Tex Perkins - The Cruel Sea

The Cruel Sea

After toying with different band members, The Cruel Sea came into fruition in 1988 with the union of Ken Gormley on bass, Jim Elliot on drums, Danny Rumour on guitars and James Cruikshank on keyboards and guitars, taking their name from the 1960s surf instrumental group, The Ventures. In 1989 Perkins (their then-lighting technician) started joining them onstage. This sparked an interest from Red Eye Records, and the band was signed and released a 1989 album Down Below featuring Perkins on vocals. They received an ARIA award nomination in 1993 following the release of their second album, This Is Not the Way Home. The instrumental single "4" and the title track received high rotation play on independent and commercial radio.

The group's third album, The Honeymoon Is Over (1993), and its title song, won five ARIA Music Awards of 1994. They followed with a high-profile world tour. 1995 saw the release of the hugely successful Three Legged Dog album, which spawned the hits "Better Get a Lawyer" "Just a Man" "Anybody but You" and "Too Fast for Me". They claimed another ARIA award in 1995 for 'Best Group' with their work on Three Legged Dog. The band then took a three-year break during which time Perkins released his first solo album, Far Be it From Me. The Cruel Sea returned to their instrumental roots and embarked on a series of gigs without Perkins.

In 1998, The Cruel Sea released Over Easy and again a rigorous touring schedule supporting their Takin all day national tour. After the success of his first album, Perkins released his second solo album Dark Horses.