Carol Ann Lloyd (1948–2017), born as Carol Ann Cramb, was an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, and advertising executive. She was described as "Australia's original rock chick" for her role in the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

-based bands Railroad Gin (1973–75) and Carol Lloyd Band, as well as her solo career. She was recognised for her long, curly red hair, which was insured with Lloyd's of London for $100,000.Lesbians On The Loos
"A Confessional with Carol Lloyd, Australia's Original Rock Chick"
10 June 2014. Retrieved on 28 March 2017. Carol Ann Lloyd died on 13 February 2017 due to complications from her

interstitial pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory fail ...

and

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

, diagnosed four years earlier.

Early years

Lloyd was born as Carol Ann Cramb on 17 October 1948 at the Fermoy Private Hospital,

Auchenflower, Queensland Auchenflower is an inner western riverside Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Auchenflower had a population of 6,053 people. Geography Auchenflower is located west of the Bris ...

to D and E Cramb of nearby

Taringa Taringa is a suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser o ...

. She had two older brothers. Lloyd attended

Rocklea Rocklea is a southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Rocklea had a population of 1,672 people. Low-lying parts of the suburb are flood prone. Geography Rocklea is located 9 kilometres south of the city. The ...

State School.Sydney Morning Heral
"Hundreds say goodbye to Carol Lloyd, Brisbane's Ruby Tuesday"
20 February 2017. Retrieved on 28 March 2017.

Musical career

1970s

Lloyd became the lead singer of Brisbane R&B group,

Railroad Gin Railroad Gin were an Australian soul and R&B group from Brisbane, formed in 1968. In 1970 they were joined by Laurie Stone on keyboards, vocals, saxophone and trombone. Carol Lloyd joined in 1970, becoming lead vocalist in September 1971.They ...

, in September 1971. Australian musicologist,

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the ''Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

, observed " loydwas the band's focal point with her commanding stage presence, husky blues voice and wild mane of red hair." In 1973 Railroad Gin performed a Rock Mass with the Queensland Youth Orchestra at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane. The band were signed to PolyGram and had three singles that reached the top of the local charts, "A Matter of Time" (June 1974), "Do Ya Love Me?" (October) and "You Told the World" (March 1975). In August 1975 Lloyd left Railroad Gin due to throat problems and to pursue her solo career. By the end of the year she had formed Tonnage, which was soon renamed as ''The Carol Lloyd Band''. The line-up was Lloyd on lead vocals and percussion, Gary Broadhurst on bass guitar, Peter Harvey on keyboards, Mark Moffatt on lead guitar and pedal steel guitar, and Danny Simpson on drums. They signed a worldwide recording contract with

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

- a first for an Australian artist.QMusi
"Women in Music Industry Development Panel"
, 18 February 2016. Retrieved on 8 August 2017. They had a hit in Queensland with "Storm in My Soul" and released an album, ''Mother Was Asleep at the Time'', on 18 October 1976.The Carol Lloyd Band Story: The legend continue

Retrieved on 8 August 2017. Tony Catterall of ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...

'' was impressed by Lloyd " hois a blues singer and, being part of the seventies, she's singing in the most acceptable blues style of today; the southern US sound pioneered by the Allman Brothers Band." The album was produced by

Clive Shakespeare Clive Richard Shakespeare (3 June 194715 February 2012) was an English-born Australian pop guitarist, songwriter and record producer, producer. He was a co-founder of pop rock group Sherbet (band), Sherbet, which had commercial success in the 1 ...

(ex- Sherbet), Catterall observed "on many of the 10 tracks – hakespeare isrefusing to let her be out front where a blues shouter belongs or by use of double tracking or echo chamber. The resultant sound isn't exactly displeasing, but it isn't true, either... her power and that of her band, has been too often diluted on 'Mother' by Shakespeare's wrong-headed approach."

1980s

Carol Lloyd issued a solo album, ''Take It or Leave It'', in 1980 on

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, which provided the title track as its lead single in January of the following year. Lloyd was co-writer of the theme song for

World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo w ...

, "Together, We'll Show the World".

