Aussie rock veteran Russell Morris has the number one Australian artist album on the ARIA chart for the second week in a row.
Russell Morris, Sharkmouth
The 64-year Aussie legend’s Sharkmouth’ album is outselling hit names like Birds of Tokyo and Guy Sebastian and Australia’s international country superstar Keith Urban.
‘Sharkmouth’ was the album all of the major labels rejected. Three years ago Russell went to labels with the idea of releasing a uniquely Australian album of songs about the colour characters of the past. No-one bite.
Then the concept caught the ear of former Warner Music managing director Robert Rigby who had just launched his new record label Fanfare. Rigby believed in the idea and released the album.
Ironically, Fanfare is distributed through EMI Records, one of the major labels that rejected the album, and was then sold to Universal Music, another label that turned it down.
‘Sharkmouth’ jumped to number 6 on the general ARIA album chart this week outselling Pink, Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
Mitch Cairns who has played on records by Brian Cadd, Daryl Braithwaite, Fiona Horne and Kerryn Tolhurst produced ‘Sharkmouth’. Cairns also co-wrote ‘Bout To Break’ and ‘Mr Eternity’ on the album.
The album’s band is Morris, Cairns, Adrian Violo and Shannon Bourne with special guests Renee Geyer, Diesel, Chris Wilson, Steve Romig, Troy Cassar-Daley, James Black and Jerson Trinidad.
