Vale Mick O’Connor

VALE MICK ‘The Reverend’ O’CONNOR 1948-2022

By Ian McFarlane

In January 2022, we got the sad news that Mick ‘The Reverend’ O’Connor had passed away. It still staggers the imagination that one of Australia’s most genuinely talented, well-respected, and truly inspirational musicians was never a household name. Maybe he wanted it that way, yet as one of the pre-eminent Hammond organ players around he added the magic spice to any band’s sound, always providing the necessary support while remaining in the shadows. He served the songs in a way that any lesser musician would never have been able to achieve. His flair and mastery were never in doubt. If you looked out for him, he was a constant presence on the scene from the late 1970s onwards. When just about everyone else had switched to synthesizers for their versatility, O’Connor stuck to his chosen instrument, even if it meant lugging a huge Hammond B-3 and attendant rig into any venue around the country. One can place him next to the likes of Lee Neale (Spectrum) and Mal Logan (Healing Force, Carson, The Dingoes, Renee Geyer Band) as an authentic master of the instrument. He mostly played in a roots rock mode, with one of his first gigs being with the Mark Gillespie Band. He joined Broderick Smith’s Big Combo in 1979, moving on to Goanna, Tinsley Waterhouse Band, The Black Sorrows, Joe Creighton Band, The Giants and Spot the Aussie (with Phil Para) among many others. He was a revelation when playing with the Big Combo. As well as Broderick Smith’s strident voice and presence up front, the band combined O’Connor’s Hammond with Chris Wilson’s piano, Mal Eastick’s tough guitar work and the sterling rhythms section of John Annas (drums) and Graham Thompson (bass) – well, that was the best line-up. They were a phenomenal band in the live situation, to my mind our version of The Band. As well as their own songs such as ‘Last Train from Mobiltown’, ‘Iceman’, ‘Faded Roses’, ‘High Rise’ (which O’Connor co-wrote with Smith and Eastick) and ‘My Father’s Hands’, they were an ace covers band. At any given live concert you might have been treated to such rock and R&B gems as Jagger/Richards’ ‘Out Of Time’, Spencer Davis Group’s ‘Gimme Some Loving’, Small Faces’ ‘Tin Soldier’ and ‘Afterglow (Of Your Love)’, Mann / Weil’s ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Badlands’ and ‘Because The Night’, Al Green’s ‘Take Me To The River’ and Van Morrison’s ‘Into The Mystic’. The self-titled Broderick Smith’s Big Combo album (1981) remains a milestone work. While he was in the band, O’Connor appeared with Smith, the members of Stars and others such as Richard Clapton, Jimmy Barnes and Renée Geyer on the Andy Durant Memorial Concert and album. His soaring tones can be heard on the likes of ‘Paradise’, ‘Last of The Riverboats’, ‘Ocean Deep’, ‘Iceman’, ‘Mighty Rock’ and ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’. When he left the Big Combo in 1982, O’Connor joined Goanna and played on their classic album Spirit of Place and single ‘Solid Rock’. He was a member of The Black Sorrows in the late 1980s, appearing on the albums Dear Children (1987) and Hold on To Me (1988). He settled into a pattern of playing with a whole host of bands, so it’s tricky to try and list his every appearance. Nevertheless, it was for his session work that he excelled. He was clearly the chosen one when it came to his contributions on the organ. Some of his sessions included: Richard Clapton’s The Great Escape (1982); Blue Ruin’s Such Sweet Thunder (1986); Deborah Conway’s String of Pearls (1991); James Reyne’s Electric Digger Dandy (1991); Broderick Smith’s Suitcase (1992); Joe Creighton’s Holywell (1992); Red Rivers’ Hillbilly Heart (1997); and Kerri Simpson’s Confessin’ the Blues (1998). Mick O’Connor had moved to the Central Victorian township of Maldon many years ago. His passing has elicited many heartfelt words. His daughter Gabby O’Connor posted this on Facebook: “2022 just got a bit harder. My dear dad passed away suddenly last night. Looking forward to hearing all the crazy Mick stories. He was an incredible storyteller, musician, photographer, weird-shit magnet and more. He lived a very full and creative life and is so loved. Vale Michael Julian Francis Xavier O’Connor. 1948-2022.”