Tuesday 2 March 2021

3CSC Tribute to Michael Gudinski

We play lots of Australian content at 3CSC FM. We love to  slip in some gems from the local talent as a reminder of  the unique sound that is unmistakibly Australian on your way to your next class.

It is impossible to talk about Australian music of the past 50 years without factoring in the contribution of Michael Gudinski, the co-founder of Mushroom Records, who died in his sleep on Monday night, aged 68. This week wqe pay tribute to the local promoter with songs that Michael helped become anthems of Australain music.



From the first Sunbury Pop Festival of 1972 – a three-day outdoor event that paved the way for Big Day Out and others in the decades to come – to the breakthrough success of Skyhooks in 1975, to helping build the careers of Split Enz, Sunnyboys, Kylie Minogue, Hunters and Collectors, Yothu Yindi, Vance Joy and many more, his impact on the local industry was enormous.

Add in his role in touring some of the biggest bands in the world to these shores, and the loss is almost incalculable. As Jimmy Barnes wrote: “Today the heart of Australian music was ripped out. I felt it, my family felt it, the music business felt it, the world felt it.”

News of Gudinski’s sudden death was met with shock and sadness across the world, with the promoter and label boss described as loud, passionate, loyal and above all a fan of music to the very end.

“My friend Michael Gudinski was first, last, and always a music man,” Bruce Springsteen said through his label, Sony. “I’ve toured the world for the last 50 years and never met a better promoter.

“Michael always spoke with a deep rumbling voice, and the words would spill out so fast that half the time I needed an interpreter. But I could hear him clear as a bell when he would say, ‘Bruce, I’ve got you covered’. And he always did.

“He was loud, always in motion, intentionally (and unintentionally) hilarious, and deeply soulful. He will be remembered by artists, including this one, from all over the world every time they step foot on Australian soil. Our deepest condolences to his wife and partner Sue and to the whole Gudinski family.