Simon Binks

Infobox musical artist
Name = Simon Binks

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Img_capt = Simon Binks as lead guitarist of Australian Crawl
Img_size = 150
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Simon John Binks
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1956|11|27
Died =
Origin =
Instrument =
Voice_type =
Genre = rock
Occupation = musician, singer, songwriter, record producer
Years_active = 1976–present
Label = EMI
Geffen
Virgin
Blue Pie
Associated_acts = Spiff Rouch, Australian Crawl
URL = [http://www.simonbinks.com Official website]
Notable_instruments = 1964 Fender Stratocaster L series

Simon John Binkscite web |url=http://www.apra.com.au/site/public/searchworksresult.stm |title=Australasian Performing Right Association |publisher=APRA |accessdate=2008-04-01 ] (born 27 November 1956, [cite web |url=http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/bands/Simon_Binks__Band__# |title=Simon Binks Band |publisher=www.fasterlouder.com |accessdate=2008-04-05 ] [cite web |url=http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/simon_binks |title=Simon Binks |publisher=Showcase Your Music |accessdate=2008-04-05 ] cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rocker-gets-330000-for-drunken-crash/2006/05/25/1148519306191.html |title=Rocker gets $330,000 for drunken crash |last=Wallace |first=Natasha |coauthors= David Braithwaite |date=2006-05-26 |publisher="The Sydney Morning Herald" |accessdate=2008-04-03 ] Mt. Eliza, Melbourne) is an Australian rock musician who is best known for his guitars work and song writing with Australian Crawl from founding in 1978 to ending in 1986.cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |url=http://www.informationbrasil.com.br/diversao/musica/biografias/AUSTRALIAN%20CRAWL.doc |format=doc |last=McFarlane |first=Ian |authorlink= Ian McFarlane |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1999 |isbn=1-86448-768-2 |accessdate=2008-03-30] cite web |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/a/australiancrawl.html |title=Australian Rock Database entry on Australian Crawl |publisher=Magnus Holmgren |accessdate=2008-04-01 ]

Biography

Early career

Binks was raised in the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Mt. Eliza on the outskirts of Melbourne and educated at The Peninsula School.

Spiff Rouch was a band formed in 1976, it included Binks and fellow locals James Reyne, Bill McDonough, Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, and Robert Walker.cite web |title=Howlspace entry on Australian Crawl |url=http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/en/australiancrawl/australiancrawl.htm |publisher=Ed Nimmervol |accessdate=2008-03-01 ] By early 1978 Spiff Rouch had separated and Australian Crawl was formed with Binks (lead guitar), Reyne (lead vocals, piano, harmonica), and Williams (bass guitar), they were joined by James Reyne's younger brother David Reyne (drums) and schoolmate Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals).

Australian Crawl

Australian Crawl performed their first live gig in October 1978. [cite web |url=http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/music/australiancrawl.htm |title=Nostalgia Central entry on Australian Crawl |accessdate=2008-03-01 ] Bill McDonough (drums) replaced David Reyne within the first year.

Binks wrote or co-wrote four tracks for the Crawl's 1980 debut album "The Boys Light Up" as well as lead and slide guitar and vocals. [cite web |url=http://music.msn.com/album/?album=10197163 |title=MSN entry on "The Boys Light Up" |accessdate=2008-03-04 ] Guy McDonough (guitars) joined Australian Crawl later that year. For their second album "Sirocco" in 1981, there were two Binks tracks, and he added acoustic guitar to his other guitar work. [cite web |url=http://music.msn.com/album/?album=10197164 |title=MSN entry on "Sirocco" |accessdate=2008-03-04 ] Third album, "Sons of Beaches" from 1982, had Binks providing lead guitar only. [cite web |url=http://music.msn.com/album/?album=10028868 |title=MSN entry on "Sons of Beaches" |publisher=MSN |accessdate=2008-03-05 ]

Drummer Bill McDonough left early in 1983, the Crawl recorded an EP "Semantics" with Graham Bidstrup on drums. Of the four tracks, Binks wrote "White Limbo" which was also the B-side of the European single release "Reckless". The EP "Semantics" charted on the Australian Singles Charts to reach #1 and consequently some sources list "Reckless" as a #1 single.cite book |title=Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 |format=doc |last=Kent |first=David |authorlink= David Kent|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ] [cite web |url=http://www.zmms.tu-berlin.de/~axhu/AustralianCrawl |title="Phalanx" liner notes |last=Baker |first=Glenn A. |publisher=Axel Husfeldt |year=1983 |accessdate=2008-03-27 ] After the EP, John Watson replaced Bidstrup as drummer.

