R.I.P. Daddy Cool Legend Ross Hannaford 1950-2016

Ross Hannaford, the guitarist for legendary Australian band Daddy Cool, has lost his battle with cancer at age 65.

Ross ‘Hanna’ Hannaford and childhood friend Ross Wilson started their first band together The Pink Finks in Melbourne in 1965. The pair had a succession of bands including The Party Machine and then Sons of Vegetal Mother that evolved into Daddy Cool.

Daddy Cool was the first national success for Hannaford and Wilson together with Wayne Duncan and Gary Young. The debut album ‘Daddy Who? Daddy Cool’ gave us two rock classics today considered to be two of the finest songs in Australian Rock history ‘Eagle Rock’ and ‘Come Back Again’. 45 years after they were recorded, they are still played daily on Australian radio.

Daddy Cool only lasted for a couple of years and two albums. Hannaford and Wilson then formed Mighty Kong before they too would split.

Ross Hannaford would go on to create an incredible catalogue of work with various artists including The Black Sorrows, Ian Moss, Mark Gillespie and Goanna as well as his own reggae band Billy T.

In 2005 the original Daddy Cool reformed for the Tsunami benefit concert and released a live DVD. They also returned to the studio and made a third studio album ‘The New Cool’ in 2007.

In mid-2015 it became known that Ross Hannaford had cancer and his friends gathered for the Hanna benefit to show their support. Ross also decided to continue working and returned to the studio to create the ‘Hanna’ album, released at the end of 2015. He also continued to perform for as long as he could bringing in a full house for his ‘Hanna’ album showcase at the Caravan Club in Melbourne in December.

Ross Hannaford will be remembered as one of Australia’s greatest musicians and one of the music industries most colourful characters.

PHOTO GALLERY: Ross Hannaford at the Caravan Club December 2015