Owen Orford

Owen David Orford[1] is an Australian booking agent. Owen Orford transcended from lead singer in Australian touring bands Finch, Contraband and Toys, to venue booker of Sydney venues throughout the 1980s. He has booked shows for more than 100 Australian artists over the past 25 years.

Early career

Owen Orford was a high school teacher with a BSc degree in Industrial Art and Design in the early 1970s, Owen had aspirations of leaving the academic world to pursue his dream of becoming a professional rock singer. In 1972, he formed Stillwater in Sydney as a hard rock band and by the following year they had changed their name to Finch.[2][3] In Finch, with Orford on lead vocals, were Peter McFarlane on drums, Bob Spencer on lead guitar, and Tony Strain on bass guitar.[2][4] The band toured the country extensively and over the years released a number of hit singles and albums, including Thunderbird in 1976. The band signed with United States Label Portrait, changing their name to Contraband due to the existence of a Dutch band with the same name. After a run of line-up changes the band split up in 1979. The following year Orford went to work at the agency that had booked his band, Harbour Premier. Owen quickly discovered a natural ability in his new found career as a booking agent, developing an impressive roster of acts including Hoodoo Gurus, Models, Hunters & Collectors, Icehouse, Moving Pictures, The Radiators, The Cockroaches, Machinations, Kids in the Kitchen, Electric Pandas, Boom Crash Opera, Jenny Morris, Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes and Do-Re-Mi.

TPA

In 1989 Orford left Harbour Premier to establish his own agency, Trading Post Agency (TPA). After an initial struggle, TPA signed their first act, Australian rock band Midnight Oil. TPA hit its stride and throughout the years the company, with Owen at the helm, represented such acts as; Tommy Emmanuel, Savage Garden, Men at Work, Killing Heidi, Grinspoon and Spiderbait, and also a number of international artists in Australia including; Hothouse Flowers (Ireland), Crash Test Dummies (Canada), and The Pursuit of Happiness (Canada). TPA booked world tours for; DIG, Karin Schaupp, and sold-out UK tours for Killing Heidi & Grinspoon.[5][6]

TPA quickly established a reputation as an industry leader, overseeing the epic rise of one of Australia’s most successful bands Silverchair in the 90’s, culminating in the ground breaking Across the Great Divide tour in 2007. Throughout the years, Orford’s dedication to the Australian music industry has been paramount, as evident from his involvement in various committees, including the Commonwealth Government's Contemporary Music Touring Program, as well as a stint as chairperson for MusicNSW. Industry acclaim has not eluded Orford either, taking out the award for Agent of the Year at the Australian Live Music Awards for three consecutive years.

New World Artists

2013 marks a new chapter for Orford taking up the role of Managing Agent at prestigious Australian booking agency, New World Artists.[7] New World Artists is an independent booking agency exclusively representing Artists for their live performances throughout Australasia with a roster of prominent clients including; Tina Arena, Daniel Johns, Drapht,[8] Grinspoon, RocKwiz Live, Silverchair and Sneaky Sound System.

References

  1. ↑ "ASCAP ACE Search: Writers: Owen Orford". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Finch'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Events and Venues". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). National Library of Australia. 19 May 1982. p. 26. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  4. ↑ Holmgren, Magnus; Ellison, Mark. "Finch/Contraband". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Scott Ellis "Strike up the band", "The Sun-Herald", 6 May 2003
  6. ↑ Christie Eliezer "Pokies Slow Local Touring", "Billboard", 16 October 1999
  7. ↑ Christie Eliezer "Industrial Strength", "The Music Network", 28 November 2012
  8. ↑ Christie Eliezer "Industrial Strength", "The Music Network", 23 January 2013
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