"Phalanx" released late in 1983 was a live album which saw Binks and Australian sound engineer Ross Cockle [cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ross+Cockle |title=Discogs entry on Ross Cockle |publisher=www.discogs.com |accessdate=2008-04-03 ] [cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168342/ |title=Internet Movie Database entry on Ross Cockle |publisher=IMDb |accessdate=2008-04-03 ] as producers. Australian Crawl toured England supporting Duran Duran in late 1983 but they returned to Australia with Guy McDonough seriously ill and subsequently dying in June 1984. During recording sessions for "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" Binks was replaced with Simon Hussey (ex Cats Under Pressure) providing guitars, keyboards and song writing contributions. Binks returned to the band for their final national tour and record the live album "The Final Wave", which was released in 1986.

Later career

Binks played guitar in the Broderick Smith Band in 1988. [cite web |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/s/smithbroderick.html |title=Australian Rock Database entry on Broderick Smith |publisher=Magnus Holmgren |accessdate=2008-04-03 ] He signed with Blue Pie Productions, in July 2004 [cite web |url=http://www.bluepie.com.au/v4/nooze.html |title=Blue Pie Productions Archived Nooze |publisher=Damien Reilly ] but didn't produce any recorded materials and has subsequently left.

An injury in a 1995 car crash at a North Sydney Council roadworks left Binks slightly brain-damaged with some sensory loss and restriction of finer movements of his right hand, which had prevented him from regaining the high level of skill he had previously shown.cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/home-james/2007/06/07/1181089236518.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 |title=Home, James |last=Wilmoth |first=Peter |date=2007-06-10 |publisher="The Age" |accessdate=2008-03-05 ] cite news |url=http://blogs.news.com.au/index.php/news/comments/newsdesk_update_guitarist_wins_compo_claim |title="Guitarist wins compo claim" |last=Temple |first=Will |date=2005-05-26 |publisher=news.com.au |accessdate=2008-03-05 ] A court in 2006 awarded him $330,253 in damages, down from an estimated $750,000 because lawyers for North Sydney Council provided evidence that Binks was speeding and over the legal alcohol limit. [cite web |url=http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=55936 |title=Case Note: "North Sydney Council v Binks" [2007] |publisher=DLA Phillips Fox |last=Gallagher |first=Patrick |date=2008-01-24 |accessdate=2008-04-24 ] Binks later disputed the alcohol reading as belonging to another driver and stated the remuneration mostly went to his lawyers. During the court case media also reported that he fell out with Crawl co-founder James Reyne after claiming to have written "The Boys Light Up", one of Australian Crawl's early hits. Binks denied this also, claiming that although he wrote the introductory musical theme from "The Boys Light Up" such work was not usually credited, and that the basic chords and lyrics of "The Boys Light Up" were written by Reyne. After an appeal by the Council, in September 2007, the amount Binks was awarded was reduced to $304,750. [cite news |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=91517 |title=Less damages for Australian Crawl member |publisher="National Nine News" |date=2007-09-18 |accessdate=2008-04-09 ]

Personal life

By November 1993 Binks was married and they had a child.cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/court-cuts-musicians-damages/2007/09/18/1189881482209.html?s_cid=rss_news |title=Court cuts musician's damages |last=Brown |first=Malcolm |date2007-09-18 |publisher="The Sydney Morning Herald" |accessdate=2008-04-11 ] During his court case "v North Sydney Council", evidence was presented that he suffered from migraines most of his life and had been taking injections of pethidine to combat them. Evidence from the court cases reported that Binks was due to separate from his wife Sharon in 2006.

Discography

* Spiff Rouch (1976-1978)
** no known recorded output

* Australian Crawl (1978-1984)
** "The Boys Light Up" (1980)
** "Sirocco" (1981)
** "Sons of Beaches" (1982)
** "Semantics" (1983 EP, 1984 LP)

* Broderick Smith Band (1988)

References

External links

* [http://www.simonbinks.com/ Simon Binks website]
* [http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/simon_binks Showcase Your Music entry on Simon Binks]