Kevin Nicholas Borich
(born 27 October 1948,
Huapai
Huapai is a locality north-west of Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand State Highway 16, State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Line, North Auckland Railway Line pass through it. Kumeū is adjacent to the east, Riverhead, New Zealand, Riverhead ...
,
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
, New Zealand)
is a
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
-born Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter.
He was the mainstay of
the La De Da's
The La De Da's were a New Zealand rock band from 1963 to 1975. They were formed as a mod-ish group, the Mergers, in Te Atatū, by long-term members Kevin Borich on lead guitar and vocals, Phil Key on lead vocals and guitar and Trevor Wilson ...
, the leader of
Kevin Borich Express, and a founding member of
the Party Boys
The Party Boys was an Australian rock supergroup with a floating membership commencing in 1982. Created by Mondo Rock's bass guitarist, Paul Christie, with founding member Kevin Borich (ex– La De Da's, Kevin Borich Express) as a part-time ...
, as well as a session musician for numerous acts.
Borich wrote "Gonna See My Baby Tonight"
for the La De Da's, which became a top 10 hit in 1971 on the
Australian singles chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
.
[ NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ]ARIA
In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
created their own charts
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent t ...
in mid-1988. He performed at some of Australia's biggest rock events including the 1972
Sunbury Pop Festival
Sunbury Pop Festival or Sunbury Rock Festival was an annual Australian rock music festival held on a private farm between Sunbury and Diggers Rest, Victoria, which was staged on the Australia Day (26 January) long weekend from 1972 to 1975. It ...
and the late 1970s Rockarena tours with 60,000 people, featuring
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
,
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
* Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp
** Santana 20
** Santan ...
and
The Little River Band
Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the to ...
.
He played in two New Year's Eve celebrations at the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
with 70,000 people as well as support shows for international acts including
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
,
Status Quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
,
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
and
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...
.
Australian rock music historian
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 ...
has described Borich as "one of the most celebrated guitar players in the history of Australian rock. He also remains an underrated songwriter, and his live reputation has rarely been reflected in record sales".
His son
Lucius Borich
Lucius Borich (born 1971) is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer for the band Cog, and previously the drummer in funk metal band Juice and in The Hanging Tree as well as Floating Me. He currently plays and is working on new rock ...
joined Kevin Borich Express as a drummer and was later a member of Sydney-based
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
band
Cog.
Early years
Kevin Borich was born in 1948
in
Huapai
Huapai is a locality north-west of Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand State Highway 16, State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Line, North Auckland Railway Line pass through it. Kumeū is adjacent to the east, Riverhead, New Zealand, Riverhead ...
north west of
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
on New Zealand's
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
. He attended secondary school at
Rutherford High School in
Te Atatū Peninsula
Te Atatū Peninsula (formerly Te Atatu North, also known in Māori language, Māori as Ōrukuwai) is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and far ...
, a suburb of Auckland.
In 1961, at the age of 12, Borich recorded a private single on
Astor Records
Astor Records was an Australian recorded music manufacturer and distributor that operated from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. Astor was the trade name of the consumer electronics manufacturer Radio Corporation Pty. Ltd., a division of Electro ...
with sisters Judi and Sue Donaldson (later as New Zealand duo The Chicks).
As a guitarist, Borich formed The Mergers in late 1963 with fellow students Brett Neilsen on drums and Trevor Wilson on bass guitar.
Initially they performed
covers of
The Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...
' material as an
instrumental
An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
band after school and on week-ends.
Career
1964–1975: The La De Da's
With the addition of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Phil Key, The Mergers with Borich on lead guitar/vocals, Neilsen on drums/vocals and Wilson on bass guitar, were eventually renamed as
the La De Da's
The La De Da's were a New Zealand rock band from 1963 to 1975. They were formed as a mod-ish group, the Mergers, in Te Atatū, by long-term members Kevin Borich on lead guitar and vocals, Phil Key on lead vocals and guitar and Trevor Wilson ...
in 1964 in Auckland, New Zealand.
In June 1965 they recorded their debut single, "Little Girl", and later that year added Bruce Howard on keyboards.
From 1966 to 1967 they had five New Zealand top 10 hits, "How is the Air Up There?", "On Top of the World", "Hey Baby", "All Purpose Low" and "Rosalie".
By 1968 they were based in Sydney and recorded their
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, ''
The Happy Prince'', in 1969 on
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
.
Line-up changes occurred, with Borich and Key joined by Peter Roberts on bass guitar and Keith Barber on drums by 1971's Australian
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...
top 10 hit single, "Gonna See My Baby Tonight".
