Dragon (band)

History

Dragon, a rock band from New Zealand, came together in Auckland in January 1972. The group’s name was chosen by singer Graeme Collins after consulting I Ching cards. Their first notable show was at the Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival in early January 1973. By 1974, the lineup had shifted: Todd Hunter’s younger brother Marc took over vocals, and Neil Storey joined on drums.

That year, they released the progressive rock album Universal Radio in June, followed by Scented Gardens for the Blind in February 1975, both on Vertigo Records. Though they were a top live act in Auckland by late 1974, neither album nor their singles charted locally. They brought in guitarist Robert Taylor, aiming for a raunchier pop sound. Manager Graeme Nesbitt, who had secured gigs and tours in New Zealand, pushed for a move to the larger Australian market, but he couldn’t join them because he was arrested for drug selling.

The band relocated to Sydney in May 1975 and toured Australia as the opening act for Status Quo that October. Their single “Starkissed” for PolyGram didn’t sell well. They then called for keyboardist Paul Hewson, a New Zealand pop songwriter Nesbitt had scouted earlier but who had initially declined. Originally planning to go to Canada, they decided to stay in Australia, settling in Bondi in late 1975 and landing a residency at the Bondi Lifesaver club.

They got Sebastian Chase as their talent manager. In early 1976, CBS house producer Peter Dawkins, acting on a tip from fellow New Zealander Mike Rudd, saw them at the Recovery Wine Bar in Camperdown. Impressed by their show and Hewson’s songs, he signed them to CBS Records. The band often stirred up controversy, and in September 1976, drummer Neil Storey, aged 22, died from a heroin overdose. By then, founding member Ray Goodwin had left, and their single “This Time” was starting to chart.

Awards and nominations

Dragon received International Achievement at the Aotearoa Music Awards in 1984 and was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2011. At the ARIA Music Awards, the band won Highest Selling Album and Best Adult Contemporary Album for Dreams of Ordinary Men in 1987, and the title track won Highest Selling Single that same year. Bondi Road won Best Adult Contemporary Album in 1990, and Dragon was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008. At the TV Week / Countdown Awards, "Rain" won Best Australian Single in 1983 and Body and the Beat won Best Australian Album in 1984.