Southern Sons
Southern Sons | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1989–1996, 2019–present |
| Labels | Wheatley Records, RCA Records, Sony BMG |
| Members | Jack Jones Virgil Donati Phil Buckle Geoff Cain Peter Bowman |
Southern Sons is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 1989 by members of The State along with lead vocalist and guitarist Irwin Thomas, who was then using the stage name Jack Jones. They are best known for their Australian top ten hits "Heart in Danger", "Hold Me in Your Arms", and "You Were There".
Career
[edit]1989–1991: Beginnings and Southern Sons
[edit]Southern Sons were established in 1989 and featured several members of the band The State, one such member guitarist Phil Buckle and Sons lead man Jack Jones in 1990 worked alongside John Farnham as session musicians on his album Chain Reaction, as well a accompanied Farnham on tour. The group signed a record deal with Farnham's manager Glenn Wheatley on his Wheatley Records label.[2]
In July 1990, Southern Sons released their debut single "Heart in Danger", which peaked at number 5 on the ARIA Charts. In November 1990, the single "Always and Ever" was released as well as the group's debut self-titled album, Southern Sons peaked at number 5 on the ARIA albums chart. A third single, the ballad "Hold Me in Your Arms" was released in March 1991 and peaked at number 9.
1992–1996: Nothing But the Truth and Zone
[edit]In August 1992, Southern Sons released "Lead Me to Water", the lead single from the group's second studio album. The song peaked at number 36. Nothing But the Truth, was released in November 1992 and came with the departure of guitarist Peter Bowman. The album's third single "You Were There" peaked at number 6 in May 1993. The Sydney Dance Company included three Southern Sons songs in its 1993 production of Beauty and the Beast.[2][3]
Southern Sons' third and final studio album, Zone, was released in 1996. The album's lead single, "Don't Tell Me What's Right", featured vocals from Men at Work's Colin Hay. Soon after the album's release, Southern Sons disbanded.[3]
1996–2018: After Southern Sons
[edit]Jones was married to New Zealand-born Australian actress Rebecca Gibney from 1992–1995. The marriage ended in divorce. Jack Jones reverted to his birth name Irwin Thomas and has recorded under that name with several projects, including Mudhead and Electric Mary, while also joining John Farnham on multiple tours. In 1999 Jones played on the Tour of Duty – Concert for the Troops for peacekeeping Australian troops in Dili, East Timor.[3]
2019–present: Band re-formation
[edit]In 2019 the group re-formed after 22 years, for One Electric Day concert.[4][5]
Members
[edit]- Jack Jones – lead vocals, guitar
- Phil Buckle – guitar, vocals
- Peter Bowman – guitar, vocals
- Geoff Cain – bass
- Virgil Donati – drums, studio keyboards
- Pete Drummond - tour drums and vocals
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] | |||
| Southern Sons | 5 | ||
| Nothing But the Truth |
|
26 | |
| Zone |
|
129 |
Compilation albums
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Truth |
|
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] | ||
| Train Tracks |
|
40 |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] | ||||
| 1990 | "Heart in Danger" | 5 |
|
Southern Sons |
| "Always and Ever" | 16 | |||
| 1991 | "Hold Me in Your Arms" | 9 | ||
| "The World Is Mine" (European release) | N/a | |||
| 1992 | "Lead Me to Water" | 36 | Nothing But the Truth | |
| "I Can't Wait Any Longer" | 111 | |||
| 1993 | "You Were There" | 6 |
| |
| "Sometimes" | 99 | |||
| "Silent Witnesses" | 88 | |||
| 1996 | "Don't Tell Me What's Right" | 57 | Zone | |
| "Trust in Me" | 127 |
Video albums
[edit]| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Southern Sons: The Video (VHS) |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Song | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Heart in Danger" | Craig Griffin |
| "Always and Ever" | Lance Reynolds | |
| "Hold Me in Your Arms" | Craig Griffin | |
| 1991 | "Waiting for That Train" | Neil Stone, Robbie Blackburn |
| 1992 | "Lead Me to Water" | |
| "You Were There" | ||
| 1995 | "Trust in Me" |
Other appearances
[edit]| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "The Little Drummer Boy" | The Spirit of Christmas 1993 |
| 1995 | "You Were There" | Music from Blue Heelers (Television soundtrack) |
Awards and nominations
[edit]APRA Awards
[edit]The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.[9]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Heart in Danger" (Phil Buckle) by Southern Sons | Most Performed Australian Work | Won |
| 1993 | "You Were There" (Phil Buckle) by Southern Sons | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| 1994 | "You Were There" (Phil Buckle) by Southern Sons | Most Performed Australian Work | Nominated |
ARIA Music Awards
[edit]The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. 1927 have won three awards.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Heart in Danger" | Breakthrough Artist - Single | Nominated | [10] |
| Southern Sons | Breakthrough Artist - Album | Nominated | ||
| Ross Fraser for "Heart in Danger" by Southern Sons | Producer of the Year | Won | ||
| Doug Brady for "Always and Forever" and "Heart in Danger" by Southern Sons | Engineer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1992 | "Hold Me in Your Arms" | Song of the Year | Nominated | [11] |
| Ross Fraser for "Hold Me in Your Arms" by Southern Sons | Producer of the Year | Nominated |
References
[edit]- ↑ Leeson, Josh (22 December 2017). "Golden return of Price". Newcastle Herald.
- 1 2 "Encyclopedia entry for 'Southern Sons'". Whammo. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - 1 2 3 4 "Southern Sons Announce 2026 Heart In Danger Tour". noise11. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "One Electric Day". Frontier Touring. November 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Southern Sons to Play First Show in 25 Years". noise11. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Southern Sons". noise11. December 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Southern Sons in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 261.
- All ARIA peaks: "Southern Sons ARIA Chart history to 2025". ARIA. Retrieved 18 May 2025 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- 1 2 3 Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ↑ "Nine first-time winners in 12 APRA Music Award categories". APRA Awards. Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021.
- ↑ "Winners by Year 1991". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ↑ "Winners by Year 1992". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
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