SWINGIN SIDEWALKS

It's been twelve years since the Swingin Sidewalks first made a name for themselves as the band who could bring Bourke Street Mall to a standstill. As Melbourne's premier busking act they were wildly popular with the People - not so with the Authorities! Twelve years on and the Sidewalks has grown into a veritable organization still giving people a great time and good music whenever they play.

 

The standard Sidewalks lineup is seven piece with guitar, double bass, drums, keyboards and two saxes with the guitarist and drummer helping out on vocals. This lineup is at times augmented by a Swing Sister or tree. The members of the Sidewalks are:-

One thing you can say about the Sidewalks is that they are musically versatile. With a repertoire of over five hundred tunes and the walking musical encyclopedia, Dai Jones, anything is possible. Having a good solid base of R&B and jazz, the band has on many occasions put together theme nights. Examples of these are; Billy Holiday, The Coasters, Sax Extravaganza, Latin, Chick Berry and a Sixties & Seventies Soul and Funk Show.

The Sidewalks have toured Australia extensively playing festivals, pubs, clubs etc along with the regular swag of weddings and parties they also do regular corporate work and award nights such as the A.F.I Awards, the Walkley Awards, the Australian Architects Awards and others. They have supported such acts as Prince, Neil Diamond, Dianna Ross and have been backing band for Big Jay McNealy and Charlie Musselwhite as well as Australian artists such as Ross Hannaford, Broderick Smith, Bongo Starkie and Chris Wilson (Diesel/Wilson) to name a few.

 

The Sidewalks Rhythm and Blues Orchestra is a 15 piece Big Band that plays good rockin' tough R&B dance grooves with a few Latin, Reggae and Funk numbers thrown in for good measure and of course the obligatory Soul Ballard sung by the Blues Diva herself, Kerri Simpson. For those occasions when a more mellow, sophisticated jazz sound is required, the band has an extensive repertoire to suit.

 

The RBO is basically an extension of the Swingin' Sidewalks with the addition of two more saxes (also and baritone), three trumpets, two trombones and two extra vocalists. The extra members are:-

With some of Melbourne's most exciting young horn players joining the Sidewalks, the RBO comes together to create a truly spectacular event whenever and wherever they play, as witnessed by the record breaking attendances the band attracted to the 'Melbourne Zoo Twilight' series in '96 and '97. Over 7000 people turned up to the final show - a threefold increase on their first gig.

 

The Swing Sisters are :-

Kerri Simpson, Nichaud Fitzgibbon and Tanya Lee Davies. Other Swing Sisters, include Shelly Scown, Rebecca Barnard (of Rebecca's Empire), Emma Franz, Hellen Rider and Nina Ferro.

 

Having a long association with The Sidewalks, Kerri's strong and passionate style of vocal delivery has made her a favorite with audiences and critics alike.Kerri also leads the critically acclaimed Indie band Ve Ve.

 

As a vocalist with more of a Country background, Tanya brings another dimension to The Swing Sisters. She is a bandleader in her own right and is well established on the Melbourne scene.

 

NICHAUD FITZGIBBON
Nichaud has developed a reputation amongst musicians and Jazz aficionados as a singer with a strong feel and style of her own for traditional and contemporary music and is regarded as one of Melbourne's finest.

SONG - ARTIST