Rob Hirst
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Robert George Hirst (born 3 September 1955) is an Australian musician from Camden, New South Wales. He is a founding member of rock band Midnight Oil on drums, percussion and backing vocals (sometimes lead vocals) from the 1970s until the band took a hiatus in 2002. The band resumed activity as a group in 2017. Hirst also wrote a book, ''Willie's Bar & Grill'', recounting the experiences on the tour Midnight Oil embarked on shortly after the 11 September terrorist attacks in 2001.


Midnight Oil (1976–2002, 2017–present)

In the early 1970s schoolboys Rob Hirst and close friends
Jim Moginie James 'Jim' Moginie (born 18 May 1956) is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he is a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter. Career In addition to Midnight Oil, Moginie ha ...
and Andrew "Bear" James played their first public performance in a school hall in Sydney's leafy northern suburbs under the name Schwampy Moose playing mainly Beatles covers. By 1976 the band had changed their name to Farm, and Hirst, now a student at
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
(BA/LLB), placed an advertisement in '' The Sydney Morning Herald'' for a singer to join the trio. The new line up of
Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his sign ...
(lead vocals), Hirst (drums and vocals), Moginie (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), and James (bass guitar) was joined soon after by Martin Rotsey on guitar and their manager and sixth member Gary Morris. The band changed their name to Midnight Oil. With a blistering intensity to their live performances, the band's early music was a unique brand of surf punk. However, by the early 1980s the key songwriters in the band, Hirst, Moginie, and Garrett, had become increasingly interested in the political issues of the day. This had a significant influence on their song writing and soon spilled over into their live performances as the dynamic and outspoken Garrett used the stage as a platform for the band's views on issues including Aboriginal rights, nuclear disarmament and social justice. In 1979 James left to be replaced by Peter Gifford. In 1987, after touring the outback and recording the band's best-known album '' Diesel and Dust'', Gifford suffered ill health and resigned. New bass player Bones Hillman (formerly of New Zealand band The Swingers) brought a new vocal dimension to the band. Midnight Oil continued to record and tour internationally for a further 15 years, chalking up a final tally of fourteen albums and two extended plays before lead singer Garrett quit the group in December 2002, taking up a career in politics. The band have resumed activity as of 2017, including undertaking a 2017 world tour.


Ghostwriters

In the mid-1990s, while Midnight Oil were taking a break, Hirst joined up with guitarist Andrew Dickson and Hoodoo Gurus bass guitarist Rick Grossman to form a side project, Ghostwriters. So far, the band has released four albums, ''Ghostwriters'' (
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
, 1991), ''Second Skin'' ( Mercury Records, 1996), ''Fibromoon'' (self-released, 2000), and ''Political Animal'' ( SonyBMG Australia, 2007).


Backsliders

In the year 2000, Hirst joined Backsliders, an Australian Blues group formed in 1986 whose members include founding member Dom Turner and harmonica players Brod Smith, Ian Collard and Joe Glover. The line-up with Hirst has released six studio albums, one EP and a live DVD.


Other musical projects

Turner and Hirst formed another band in 2002, the Angry Tradesmen, with the idea of taking the guitar/drum music of North Mississippi and blending it with drum/bass music of the 1990s and experimental post-punk rock. Their only album ''Beat the House'' was released in 2008 and featured studio performances by Midnight Oil's Martin Rotsey. Hirst and Rotsey also play on the track "All Around the World" on Jim Moginie's 2006 solo album ''Alas Folkloric''. Other musical collaborations have included working with Australia's Olympic athletes on a record commissioned by SOCOG for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and an unrelated collaboration with former Olympic athlete, Paul Greene. Hirst and Greene have released an album, ''In the Stealth of Summer'', and a DVD, ''Hirst and Greene - Live at the Basement''. In 2010 Hirst, Moginie and Rotsey teamed up with Violent Femmes bass player Brian Ritchie and Hunters & Collectors trumpet player Jack Howard to form a new surf rock band, The Break. Their debut album, ''Church of the Open Sky'', was released on 16 April 2010 on the independent label Bombora, distributed by MGM. A tour of Australia followed. Their second album, "Space Farm", was released on 15 March 2013, again followed by an Australian tour. In 2015, Hirst collaborated on music with his eldest daughter Jay O'Shea of the band O'Shea. Hirst had given O'Shea up for adoption at a young age and it was through her birth mother and Hirst's bandmate from Midnight Oil Bones Hillman that the two eventually connected. The song "The Truth Walks Slowly " is the second time Hirst has collaborated with his children after previously having his younger two daughters complete backing vocals on his solo album.


Personal life

Hirst has three daughters. He has two daughters with his wife, Leslie Holland. One of his daughters, Gabriella Hirst, is an artist. He also has another daughter, Jay O'Shea, who was born to a former girlfriend and was later adopted. They reunited in 2010 and have subsequently collaborated. Hirst was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2023.


Discography


Albums


Extended plays


See also

* Midnight Oil * Ghostwriters * Backsliders


Awards and nominations


APRA Awards

These annual awards were established by
Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...
(APRA) in 1982 to honour the achievements of songwriters and music composers and to recognise their song writing skills, sales and airplay performance, by its members annually. From 1982 to 1990, the best songs were given the Gold Award (also called the Special Award).APRA Music Awards for Midnight Oil: * 1989–90 winners: Note: APRA-AMCOS changed the timing of their awards ceremony from May to the previous November and hence a special presentation for 1989/90 recipients was made at the May 1991 ceremony. * APRA Top 30 Australian songs (1–10): * APRA Top 30 Australian songs (11–20): * 2008 winners: * 2008 Ted Albert Award: , - , 1989–90 , , " Beds Are Burning" (
Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his sign ...
, Robert Hirst, James Moginie) , , Gold Award , , , - , rowspan="2", 2001 , , "Beds Are Burning" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie) , , APRA Top 10 Australian songs , , , - , " Power and the Passion" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett) , , APRA Top 30 Australian songs , , , - , 2018 , , Midnight Oil (Garrett, Hirst, Martin Rotsey, Moginie, Bones Hillman) , , Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music , , , - , 2021 , , " Gadigal Land" (Joel Davison, Rob Hirst, Bunna Lawrie) , , Song of the Year , , , - , 2022 , , " First Nation" , , Song of the Year , , , -


Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They commenced in 1973. (wins only) ! , - , 2017 , , "The Truth Walks Slowly (In The Country Side)" O'Shea featuring Rob Hirst, , Video of the Year , , , ,


References

;General * Note: Archived on-line copy has limited functionality. * Note: on-line version established a
White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd
in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. ;Specific


External links


Rob Hirst websiteMidnight Oil websiteThe Ghostwriters websiteThe Ghostwriters on MySpaceThe Backsliders websiteThe Angry Tradesmen websiteHirst and Greene websiteThe Break website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirst, Rob 1955 births Living people APRA Award winners Australian rock drummers Australian male drummers Midnight Oil members People educated at Sydney Grammar School Ghostwriters (band) members University of Sydney alumni