Wayne Duncan (musician)
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31 May 1944
Wayne Duncan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Wayne Ian Duncan 31 May 1944 Preston, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 4 December 2016 (aged 72) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1959–2016 |
| Formerly of | |
Wayne Ian Duncan (31 May 1944 – 4 December 2016) was an Australian rock musician. In 1970 he was a founding member of the doo-wop band, Daddy Cool, providing bass guitar and backing vocals. They were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006. During his career he had also been a member of the Rondells, Sons of the Vegetal Mother, Gary Young's Hot Dog, Jane Clifton and the Go Go Boys, the Black Sorrows, and the Hornets. In late November 2016 Duncan had a stroke and died a week later, he was survived by his domestic partner, Anne, and by two children. According to Australian music journalist, Ian McFarlane, "Duncan was never a sedate bassist. One only has to listen to some of the latter-day DC material... to hear how inventive his playing could be."
Wayne Ian Duncan was born on 31 May 1944 and grew up in Preston, a Melbourne suburb, as one of six children.[1][2][3] Duncan left Northcote High School, aged 15, to work as a copy boy for a newspaper.[3] He learned to play bass guitar and, from 1959, periodically performed in instrumental groups including the Ramrods and then the Lincolns.[3][4]
Duncan and Gary Young (drums, vocals) were the rhythm section of numerous Melbourne-based bands from 1963.[4][5][6] They first worked together when Duncan joined Young in the Lincolns, replacing Ian Allen on bass guitar, alongside Gil Matthews on guitar, Ed Nantes on guitar and Roger Treble on lead guitar.[5] Duncan had been taught bass guitar by Allen.[6] The Lincolns added a singer, Bob Johnson, when beat music broke through in 1964.[5]
The Lincolns changed their name to the Rondells whenever they backed Bobby & Laurie, a popular singing duo of Bobby Bright and Laurie Allen.[6][7] The touring version of the Rondells in 1965 were Duncan, Treble and Young joined by John Sullivan on rhythm guitar who was later replaced by Barry Rodgers.[4] Bobby & Laurie, backed by the Rondells, had a No. 1 hit, with their cover version of Roger Miller's "Hitch Hiker", in May 1966.[6][7][8]
The Rondells also backed other artists: Bobby Knight, Lynne Randell, Buddy England, Billy Adams and Bobby Shore.[5] In February 1967, following the split of Bobby & Laurie, Allen formed a soul music group, Dice, later renamed the Laurie Allen Revue.[4][5] The line-up included Duncan and Young, with Barry Rogers, Phil Manning on guitar and backing singers, sisters Glenys and Colleen Hewett.[5] The Revue released three singles on Festival Records – "Beautiful Brown Eyes" (August 1967), "Any Little Bit" (April 1968) and "As Long As I Got You" (June 1968).[5]
