Tully (band) - Major Breaks

Major Breaks

In June/July 1969 the band got two major breaks that brought them to the forefront of the Australian music scene. One was the commissioning of a series of six half-hour ABC-TV programs starring Tully, entitled Fusions. The series, which was the brainchild of former ABC current affairs producer Bill Munro (later the executive producer of the Aunty Jack spinoff Flash Nick From Jindivik).

Fusions originally featured lighting design by UBU's Aggy Read, although this partnership was terminated due to budget restrictions after the first two episodes. One of Tully and Reid's collaborations for the series was a 15-minute music/image improvisation on "Tully's Bicycle" (although UBU News reported at the time that the ABC studio crew were less than accommodating, refusing to dim the main studio lights during the filming of a strobe sequence, rendering it largely ineffective). Guests included singer Wendy Saddington.

Through their residency at the Adam's Apple disco entrepreneur Harry M. Miller selected Tully as the 'house band' for the original Australian production of the controversial American 'tribal love rock musical' Hair which premiered at the Metro Theatre, Kings Cross on 4 June 1969. Billed as "Tully + 4", the group was augmented by extra musicians for the production—veteran jazz drummer John Sangster (percussion), Mick Barnes (guitar) and Keith Hounslow (trumpet). Tully vocalist Terry Wilson joined the cast of the show and sang the featured number "Aquarius". Tully stayed with the production until early 1970 (when they were replaced by Luke's Walnut) and during this period they performed on the original cast recording that came out late in 1969 on the Spin Records label, which went on to earn a Gold Record award.

Fusions premiered on ABC on 1 August, and on 17 August Tully headlined a major concert at Sydney Town Hall, supported by the John Sangster Quintet and The Executives. A similar show at the Mandala Theatre was also a success. Towards the end of 1969 bassist John Blake left the group. He was replaced first by Graeme Conlan (ex-The Second Thoughts, White Wine) and then by Murray Wilkins, until Ken Firth was eventually recruited as a permanent replacement.