Bill McDonough, along with his brother Guy McDonough, was a member of the iconic rock band Australian Crawl. Bill played drums and composed several of the band’s most memorable hits including Downhearted and Shutdown. Bill has also worked as a record producer, jingle writer and music industry consultant.
Recently Bill released a fascinating memoir Sons of Beaches, which not only chronicles the origins of the iconic band Australian Crawl, it also details the life of two intrepid brothers from the Mornington Peninsula who travelled far and wide in search of adventure.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips sat down with former Australian Crawl member and Sons of Beaches author Bill McDonough to chat about his life and the creation of the book.
MORE ABOUT BILL McDONOUGH and his book ‘SONS OF BEACHES’
Founded in 1978, Australian Crawl has sold over 2 million records and been awarded some of Australia’s highest music accolades, including an induction to the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1996.
Sons of Beaches is the true story of two brothers, Bill and Guy McDonough and how their lives together lead them to success at the top of the music charts. This is a warts and all music memoir about the good times and the bad, and how the trappings of fame ultimately lead to Guy’s tragic death in 1984.
It’s an extraordinary tale of adventure and achievement and how two close knit brothers were part of a music legacy that lives on today, over 40 years after the band’s foundation.