South Australia honours Stars, The Others, Sister Janet Mead

The South Australian music community is honouring three more of its trail-blazers. Country rock band Stars and veteran blues rock act The Others are being inducted into the AMC (Australian Music Collective) SA Hall of Fame this Friday (August 21).

Sister Janet Mead, whose rocked up The Lord’s Prayer in 1972 was among the first Australian-made global million-sellers, was already honoured earlier this week.

Aside from inducting Stars as a band, the Hall of Fame will also individually acnowledge singer Mick Pealing and guitarist Mal Eastick for their later achievements, as well as guitarist and songwriter Andy Durant who died in May 1980 at the age of 25.

Stars formed in Adelaide in the mid-70s before they were championed by Little River Band and relocated to Melbourne. Signed to Mushroom Records, hits included Look After Yourself, With A Winning Hand and Mighty Rock and three albums (including Paradise which peaked at #11). They split in 1979. Stars will perform together for the first time in 35 years at the induction.

The Others will be inducted as a band, while singer, founder and harp player Ian Nancarrow is also initiated on his own. In the early ‘60s, Nancarrow called his band The Others, convinced they were the only band playing blues-rock. Then he discovered The Rolling Stones and realised they got there before them.

Nancarrow was considered such a seminal figure in Adelaide that he inspired the name of the Masters Apprentices and counted as fans British blues names as John Mayall, Steve Marriott, Spencer Davis and Dr Feelgood's Lee Brilleaux.

Sister Janet Mead, a member of the Sisters of Mercy order, was one of the pioneers of Christian rock. She used contemporary pop at Roman Catholic mass to draw younger people. She was a classically trained pianist with a three octave vocal range with perfect pitch. The Lord’s Prayer reached #3 in Australia. In America it sold a million copies and was nominated for a Grammy. All the royalties were donated to charity.

The August 21 event will also see performances by blues-rock band Lazy Eye and singer songwriter Tom West.