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Peter Wells passed away on March 27th 2006 after a long and protracted bout with prostate and related cancers. He was much loved and will be much missed. He was an inspiration to countless many rockers over his four decade career and was known to some as the "Keith Richards of Aussie Rock".
Paul Norton and Cletis Carr dearly cherish the years spent playing alongside Pete in Hillbilly Moon. Goodbye, old friend.
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One fine afternoon in 1994, three of Australia's most eclectic and enigmatic individuals got together over a serious carton of beer and planned an album of collective songs and performances. The result, Hillbilly Moon - Volume One was a fresh slice of acoustic-driven roots rock and became a hit with both critics and fans alike.
Paul Norton left Melbourne band The Runners in 1988 to kickstart a solo career. His 1989 single, Stuck On You became Mushroom Records' biggest selling single of that year and earned Paul a platinum award. He followed up with 1990's Under A Southern Sky, which became another Top Ten smash.
Peter Wells hit big in the 1970's with blues-rock outfit Buffalo before joining Aussie rock legends, Rose Tattoo. For nearly thirty years the band has influenced generations of younger rockers, most notably Guns n' Roses, who covered Nice Boys Don't Play Rock n Roll on their multiplatinum album, Appetite For Destruction.
Cletis Carr first found success in the seminal late-70's American power pop band Sneakers before launching a solo career that saw him sharing stages with the likes of Tom Petty, Huey Lewis, Joan Jett and Rockpile. A brief vacation in Australia has lasted for nearly two decades as he found himself touring with members of AC/DC, The Saints, The Angels and Rose Tattoo.
Hillbilly Moon's popular run was hindered by the individual's other careers and projects. Shortly after the release of Volume One, Peter headed off to Europe to tour with Rose Tattoo, Cletis Carr moved to Sydney to produce records, and Paul's wife Wendy Stapleton got immersed in her stage play based on the life of Dusty Springfield. Getting everyone together in the same town at the same time proved to be a logistical nightmare, and the band placed itself on the back burner.
They reunited in 1996 to record a second album, to be cleverly named Volume Two, but aside from Paul's song, I Won't Come This Way Again, which appeared on ABC/EMI's Open Road II compilation, the album has not yet been released.
However, the guys are talking about re-releasing Volume One, augmented with the best tracks from the unreleased Volume Two.
Watch this space for details, and join as a myfriend.
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