Brian Cadd Biography
Brian Cadd (Brian George Cadd) is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboardist and producer born on 29th November 1946 in Perth, Australia. He is the President of Australian Music Foundation and also the co owner of The Streetwise Music Group in Brisbane and owner of Ginger Man studio. In June 2018 he was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) for his remarkable music career.
Brian Cadd is the chairman of the Music Industry Advisory Council (Australia), President of the Australian Music Foundation and is on the board of the musicians’ benevolent organisation, Support Act.
In 2007 Brian Cadd was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, same year he was inducted into the Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) Songwriters Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifetime of songwriting achievements.
Brian Cadd Age
Brian was born on 29th November 1946 in Perth, Australia (72 years as of 2018)
Brian Cadd Photo
Brian Cadd Wife
Brian began dating Amanda Pelma in 2002 who was one of his promoters for his ‘Long Way to the Top Tour’. Amanda is a producer, director and TV personality who has been a judge on It Takes Two since 2006.
” Strangely, we hadn’t known each other for long before it happened. I’d lived and worked in America for years, while Amanda was getting into the music business – starting Kylie Minogue’s singing career and working with Michael Gudinski at Mushroom. I’d only been back here a few years when she put together the Long Way to the Top concert tour in 2002 with Chuggie (promoter Michael Chugg) and Thorpie (the late Billy Thorpe) and I was recruited for it. So she was the boss (producer) and I was the hired help. You wouldn’t think a relationship could arise out of that, but we got on famously. There was a relaxed feeling and so that tour became a beginning for us – and that amazed both Amanda and me.
The unfortunate situation was that we were both with others when we met. At our ages I suppose that might have been expected, and it wasn’t as if either of us was looking for someone else. In a way, we didn’t particularly want this to happen, but our feelings for one another convinced us it was worth having a go at making it work. I guess these things do happen. It was stressful – and because it was going to be very public when it came out, that added to the stress. we wanted to announce it in our own way. Then a journo in Melbourne outed us. Pow! Things took an often-difficult course from there.” Brian said during an interview.
He was previously married but there is no data about his wife except that they were caught in the flash flood of the Mudgeeraba River (Gold Coast, Queensland) in February 1999 and their car was washed off a causeway. Together with his then wife were swept away before they could get ashore where they were rescued by local resident.
Brian Cadd Children
Brian has four children and has two step children from his relationship with Amanda Pelma.
Brian Cadd Daughter
Brian Cadd has a daughter from his previous relationship. In February 1999 they were caught in the flash flood of the Mudgeeraba River (Gold Coast, Queensland) and their car was washed off a causeway. All three escaped the sinking car through its windows, but Cadd and his wife were swept away before they could get ashore. They were subsequently rescued by a local resident.
Brian Cadd Band
At the age of 12 Brian Cadd won a TV talent search and was offered his first professional job as a pianist for a children’s TV program.His family relocated to Tasmania and then Melbourne, where Cadd became involved in jazz music of the early 1960s, playing with the Beale Street Jazz Band [Rick Mabin, tpt; Frank Turner, d.] and The Castaways. By 1965 The Castaways became The Jackson Kings playing R&B, with Cadd on piano and Ronnie Charles on vocals they recorded two singles “Watch Your Step” and “Watermelon Man” by April 1966.
In October 1966 Brian Cadd, Charles and guitarist Don Mudie were asked to join ‘The Groop’ which was formed in 1964 and had released recorded singles, an EP and an LP. The new line-up was: Cadd, Charles, Mudie and Max Ross on bass and Richard Wright on drums.
The first single for this line-up was “Woman You’re Breaking Me” (written by Cadd and Wright) which reached No. 6 in Melbourne and No. 12 in Sydney in July 1967.The band won a trip to UK from the 1967 Hoadley’s National Battle of the Sounds.They returned to Australia in October 1969 and Ross left, including “Such A Lovely Way” before disbanding in May 1969.
In May 1969 Brian Cadd and Mudie formed Axiom with Glenn Shorrock (ex-The Twilights) on vocals, Doug Lavery (ex-The Valentines) on drums and Chris Stockley (ex-Cam-Pact) on guitar. On 7th December 1969 they released their debut single “Arkansas Grass” after they were signed by EMI. Axiom travelled to England and attempted to enter the UK market but had no chart success. Then, relocating to the US, they released their single “My Baby’s Gone” in January 1971, this was followed by their second album If Only… in September. However, Axiom had already disbanded by March and Cadd returned to Australia.
Brian Cadd Solo Career
After Cadd and Mudie released a duet “Show Me the Way” which reached number 15 in the early 1972, Cadd began producing other acts and recording solo material on his own Bootleg Records label which was set up under Ron Tudor’s Fable Records. In November 1972 he released his self-titled debut album on Bootleg Record which was preceded by his single “Ginger Man”.
In 1975 Brian Cadd relocated to Los Angeles and began working on a record label with Chelsea Records which was forced into bankruptcy and ultimately ceased, and Cadd signed with Capitol Records. He released his fourth studio album in 1976 titled, White On White. The album performed poorly in the US. In 1978, Brian Cadd released Yesterday dreams, but also performed poorly and the contract with Capitol Records ceased.
In the mid 1980s, Brian Cadd ran a small label called Graffiti Records and worked with Daryl Sommers and was the first person to sign Tina Arena. Cadd released an album of his own titled, No Stone Unturned in 1985. Brian Cadd travelled to Nashville in 1989, joined the Flying Burrito Brothers in 1991 and toured with them for two years, returning to Australia in 1993.
In 1997, he 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).
In November 2010 Brian Cadd released his Autobiography “From This Side of Things”. In 2011 Cadd released a country album with lifelong friend, Russell Morris, titled, Wild Bulls and Horses. In November 2016 Brian Cadd released a new studio album with The Bootleg Family Band, titled Bulletproof, which was credited to Brian Cadd and The Bootleg Family Band.
Brian Cadd Albums
- Brian Cadd
- Moonshine
- White On White
- Yesterdaydream
- Great Brian Cadd
- Quietly Rusting
- Cleanskin
- The Story of Sharky & the Caddman
- Bulletproof
- Wild Bulls & Horses
Brian Cadd Songs
- A Little Ray of Sunshine feat. Glenn Shorrock
- All In the Way (That They Use My Face)
- Alvin Purple
- Angry Words feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Arkansas Grass feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Axiom Medley: Sailing Ships / Mansfield Hotel / Fool’s Gold / Ford’s Bridge feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Cool Change feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Don’t You Know It’s Magic feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Ginger Man
- Good Night Princess
- Hate & Love feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Heavenly Night In September
- Help is On It’s Way feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Home On a Monday feat. Glenn Shorrock
- It’s a Long Way Home feat. Frankie Miller
- Let Go
- Mama Don’t Dance feat. Glenn Shorrock
- My Baby’s Gone feat. Glenn Shorrock
- No Answer
- Pass On the Road
- Reminiscing feat. Glenn Shorrock
- Show Me the Way
- Tear Down the Barricades feat. Glenn Shorrock
Brian Cadd Tour Dates
- 1st February 2019: Brian with Russell Morris at Kedron – Wavell Services Club, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- 15th February 2019: Brian Cadd with Russell Morris and Jr Reyne at The palms at Crown Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- 22nd February 2019: Brian Cadd at Village Greeb Hotel, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- 3rd March 2019: Brian Cadd with Russell Moris and Jr Reyne at The Palms at Crown Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia