Peter Dawkins (musician)

Peter Dawkins (born 1946) is a New Zealand-born record producer and musician, best known for his hit 1970s productions for Australian-based pop artists, including Dragon, Australian Crawl and Air Supply. He has won multiple production awards, including the Countdown Producer of the Year. In the late 1980s he developed Parkinson's disease.

Early days

Born in Timaru, New Zealand, Dawkins started in the music business as a drummer in his teens; he toured Europe in the mid-1960s with his freakbeat bands Me And The Others, and The New Nadir. In London they jammed at The Speakeasy with Jimi Hendrix, which eventually led to the recording of a lost 7" acetate for the UK Polydor label. Over 40 years later, in 2009 a whole album of 1966 - 1967 recordings by Me And The Others and The New Nadir was finally released by Feathered Apple Records. After the breakup of The New Nadir, guitarist and lead vocalist Ed Carter moved to California to play for the Beach Boys, bassist Gary Thain joined the Keef Hartley Band, and then Uriah Heep before dying of a overdose in 1975. Dawkins returned home in late 1968 and started his production career with HMV Records, the NZ branch of EMI, where he produced a large number of recordings, scoring seven No.1 pop hits including "Nature" by The Fourmyula.

Australia and the 1970s

He moved to Australia ca. 1972 and became a house producer for EMI Australia. He succeeded fellow NZ expatriate Howard Gable as the producer of leading Australian progressive rock band Spectrum, for whom he produced the albums Warts Up Your Nose (1972, released under the pseudonym 'Indelible Murtceps'), Testimonial (1973) and the valedictory live album Terminal Buzz. Around 1972/1973 he also produced early singles for John Farnham (then known as Johnny Farnham) including "Don't You Know It's Magic" and "Rock Me Baby".

In the mid-seventies Dawkins produced a number of recordings by Spectrum's successor Ariel, including their acclaimed albums A Strange Fantastic Dream (1973) and Rock'n'Roll Scars (1974), which was recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London.

During this period Dawkins also created, co-wrote, and produced The Star Suite (EMI, 1973), a concept album based on astrological themes, released under the name 'Patch' and featuring members of Ariel and Tamam Shud and leading Australian session musicians.

In 1975 he moved briefly to Festival Records, then on to CBS Records where he produced a string of successful recordings, including hits for the expatriate New Zealand rock group Dragon and Melbourne band Australian Crawl.

During this period, he also produced several albums and hit singles by noted singer-songwriter Ross Ryan; Mi-Sex; Pseudo Echo; the internationally successful album-oriented rock group Air Supply; Slim Dusty; Russell Morris; and Billy Thorpe, amongst many others (see discography below).

Dawkins' productions for Dragon include the hit singles "This Time", "Are You Old Enough?" and "April Sun in Cuba" and the LP Oh Zambezi and led to a move to Los Angeles for a year in 1976.

1980s, illness and onwards

While working as A&R Manager at CBS in 1980, Dawkins discovered the band Matt Finish and left CBS to start his first label, The Giant Recording Label, and subsequently Giant released Matt Finish's enduring cult classics Short Note and Fade Away. Giant later signed Melbourne band Heroes.

Dawkins produced Australian Crawl's successful LP Sirocco, which went to #1 in Australia and earned four platinum records. He went on to be General Manager of EMI Australia in the mid-1980s.

In 1986 he was appointed General Manager of J. Albert & Son music publishers, running their London office. The death of CEO Ted Albert precipitated Dawkins' return to Australia and another change of employment.

In 1990 he opened a recording studio in Balmain, Sydney - Giant Studios, and started his second label (through BMG) called Nova. The earlier Giant name was bought by Irving Azoff, who was starting a label in the United States with the same name.

The development of Parkinson's disease meant that he had to gradually cease work over the next few years, with the shut-down of the studio in the mid-90s.

In 2005 he was able to afford further medical treatment, deep brain stimulation, after extensive fund-raising by his friends in the music industry.

As part of this effort, in 2006, Sony/BMG issued a compilation album of Dawkins' recordings - For Pete's Sake, which included a new recording of the Matt Finish song "Understand", written by Dawkins' son Paul and the late Matt Finish singer/songwriter Matt Moffitt, and sung by the Little River Band's Glenn Shorrock. It was produced at Sony Studios in Sydney and mixed by noted engineer Richard Lush. The CD includes liner notes by historian Glenn A. Baker.

Discography (LP)

The New Nadir / Me And The Others

• Uncovered (2009)

Discography (Singles)

The Strangers

• 1965:

- A Side: Can't Help Forgiving You - B Side: I'll Never Be Blue

Selective list of Peter Dawkins' productions

• Shane: "St. Paul" - Dawkins' first NZ #1 hit
• The Fourmyula: "Nature"
• Indelible Murtceps: Warts Up Your Nose (1972)
• Spectrum: Testimonial (1973); Terminal Buzz
• John Farnham: "Rock Me Baby" (1972); "Don't You Know It's Magic" (1973)
• Ariel: A Strange Fantastic Dream (1973); Rock'n'Roll Scars (1974)
• Patch: The Star Suite (1973)
• Ross Ryan: "I Am Pegasus" - Aust #1
• Mi-Sex: "Computer Games"
• Meo 245: Screen Memory
• Matt Finish: Short Note
• Pseudo Echo: "Listening"
• Air Supply: Love And Other Bruises
• Sharon O’Neill: "How Do You Talk To Boys?"
• Slim Dusty: Lights On The Hill
• Russell Morris: "Wings of An Eagle"
• Billy Thorpe: "It's Almost Summer"
• Dragon: "This Time"; "Are You Old Enough?"; "April Sun in Cuba"; and album Oh Zambezi
• Australian Crawl: Sirocco (1981) - Aust #1

External links

• Official website for Peter Dawkins music
• "A Little Help From My Friends" Episode of Australian Story, first broadcast 27/02/2006, Australian Broadcasting Corporation