John Kennedy (Australian Musician) - JFK & The Cuban Crisis

JFK & The Cuban Crisis

Kennedy formed his first band, JFK & The Cuban Crisis, with former school friend James Paterson in Brisbane in 1980. They quickly established themselves on the small Brisbane scene with their smart Squeeze influenced pop. After releasing two cassette albums and playing support spots with the Pretenders and Ian Dury and the Blockheads, the band moved to Sydney in 1982.

After recruiting a new rhythm section, Kennedy and Paterson started performing live in Sydney in late '82 playing a residency at the Southern Cross Hotel in Surry Hills. A four song EP, Careless Talk Costs Lives, recorded in Brisbane in early '82 became the band's first release in Sydney. The EP was the first release on the new Waterfront Records label and featured the song, "The Texan Thing", which received a lot of attention and alternative radio play. JFK established themselves on the Sydney inner city live scene along with contemporaries like the Triffids. However musical differences were already appearing and personality clashes followed. JFK broke up in 1984 after releasing the album The End Of The Affair and its related single, The Ballad of Jackie O.