One of Australia's most gifted musicians, Joe Camilleri fronts the Black Sorrows. He first entered the scene in the 1960s through outfits including the King Bees and Adderley Smith Blues Band. During the 1970s his standing increased via appearances alongside Lipp and the Double Dekker Brothers plus the Pelaco Brothers, yet widespread recognition arrived only after he launched Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons in 1975. Acclaimed for dynamic stage shows, the group issued multiple albums and singles until its dissolution in 1983. Camilleri assembled the Black Sorrows the following year.
The new ensemble began with intimate semi-acoustic performances throughout Melbourne and issued several understated albums featuring covers of Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Ray Peterson alongside original material. Dear Children shifted the Black Sorrows' trajectory. After an independent release, CBS acquired the album, which climbed to number 18 on the Australian national charts. Backing vocalists Vika and Linda Bull sharpened the group's distinctive sound, leading to Hold On to Me, which reached number six on the national charts in May 1989. The record remained on the Australian charts for more than a year, selling over 250,000 copies domestically and another 150,000 upon release in the U.S. and Europe. At the 1989 Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards, the Black Sorrows received Best Group honors.
Harley and Rose appeared in November 1990, prompting several overseas tours. In May 1992 the Black Sorrows joined other leading Australian acts at the Wizards of Oz concerts in Los Angeles. Harley and Rose surpassed 200,000 copies sold, a mark matched by the subsequent release Better Times. Amid Black Sorrows commitments, Camilleri issued Amazing Stories with his part-time group the Revelators, later packaged as a limited-edition bundle with Better Times. In 1993 the Black Sorrows put out the EPs Sweet Inspiration and Stir It Up before Camilleri disbanded the lineup and reconstituted it as a solo project backed by supporting musicians.
Camilleri journeyed to New York in 1994 to record Lucky Charm and supplied a cover of Country Radio's "Gypsy Queen" for the various-artists collection Earth Music. In December 1995 he released the EP All Saints Hotel, his first solo venture since the 1989 single "Angel Dove." All Saints Hotel featured a zydeco reinterpretation of Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run," originally slated as the debut Jo Jo Zep single in 1975.
The Black Sorrows returned in 1996 with the triple live album Radio Waves, spanning 36 tracks. The accompanying Black Sorrows box set compiled the albums Sonola, Rockin' Zydeco, Dear Children, and A Place in the World along with Not for Production, a set of 11 rare unreleased recordings. A fresh EP titled New Craze appeared in 1997.
