The Ferrets (band)
| Company type | Pop group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Founder | Ken Firth, Phil Eizenberg, William "Billy" Miller, Dave Springfield, Rick Brewer, Jane Miller, Pam Miller |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Albums: Dreams of a Love, Fame at Any Price; Singles: "Don't Fall in Love", "Robin Hood", "Janie May", "Are You Looking at Me?", "This Night", "Tripsville" |
The Ferrets were an Australian pop group primarily recognized for their 1977 chart-topping single "Don't Fall in Love" and their album Dreams of a Love.
1975: Formation
Ken Firth, Phil Eizenberg, and William "Billy" Miller had previously collaborated on the Australian stage rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar (1972–1974). Firth (bass guitar, backing vocals), Miller (lead vocals, guitar), and Dave Springfield (guitar, backing vocals) were part of the hard rock outfit Buster Brown, which featured Angry Anderson as lead singer. In November 1975, these three musicians departed Buster Brown to establish The Ferrets alongside Eizenberg. In April 1976, drummer Rick Brewer (formerly of Zoot) joined the ensemble. By July, Miller’s sisters Jane (keyboard, backing vocals) and Pam Miller (backing vocals) completed the seven-member lineup.
1976-1977: "Don't Fall in Love" and Dreams of a Love
After building momentum in Melbourne and Sydney's music scenes, The Ferrets recorded a demo that caught the attention of Ian "Molly" Meldrum, talent scout for ABC TV's Countdown. Meldrum secured a contract for them with Mushroom Records and took on production duties for their debut album, Dreams of a Love, beginning in July 1976.
Their initial single "Robin Hood," released in April 1977, did not enter the charts. Due to delays in completing the album, The Ferrets assumed production responsibilities themselves with engineers Tony Cohen and Ian MacKenzie; Meldrum was jokingly credited as "Willie Everfinish".
In June 1977, they issued "Don't Fall in Love", which was recorded within a mere three hours. The track climbed to No. 2 nationally following their first appearance on Countdown, hosted by Jon English. Their television performances earned them the 'Best Australian TV Performer' award at the 1977 King of Pop Awards.
October 1977 brought the release of "Janie May", which reached No. 25 on national charts and was also featured on Countdown. Their debut album Dreams of a Love was launched that same month and attained Gold certification. The album cover showcased model Wendy Bannister holding an aggressive ferret.
1978-1979: Fame at Any Price and disbandment
By late 1977, guitarist Eizenberg and backing vocalist Pam Miller had exited the band. After releasing "Are You Looking at Me?" in April 1978, Jane Miller also departed. The Ferrets continued touring and recorded their sophomore album, Fame at Any Price, produced by Cohen and released in October 1978. The singles "This Night" (composed by Frank Howson, Firth, Miller), "Tripsville," along with the album itself failed to achieve commercial success. Following Firth's departure—replaced first by George Cross and later Ric Petropolis—the band saw no further chart achievements and ultimately dissolved in March 1979.
Subsequent careers
- Philip Eizenberg played bass for Mighty Guys during the 1980s alongside Mick Hamilton and Leon Isackson. From 1984 onward, he dedicated himself to martial arts, becoming a 4th Degree instructor with the Australian Hapkido Association. In 2006, he contributed bass to Phill Raymond’s album Night of the Gale.
- Kenneth "Ken" David Firth reunited with Miller in Billy Miller and the Great Blokes (1979–1982), briefly joined Divinyls during a bassist transition in 1982, and collaborated with Miller again in Interchange Bench (1993–1998). He also worked as a session musician on Miller’s solo records Victoria (1998) and Elsternwick '69 (2000).
- William "Billy/Bill" Harris Miller produced Frank Howson's rendition of The Ferrets' track "Killing Ourselves" (co-written by Howson and Springfield), penned "Moon and Stars" for ABC’s series Sweet and Sour, and remained active as both session musician and member of bands including Billy Miller and The Great Blokes, Spaniards (band), Interchange Bench, The Dave Graney Show, and Dave Graney ‘n’ The Lurid Yellow Mist. In 2018, he initiated a project with former Sports vocalist Stephen Cummings.
- Dave Springfield (David John Schofield) briefly rejoined Miller in Spaniards (band). He later released a country music album titled Rev J D Love under his own name.
- Rick Brewer became part of The Motivators from 1980 to 1982 as well as Greg Baker's Blues Party.
- George Cross performed with Jim Keays Band in 1999.
- Rick Petropolis played alongside Brewer in The Motivators before joining Rattlesnake in 1991.
2006: Countdown Spectacular
During the inaugural Countdown Spectacular Tour across Australia (June–August 2006), Billy Miller delivered a performance of "Don't Fall in Love," which was included on the tour's DVD release (disc 1, track 16). The lineup also featured artists such as Jon English and John Paul Young, creating a connection to Miller's period with Jesus Christ Superstar.
Members
- Philip Eizenberg – guitar (1975–1977)
- Kenneth Firth – bass guitar (1975–1978)
- William Miller – vocals, guitar (1975–1979)
- David Springfield – guitar (1975–1979)
- Rick Brewer – drums (1976–1979)
- Jane Miller – backing vocals, keyboards (1976–1978)
- Pam Miller – backing vocals (1976–1977)
- George Cross – bass guitar (1978)
- Ric Petropolis – bass guitar (1978–1979)
Studio albums
| Album title | Details | Highest chart positions |
Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| Dreams of a Love |
|
20 | AUS: Gold |
| Fame at Any Price |
|
- |
Singles
| Year | Single title | Highest chart positions |
Album association |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| 1977 | "Robin Hood" | - | non-album single |
| "Don't Fall in Love" | 2 | Dreams of a Love | |
| "Janie May" | 25 | ||
| 1978 | "Are You Looking At Me?" | - | non-album single |
| "This Night" | - | Fame at Any Price | |
| 1979 | "Tripsville" | - |
King of Pop Awards
The King of Pop Awards, determined by votes from TV Week readers, were held annually between 1967 and 1978.
| 1977 | themselves (on Countdown) | Best Australian TV Performer | Won |