Carson (band)

Carson

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	January 1970 (1970-01)
Defunct	1973 (1973)
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Products	Music albums, singles

Carson was an Australian band specializing in blues rock and boogie rock, originally established in January 1970 under the name Carson County Band. The group's definitive lineup featured Gary Clarke on bass, Greg Lawrie handling slide guitar and dobro, Mal Logan on keyboards, Tony Lunt playing drums, Broderick Smith providing vocals and harmonica, and Ian Winter on guitar. They secured a top 30 hit with the track "Boogie" in September 1972. Their first album, Blown (released November 1972 via EMI/Harvest), reached number 14 on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums chart. Shortly after their dissolution, a live recording from their performance at the second Sunbury Pop Festival was issued as On the Air in April 1973.

Founding member John Capek, who contributed piano and vocals, departed by mid-1970 and relocated to North America by 1973, where he built a career as a composer, record producer, and keyboardist based in Toronto and Los Angeles. Following Carson's breakup, Broderick Smith established the country rock group the Dingoes in 1973 and maintained a successful solo career until his passing in 2023 at age 75.

History

Originating in Melbourne in January 1970 as the Carson County Band, Carson drew inspiration from American band Canned Heat, focusing on blues and boogie rock genres. The founding lineup included John Capek (piano, vocals), Ian Ferguson (bass, vocals), Greg "Sleepy" Lawrie (slide guitar, dobro), and Tony Lunt (drums). Early contributors also comprised Tony Enery on piano and Paul Lever covering guitar, harmonica, and vocals. Their debut single "On the Highway" was issued in May under Rebel Records. Capek exited the band mid-1970 to join King Harvest before moving to North America by 1973.

In October 1970, the group shortened their name to Carson to distinguish themselves from country music acts. Ian Winter joined as guitarist in early 1971; mid-year saw Broderick Smith added as lead vocalist and harmonica player. Their second single, "Travelling South," penned by Lawrie, was released in August 1971 via Havoc Records. After Ferguson's departure in July 1971, Barry Sullivan briefly replaced him before Gary Clarke took over bass duties. Later that year Mal Logan was incorporated as keyboardist.

Carson participated in the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1972 and performed at the Mulwala Pop Festival during Easter 1972, sharing stages with Canned Heat and Stephen Stills. Throughout 1972, Smith also recorded solo material.

The single "Boogie," released in September 1972 and co-written by Lawrie and Smith, climbed to number 30 on the Go-Set National Top 40 chart. This preceded their debut album Blown, which came out in November 1972 through Harvest Records with production by Rod Coe; it peaked at number 14 on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums list. The album featured songs such as "Banana Power," "Sunday in the City," and "Boogie," highlighting their blues-infused hard rock sound.

At the second Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1973, Carson performed once again. Shortly afterward Ian Winter departed from the band; by February they had disbanded. Their live set from Sunbury was released as On the Air in April 1973. In 2020, Aztec Records reissued an expanded edition including additional live recordings from concerts dated between 1970 and 1972.

Following Carson’s end, Broderick Smith went on to create the country rock ensemble the Dingoes and pursued a solo career until his death in 2023 at age 75.

Personnel

Presented in chronological order:

• John Capek – keyboards, piano, vocals
• Ian Ferguson – bass guitar, vocals
• Greg Lawrie – slide guitar, dobro
• Tony Lunt – drums
• Tony Enery – piano
• Paul Lever – guitar, harmonica, vocals
• Ian Winter – guitar
• Broderick Smith – vocals, harmonica
• Barry Sullivan – bass guitar
• Gary Clarke – bass guitar
• Mal Logan – keyboards
• Mal Capewell – saxophone

Albums

Catalogue of albums including Australian chart rankings

Album Title	Release Information	Highest Chart Positions
		Australia
Blown	Release date: November 1972 Format: LP Label: Harvest Records (SHVL 608)	19
On the Air	Released: April 1973 Format: LP Label: Harvest Records (SHVL 611) Note: Live recording	-
Travelling Highway Blues	Released: 2020 Format: CD, digital download Label: Raven Records (RVCD-88) Note: Compilation of greatest hits	-

Singles

Selection of singles with peak chart positions

Year	Single Title	Highest Chart Positions	Associated Album
		Australia
1970	"On the Highway"	-	non album single
1971	"Travelling South"	-	non album single
1972	"Boogie"	29	Blown

References

General

• Note: Archived online version offers limited features.
• Note: Online edition was hosted by White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd from 2007; not accessible since September 2010.

Specific