Chris Bailey of the Saints
Damn it! Another musical legend and part of my History passed away. What makes me more pissed is that I found out two weeks later, again, via the New York Times. If I had been paying more attention of The Guardian I would’ve been more timely.
As always, many of you are asking…who was he? The short answer, Chris was the lead singer and co-founder of the Saints. A band many thought (wrongly or rightly) was Australia’s first Punk act. Aussies beg to differ since their first hit single, “(I’m) Stranded,” was released before anyone in the UK under the genre, ergo, the Saints were the first Punk band altogether.
Regardless on who was “the first,” “where,” etc. Bailey’s band definitely had one key Punk element, it didn’t last in its original incarnation for long but he claimed ownership of the name and took over the songwriting. He would go on to the lead and record for the next 40 years with accolades from peers around the world. I think what blew my mind is how he started out in Brisbane in the mid to late Seventies. Back then, the majority of Aussie acts usually came from Sydney or moved there to get noticed by larger markets.
I first noticed and got into the Saints in the late Eighties through two random events. In 1987 or so, The Damned released a greatest-hits compilation with the vinyl version including a family tree showing all their past incarnations alongside bands they were related to. Hard to believe Jon Moss, the drummer for Culture Club had been involved with Punk since he’s most famous for being in a Reggae/New Wave-fusion act. Branched off in Australia was The Saints and its members because a former member played with the Damned for a while. A couple years later, the Saints were carried in the States by the newish label TVT to promote a song he wrote for the failed imported comedy Young Einstein. Well, its lead actor/comedian Yahoo Serious tanked since we didn’t get the humor. I’m guessing the producers were hoping to repeat the success Paul Hogan had.
The Saints fell off my radar after graduation until one evening at UT’s Cactus Cafe, Chris dropped by to join Johnette Napolitano on stage. What a thrill it was to meet him, get the picture you see and talk a bit about what his music meant to me, even though I only knew a fragment.
Thanks for everything Chris! You provided so much to what I love indirectly and were a crucial player in making sure Australia had a place in the Pop and Rock that followed in the Eighties and Nineties. In addition to the Bee Gees, LRB, AC/DC and Olivia Newton John, you chipped in to give the Land Down Under its time in the spotlight, paving the way for Midnight Oil, INXS, the Vines and nowadays, Tame Impala.