Rockmelons

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, The Rockmelons fused funk, soul, and hip-hop to reshape Australia's longstanding rock landscape. Ray Medhurst founded the project by enlisting brothers Jonathon "Jonno" Jones and Byron Jones, both formerly of No Heavy Lifting, together with keyboardist Vinnie Dale and the vocal trio of Peter Blakeley, John Kenny, and Sandi Chick. The group staged its own warehouse dance parties across Sydney, routinely expanding to ten or more performers when guests joined them onstage.

Their first release, the 1985 single "Time Out (for Serious Fun)" on Phantom through Festival, spotlighted Sandi Chick. The follow-up, "Sweat It Out," appeared on True Tone with Peter Blakeley and marked his final contribution before he launched a solo career. John Kenny then fronted a cover of Al Green's "Rhymes," while Wendy Matthews made her debut on "New Groove"; both tracks entered the Australian Top 40. Issued in May 1988, the band's debut album Tales of the City climbed to number six and shared the ARIA Award for Best Debut Album with 1927's ... Ish.

The Rockmelons resurfaced in 1991 fronted by Deni Hines. Their rendition of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" reached number five in January 1992, followed by "That Word (L.O.V.E.)," which peaked at number four in June. The accompanying album Form 1 Planet attained number two. Deni Hines subsequently pursued a successful solo career.