Vincent Melouney is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He joined the bands Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Vince & Tony's Two, Bee Gees, Fanny Adams and he formed his own band: the Vince Melouney Sect.
Career
Melouney was born in Sydney on 18 August 1945 and attended Normanhurst Boys High School from 1958 to 1961. He was a founder member of Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, playing with the band as lead guitarist from 1963 to 1965, which was followed by a short-lived duo with fellow Aztec Tony Barber, called Vince & Tony's Two. In 1966, he released "I Need Your Lovin' Tonight" and its B-side, "Mystery Train"; Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, and Maurice Gibb sing backup vocals on both songs. In 1967, after moving to the UK, he was invited to join the Bee Gees. He was the lead guitarist on their first four albums; Bee Gees' 1st, Horizontal, Idea and Odessa. In June 1968, while he was a Bee Gee he wrote and performed "Such a Shame". The song was released on the UK version of the albumIdea, but on the US version, it was replaced by "I've Gotta Get a Message to You". Melouney prefers the Gibson ES-355 guitar and can be seen in several Bee Gees videos and live performances from 1967 to 1968. In November 1968, it was reported by the UK music magazine, NME, that Melouney's final concert with the Bee Gees would be on 1 December, following the end of their current German tour. In 1969, he formed a short-lived group, Fanny Adams, with Doug Parkinson on lead vocals, Teddy Toi on bass, and Johnny Dick on drums who recorded one eponymous album Fanny Adams. In the summer of 1976, he met up with Bee Gee Barry Gibb and they wrote "Let It Ride" and "Morning Rain", but both songs were not recorded. He rejoined the Bee Gees for the "One Night Only" Concert held in Sydney, Australia, in 1999, and rejoined Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs for a tour in 2002/3. At the completion of that tour, he completed his first solo album, released with the title Covers which had ten cover versions of songs, including "Love Her Madly", "Come Together", and "Lay Down Sally". Melouney's influence was the Band, through their album Music from Big Pink, as he explained: "I am influenced to the extent that I can see what they are doing and I respect that. I’ve let their ideas augment my ideas". Melouney tours with "the Italian Bee Gees" along with two other former Bee Gees musicians, drummer Dennis Bryon and keyboard player Blue Weaver.
