Jeff Duff hits 30
Image: Jeff Duff. Image: jeffduff.com
Jeff Duff has reached a milestone achieved by very few artists anywhere in the world: he has just released his thirtieth album. The enigmatic, amorphous, camp rock/pop/punk/cabaret singer and performer is still as prolific and innovative as he was when he began his career more than fifty years ago.
Duff was the Bowie-like glam-rock lead singer of jazz fusion band, Kush from 1971 to 1975. The band was reasonably successful and Duff, with his vibrant stage presence and distinct look, quickly gained a following. In 1973 he sang at the opening of the Sydney Opera House and that same year Kush released their debut album, Presents Snow White…and the Eight Straights.
The next album, Nah,Tellus Wh’t Kush Means Yer Great Sausage, came out in 1975 and was by Jeff Duff & Kush. From then on, Duff released solo albums or collaborations with various artists, sometimes under his name, sometimes under a tongue-in-cheek pseudonym.
Duff has and still performs relentlessly, with his Bowie shows being a signature act. Wiry, androgynous, and completely unabashed, he presents a meld of pop and cabaret with a touch of decadence.
The new album, Being Jeff Duff, is his most personal, with songs about Don Bradman’s cricket bat, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Venice, Paris and Oscar Wilde.
Duff is about to embark on a live tour which will feature songs from the new album, Bowie shows and nasty surprises.
