Broderick Smith, best known as the frontman of Australian band The Dingoes, died on Sunday, his family have confirmed.
In a statement released by his son Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Smith, 75, is reported to have ‘died peacefully at home’ over the weekend.
The Dingoes, a country rock band who achieved success in the 1970s, never released any singles in the UK but released popular songs in their homeland.
As well as single Way Out West, which hit the Australian top 40 in 1973, they had three consecutive top 40 albums released on international record labels.
Before his time with The Dingoes, Smith was a member of Carson, whose song Boogie and album Blown both reached the top 30 in 1972.
Born in England in 1948, Smith travelled to Australia in 1959 as a ‘Ten Pound Pom’ – Brits who moved Down Under as part of an assisted migration scheme.
Kenny-Smith grew up to become vocalist, harmonica player, and percussionist in Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
In a statement, the multi-instrumentalist in the six-piece band said: ‘Hope you finally find the holy grail of harmonica tones wherever you are.’
He continued: ‘I love you so much. I am lost without you but the show must go on. Goodbye for now you beautiful lil weirdo wombat.’
Smith’s music career began in 1966, shortly after his move to Australia, when he joined the Adderley Blues Band and began playing harmonica.
Throughout the final years of the 20th century, Smith recorded with high-profile musicians such as Cat Stevens, Jimmy Barnes, and The Memphis Horns.
Barnes, 67, paid tribute: ‘As a young singer, Broderick was my hero. [My band] Cold Chisel all loved The Dingoes.’
Much like his father’s band, Kenny-Smith’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have seen huge success in Australia despite little chart recognition in the UK.
To date, all but one of the band’s 23 studio albums (all released in the last 11 years) have charted highly, with 13 making the Australian top 10.
Ten years ago, Smith appeared on King Gizzard’s 2013 album Eyes Like the Sky, writing all of the lyrics and even narrating sections of the record.
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