Hey this is cool, and seems to have snuck out without much fanfare. Barnesy has stepped up to the plate to help out old buddy Johnny Kannis on Johnny’s new single.
Johnny was the lead singer in the great and super-hardworking Sydney band The Hitmen back in the glory days of Aussie Pub rock (and before the Hitmen he’d been occasional backing vocalist and MC for Radio Birdman; his longtime partner in the Hitmen was Birdman guitarist Chris Masuak).
The Hitmen were WEA label mates with Chisel for a bit, and toured nationally together in 1979. Johnny and Jimmy became drinking buddies. (We should point out at this point that Brad Shepherd and Mark Kingsmill – both later Hoodoo Gurus mainstays – were long time Hitmen too.) Fast forward nearly four decades and Johnny’s still rocking, with occasional Hitmen tours and now a great digital-only solo single.
A long time Elvis fan (Johnny was thrilled to release his debut solo single "King of the Surf/Under the Boardwalk" in ’78 on the King’s label RCA, and sung a great "Suspicious Minds" with the Hitmen), Johnny has absolutely nailed his version of the 1968 Presley hit "Edge of Reality", and Jimmy sings his lines like a champ too.
It’s a cracking version – modern and retro at the same time – and Barnsey fans will dig it. Their version of Johnny Cash’s "Ring Of Fire" is pretty cool too, but "Edge of Reality" is ILYOS’s Pick to Hit! Check it out!
Johnny & Jimmy - Ring of Fire
Johnny Kannis in the Hitmen - I Don’t Mind
And don’t forget – both Jimmy (with Chisel) and Johnny (with the Hitmen) appear on the 4CD set The Glory Days of Aussie Pub Rock Vol.2 (They were both on Vol.1 as well.)
- DL
