In a heart-warming display of solidarity and support, Australian musicians will band together to donate their time and music for a tribute show honouring Australia’s first rock chick, the inimitable Carol Lloyd.
A pioneer and inspiration to countless women, Carol came to prominence as the flame-haired frontwoman for ‘70s Queensland rock outfit, Railroad Gin. But that flame burns quickly, as Carol has entered the final stages of terminal pulmonary fibrosis.
Carol Loyd in the 1970sTo raise money for Carol’s medical expenses and the on-going support of her family, Katie Noonan (Artistic Director Queensland Music Festival, george) and Women In Voice founder Annie Peterson have organised the ‘Goodbye Ruby Tuesday’ show featuring, among others, Kate Miller-Heidke, Troy Cassar-Daly, Emma Dean, Leah Cotterell, Yani and Bob Downe.
“Myself and Annie Peterson from Women In Voice Present,” Katie Noonan explains, “we got together and said we have to do this and we need to make money for Carol and her partner Annie [Heydon] as they battle this extraordinarily hard challenge.”
Once the decision was made, Katie says the process of compiling artists and putting the show together all but took care of itself once people found out what it was in aid of; Carol’s legacy as the ‘wild woman of rock’ and Australia’s trailblazing first rock chick spoke for itself. “It was just me ringing people, telling them what was happening and they were all just like: ‘I'm in’ straight away,” Katie says.
“That's the amazing thing, it's been a lot of work but the desire to support Carol and Annie through this concert was unquestioned from the beginning with all the artists involved and indeed the venue.”
“She’s a very gracious, humble woman so she was quite grateful but as I said to her, ‘it’s a testament to your character and the love people have for you that this has come together so easily’. If she wasn’t a nice person, and if she hadn’t led her life with dignity and respect, well then no one would be doing the concert.”
It’s little wonder Carol is remembered so fondly and has attracted such an overwhelming outpouring. It was Carol Lloyd who first told women across the country they could rock as hard, if not harder, than the blokes. Among many others she toured with AC/DC, Billy Thorpe and Stevie Wright, and inspired a new generation of women in rock. “I was a little too young to appreciate the full beauty of Railroad Gin when they were in their heyday, because it was before my time,” Katie says.
Railroad Gin“But I certainly got to know her through word of mouth. There were very few women in the music industry, full stop, but certainly very few in the rock industry; it's very much a boy's club. They are a very unique and very brave breed which have paved the way for women like me, all my contemporaries and those who came in after me. You are definitely a minority so you've got to hold your own in more ways than one. She was pretty much the pioneer of that.”
‘Goodbye Ruby Tuesday’ will feature artists singing their own originals as well as Carol’s best-loved hits and classics.
Katie will be performing with her band george and says if all goes to plan, there will be a very special guest appearance on the night. “It’s going to be a really beautiful mixed bag of tunes; a lot of originals and a lot of Carol’s repertoire.”
'Goodbye Ruby Tuesday' takes place at QPAC 20 October.
