The Angels

The Angels are an Australian rock band that formed in 1974 in Adelaide as the Keystone Angels with Bernard "Doc" Neeson on lead vocals and bass guitar, John Brewster on rhythm guitar and vocals, his brother Rick Brewster on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Peter "Charlie" King on drums. In 1976, King was replaced by Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup on drums, Chris Bailey took over bass duties so Neeson could focus solely on vocals, and they changed their name to just 'the Angels'. Their studio albums that peaked in the Australian top 10 are No Exit (1979), Dark Room (1980), Night Attack (1981), Two Minute Warning (1984), Howling (1986) and Beyond Salvation (1990). Their top 20 singles are "No Secrets" (1980), "Into the Heat" (1981), "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" (1987), "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (live, 1988), "Let the Night Roll On" and "Dogs Are Talking" (both 1990).To avoid legal problems with similarly named acts in the international market, their records have been released under the names Angel City and later the Angels from Angel City, although the group has said numerous times that they dislike these names. Bands that have cited the Angels as having influenced their music include Guns N' Roses and Cheap Trick, who became friends and touring buddies, Great White, who have covered two of their songs, and Seattle grunge band Pearl Jam, among many others. Neeson left the group in 1999 due to spinal injuries sustained in a car accident and they disbanded the following year. Competing versions of the group subsequently performed using the Angels name, until April 2008 when the original 1970s line-up reformed for a series of tours until 2011, when Neeson and Bidstrup left again. Alternative versions continued with new members, with the current line-up featuring the founding Brewster brothers, John Brewster's sons Sam (bass) and Tom (drums) and lead vocalist Nick Norton.The Angels were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in October 1998 with the line-up of Bailey, John and Rick Brewster, Eccles and Neeson. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane declared that "The Angels had a profound effect on the Australian live music scene of the late 1970s/early 1980s. helped redefine the Australian pub rock tradition... brand of no-frills, hard-driving boogie rock attracted pub goers in unprecedented numbers. In turn, The Angels' shows raised the standard expected of live music. After 20 years on the road, the band showed little sign of easing up on the hard rock fever." Chris Bailey died of throat cancer on 4 April 2013, aged 62. Doc Neeson died of a brain tumour on 4 June 2014, aged 67.In November 1970, future member of the Angels, John Brewster on guitar, banjo, harp, backing vocals and washboard, and his younger brother Rick on violin, washboard, jug, backing vocals and percussion formed the Moonshine Jug and String Band, an acoustic ensemble, in Adelaide. Fellow members were Craig Holden on guitar, Bob Petchell on banjo and harp, and Pete Thorpe on tea chest bass, bass guitar, wash tub and backing vocals. In 1971 they were joined by Belfast-born immigrant, Bernard "Doc" Neeson, on guitar and lead vocals (ex-the Innocents), an arts student and former army sergeant, who already performed locally as Doc Talbot. The folk band gigged at local university campuses and cafes. Holden left in 1972.In 1973, Spencer Tregloan joined Moonshine Jug and String Band on banjo, kazoo, jug, tuba and backing vocals. They released their debut four-track extended play, Keep You on the Move, which made the top 5 in Adelaide. It contained a cover version of Canned Heat's "On the Road Again" and three original tracks: one written by John, one by John and Rick, and one by Neeson. It was followed in 1974 by a single, "That's All Right with Me". Both releases were on the Sphere Organisation label owned by John Woodruff, who later became the Angels' talent manager for two decades. In 2015 the group were inducted into the Adelaide Music Collective Hall of Fame.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.