the Go-Set National Top 40 singles chart.[1][8] Besides radio airplay, the band appeared regularly on local pop music TV show, Uptight!.[1][3] The band's third single, "Monty and Me", continued the "Think Pink" theme with Cotton's dog, Monty, dyed pink.[1][3] The track was produced by Go-Set's writer, Ian Meldrum and reached No. 33 June.[9]

Also in June 1969, Zoot were voted Top Australian Group in Go-Set's pop poll.[10] In July they undertook a tour through the eastern states with Ronnie Burns, the Sect and Jon Blanchfield on the bill.[3] In September 1969 Hicks left for the Avengers, and was replaced by Rick Springfield (ex-Icy Blues, Moppa Blues Band, Wickedy Wak).[11] Also in that month, Zoot joined other Australian bands on the national Operation Starlift tour, which was generally a publicity success but a financial failure.[3] For Zoot, it also brought about increased media ridicule, peer envy and scorn from detractors, much of the criticism was homophobic such as "pretty pink pansies" taunts.[3] In October 1969 they issued another single, "About Time"/"Sha La La".[3] In December they made headlines when they were assaulted by street toughs in Brisbane.[citation needed]

1970–1971: New Image, Just Zoot and break up

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Main article: Just Zoot

By early 1970, band members had tired of the garish pink outfits and associated harassment and physical abuse, hence, to rid themselves of the bubblegum/teen idol image, they burnt their outfits on TV music show, Happening '70.[1] In April 1970, Zoot promoted their single "Hey Pinky", with an advertisement in Go-Set which featured a nude picture of their buttocks.[1] "Hey Pinky" was a hard charging guitar oriented song but it failed to chart.[1] The song was rebellious in nature and openly mocked the pink outfits as well as their previous management and their detractors.[3]

The group's debut studio album Just Zoot was released in July and reached number 12 on the Australian Kent Music Report. In August 1970, Zoot finished second to The Flying Circus at the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds.[1][12]

In December 1970 Zoot released a heavy metal cover of The Beatles' song, "Eleanor Rigby" which became their most popular single when it peaked at No. 4 in March 1971.[13] It remained in the Top 40 for twenty weeks and reached No. 12 on the Top Records for the Year of 1971.[14] Their next single, "The Freak" / "Evil Child", another hard rock song, was released in April 1971 and peaked into the top 30.[15]

With the chart success of "Eleanor Rigby", RCA expressed interest in bringing them to the United States to record, but they encountered problems with visa work permits, and Springfield was being scouted for a solo career.[3] Along with other disappointments and frustrations, this led to the band breaking up in May 1971.[1] Go-Set published its 1971 pop poll results in July, with Zoot in third place behind Daddy Cool for 'Best Group', while "Eleanor Rigby" won 'Best Single' ahead of Daddy Cool's "Eagle Rock".[10] EMI/Columbia released a compilation, Zoot Out late in 1971.[1]

1971–present: After break-up

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Main articles: Beeb Birtles, Darryl Cotton, and Rick Springfield

After Zoot, Birtles and Cotton almost immediately formed a duo called Darryl and Beeb, which became Frieze when they were sponsored by Frieze Brothers (a clothing company).[1] The band released a single, "Feelings" in September 1971 on Sparmac Records and an album, BC 1972, on Warner Brothers in June 1972, using session musicians.[1][16] Frieze disbanded in May and Cotton travelled to America while Birtles joined Mississippi (previously known as Allison Gros and then as Drummond).[1] Mississippi evolved into Little River Band in 1975.[1]

Springfield also signed with Sparmac and released "Speak to the Sky" in October 1971,[1] which peaked at No. 6 on the Kent Music Report. Sparmac label owner, Robie Porter, was also producer and manager for Springfield.[3] After recording his debut album, Beginnings in London, Springfield moved to the United States in mid-1972, where he achieved international fame as a solo artist, songwriter and actor and continues to record.[1]

Brewer drummed for a succession of bands including, Cashbox, Bootleg, Whole Man and I'Tambu before joining The Ferrets in 1976,[17] which had a No. 2 hit with "Don't Fall in Love" on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.[18] He has also drummed for Jim Keays (ex-The Masters Apprentices) in his band Southern Cross and subsequently for The Motivators and Greg Baker's Blues Party.[17]

2011–present: Reunion and Archaeology

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Zoot reformed for the Rick Springfield and Friends cruise in November 2011.[19] The cruise took place from 5–10 November 2011 on the Carnival Destiny out of Miami. The band consisted of Springfield, Birtles, Cotton and Brewer.[20]

Darryl Cotton died on 27 July 2012 from liver cancer.[21]

In 2018, the band released an anthology entitled Archaeology, including a new recording of "Life in a Northern Town".[22]

In late 2020, Zoot was scheduled to reform for four Australian shows, with a line-up consisting of band friend and contemporary Russell Morris joining Springfield, Birtles, and Brewer; however, owing to COVID-19, this tour was postponed to 2022.[23] In April 2022, it was announced that the tour had been cancelled.[24]

On 24 June 2022, Zoot released "That Was Then".[25]

Members

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  • Beeb Birtles – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals (1964–1971, 2011)
  • Darryl Cotton – lead vocals, guitar (1964–1971, 2011; died 2012)
  • Teddy Higgins – drums (1964–1968)
  • John D'Arcy – lead guitar, backing vocals (1964–1968)
  • Steve Stone – lead guitar (1968)
  • Rick Brewer – drums (1968–1971, 2011)
  • Roger Hicks – lead guitar (1968–1969)
  • Rick Springfield – lead guitar, backing vocals (1969–1971, 2011)

