Peter George Starkie (21 August 1948 – 14 September 2020) was an Australian rock musician. He was the founding guitarist of

Skyhooks Skyhook was a location technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in location positioning. Founded in 2003, Skyhook initially focused on geolocating Wi-Fi access points by wardriving for commercial purposes. Skyhook trans ...

in 1973 and joined

Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri (aka "Jo Jo Zep"). The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had severa ...

in 1975. His younger brother, Bob "Bongo" Starkie, replaced him on guitar in Skyhooks. Peter Starkie died on 14 September 2020, aged 72, of complications arising from a fall.

Life and career

Early life

Peter George Starkie was born on 21 August 1948, in Sydney to Ronald Keith Starkie (1923–2018) and Mary Linskill Starkie (nee Taylor, 1923–2014). He was the eldest of four children, including younger brother Bob "Bongo" Starkie. Starkie's father was an RAAF

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran. The family periodically moved due to his father's postings, including the

Woomera Rocket Range The RAAF Woomera Range Complex (WRC) is a major Australian military and civil aerospace facility and operation located in South Australia, approximately north-west of Adelaide. The WRC is operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a S ...

(c. 1955), Melbourne (late 1950s),

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

(c. 1959), London (1961–1963) and then returned to Melbourne. While living in London, Starkie took guitar lessons. Upon return to Melbourne, he attended Glen Waverley High School and

Melbourne High School Melbourne High School is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Single-sex education, single-sex Selective school, academically selective secondary school, secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb ...

before completing a science degree at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

Music career

While at Glen Waverley High he started a band, the King Bees, with Dave Flett in the mid-1960s.

Australian Rock Database The Australian Rock Database was a website with a searchable online database that listed details of Australian rock music artists, albums, bands, producers and record labels. It was established in 2000 by Swedish national Magnus Holmgren, who had ...

entries: * Joe Camilleri: * Skyhooks: * Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons: They were joined by

Joe Camilleri Joseph Vincent Camilleri, (born 21 May 1948) pseudonym, aka Jo Jo Zep, is a Maltese Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows. Jo Jo Zep & ...

on vocals, who later recalled, "

hey Hey, HEY, or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the ...

spotted me and because they didn't have a singer, they asked me to join ... They played all the stuff on the radio, including the Beatles and the Stones. I joined the band that night... But then Dave and Peter decided to go to university, so I was a bit lost." Note: Authors, Jenkins and Meldrum, acknowledge the chapter is written by Camilleri. The online version is from the Black Sorrows official website. By the early 1970s, Starkie and Flett had formed Lipp and the Double Dekker Brothers, which variously included Avril Bell, Fred Cass,

Jane Clifton Jane Clifton (born 10 April 1949) is a Gibraltar-born Australian actress, singer, writer and former radio and voice artist. She is best known for her role in TV serial ''Prisoner'' as tough prison bookie Margo Gaffney. As a singer, she had ...

on vocals, Paul Madigan, Arty Trippie, Ian Wallace and Bruce Woodcock. Camilleri joined the line-up in 1972 and explained: After that group disbanded, Starkie formed

in March 1973 on lead guitar, alongside Steve Hill on lead vocals (ex-Lillee), Peter Inglis on guitar (ex-

the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, also known as Soapbox Circus or Matchbox, were an Australian jug band formed in 1969. It centred on Mic Conway ("Captain Matchbox") on lead vocals, washboard and ukulele; and his brother, Jim Conway, on harm ...

Greg Macainsh Gregory John Macainsh (born 30 December 1950) is an Australian former musician and songwriter. He provided bass guitar and backing vocals for pop rockers, Skyhooks from 1973 to 1980 and subsequently for various reformations. According to Austra ...

on bass guitar and backing vocals and Imants "Freddie" Strauks on drums and backing vocals. Starkie left Skyhooks in August 1973 and was replaced on guitar by his younger brother, Bob. Starkie, Camelieri and Flett formed Roger Rocket and the Millionaires, which became the house band for a strip club, featuring Mary "Doody" Scott Pilkington. Her manager, and Starkie's former band mate, Madigan organised a tour of mining towns in Western Australia, Camilleri described how "we'd be Doody's backing band. We were also her roadies and security. We wore white boiler suits, with our names emblazoned on them ... But the tour fell apart when we hit Port Hedland." They returned to Melbourne where, in 1975, Starkie, on guitar, joined Camilieri in

. He later formed the Peter Starkie Trio. After his former band mate, Steve Hill, announced being diagnosed with

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

, the original line-up of Skyhooks reformed for a benefit gig in September 2005 at the Annandale Hotel, Sydney. Hill died in late October 2005, aged 52. According to Bob Starkie, " eterhas played semi-regularly with Paul Madigan (for which he should have received a medal) and has maintained a constant playing relationship with Peter Inglis."

Death

On 13 September 2020, Starkie was renovating his mother-in-law's home in

Shepparton Shepparton () (Yorta Yorta language, Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River (Victoria), Goulburn River in northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Mel ...

when he fell from a ladder and was seriously injured. He was air-lifted to the

Royal Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

where he was treated "but was unable to be saved". He died on 14 September 2020, aged 72, and was survived by his partner, Diana, his daughters and his siblings. He was given tributes by music promoter

Michael Gudinski Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (22 August 1952 – 2 March 2021) was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gudinski formed the highly successful Austr ...

, who had signed Skyhooks to his

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...

label, as well as fellow band member

Red Symons Redmond Symons (born 13 June 1949) is an Australian musician and television and radio personality. He was the lead guitarist in the band Skyhooks, the snide judge of 'Red Faces' (a segment of the long-running variety show '' Hey Hey It's Satur ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Starkie, Peter 1948 births 2020 deaths Australian rock guitarists Australian male guitarists 20th-century Australian guitarists 20th-century Australian male musicians People educated at Melbourne High School University of Melbourne alumni Musicians from Melbourne Accidental deaths in Victoria (state) Accidental deaths from falls