BILLY THORPE and THE AZTECS
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-1960s. The origins of the band name began with The Aztecs (4) which were renamed Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs when Billy Thorpe joined as lead singer. The original band members quit in 1965 over a financial dispute and Billy Thorpe reformed the group with a new line-up. The group enjoyed success, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early 1970s to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period. The band ended in 1975.
Billy Thorpe (born 29 March 1946, Manchester, England – died 28 February 2007, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) was an English-born Australian pop/rock singer-songwriter, producer and guitarist. His family emigrated to Australia in 1955. In 1963, he joined The Aztecs (4) as the lead vocalist and the group was renamed as Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs. In 1965, the original members quit and Thorpe reformed the band with new musicians. During the next decade there were multiple incarnations of the band. In late 1976, Thorpe moved to the United States to pursue his musical career, returning to Australia in the mid-1990's.