Christa Hughes
Christa Teresa Hughes is an Australian singer, circus performer and comedian. She utilises wild on-stage antics and a powerful voice. From age 15, she has performed gigs with her father, jazz pianist, journalist and broadcaster, Dick Hughes. At age 17 had a regular set at Sydney's Shakespeare Hotel. She was the vocalist for the band Machine Gun Fellatio (as KK Juggy) from 2000 to 2005. Alongside her solo career, Hughes was also the Ring Mistress with Circus Oz (2006–08) and has issued an album, 21st Century Blues (2010) with her father.
Christa Hughes | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christa Teresa Hughes |
| Also known as | KK Juggy, Spark Jug |
| Born | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, circus performer, comedian |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Website | christahughes |
Biography
Christa Hughes was raised in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse.[1] Her father, Richard "Dick" Hughes, was a journalist and sometime jazz pianist. Hughes later recalled that her parents "were hard-working people, we just happened to live in a posh suburb. In fact, I think the suburb tried to have us moved out several times because we were the noisiest household on the block."[1] She is a granddaughter of the journalist and writer, Richard Hughes (1906–1984) and his wife, May Hughes née Bennett.[2]
She started singing at the age of 15 with her father. She opened and sang with international blues artists when they were in Sydney such as Brownie McGhee, Swamp Boogie Queen Katie Webster and Champion Jack Dupree. After she turned 21, Hughes travelled the world, singing in New York, Edinburgh, London and Paris. Hughes returned to Australia in 2000. She wrote and starred in musical theatre, cabaret shows, Sleepless Beauty (June 2002), Beer Drinking Woman[3] (June 2003) and Temptation.[4] She was also singing and dancing, as KK Juggy (KK for knickers and knockers, respectively) or Spark Jug for Machine Gun Fellatio from 2000 to 2005.[5][6] From 2006 to 2008 she was the ring mistress with Circus Oz. In 2010 Christa and her father, Dick Hughes, released an album, 21st Century Blues. A documentary, You Only Live Twice, by Brendan Young, about her family's life was broadcast.[7] In November 2011 Christa released Shonky with the Honky Tonk Shonks.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Sleepless Beauty (with The Surgeons) |
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| Twenty First Century Blues (with Dick Hughes) |
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| Shonky (with The Honky Tonk Shonks) |
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Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Carrot Day |
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Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Twenty First Century Blues | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [8] |
References
- Elphick, Nicole (9 January 2015). "My Secret Sydney: Christa Hughes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- Torney-Parlicki, Prudence (2007). "Hughes, Richard Joseph (1906–1984)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- Moore, Tony (2012). "Boho to Pomo". Dancing with empty pockets: Australia's bohemians since 1860. Millers Point, N.S.W.: Pier 9. p. 334. ISBN 9781741961447.
- "Contributor: Christa Hughes". AusStage. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Macgregor, Jody. "Machine Gun Fellatio | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Machine Gun Fellatio (29 September 2000), Bring it on!, Sputnik Records; Mushroom, retrieved 2 August 2016
- Young, Brendan; Duthie, Amanda (2013), You only live twice, retrieved 2 August 2016
- ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards Best Jazz Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 25 June 2022.
External links
- Official website - archived copy (7 March 2018)