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Biography
June 2002
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The Cornish Arms
163a Sydney Road : Brunswick 3056
Tel: (03) 9380 8383 : Fax:(03) 9380 8399
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Stephen Cummings 
Stephen Cummings first achieved success in Australia as lead singer with The Sports, a pop band that had a number of hits in the late '70s including the classic "Who Listens to the Radio?". Never completely comfortable with the rigours of touring with a band, it was not surprising for him to embark on a solo career after their demise.
His first solo offering, the album Senso charted impressively due to the top 5 success of the single "Gymnasium".
Whilst that album received considerable attention from the general public, his subsequent releases have not fared so well. With his third album, Lovetown, Cummings hit his creative stride - critical praise was showered on the album, and it is now revered as a classic amongst his fans and followers of the Australian music scene.
Stephen has now released twelve albums, consisting two compilations and ten studio albums. Sales of his albums are traditionally poor, despite the acclaim which greets each one. His fourth album, A New Kind of Blue, won an ARIA award for "best adult contemporary album" and his eighth album, Falling Swinger, was included in Australian Rolling Stone's list of "100 essential Australian albums".
Firstly, Stephen Cummngs is a pop singer. If you want something that rocks, you'd better find someone else to listen to. Some have described him as the best pop vocalist in Australia, which I would have to agree with.
One of the critics reviewing his "Lovetown" album, praised the album with the comment "This is pop, it's rare and it should be treasured". I like to describe it as intelligent pop. Or perhaps even the red wine of pop? An acquired taste that can become completely bewitching.
Often catchy and just as often idiosyncratic, he utilises a variety of instrumentation, ranging from a glossy dance beat to a simple acoustic guitar backing or a sparse jazz piano accompaniment. Always oozing style and class, he croons his tales of love confused, lost, regained and dreamt of with a voice that is simultaneously bold and hesitant.
Who has he worked with?
Stephen is a keen collaborator, both on his solo releases and in a variety of group projects. This is a list of just some of the musicians that Stephen has worked with at some point in his career:
- Chris Abrahams (The Necks)
- Rebecca Barnard (Rebecca's Empire)
- David Bridie (My Friend The Chocolate Cake)
- Jeff Burstin (The Black Sorrows)
- Joe Camilleri (The Black Sorrows)
- Toni Childs
- Edwyn Collins (Orange Juice)
- Michael Den Elzen (Split Enz, Rebecca's Empire)
- Tim Finn (Split Enz, Crowded House, ALT)
- Renee Geyer
- Robert Goodge (I'm Talking)
- Dave Graney
- Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock)
- Angie Hart (Frente)
- Vince Jones
Information on this page is sourced from Stephen Cummings' Website @
http://www.lovetown.net
For further information about gigs @ The Cornish
- info@cornisharms.com.au
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