Kirk Pengilly
| Kirk Pengilly | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 4 July 1958 Kew, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, Saxophone, Keyboards, Flute, Vocals |
| Years active | 1975-present |
| Associated acts | INXS |
| Website | Kirk Pengilly from the INXS website |
Kirk Pengilly (born 4 July 1958, Kew, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian musician, best known as a member of the rock group INXS.
Contents |
[edit] Early career
Pengilly moved to Sydney in 1966,[1] and became best friends with fellow band member Tim Farriss with whom he attended Forest High School.
Their first band Guinness, formed in 1971, was a high school band in which Pengilly was the principal songwriter and lead singer.[2] The band included American David Stewart on pedal-steel guitar and Malcolm Walker on drums, and was named after bass player Steve Spencer's dog. Guinness played a style of music inspired by bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer and Gentle Giant on one hand, and country rockers like Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett on the other. Mixing country rock and the concert style of rock music worked well for a while, and the band enjoyed some success on Sydney's Northern Beaches and Sydney city venues like Chequers, Frenchs and others. But the music was not really commercial and the band struggled to gain a steady following.[3] In late 1976, the group disbanded when David Stewart returned to America. Malcolm played in the club scene with a number of bands, while Steven embarked upon a career as a sound technician in the UK.[4]
But when The Farriss Brothers formed in 1977, Pengilly gave up the main vocalist responsibilities to Michael Hutchence.
[edit] INXS
As principal backing vocalist, saxophonist and guitarist, he contributes to a great deal of the music that INXS release. He has written, produced and performed numerous b-sides.[5] Pengilly was also the creator of the rare Happy Christmas record sent to early 1980s fanclub members in Australia and the United States.[5] His main instrument though is the guitar. "My eldest brother, Mark, gave me a beat up acoustic guitar when I was about nine and I taught myself playing along to records," Pengilly recalls. His position also sees him as the key publicity spokesperson, a role he does not take lightly. Pengilly also holds the distinction of being the band's archivist, faithfully logging daily entries in diaries that date back to the beginning of INXS.
[edit] Other projects
 |
This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (October 2009) |
- In 1982 Pengilly became involved in a one-off EP project with the band, The Igniters.[5]
- In 1983 Andrew Farriss, Garry Gary Beers and himself worked on the 12" release of "Flaming Hands" / "Cast My Love".
- In 1987, Pengilly appeared in the music video "You're Gonna Get Hurt", released by Australian singer Jenny Morris, unrecognizable without his trademark glasses.
- In 1989 when the band was on a break, Pengilly along with Tim Farriss produced an album for local Sydney band, Crash Politics.
- 1993 saw Pengilly playing saxophone on Richard Clapton's album Distant Thunder, and he has also been a session guitarist for Shona Laing and saxophonist for Martin Plaza.
- Produced an album for his brother Drew's band, Coo, in 1999.
- In 2002, Pengilly co-wrote and co-produced the album Still in Bed by Hughie Murray.[5]
[edit] Private life
|
|
This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (October 2009) |
- Pengilly has one daughter, April Rose Pengilly (who is now an actor/model), born in 1988,[6] to his ex-girlfriend Karen Hutchinson. Hutchinson and Pengilly were together for ten years, in which time she toured with the band.
- In December 1993, Pengilly married singer Deni Hines. The marriage lasted ten months, and the two parted ways in early 1995.[citation needed]
- Hines sang backing vocals on INXS' "Not Enough Time".
- Pengilly was once engaged to freelance DJ Louise Hegarty, the relationship lasted for seven years.
- He is married to former world women's champion pro surfer, Layne Beachley.They were married at their South Coast home in NSW in a private ceremony on the 10/10/2010 at 10 am.
- He bought a large farm in Kangaroo Valley.[citation needed]
- Kirk Pengilly became an ambassador of The Eye Foundation in May 2007
- Pengilly starred in the first series of Celebrity MasterChef Australia and progressed to the finals where he came second to Eamon Sullivan.
- The name Pengilly is Cornish for end of grove.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Bozza, Anthony; INXS (2005). INXS Story to Story: The Official Autobiography. Atria Books. p. 5. ISBN 0-7432-8403-8.
- ^ St John, Ed; INXS (1992). INXS: The Official Inside Story of a Band on the Road. Mandarin. p. 8. ISBN 1-86330-207-7.
- ^ Bozza, Anthony; INXS (2005). INXS Story to Story: The Official Autobiography. Atria Books. p. 6. ISBN 0-7432-8403-8.
- ^ Bozza, Anthony; INXS (2005). INXS Story to Story: The Official Autobiography. Atria Books. p. 8. ISBN 0-7432-8403-8.
- ^ a b c d INXS.com Kirk Pengilly Bio[dead link]
- ^ St John, Ed; INXS (1992). INXS: The Official Inside Story of a Band on the Road. Mandarin. p. 9. ISBN 1-86330-207-7.
- ^ "Cornish surnames P". Freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com. http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kernow/names_p.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
[edit] External links
- Incomplete list songs composed by Kirk Pengilly (ASCAP)
- Incomplete list songs composed by Kirk Pengilly (BMI)
