Ian Moss first drew notice playing guitar in the legendary Australian rock outfit Cold Chisel. Once the band disbanded in 1983, Jimmy Barnes quickly established a thriving solo career while Moss kept a low profile, not assembling the Ian Moss Band until 1986. After nine months in L.A. sifting through song demos, he partnered with former Cold Chisel member Don Walker to co-write “Tucker’s Daughter.” The single reached number one in Australia during March 1989, and Matchbook, his debut album, arrived that September; it likewise topped the chart and surpassed 210,000 copies sold. At the 1989 Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards, Moss claimed Male Artist of the Year, Best Debut Album, Best Album, Best Debut Single, and Song of the Year for “Tucker’s Daughter.”
Following an Australian tour, he reentered the studio in 1991 to cut his second album, Worlds Away. Again collaborating with Don Walker, the record incorporated a reworked version of the Cold Chisel classic “Bow River.” Worlds Away proved less commercially potent than Matchbook, prompting Moss to step away from public view for five years until Petrolhead surfaced in 1996. The album was reissued the following year with a bonus disc, Ian Moss Live. By year’s end Cold Chisel had reunited with Moss, and the group returned to the studio to begin a new album.
