Reknowned for their litany of soft rock staples, Australia’s Air Supply, with special guest J.D. Leonard, will be performing at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Saturday, August 16 at 8 p.m.
The trademark sound of Russell Hitchcock’s soaring tenor voice and Graham Russell’s simple yet majestic songs have created a unique sound over the course of nearly four decades that would forever be known as Air Supply.
Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock met on May 12, 1975, the first day of rehearsals for “Jesus Christ Superstar” in Sydney, Australia.
They became instant friends with their common love for The Beatles and singing. It wasn’t long before they were signed to CBS Records in Australia, had a number one record on the national charts and were opening for Rod Stewart across Australia, the U.S. and Canada.
Back in Australia, their album “Life Support” produced “Lost in Love,” which was a Top 10 hit there and somehow found its way to music industry executive Clive Davis in New York.
Davis immediately signed Air Supply to Arista Records and in 1980, “Lost in Love” became the fastest selling single in the world, leaping to the top of all of the charts. The second single was “All Out of Love,” and that went up the charts even more quickly.
Seven top-five singles later, Air Supply at that time had equaled The Beatles’ run of consecutive top five singles.
The albums “Lost in Love,” “The One That You Love, Now & Forever”, and “The Greatest Hits,” powered by hits such as “Every Woman In The World,” “The One That You Love,” and “Here I Am” sold in excess of 20 million copies. “Lost in Love” was named Song of the Year in 1980, and, with the other singles, sold more than 10 million copies.
In 1983 they recorded “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All,” written by Jim Steinman, which solidified the group as a permanent force in modern music.
This song was released on The Greatest Hits album which soared past seven million copies. “Lost in Love”, “All Out of Love”, “The One That You Love”, “Sweet Dreams”, and “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All” have each achieved multi-million plays on the radio. Graham Russell has been honored with a BMI Million-Air Certificate recognizing 3 million radio performances of the duo’s hit “All Out Of Love.”
However, it is the live shows that always hold audiences captive around the world. Air Supply began to tour with lavish productions in places that no one had been before. They were the first Western group to tour China, Taiwan, and countless other countries that before would not allow pop music across their borders.
In South America and Asia they became extremely well known. In 1988, Air Supply was asked to participate in Australia’s bicentennial celebration and to play for HRH Prince Charles and HRH Princess Diana, where they learned both were already ardent fans. This engagement would be one of their most treasured moments in their career.
In 1989, Air Supply recorded “The Earth” Is album selling over a million copies outside of the U.S., followed by the album, “The Vanishing Race” with the singles “Goodbye” and “It’s Never Too Late”, they again saw multi-platinum success. The following albums, News from Nowhere, Yours Truly, and Across the Concrete Sky all gave their second greatest hits album multi-platinum status as they traveled the world each and every year.
In July 2005, their live DVD, “It Was 30 Years Ago Today” celebrated 30 years of success around the world and in that same month, Air Supply smashed attendance records when, in Cuba, at one show they played to 175,000 people. Also 2005 saw the release of “The Singer and the Song”, an acoustic album of many of their big hits which received critical acclaim.
In May 2010, “Mumbo Jumbo” – the duo’s first studio recording in eight years – was released. The duo recently released a DVD & CD recording LIVE in Israel (available at shows and online at www.airsupplymusicstore.com) and they are currently working on a new EP with dance track led by the song “Desert Sea Sky” (an official release date is to be determined).
Thirty nine years after its formation, Air Supply continues to perform more than 150 show dates a year worldwide. For more information, visit: www.airsupplymusic.com.
Tickets are $29.50, $49.50, and $59.50 plus applicable service charges and are available online at www.ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000 or at the Westbury box office. Event, date and time are subject to change. For more information, visit: www.thetheatreatwestbury.com.