2010s

Lloyd performed a series of shows at the Brisbane Powerhouse: "It Takes Two, Baby" with Sue Ray in January 2014, "It Takes Two Baby" with

Pearly Black Pearly Black (born February 1967) is an Australian singer. Her performance style varies widely, performing with several ensembles in different genres and in short-run shows. She is perhaps best known for collaborations with avant-garde composer ...

in July 2014, and "It's Time: the No.1 hits of Railroad Gin and The Carol Lloyd Band" in December 2014, at which the All The Good Things live album was recorded. A benefit show was held for Lloyd at QPAC on 20 October 2016 to assist with medical expenses and artists including

Katie Noonan Katie Anne Noonan (born 2 May 1977) is an Australian singer and songwriter. In addition to a successful solo career encompassing opera, jazz, pop, rock and dance, she was the singer in the bands George and Elixir; she has also performed with he ...

, Alison St Ledger, Yani, Ellen Reed,

Troy Cassar-Daley Troy Cassar-Daley (born 18 May 1969) is an Australian country music songwriter and entertainer. Cassar-Daley has released thirteen studio albums, two live albums and five compilation albums over 30 years, including the platinum-selling '' The ...

, Peter Harvey, Annie Petersen and Leah Cotterell donated their performances. The show was named Goodbye Ruby Tuesday after the Rolling Stones song frequently covered by Lloyd, and she made an appearance on stage in a decorated wheelchair to join Ellen Reed in performing it.brisbanetimes.com.a
"QPAC benefit for Railroad Gin's Carol Lloyd to feature Katie Noonan"
19 October 2016. Retrieved on 8 August 2017.

Personal life

Carol Cramb had married Donald Lloyd and took his last name, but they separated by 1972, "I'd been married, my marriage had broken up, and I'd found my way back to where I was in my teens when I thought I was the only gay woman in the world." Prior to joining Railroad Gin she had worked in advertising, which had taken her to London. Lloyd was diagnosed with a terminal illness,

in January 2013. In December 2014 she described her symptoms "I have difficulty breathing if I get too excited. The disease was halfway up my lungs when I was diagnosed 18 months ago, probably more now. It creeps up your lungs and creates this crackling." Lloyd and her domestic partner, Annie, held a commitment ceremony on 10 August 2013 at The Edge, Queensland State Library, Brisbane during an event, "The Party of a Lifetime".Gay News Networ
"Sexuality, drugs and the delicious voice of Carol Lloyd"
8 December 2014. Retrieved on 28 March 2017. Carol Ann Lloyd died on 13 February 2017 at the Wesley Hospital, Auchenflower – due to complications from her fibrosis and

.themusic.com.a
"Qld Rock Icon Carol Lloyd Passes Away After Lengthy Illness"
13 February 2017. Retrieved on 28 March 2017.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Awards

Q Song Awards

The

Queensland Music Awards The Queensland Music Awards (commonly known as QMA and known as the Q Song Awards from 2006 to 2010) are annual awards celebrating Queensland's emerging artists. They commenced in 2006. Each year, the QMA Song of the Year is immortalised in ...

(previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating

Queensland, Australia Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. (wins only) , - ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, Carol Lloyd , Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award , In 2016 it was announced that the Queensland Music Festival and Queensland Government were creating an award in Carol's name to honour her lifetime achievements and support of up-and-coming female artists. The Carol Lloyd Award is worth $15,000 and was to be presented for the first time in 2017. The inaugural award was presented on 30 May 2017 to Georgia Potter (singer-songwriter with alternative rock/pop trio Moreton), who described herself as "a genuine Carol Lloyd fan", having attended Women In Voice concerts. In 2018 the winner of the Carol Lloyd Award was Leanne Tennant and in 2019 it was received by

Sahara Beck Sahara Beck (born 1996) is an Australian singer and songwriter, from the Sunshine Coast. She has released three studio albums and four EPs. Beck has won multiple Queensland Music Awards. Early life Beck was born in Darwin, Northern Territory i ...

References

External links

Carol Lloyd oral history and digital story
Produced by State Library of Queensland {{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Carol 1948 births 21st-century Australian women singers APRA Award winners Australian rock singers Australian women rock singers Australian pop singers Australian women pop singers Australian country singers Australian women country singers Australian percussionists Women percussionists Australian male singer-songwriters Musicians from Brisbane Musicians from Queensland 2017 deaths Australian women singer-songwriters 20th-century Australian women singers 20th-century Australian singer-songwriters 21st-century Australian singer-songwriters