Broderick Smith arrived in Australia from his native England in 1959, settling in Melbourne, one of the country’s rock and pop music hot spots. Within three years, he was playing in bands, his rich, bluesy voice and instrumental skills popular with audiences.
The Smokey Hollows featured Broderick Smith, then the Adderley Smith Blues Band. He joined Aussie boogie pioneers, Carson, in 1971, performing at the legendary Sunbury rock festival in 1973. Broderick returned to Sunbury in 74 and 75 with his next band, The Dingoes, a bold musical adventure fusing rhythm and blues with country rock. They created Way Out West, later a hit for the Jameses, Reyne and Blundell.
Broderick Smith’s Big Combo was an 80s success, and he continued making music right up to his death in April, aged 75.
He brought blues, boogie, funk, and r & b into the seething mix of Australian rock and pop, enriching the local music scene over many years.
