I was very saddened to hear about the passing of one of Australia's greatest rockers, Chrissy Amphlett. This is my special tribute to her...rock on Chrissy!
Christine Joy "Chrissy" Amphlett (25 October 1959 – 21 April 2013) was lead singer of the Divinyls. She was a cousin of Australian singer Little Pattie (Patricia Amphlett).
Amphlett grew up in Geelong as a singer and dancer. She left home as a teenager and travelled to England, France and Spain where she was imprisoned for three months for singing on the streets. In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction", written by Amphlett and lead guitarist Mark McEntee, was selected by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.Erstwhile lovers Amphlett and McEntee barely spoke after the band had separated in 1996, but resumed contact when they were inducted in the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame, eventually announcing a new tour and album.
Amphlett met Mark McEntee at a concert at the Sydney Opera House in 1980 and, together with Jeremy Paul (Air Supply), formed Divinyls shortly after. After several years of live gigs in Sydney, they recorded several songs for the film Monkey Grip, in which Amphlett's acting skills are also featured.
Divinyls consisted of an ever-changing lineup around the core of Amphlett and McEntee, whose relationship was volatile throughout their career. Nonetheless, the band released six albums between 1982 and 1996, peaking in 1991 with the success of the single "I Touch Myself", which reached Number 1 in Australia, 10 in the UK and 4 in the US. Divinyls did not release another album for nearly six years, splitting up around the time of Underworld's release in Australia. Amphlett lived in New York City with her husband, concentrating on a solo career and writing her autobiography, Pleasure and Pain: My Life.
Amphlett and McEntee barely spoke after the band split up, but resumed contact when they were inducted in the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame, eventually announcing a new tour and album.The band recorded and released a single, "Don't Wanna Do This", and toured Australia, but the proposed reunion album did not eventuate.
Thank you
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