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with Australian chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
Just Zoot 12

Compilation and live albums

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List of compilation and live albums
Title Album details
Zoot Out
  • Released: 1971
  • Label: Columbia (SCXO 9842)
  • Format: Vinyl
Zoot Locker
  • Released: 1980
  • Label: EMI (EMY-502)
  • Format: 2xCD + DVD
Live - The Reunion
Archaeology
  • Released: 23 November 2018 [26]
  • Label: EMI (7720473)
  • Format: CD, Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

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List of Extended Plays
Title Album details
4 Shades of Pink

Singles

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Year Title Peak chart positions Album
Go-Set
[27] 		KMR
[18][28]
1968 "You'd Better Get Goin' Now" — 87 Just Zoot
"1 × 2 × 3 × 4" 32[8] 25
1969 "Monty and Me" 33[9] 36
"About Time" / "Sha La La" — 73
1970 "Hey Pinky" / "Strange Things" — 61 Zoot Out
"Eleanor Rigby" 4[13] 4
1971 "Evil Child" / "The Freak" 27[15] 27
2022 "That Was Then[25]" - - non album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards and nominations

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Battle of the Sounds

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The Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds was an annual national rock/pop band competition held in Australia from 1966 to 1972.[29]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1970 themselves Battle of the Sounds National Final 2nd

Go-Set Pop Poll

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The Go-Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper, Go-Set and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.[30]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1969 themselves Best Australian Group 1st
1970 themselves Best Australian Group 5th
Ricky Springfield Best Australian Guitarist 2nd
Rick Brewer Best Australian Drummer 3rd
Ricky Springfield Best Australian Composer 5th
1971 themselves Best Australian Group 3rd
Darryl Cotton Best Australian Male Vocal 6th
Ricky Springfield Best Australian Guitarist 1st
Rick Brewer Best Australian Drummer 2nd
Ricky Springfield Best Australian Songwriter/Composer 4th
"Eleanor Rigby" Best Australian Single 1st
Beeb Birtles Best Australian Bass Guitarist 2nd

South Australian Music Awards

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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.[31]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2017 Zoot Hall of Fame inductee [32][33]

References

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General
  • McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 21 January 2010. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
  • Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara, Paul McHenry with notes by Ed Nimmervoll (2002) [1987]. The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Noble Park, Vic.: Five Mile Press. ISBN 1-86503-891-1.[34]
  • Swift, Brendan. "Zoot > Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry for 'Zoot'. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b Spencer et al, (2007) ZOOT entry. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Duncan Kimball, ed. (2002). "ZOOT". MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Zoot (2018). Archaeology (CD). EMI Music.
  5. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) TIMES UNLIMITED entry. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  6. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) MERMEN, THE entry. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  7. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) DOWN THE LINE entry. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Go-Set search engine results for "One Times Two Times Three Times Four"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Go-Set search engine results for "Monty and Me"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  10. ^ a b Kent, David Martin (September 2002). The place of Go-Set in rock and pop music culture in Australia, 1966 to 1974 (PDF) (MA). Canberra, ACT: University of Canberra. pp. 255–264. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  11. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) Springfield, Rick entry. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  12. ^ "Zoot at the Hoadley's 'Battle of the Sounds', August 1970". Rock Snaps. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 1999. Retrieved 24 January 2010. Note: Includes a photo from Laurie Richards Photographic Collection, Performing Arts Museum.
  13. ^ a b "Go-Set search engine results for "Eleanor Rigby"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Top Records for the Year of 1971". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Go-Set search engine results for "The Freak"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  16. ^ Spencer et al, (2007) Frieze entry. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  17. ^ a b Spencer et al, (2007) Brewer, Rick entry. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  18. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  19. ^ Cashmere, Paul (14 May 2011). "Zoot Testing The Waters With Reunion". undercover.fm. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  20. ^ "Special Guests: Zoot". rickspringfieldcruise.com. 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  21. ^ "Singer, actor Darryl Cotton dies". ninemsn.com.au. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  22. ^ "Zoot Compiled into Archaeology Collection To Mark 50th Anniversary - Noise11.com". www.noise11.com. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  23. ^ "Australian Rock Pioneers Zoot Reform for First Tour in Almost 50 Years". 18 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  24. ^ Brandle, Lars (13 April 2022). "Rick Springfield and Zoot Cancel Australia Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Zoot "That Was Then" Featuring Russell Morris On Vocals Has Been Officially Released". noise11. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Archaeology by Zoot". JB Hi Fi. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  27. ^ "Go-Set search engine results for "Zoot"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 21 January 2010. NOTE: Go-Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974.
  28. ^ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Turramurra, NSW: Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-646-44439-5. NOTE: Chart positions back calculated by Kent in 2005.
  29. ^ Stacey, Terence J. (2002). Duncan Kimball (ed.). "Hoadley's National Battle of the Sounds". MilesAgo: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  30. ^ "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  31. ^ "About SA Music Hall of Fame". SA Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  32. ^ "Inducted Bands". SA Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  33. ^ "AMC SA Music Hall Of Fame". Facebook. November 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  34. ^ Who's who of Australian rock / compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry. National Library of Australia. 2002. ISBN 9781865038919. Retrieved 21 January 2010. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
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