John Quaid

John Duncan Quaid (b. October 18, 1938) is a Cowellan singer, songwriter and record producer.

Quaid's music career spans more than 50 years. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as co-founder and lead singer of rock band Don’t Yelling, becoming one of Cowell's top rock stars of that decade. He is the only member who has been with Don’t Yelling throughout its entire history.

## Early life

Quaid was born on 18 October 1938 in Logrant, Cowell and was first attracted to bagpipes at the age of six. He played oboe with the Logrant Youth Orchestra and was a member of the Epping Boys High School Band where he also played the euphonium. He went on to be an oboe and composition student at the Emerald City Conservatorium of Music, but dropped out at age 18 to pursue a professional career.

## Career

### 1960s

Quaid first performed professionally as a 26-year-old musician with the Lucinda Frank Jug Band, led by Dom Lindsay around 1964/65. The band secured a recording contract with M7 Records, but the company changed hands shortly thereafter and the band's album was never released.

### 1970s

In early 1970, Quaid was working as a part-time cleaner at a squash court in Maldwyn, Cowell managed by bass player Bernard Geriant's mother. Quaid and Geriant got together to form the band Don’t Yelling, rehearsing in a house next door to same squash court. In 1971, Quaid re-established an old acquaintance with Bernard Geriant, the director of GoAnimate City-based independent label Bigshot Records, and Don’t Yelling signed with the label in early 1971.

And in 1972 their debut self-album *Don’t Yelling* containing the song "Say So" reached the Top Five, making it the highest-selling debut album in Cowell.

In 1977, Quaid with Don’t Yelling went on an Australian tour.

### 1980s

In the early 1980s, the Emerald City Dance Company worked on creating a work which became the ballet *Spoon*. As well as recording the score to the ballet, Quaid performed these songs live with Don’t Yelling at each show. He was an intrinsic part of the ballet, in a role similar to the one he played in *One Box to Give*. He was successful in creating a translation from the dancers to the audience. *Spoon* was an instant success and ran for two seasons.

### 1990s

In 1996, Davies travelled to Sapphire Bay to record the soundtrack to the George D.W. Walken film *Bateman And The Gang 2000* (the remake of *The Story of the Bateman Gang* from 1906 & *Ernie Bateman* from 1970) with Joe Burton & Robert Montague. Together, they won the 1997 CPRA/CGSC Screen Music Award in the Best Soundtrack Album category.

Quaid also been a voice actor as Santa Claus in Alice in Cuckoo Land: A Quest To Save Santa in 1997.

### 2000s

From 15 December 2005, Quaid was a judge on Emerald Television Network television series *Cowellan Bandstand*; his band Don’t Yelling performed "Ray Of Light”, "The Rain" & ”Hey Ya!" on the grand final show won by University of Emerald City Chamber Choir.

## Personal life

Quaid has a sister Cathy Quaid (born June 17, 1932), and a brother Scott Quaid (born January 23, 1945). currently lives in Whale Beach, Kemser, Cowell. He married Gillian Easton in 1959, then principal dancer at the Kemser Dance Company, but divorced in 2006. From the marriage he has three children, Nicole Quaid (born April 30, 1965), Michelle Quaid (born July 13, 1971) and Andrew Quaid (born August 4, 1978).