Air Supply

At a recent cocktail party some friends inquired about the bands I was currently interviewing. When I responded “Air Supply” I received these looks of utter amazement and responses, such as “you have to be kidding, you actually like those guys?”
So when Air Supply takes the stage at the Odawa Casino in Petoskey on September 29, the concert will certainly sell out. The soft rock duo of Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell, the band’s principals since 1975, hes again been selling out venues as they continue their world tour. Sure, there will be guys in the audience; but this has, and always will be a chicks’ band, so good luck getting any guys to admit they are there for any reason other than keeping their gal happy.
“I have a friend who plays in Ozzy Osbourne’s band, and he once told me, ‘I can’t tell anyone I know that I like your music,’” laughs Hitchcock. “If we ever had a problem as a band, that was it; we were never cool. Regardless of that cool factor, we continue to hear from our fans that our songs, lyrics and melodies with their honesty have touched them.”
Air Supply remains popular worldwide, and is now connecting with a new generation of fans. In 2005, “American Idol” sensation Carrie Underwood performed the groups hit “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All,” during the competition. In 2003, R&B group Jagged Edge covered “All Out Of Love,” as did the Irish pop group Westlife, who had a hit with the song on the UK charts.
Promoters of the current tour and venue owners who expected most ticket buyers to be forty-something housewives, have been shocked by the younger generation coming out in full force. The band recently sold out three nights at BB King’s in New York City, and more than half of the audience was under 40. Hitchcock and Graham appreciate that their music continues to resonate with fans and that a new generation is connecting with their music.
“We’ve been on the road for so long and in so many places, it’s easy to take that sort of thing for granted, but we still enjoy what we do so much,” said Hitchcock. “As long as we have new music to write and play, and something valuable to offer, we’ll be out there.”
The two met back in 1975 on the first day of auditions in Australia for “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
“We hit it off immediately, because we both were huge Beatles fans,” said Russell. “We formed a duo, and after our ‘Superstar’ performances we would head to pizza joints, coffee houses and clubs and perform together.”
Eventually the duo would add four additional musicians and become Air Supply. Their harmonic melodies made them an overnight sensation in Australia, and led to a tour with Rod Stewart in 1976. Stewart was impressed, and had the group open for his United States dates as well. Despite positive reviews, the group was unable to crack the U.S. pop charts. For the latter part of the ‘70s they bounced around Australia, remaining popular. In 1980, with a song that took Russell Hitchcock 15 minutes to write, the band’s fate changed when “Lost in Love” caught the attention of Clive Davis of Arista Records. The song would quickly climb to number one on the Billboard Charts and the album of the same name would go on to sell more than five million copies.
Air Supply enjoyed a strong run during the early ‘80s; their first seven singles all hit at least number five on the Billboard charts - those hits being “Lost In Love,” “All Out Of Love,” “Every Woman In The World,” “The One That You Love,” “Here I Am,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Even The Nights Are Better.”
The band’s other hits include “Two Less Lonely People In The World,” “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All,” and “Just As I Am.” Air Supply scored several platinum albums between 1980 and 1985 while developing a worldwide following. That following included China, where Air Supply became the first non-Chinese band to perform in the country.
Changing musical tastes in the late ‘80s changed the band’s fate, too - so, as album sales dwindled, they broke up to pursue solo projects. They would reunite in 1991 and release a few albums during the ‘90s. Though praised by critics, their work did not crack the U.S. charts, although it did in Asia; their 1993 song “Goodbye” went to number one on the Asian pop charts, and their 1995 DVD/CD “Now and Forever: Greatest Hits Live” spent weeks on the Asian charts.
The new millennium brought a renewed interest for Air Supply in the United States, and last year they released an acoustic CD of their hits - “The Singer and the Song.” They are currently putting the finishing touches on their first studio album of originals in four years, titled Zed, to be released in early 2008. Hitchcock and Graham also are seen regularly as part of the Time-Life infomercial promoting the “Classic Soft-Rock Collection.”
So what does the band attribute to their longevity in an industry filled with one hit wonders?
“I think it is because we sing about love,” said Hitchcock. “It wasn’t always fashionable to sing our kind of music, but we’ve stuck to our guns, and, I think, maintained our integrity.”
Oh, yeah - and as for liking Air Supply? I will be man enough to admit that I have their Greatest Hits CD in my collection and I have seen them a couple of times in concert (no, my wife didn’t make me go) I have always found their music refreshing, and their live performances energizing. Okay, so Air Supply might not qualify as “cool,” but chicks dig them, and if it that isn’t cool, then what is?

Air Supply will perform at Odawa Casino Resort’s Ovation Hall on Saturday, September 29 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 and $15, and may be purchased online at www.odawacasino.com.

View On Our Website