Long before hitting international recognition with their provocative song 'I Touch Myself' the Divinyls had been a force to be reckoned with in Australia for over a decade.
Lead singer Chrissie Amphlett had a family connection with the Australian musical industry from childhood. Her older cousin Patricia, professionally known as Little Pattie, had her first Australian hit in 1963 with the short, catchy title of .. deep breath ..'He's My Blonde-Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy'.
In a style that couldn't be further from her cousin's songs, Chrissie burst out in '81 with the Divinyls first single 'Boys in Town' (video link below). The song was part of the Monkey Grip movie soundtrack and also included on the international version of their debut album 'Desperate'.
Looking at the Divinyls early music videos and performances it's easy to see how Chrissie was often compared to a female Angus Young from AC/DC. They both wore school uniforms and had similar movements and mannerisms. The band's style changed as they developed and grew and Chrissie was looking more fashion model than schoolgirl in later clips.
By 1991 the Divinyls were signed by Virgin Records who thought Chrissie could be 'the next Madonna'. They recorded this album, the eponymous 'Divinyls' at Jackson Browne's studios in Santa Monica. There were a few people of note on the sessions. Sitting in on keyboards was Benmont Tench, a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, multi-instrumentalist Charley Drayton on percussion (he and Chrissie married in 1999) and session musician, record producer and entrepreneur, judge of American Idol Randy Jackson playing bass.
The album produced the hit single 'I Touch Myself', basically a song about female masturbation, orgasm and eroticism. Needless to say, despite getting to #4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 the song had a lot of problems getting played in the US. When they were perfoming it live at the Austin Aqua Fest in '91, the organisers pulled the plug mid-set.
From 1982 Chrissie had a relationship with fellow bandmember Mark McEntee and although they split up in 1996 the Divinyls didn't formally disband.
Sadly in 2007 Chrissie revealed that she had multiple sclerosis and in 2009 she announced the Divinyls were over.
She moved to New York with husband Charley Drayton but was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. Due to her MS she was unable to receive radiotherapy or chemotherapy and she passed away in 2013 aged 53.
Take a look at these videos from older performances.
As I mentioned, The Divinyls - and specifically Chrissie, were a force to be reckoned with.
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