During the week we heard the sad news that Michael Gudinski had died, aged just 68. Tributes have flowed in from musicians in Australia, the UK, New Zealand. Tributes also came from high profile US musicians like Bruce Springsteen.

Michael did some great work for Kiwi acts & here I want to address his very early work with Split Enz. They had arrived in Sydney in March 1975. Dave Russell (ex-Ray Columbus & the Invaders, ex-Max Merritt & the Meteors) had been contracted as their tour manager from Day One. He spoke about this time when he was interviewed a few years ago.

Things were tough when the group was first in Oz. Dave recalled making many phone calls back to NZ asking for more money to keep them going. But at the Coogee Bay Hotel Split Enz got a visit from Skyhooks members Red Symons & Bob Starkie plus Michael (Mushroom Records) . Michael offered to get the band some time at Festival Studios in Sydney to put down some tracks. This fitted with the Mushroom philosophy of supporting up & coming artists (especially Melbourne-based artists) until they began to achieve. The offer was extended to recording an album while they did some gigs. In May in Sydney the band recorded their 1st album Mental Notes.

Money or the lack of it continued to feature. Mushroom though kept them on their books even though Michael had been warmed by people within the music industry that the Enz might send him broke … As we all know they didn’t. After their time in the UK, the band based themselves in Melbourne.

Michael & his business partner Ray Evans booked acts for the first Sunbury Festival in 1972. That year there were a number of Kiwis performing, including Max Merritt & the Meteors, the La De Da’s, Spectrum (plus their alter ego Indelible Murtceps). And one of the post-Spectrum bands that Mike Rudd had, the Heaters were signed to Mushroom Records.

In the 70s & very early 80s there were other Kiwi bands Michael supported too like the wacky Mother Goose & the Swingers.

The Stuart Coupe book about Michael (published in 2015) covers many of the things he achieved over his life.