MPD Ltd

MPD Ltd were formed in 1965 two months after Mike Brady on guitar had joined Melbourne instrumental group, the Phantoms, alongside Pete Watson on bass guitar.[1] Brady and Watson left to perform beat pop music in the footsteps of the Beatles by adding vocals and were joined by Danny Finley (ex-Saxons, Sonics) on drums in May 1965.[1] Three weeks later they supported United Kingdom visitors, the Dave Clark Five, and local artists, Tony Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays on an Australian tour.[1][2]

The trio were signed to Go!! Records by July 1965 to release their debut single, "Little Boy Sad".[1][2] It is a cover version of Johnny Burnette's 1961 hit.[3] MPD Ltd's rendition reached No. 1 in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, No. 5 in Sydney and top 10 in Adelaide.[3] They appeared on TV pop programmes, The Go!! Show and Saturday Date, as well as touring Australia.[1] According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, their performances "left their fans screaming for more. It revolved around a frantic, non-stop, 20-minute barrage of songs, Brady and Watson's carefully choreographed gymnastics and Finley's flamboyant drumming antics."[1]

The second single, "Lonely Boy (October 1965), was a cover of Paul Anka's 1959 single.[1][4] It reached No. 3 in Melbourne and Perth.[4] In 1965 they also issued a four-track extended play, Little Boy Sad.[1] "Walkin' in the Sand" (February 1966), a cover version of the Shangri-Las 1964 hit was MPD Ltd's third single, which reached the top 10 in Melbourne.[1][5] They released their debut album, The Best of MPD Ltd in 1966.[1] The group's following singles "No Regrets" (June 1966) and "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" (August) did not chart.[1] From August to December of that year they relocated to the UK but "made little headway and decided to return home."[1] The line-up was expanded in 1967 by Phil Blackmore on piano (ex-Normie Rowe and the Playboys), Wayne Duncan on bass guitar and Gary "Dick" Howard on drums.[2] They issued a second four-track EP, MPD Ltd, in 1967 and their final single, "Paper Doll" in March.[1] However the group had broken up by that time.[1]

Early in 1967 Watson formed Rockhouse with Rick Springfield on lead guitar and vocals, when Finley joined on drums in late 1968 they were renamed MPD Ltd and undertook a tour of South Vietnam, returned to Australia but split up soon after.[2] Watson became ill during the late 1960s and died in Perth on 30 April 1972.[2] Brady and Finley had been members of Johnny Young's backing band, Kompany, during 1967. In August Blackmore, Finley and Howard formed Wickedy Wak with Springfield.[1][2] In the 1970s and 1980s Finley was the talent manager of his then-wife, Colleen Hewett.[2] Brady turned to writing ad jingles and sporting-themed works including, "Up There Cazaly" (1979).[1][2]