Divinyls

The Divinyls' Christina Amphlette is the most dynamic live female performer Australia has ever produced, let alone sent out into the world. With the help of an ever-changing Divinyls line-up Christina and guitarist Mark McEntee have created a legacy of powerful pop records.

Cousin of Sydney mid-sixties pop star Little Pattie, Geelong-born Christina Amphlette's whole life seems to have pointed towards a lifetime in music. After running away from home to follow her favourite group the Town Criers, at 14 Chrissie joined her first band, a derivative Melbourne pop group called Daisy Clover. In 1971 she turned up in Sydney as one of the featured singers in One Ton Gypsy, an ambitious country rock band formed by Ray Brown, formerly of Ray Brown and The Whispers fame. At 17 she left Australia to travel alone through Europe, spending some time living on the streets of Paris, and at one point ending up in a Spanish jail for busking.

Back in Sydney, Christina joined a church choir, purely to develop the upper register of her voice. During one choir performance her stool fell over and became tangled up in her microphone chord. Watching Christina drag the stool across the stage while continuing to sing was Mark McEntee, so enamoured by her performance he decided he had to meet this girl. It was the start of a long and robust professional relationship.

In December 1980 they started performing in the sleezy bars of Sydney with a Divinyls line-up made up of musicians who all had long histories in Australian rock and roll without achieving mainstream success - apart from bassist Jeremy Paul who was in the original line-up of Air Supply. They'd only just started performing live when the group was spotted by film director Ken Cameron, who was looking for a group to appear in his film 'Monkey Grip'. Cameron was so impressed by Chrissie he invented a small speaking part for her. What he also hadn't imagined was finding a group capable of providing the movie with a soundtrack.

The single from the soundtrack mini-album 'Boys In Town' came with an eye-catching video of Chrissie Amphlette at her provocative best, dressed in a school uniform and fishnet stockings, filmed from below as she performed on top of a metal grill. It was an image that would stay with the Divinyls for a long time. The single made top ten nationally. Jeremy Paul left on the eve of the single's release and was replaced by Eric Grossman.

With a one-off deal for 'Monkey Grip' the Divinyls were in a position to take advantage of the record company offers which flooded their way. With just one hit to their credit the Divinyls were able to sign a world wide deal with Chrysalis. In a defining moment, Chrysalis offered to fix Christina Amphlette's protruding teeth, and the singer refused. She was what she was. Their debut album 'Desperate' was recorded in New York with Australian producer Mark Opitz.

While the group toured the world extensively in the years that followed, the line-up kept changing around the Amphlette-McEntee team. As well as musicians, the Divinyls have had a habit of losing managers and record companies. The group's output on record has been hindered by the struggle to get all the pieces together long enough to release albums. 1985's 'What A Life' album took three producers to complete. Frustrating for all those concerned, the wait between releases might also have contributed to the group's longevity.

In 1991 The Divinyls stirred up a storm again with the song 'I Touch Myself' and a video with a tied-up Christina back in fishnets. The ensuring controversy helped make the song a huge hit around the world - Number One in Australia, Top Ten in America. By now there was no pretence of a "group" and The Divinyls' duo toured on the strength of their hit with the help of session musicians.

In recent years Christina has also indulged her talent for acting with her starring role in the Australian production of 'Blood Brothers', and her stand-out portrayal of Judy Garland in the Peter Allen inspired musical 'The Boy From Oz'.