Aus Music Legend Broderick Smith Of Carson & The Dingoes Passes Away

Australian music legend Broderick Smith has passed away, aged 75. His website states that he died “peacefully at home” with sincere condolences offered to his family and friends.

A multi-instrumentalist, Smith was a member of prominent Aussie bands in the 70s, including Carson and The Dingoes, and made music as a solo artist under the moniker Broderick Smith's Big Combo.

Smith was the vocalist and harmonica player for The Dingoes from 1973 until 1979, and then again once the band reformed in 2009. He was the father of Ambrose Kenny-Smith, who provides vocals, harmonica, and keyboards in King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard as well as The Murlocs.

The Dingoes’ self-titled debut album, released in 1974, debuted at #24 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Their second album, 1977’s Five Times The Sun, landed at #25, while their third studio LP, Orphans Of The Storm, peaked at #32.

Smith released fifteen albums, nine under his own name, recording in Australia, Canada and the US. He recorded with Cat Stevens, Jimmy Barnes, Steve Cropper, The Memphis Horns, Buffy Saint Marie, Phil Ochs, Ted Egan, Tommy and Phil Emmanuel, and many more.

Smith was involved in the writing of approximately 200 songs and his solo albums saw him write virtually all the lyrics.

His bio states that he generally started off with writing lyrics in a prose form and then when the music was written, he would change the lyrics to suit the music. Smith believed lyrics should say something and not just be something to sing along to.

As a member of The Dingoes, Smith was inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame in August 2009.

In 1971, Smith joined Carson and by 1972, the band put out the album, Blown, through Harvest Records and landed at #19 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

A Whammo encyclopedia entry about Carson states that the band performed at Sunbury 1973 alongside Band Of Light, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Johnny O’Keefe and more over the January Australia Day weekend, and then promptly broke up.

The Carson track Friday Night Groove appeared on Mushroom's triple live album of the event, The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973 (released in April 1973). EMI/Harvest issued the band's Sunbury set later in the year as the live album On The Air.