AustLit logo

AustLit

image of person or book cover 1634450345488087446.jpg
This image has been sourced from Book Depository
y separately published work icon Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth single work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2009... 2009 Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'No one rocked like Billy Thorpe. His live shows with the Aztecs and wild performances at outdoor concerts like Sunbury and the Myer Music Bowl have gone down in history as some of the most intense ever: loud, heartfelt and blistering - and his fans revered him for it.

His untimely death in 2007 sent Australia and the wider music scene into mourning, and sparked outpourings of grief and love from fans and fellow rockers alike.

Now in the first full biography of this extraordinary singer, songwriter, musician and author, we learn of Billy's start in showbiz as a 10-year old child star, Little Rock Allen in Brisbane. In the 60s with the pop scene about to explode, Billy moved to the bright light of Sydney and the big time as singer of the Aztecs, with record sales and concert attendances rivaling those of the Beatles at that time. A later move to Melbourne saw Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs develop into a legendary hard rock group with a driving blues-inspired sound, those era-defining outdoor concerts and the single that was to become Billy's anthem - and that of a generation - 'Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy'.

Despite spending 20 years in the US, Billy Thorpe never lost his popularity in Australia, and went on to write two bestselling semi-autobiographical novels, Sex and Thugs and Rock 'n' Roll and Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy, as well as appearing in comebacks and tributes like the Mushroom 25 concert and Long Way to the Top documentary and concerts. Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth was a wild, loud, rocking ride that carried a generation in its wake and continues to inspire musicians and fans alike.' (Publisher's blurb)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2009 .
      image of person or book cover 1634450345488087446.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Book Depository
      Extent: xii, 324pp.
      Description: illus., [8] p. of plates
      Note/s:
      • Includes index.
      • Bibliography: p. 315 - 316.
      • Includes author's note by Jason Walker, Darlinghurst, Sydney, 2009
      ISBN: 9781741758238 (pbk.)

Works about this Work

Most People I Know Deborah Crabtree (interviewer), 2009 single work interview
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher , November vol. 89 no. 4 2009; (p. 45)
[Review] Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Deborah Crabtree , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher , November vol. 89 no. 4 2009; (p. 38)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
Ball of Fire Mark Gomes , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2009 - January 2010 no. 317 2009; (p. 61)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
Off the Shelf : Biography Owen Richardson , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 5 December 2009; (p. 28)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
Homage to a Big Picture Dreamer Noel Mengel , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24 - 25 October 2009; (p. 21)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
Homage to a Big Picture Dreamer Noel Mengel , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24 - 25 October 2009; (p. 21)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
Off the Shelf : Biography Owen Richardson , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 5 December 2009; (p. 28)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
Ball of Fire Mark Gomes , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2009 - January 2010 no. 317 2009; (p. 61)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
[Review] Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Deborah Crabtree , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher , November vol. 89 no. 4 2009; (p. 38)

— Review of Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth Jason P. Walker , 2009 single work biography
Most People I Know Deborah Crabtree (interviewer), 2009 single work interview
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher , November vol. 89 no. 4 2009; (p. 45)
Last amended 25 May 2021 13:43:10
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X