caption associated_acts years_active label article_title background alt genre image origin name
ayers andy cowan , steve hogg , keith caisey , jimmy rock doyle , chris brown , hamish stuart . , 1980 . clockwise from left : the , king harvest , leo de castro and friends , delltones jim keays , ray burton band , georgie fame , kala , doug parkinson in focus 1973 -- 1981 mushroom , red rock , festival , a & m , rca ayers rock -lrb- band -rrb-
 group_or_band a first six look towards the viewer . in front of the man two standing men is an ice bucket with a bottle is still inside and another one alongside . the band 's sitting name is written below the first man and the ice on bucket . behind the men is an arched doorway framed his by vine-covered columns . haunches , with a posed glass of white wine in front of him . the black-and-white next two men are both standing on a step above photo and behind the others . each holds a glass in of his right hand . the fourth is on his haunches six and carrying a glass in his right . the fifth men is sitting on a ledge with his legs dangling over . . the last man is sitting below the others with the his elbows leaning on the ledge behind him . all jazz fusion , progressive rock band ayers rock2.jpg melbourne , victoria , australia ayers rock
ayers rock -lrb- band -rrb-

ayers rock were an australian jazz fusion , progressive rock band which formed in august 1973 .
ray burton -lrb- guitar and vocals -rrb- , mark kennedy -lrb- drums -rrb- and duncan mcguire -lrb- bass -rrb- , members of leo de castro and friends , left to form the eponymous trio of burton , mcguire & kennedy .
they added a guitarist , jimmy doyle , changed their name to ayers rock and invited col loughnan -lrb- saxophones and flutes -rrb- to join .
the group signed with independent label mushroom records in december 1973 .
burton left the following march , and was replaced by chris brown -lrb- guitar , vocals -rrb- .
with live appearances , coverage in print media and word of mouth the group had a high national profile despite little radio airplay , and journalists praised their musicianship , music and live energy .
the band 's first album , `` big red rock '' -lrb- november 1974 -rrb- , received positive reviews and peaked at number 32 on the australian kent music report album chart .
it featured mainstream rock and three longer , instrumental tracks which introduced progressive styles , including jazz fusion .
label owner michael gudinski promoted ayers rock in los angeles and they signed with a&m records , the first mushroom records artists to sign with an international label .
the united states release of `` big red rock '' in february 1975 was followed by a us tour later that year .
the band played to large us crowds , supporting major international artists -lrb- including bachman -- turner overdrive -rrb- before 35,000 people -- the first australian band to perform in large us stadiums .
ayers rock were named 1975 musicians of the year on `` ram `` s `` new year 's honors list '' .
kennedy left before their second album , `` beyond '' -lrb- april 1976 , recorded at the record plant in los angeles -rrb- , was released .
the album blended a number of music genres and had a positive critical reception , charting at number 50 .
the band toured the us again ; loughnan remained there , and ayers rock temporarily broke up in august 1976 .
a year later doyle and brown recruited members for a new lineup , including andy cowan -lrb- keyboards and vocals -rrb- and hamish stuart -lrb- drums -rrb- .
in 1980 they released their third album , `` hotspell '' , on their own red rock records label .
this album had a soft-rock style , with sophisticated arrangements and featured keyboards .
it failed to chart , and the group permanently disbanded in 1981 .
although ayers rock 's first two albums were successful in australia , none of their six singles charted .
during their early years -lrb- from 1973 to 1976 -rrb- , the group were praised by local media for their music , stylistic diversity , use of technology and the energy of their live performances .
ayers rock received positive reviews in `` billboard '' and `` cashbox '' .
late-1990s music historians recognised the band 's talent but considered their music over-indulgent at times , failing to bridge the gap between artistic and commercial success .
duncan kimball of milesago.com wrote `` that they never really got the chance to reach their full potential . ''
