Sherbet

Sherbet were an Australian pop-rock band from Sydney that released five studio albums on Infinity between 1972 and 1976, followed by Photoplay on Festival in 1977 and an eponymous album on their own namesake imprint in 1978. The last two albums were respectively issued as Magazine on MCA and Highway on RSO. The band briefly folded in 1979 but resurfaced the following year as the Sherbs.

Sherbet was formed in early 1969 by English-born guitarist and singer Clive Shakespeare, formerly of the unrecorded Motown covers act the Downtown Roll Band. The initial lineup contained the DRB rhythm section, bassist Doug Rea and drummer Danny Taylor, plus two early members of beatsters Clapham Junction: singer Dennis Laughlin and organist Sam See. Laughlin had also done a brief stint in the Sebastian Hardie Blues Band, the precursor to Sebastian Hardie.

In late 1969, singer Daryl Braithwaite joined and served as co-lead vocalist until Laughlin vacated the following year. Braithwaite hailed from (Galadriel precursor) House of Bricks with bassist Bruce Worrall, who took Rea’s place in 1970. After an eight-month residency at Jonathan’s disco in Sydney, where they played seven-hour nights, four times per week, the band was spotted by aspiring manager Roger Davies.

Sherbet signed to Festival Records and released their first single, “Everything” (b/w “Crimson Ships“), in 1970. That October, See cleared way for Kiwi keyboardist Garth Porter. (See followed with stints in Fraternity and Flying Circus.) All subsequent Sherbet releases appeared on Festival’s newly established Infinity imprint.

Discography:

• Time Change – A Natural Progression (1972)
  
• On With the Show (1973)
  
• Slipstream (1974)
  
• Life Is for Living (1975)
  
• In Concert (1975)
  
• Howzat (1976)
  
• Photoplay [aka Magazine] (1977)
  
• Caught in the Act…Live (1977)
  
• Sherbet (1978)

Sources:

• Discogs: Sherbet
• MILESGO: Sherbet