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Colin John Loughnan (; born 26 October 1942) is an Australian jazz saxophonist, teacher and composer, best known as a member of The Delltones, Ayers Rock, Judy Bailey quartet and as a teacher of saxophone at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Although Loughnan has long been associated with jazz music, the first nine years of his career were spent as a non-instrumental vocalist with vocal harmony groups The Crescents, and The Delltones starting in 1958. In the 60s, he learnt to play the saxophone, performing as an instrumentalist with Col Nolan and The Soul Syndicate, and as a founding member of the Daly-Wilson Big Band. At this time Loughnan was proficient in saxophones, flutes, and clarinet.
By the early 1970s, Loughnan had included session work, arranging music for television, and studying in the United States under Victor Morosco to his achievements. He was playing with Kala in London in 1973, before returning to Australia to join progressive rock, jazz fusion outfit Ayers Rock. Loughnan was a major influence on the sound of the band, and wrote most of their musically adventurous material. At the end of Ayers Rock's second tour of the United States, Loughnan chose to remain in the United States to continue his studies. He flew back to Australia in 1978 to take up the position of lecturer in saxophone, and arranging at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Jazz Faculty. Concurrent with teaching, he was playing jazz, working as a studio musician, and acting as musical director for Marcia Hines, and John Farnham, for ABCTV specials.
Loughnan has played with many top international artists including Sammy Davis Jr., Freddie Hubbard, Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis. He has played with a very long list of Australian musicians including Don Burrows, John Sangster, George Golla, Rhonda Burchmore, Errol Buddle, Bob Barnard and New Zealander Ricky May. His long-term collaboration with Judy Bailey has extended from the late 1970s to the present. Another collaborator, guitarist Steve Murphy joined Loughnan to record the album Feel the Breeze as a duo in 1981. In the early 1980s, he studied under venerated saxophone teacher Joseph Allard in New York City. He has led his own combo's the Col Loughnan Endeavour, and the Col Loughnan quartet.
Loughnan toured with Georgie Fame and The Aussie Blue Flames on Fame's frequent visits to Australia from 1979 to 2006. He has entertained both great and small, playing with the Sydney and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, and creating children's music in the studio for Australia's ABC Records. Loughnan recorded a solo album Ellen St., in 2007, of his own compositions, which was produced by his son, bassist Lyal Loughnan, and Loughnan himself. He was involved in a scientific experiment at The University of New South Wales, nicknamed the "Frankensax" experiment, which investigated the acoustics inside the mouth, and throat of a saxophonist while playing. He remains active in teaching and playing, often with friend Judy Bailey
Loughnan attended Marist Brothers College, Randwick, where he sang in the school choir with good friend Mike Downes.Johnstone, Damian (September 1989). "Fifties Aussie vocal group The Crescents". Big Beat magazine (Melbourne). pp 8—14. Loughnan briefly played drums in the school marching band. He also excelled in swimming."The boys who toured with Johnny Ray!" Celebrities magazine. November 1959. From 1957, he studied at South Sydney Junior Technical High School (now known as South Sydney High School), after which he was employed as an apprentice fitter and turner.
O'Keefe invited The Crescents to appear on his television program "Six O'Clock Rock" on 7 March 1959.McFarlane, Ian (1999) "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Crescents'" Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. . Retrieved 2 October 2015. This success later lead to further appearances on "Six O'Clock Rock", "Bandstand", and "Teen Time". The Crescents were heavily influenced by American vocal groups of the period, practising and working on their arrangements at Palace's parents' house, with Loughnan on the piano.
Promoter, Lee Gordon was closely associated with O'Keefe, and signed the group to his Leedon recording label. Gordon also drafted The Crescents into his "Big Shows": The Johnnie Ray Show in August 1959, and Fabian Forte in October the same year. In an interview with Damian Johnstone, Loughnan remembered the aftermath of the Johnnie Ray Show:
"we were all working on jobs prior to the tour, but after that tour we gave our jobs up. We made a fortune, or what seemed like a fortune, on that tour. I remember coming home with all this money ... We were all good looking guys in those days (laughing) ... We all wore the same clothes – with the quarter moon crescent insignia".These large scale tours allowed The Crescents to perform on the same bill as many of the top popular music acts in Australia, as well as the visiting American stars. They received good reviews including The Age, which stated that "of the ... supporting artists, The Crescents vocal group were the most popular" apart from Australian pop idol, O'Keefe. "Johnnie Ray Show Appeals to Fans". The Age Melbourne: David Syme & Co. 9 September 1959. p. 9. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
O'Keefe crashed his expensive imported red Plymouth near Kempsey in June 1960,Jackson, Graham (2001). Pioneers of Australian rock 'n' roll Robina, Qld.: AWSEM. p. 10. . suffering severe head, and facial injuries, and spending a fortnight in hospital. This had a profound effect on O'Keefe's life. Five months later, Loughnan was, himself, a passenger in a car crash. In November 1960, Loughnan, Alan Heffernan, Barry Stanton, and Ray Hoff were rounding a bend on a Victorian road, when a tyre blew out. Loughnan recounted:
"the next thing I remember was the car rolling over and over. The car went down an embankment and landed upside down. None of us were really badly hurt ... It had a bad effect on me. I remember I had nightmares for years after that. I just hated it".