It had been written by Borich,
who had established a reputation as "Australia's guitar hero supremo"
and regularly performed "
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, '' John Wesley Harding'' (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original v ...
" using
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
' interpretation of the
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
song to close the La De Da's' live set.
In late January 1972, they appeared at the inaugural
Sunbury Pop Festival
Sunbury Pop Festival or Sunbury Rock Festival was an annual Australian rock music festival held on a private farm between Sunbury and Diggers Rest, Victoria, which was staged on the Australia Day (26 January) long weekend from 1972 to 1975. It ...
and featured on the subsequent double album, ''Sunbury'', released in October by EMI/
His Master's Voice
His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
.
The La De Da's recorded further albums and singles and, despite critical acclaim, had little chart success. Only Borich remained throughout until he disbanded the group in 1975.
After the La De Da's, Borich toured with
John Paul Young & the Allstars for some months before forming a new band.
1976–1989: Kevin Borich Express to The Party Boys
Kevin Borich Express was formed in early 1976 by Borich on lead guitar, lead vocals and occasional flute with Harry Brus on bass guitar (ex-
Blackfeather
Blackfeather are an Australian rock group that formed in April 1970. The band has had numerous line-ups, mostly fronted by founding lead singer, Neale Johns. An early heavy rock version recorded their debut album, ''At the Mountains of Madness' ...
) and Barry Harvey on drums (Wild Cherries, Chain).
They recorded a track, "The End of Me", before Brus and Harvey were soon replaced by Reuben San Fiansco on bass guitar and Gil Matthews on drums.
Subsequent line-ups were typically a three piece with a succession of bass guitarists and drummers.
They released their debut single, "Goin' Somewhere", in October using Fiansco, and John Annas on drums (
Wendy Saddington Band). Following in March 1977 was their debut album, ''Celebration!'' with Annas, and Tim Partridge on bass guitar (
Mighty Kong
Mighty Kong were an Australian 'supergroup' successor to Daddy Cool, which broke up in August 1972. It was also the fifth (and technically the last) in the line of groups that featured singer-songwriter Ross Wilson and guitarist Ross Hannaford, ...
, The Johnny Rocco Band).
The album was favoured by critics and peaked in the top 30 on the
Australian albums charts.
In early 1977, Borich supported the tour by UK rock guitarist
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
. Mid-1977 saw the release of the band's follow-up album ''Lonely One''. This was followed in October by supporting the Rockarena tour with
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
,
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
* Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp
** Santana 20
** Santan ...
and
Little River Band
Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top ...
; Borich was invited on-stage to jam with
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
.
In May 1978, the band toured the US in support of Australian heavy rockers
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
, with Annas, Paul Christie on bass guitar and
keyboard player
A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...
Tim Shafer (
Gary Wright Band).
This line-up recorded ''No Turning Back'' which was released in March 1979.
By mid-year, Partridge had returned with both Christie and Shafer departing, and together with Annas, Borich recorded ''Live!'',
using the 2JJ mobile studio equipment over performances in Melbourne and Wollongong. ''Live!'' contains one of the most incendiary and atmospheric versions of "Little Red Rooster" ever recorded, along with a number of Borich standards.
In July, Kevin Borich Express appeared on
Renée Geyer
Renée Rebecca Geyer (11 September 195317 January 2023) was an Australian singer who was an acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B musician.* 1st edition nline
* 2nd edition rint
She released 15 studio albums with '' Moving Along'' (1977) and ...
's album ''Blues License''.
A European tour by Kevin Borich Express resulted in a
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
being released in Germany.
After the tour, John Watson (Heavy Division) replaced Annas on drums and the band recorded ''Angel's Hand'' in November 1979.
Similar line-up changes continued into the early 1980s with Michael Deep replacing Partridge in April 1980. This line-up collaborated with solo artist
Dutch Tilders
Dutch Tilders (29 August 194123 April 2011), born Mattheus Frederikus Wilhelmus Tilders, anglicised as Matthew Tilders, was a Netherlands-born Australian blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. He performed and released material as a solo artist ...
to record ''Blues Had a Baby and They Called It Rock'n'Roll'' in 1981 on
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
.
Kerry Jacobsen (
Dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
) replaced Watson on drums for the ''Shy Boys Shy Girls''
mini-LP
A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...
in late 1981. By mid-1982, Annas returned on drums, with Steve Balbi on bass guitar, and Andy Cowan on keyboards.
