Dove were an Australian soft rock band, which formed in 1973 and disbanded in 1978. They comprised Sharyn Cambridge on lead vocals, Steve Gill on drums, percussion and vocals, Jim Sifonios on guitar, keyboards and vocals and Warwick Thomas on bass guitar and vocals. The group released three albums, ''Magic to Do'' (1974), ''Love Harmony and Understanding'' (1975) and ''Dove'' (1976).

History

Dove were formed in Melbourne as a soft rock band in 1973 by Sharyn Cambridge on lead vocals, Steve Gill on drums, percussion and vocals, Jim Sifonios on guitar, keyboards and vocals and Warwick Thomas on bass guitar and vocals. The four members had attended the same secondary school. The group were signed to Sunrise Records, which was distributed by

WEA Records Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...

. Their debut single, "

It Might as Well Rain Until September "It Might as Well Rain Until September" is a 1962 single by Carole King, written by herself and Gerry Goffin. Background The song was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and intended for Bobby Vee, for whom they had already written the song ...

" appeared in August 1973 and is a cover version of

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

's 1962 track. This was followed in November 1973 by their rendition of the Beach Boys' 1964 hit, "

Little Honda "Little Honda" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1964 album '' All Summer Long''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it pays tribute to the small Honda motorcycle and its ease of operation, specifically the Honda 5 ...

". Dove issued their debut album, ''Magic to Do'', in 1974. It provided two more singles, " Magic to Do" (May 1974) and "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

" (November). "Magic to Do" is from the Broadway musical, '' Pippin'' (1972), which had an Australian version begin its run in February 1974 at Melbourne's

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

. Dove's "Magic to Do" also appeared on a Various Artists' four-track extended play, ''Hits from Pippin'' (1974). Sunrise/WEA issued two more cover versions, " Play Something Sweet" (December 1974) original by

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

and " Just One Look" (July 1975) previously by

Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She was ...

. After signing to Image Records, Dove released their second album, ''Love Harmony and Understanding'' (1975), which provided the singles, " Let's Hang On" (December 1975) and "

The Lion Sleeps Tonight "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and first recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube", through South African Gallo Record Company. In 1961, a version adapted into English by the doo-wop group the Tokens bec ...

(April 1976) – the latter was originally by

Solomon Linda Solomon Popoli Linda OIG (19098 September 1962), also known as Solomon Ntsele ("Linda" was his clan name),Gilmore, Inigo"Penniless sisters fight record industry over father's hit song" ''The Telegraph'' (UK), 11 June 2000. was a South African ...

in 1939. The Album was produced by Ian Miller and recorded at Crystal Clear Sound,

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...

. By 1976 the quartet had signed to Crystal Clear Records and issued their third album, ''Dove'', which included a single, "Gotta Get Away" (July). During recording the album, Gill was replaced on drums by Ian Kinkead. Unlike their previous albums, this had seven of its ten tracks as originals. A reviewer from ''

Papua New Guinea Post-Courier The ''Papua New Guinea Post-Courier'' is a newspaper based in Konedobu, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was established on 30 June 1969. Its parent company, The Herald and Weekly Times (later purchased by News Corp Australia), had acquired w ...

'' described the album as having "the friendly warmth" but "much more polish and panache" than their earlier ones. The group disbanded in 1978. Cambridge undertook a solo career and later teamed with Colin Stephen to form Sharyn Cambridge–Colin Who Band.

Discography

Albums

* ''Magic to Do'' (1974) – Sunrise Records/

* ''Love Harmony and Understanding'' (1975) – Image Records * ''Dove'' (1976) Crystal Clear Records

Singles

* "

" (1973) * "

" (1973) * " Magic to Do" (1974) * "

" (1974) * " Play Something Sweet" (1974) * " Just One Look" (1975) * " Let's Hang On" (1975) * "

(1976) * "Gotta Get Away" (1976)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dove Victoria (state) musical groups Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups disestablished in 1978