The Crescents were invited to perform at The Ricky Nelson Show in September 1960. These were the first concerts at which O'Keefe performed after his car accident. By June 1961, The Crescents had released another three singles, and two EPs, without any chart success.
"When we first heard the song, it was really slow and full of all these funny chords but we thought it had possibilities and rearranged the tempo and harmonies".That year, the Delltones received four radio awards: the "Gold and Silver Baton Award", "Golden Microphone Award", and "The Best Australian Record Award".Barnes, Jim; Scanes, Stephen (2006). The Book : Top 40 Research 1956–2005 Scanes Music Research (Gorokan, N.S.W.) . Retrieved 18 February 2016. In this period, due to chart success, radio airplay, live performances, and many TV appearances, The Delltones were one of the most recognisable names in Australian music. From 1965, Loughnan was privately learning to play the saxophone at home in Randwick. The Delltones set out on an East Asian tour which included entertaining Australian soldiers in Vietnam. One of the five concerts in Vietnam was at Bien Hoa Air Base on 1 March 1966 in stifling heat. "Entertainers in Vietnam" Australian War Memorial Collection (Canberra). Retrieved 21 February 2016. Loughnan married Rhonda Moore on 30 May 1966. During his time with the group, they released nine singles and two albums (excluding compilation albums). In 1967, Loughnan decided to take a very different direction, and left the Delltones after five years as a member.
The band played six nights a week from 8 pm to midnight, and there was a featured artist, usually a solo singer, that changed after a week or a fortnight. These artists included Dig Richards, Eden Kane, The Ambassadors, the Power Brothers, Johnny O'Keefe and Ray Burton. Over time, Young was replaced by Michael Lawler on bass, Doyle gave notice and Jon Hayton took over on guitar, and Myers was sacked with his place being taken by Dave Macrae. In early 1968, Loughnan's services were no longer required because The Soulmates were cut back to a four piece outfit.
High expectations were placed on Ayers Rock during this formative period. Juke Magazine reported that they were hailed as "potentially the most exciting group ever to come together in this country". Juke also claimed that Ayers Rock were "individually some of the most respected, versatile and experienced musicians on the local circuit".
In an interview with Margaret MacIntyre of Rolling Stone (Australian edition), the group were asked about particular musicians who had influenced them: Loughnan liked Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Weather Report; Brown nominated Carlos Santana, while Doyle favoured Jackson Browne. Kennedy said: "the more people you can listen to the better. The more flexible you are in taste the better, otherwise you fall into limiting your playing to a few feels and that's it". Loughnan believed it was important to see "a country concert, a rock concert, or a symphony or whatever – it's all good music". Early repertoire included Burton's "Rock 'n Roll Fight (Going On)" and "Morning Magic", "Lady Montego" (written by McGuire), and "Nostalgic Blues" by Brown. Paul Gardiner of Rolling Stone observed that the early music of Ayers Rock "was still tied quite closely to existing American styles". Note: Review of a concert performed on 19 October 1975.
Loughnan wrote two new tunes, "Crazy Boys" and "Big Red Rock", initially for the band's live sets, and eventually for their first album. "Crazy Boys" had a spoken introduction, with Doyle and Loughnan ham-acting as typical people found at an Aussie hamburger joint (counter staff and patron) leading to the song's nickname, "The Hamburger Song". The banter was deliberately comical, and ridiculous. Juke referred to the song as "free form jazz", but, in addition, the use of electronic processing on the vocals, guitars and saxophone gave the music a crazy feel, reminiscent of psychedelic music. It had only two lines of lyrics, and a lengthy duration, leaving plenty of time for solos.