Later that year, Borich on guitar joined
The Party Boys
The Party Boys was an Australian rock supergroup with a floating membership commencing in 1982. Created by Mondo Rock's bass guitarist, Paul Christie, with founding member Kevin Borich (ex– La De Da's, Kevin Borich Express) as a part-time ...
which was formed by previous band member Paul Christie (now ex-
Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock are an Australian rock band, formed in November 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria. Singer-songwriter Ross Wilson (musician), Ross Wilson founded the band, following the split of his previous band Daddy Cool (band), Daddy Cool. Guitarist Er ...
) on bass guitar, drums and backing vocals, Harvey James (
Sherbet) on guitar and
Graham Bidstrup
Graham Leslie "Buzz" Bidstrup (born 30 August 1952) is an Australian musician, songwriter, music producer and talent manager. He was a member of the Angels (1976–1981), the Party Boys (1983–1984) and Gang Gajang (1984–1987, 1993–1996, ...
(
The Angels) on drums.
Initially a side-project, The Party Boys, had top 10 success with singles "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (#1, 1987) and "Hold Your Head Up" (#7, 1987),
and albums ''Live at Several 21sts'' (#9, 1983) and ''
The Party Boys
The Party Boys was an Australian rock supergroup with a floating membership commencing in 1982. Created by Mondo Rock's bass guitarist, Paul Christie, with founding member Kevin Borich (ex– La De Da's, Kevin Borich Express) as a part-time ...
'' (#1, 1987).
Consequently, Kevin Borich Express output and touring was reduced during the 1980s.
In 1989, Borich left The Party Boys and appeared in
Jimmy Barnes band for the 1990 Two Fires tour.
Borich won 'Best Guitarist' at the 1977 and 1978 Australian Rock Music Awards.
1990–present
Borich continues to perform at Australian and international events, in 2011 featuring long time friend
Harry Brus
Harry Brus (born April 1949, in Graz, Austria) is an Australian bass player and guitarist, best known for his work with Matt Finish, Kevin Borich, Renée Geyer, Australian Crawl, Leo Sayer, Marcia Hines, Jimmy Barnes, Ross Wilson and Billy Thor ...
on bass and his son Lucius Borich on drums. This lineup released a double CD and DVD under the banner Borich X Borich Live at the Basement. Borich still utilises a spectrum of Australia's best musicians at different times, including John Annas returning on drums with Ian Lees on bass guitar (ex-
Moving Pictures), and with two former members John Watson and Harry Brus.
He released the CD/DVD package of ''Live at the Big Kahuna'' in 1995.
A studio album was released in 1998, ''Heart Starter'', with
Lucius Borich
Lucius Borich (born 1971) is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer for the band Cog, and previously the drummer in funk metal band Juice and in The Hanging Tree as well as Floating Me. He currently plays and is working on new rock ...
of
Cog on drums and Ben Rosen on bass guitar touring to promote it.
At the ''
Gimme Ted
''Gimme Ted'', or more fully ''Gimme Ted – The Ted Mulry Benefit Concerts'', is an Australian 2×DVD video and tribute album by Various Artists, which was released on 19 May 2003. It was recorded at two eponymous benefit concerts on 9 and 10 ...
'' benefit concert on 10 March 2001 Borich performed three songs.
Over the 15 years since, he has continued to perform the Australian tour circuit and festivals with various line-ups, and released albums ''Nomad'' and ''Borich X Borich'', recorded live at Circular Quay's The Basement. His latest studio album is ''Totem''.
Borich won the Heritage Award at the 1999 Australian Blues Music Festival and was inducted into the Australian Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 2003.
In July 2023, Borich released the album ''Duets''. It was preceded by the single "Keep It to Myself" with
Tim Rogers.
Personal life
Borich has been married twice and has six children, the youngest three with his second wife Melissa Borich.
He was diagnosed with
Nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in May 2005 and undertook radiation and chemotherapies.
The treatments resulted in the loss of his salivary glands and some hearing.
Cultural influences
Australian band
TISM
TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...
, on their 1990 album ''
Hot Dogma'', have tracks called "Kevin Borich Expressionism" Parts 1, 2 and 4. On the ''
Collected Recordings 1986-1993'' box set there is a track called "Kevin Borich Expressionism".
Discography
Albums
References
External links
Kevin Borich official websiteKevin Borich YouTube channelKevin Borich on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borich, Kevin
1948 births
Living people
Australian blues guitarists
Australian male guitarists
Australian male singers
Australian people of Croatian descent
Australian people of New Zealand descent
New Zealand musicians
New Zealand people of Croatian descent
The Party Boys members
People educated at Rutherford College, Auckland