"Big Red Rock" was a long instrumental composition of constantly shifting moods, which wasn't easily categorised into one particular genre, although reviewers referred to it as jazz rock. It started and finished with quiet sections which were eerie and evocative,Suave, Leroy (aka Brian Wakefield). "HiFi Rock Record Review". Soundblast magazine. p. 80. and featured a long middle section, which gradually built from a soft beginning to a frenetic crescendo before breaking down to a slow, gentle mood again.Loughnan, Col. Ayers Rock. "Big Red Rock". Big Red Rock. Mushroom Records. 1974. (LP)
Ayers Rock were described as "a real Muso's band", "musician's musicians", and were "widely regarded as among the best musos in the country". Eloe Fanouche of RAM magazine observed that "The audiences in Melbourne – their home-base – are obviously enthusiastic, and tend to follow the group to their different venues". This phenomenon was encouraged by Ayers Rock changing the arrangements and solos, as well as the setlists, so that "It's not the same thing every night, unlike many bands" as Doyle said. (Publication) noted that "It was common to see a group of musicians clustered around the stage, specifically to observe Kennedy's playing". Kennedy said "I never really noticed it".Mitch (1 June 1974). "Parables & Paradiddles or the life and timing of one Mark Kennedy" Unknown publication. p. 8.
"but they put so much pressure and so much bullshit on us: they said that we had to use one of their producers and that he had to OK the musical content of the thing, that there was to be no one present except ourselves. It was just going to be so tight and so straight ... they sent us a telegram like an ultimatum saying if that's not good enough forget it, so after we heard all that we went back to Gudinski". Jimmy Doyle, 1975
There were other problems as well: these conditions were to be specified in a ten-year contract, and the first attempts to record (at Festival Records studios) left the band deeply unsatisfied with the sound, in that "the failed to capture their onstage dynamic aggression".
Ayers Rock put a proposal to Gudinski that they could record the album live-in-the-studio in two days. This was attractive to Gudinski because at that moment his company, Mushroom Records, was critically short of funds. The sessions at Armstrong's (21—22 September 1974) were described as "having a party before an audience with lights, drinks and food". Doyle told Margaret MacIntyre of Rolling Stone: "We depend a lot on audience response ... and when an audience is really into it, it just makes it so much better and easier to play". The invited audience were friends of the band, and special guests from the music industry. The album, Big Red Rock, was released in Australia and New Zealand in November 1974.
Duncan Kimball of MilesAgo.com stated:
" Big Red Rock was an early critical and commercial success for Mushroom, showcasing the band's considerable prowess and the material was a good balance between the more commercial song-based material of McGuire and Brown and the more adventurous instrumentals".Those instrumentals were "Crazy Boys" and the title track "Big Red Rock" written by Loughnan, and a cover of "Boogie Woogie Waltz" by Joe Zawinul of Weather Report.
Loughnan started experiencing strong back pain which increased to such an extent that he was forced to quit live performing for two months. Doyle explained: "We really missed Col ... so we had to readjust some of the tunes ... It made us play harder 'cos we were missing an instrument". Kennedy described Loughnan's return after surgery as "a real lift". Even after his return, he sat while playing because the pain became too much if he tried to stand for a whole performance. In a colour video of the band performing "Big Red Rock", Loughnan can be seen sitting on the right.
Highly respected US magazines Billboard and Cashbox gave the album positive reviews, with Billboard correctly predicting that it would receive US FM radio airplay.
During their stay, Ayers Rock recorded their second album at one of the best studios in the world, the Record Plant, L.A. Multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder was recording in the next studio, and David Bowie, The Eagles, and Jim Keltner visited the band during the sessions."Stars dig Ayers Rock" Sunday Press (Melbourne). 12 October 1975. p.20. According to the Sunday Press: "All have been thrilled by the music and have gone out to spread the word about Ayers Rock". Loughnan explained: "Bowie even came twice. He was really impressed with the music we were doing".
On the album, titled Beyond, which was released in Australia and the US in April 1976, Loughnan wrote the title track, "Beyond", as well as "Place to Go", and "Angel in Disguise". In addition, Loughnan wrote arrangements for the band, and the 23 piece orchestra featuring top L.A. musicians, and conducted the orchestra in the studio. The track "Song for Darwin", written by Brown, has an introduction lasting 2min 13sec, composed by Loughnan in his role as arranger. In an interview shortly before Ayers Rock left for America, the band admitted that they had only basic sketches for the music. Ultimately, Loughnan composed most of the arrangements for Beyond while he and the band were on the road in the US.
| Sept 1979 – Jul 1981 |
| Nov 2004 – Jan 2005 |
| Sept 1974 |
| Sept 1975 |
| July 1982 |
| 1993 |
| 7—9 April 2008 |
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