Jazz Singer / Songwriter Tyrone Noonan

"Katie and Tyrone Noonan  have such heart-stoppingly brilliant voices that crowds respond with an instant fanaticism".  HIT Magazine.

If a broad range of experience is a necessity for any singer/songwriter to draw on, then Tyrone Noonan kick-starts his solo career in an enviable position. As co-singer (with sister Katie) and instrumentalist for multi-platinum selling Australian jazz/rock/pop combo George, Tyrone stood squarely at the apex of the music industry.

He’s released a  #1 debut album (double platinum), won an ARIA award, and performed sell-out tours of Australia, UK, Ireland and Japan. 

Tyrone knows what it feels like to play in front of 1.8 billion people (the Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony), perform to sellout crowds at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, and to support world-class artists as diverse as Macy Gray, Jewel and Tori Amos, the latter as solo support for her 2005 sold-out Australian tour.

Faced with george on an extended break, Tyrone immersed himself in almost every area of the music industry - as a promoter, producer and DJ, a composer for top Australian theatre including La Boite and Queensland Theatre Companies, a regular collaborator with avant garde music ensemble Topology and the Brisbane Cabaret Festival, and as an honorary member of legendary punk band The Saints for the 2005 Queensland Poetry Festival.

More recently, between a top 10 AIR indie chart release for his jazz/latin/soul combo Palimpsest and national touring, Noonan has now embarked on his long-awaited solo career and completed his debut full-length album, I Believe.

In 2007, Tyrone was chosen as one of three acts to represent his state of Queensland at the prestigious A&R Worldwide Musexpo conference in Los Angeles  (Apr 29-May 2), backed by a world class band featuring US musician Paul Peterson (St Paul) at the famous Viper Room, along with Passport Approved showcases at Nettwerk/The Sync and LA Indie 103.1/ www.rehearsals.com. As a fantastic lead-up to Musexpo, Tyrone was featured as “Artist Of The Week” at the A&R Worldwide website (www.anrworldwide.com).

Tyrone also performed at The State Premier's Queensland Advance Expatriate Awards at the Rockefeller Centre in New York in early May, is the only performer to have been featured at two Oz City Song Cycle showcases (for high-profile Aussies in LA @ The Mint, May/July) and has now been featured in Billboard Magazine’s Underground performance/interview series (www.billboard.com).

Paul Peterson  was first discovered by Prince at 17; he’s released platinum US albums and worked with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Steve Miller, Lionel Richie, Reba McIntire, Kenny Loggins, The Beach Boys, Little Richard and Robert Palmer. Tyrone completed production on his solo album with Peterson  in Minneapolis, with mixing duties by Steve Hodge, a Grammy-winning producer and Chief Engineer of Flyte Tyme Studios from 1986-2003, having mixed multi-platinum US albums for artists including Janet and Michael Jackson, TLC and George Michael.

Tyrone wrote 14 songs while in the US and cut two of these as extra album tracks: one a collaboration with LA-based producer Nick Page and Adam Longlands of The Matrix and featuring longtime Prince drummer Michael Bland; the other with legendary Nashville-based songwriter/producer Chas Sandford, the recipient of 12 ASCAP "Most Performed Songs" awards, including John Waite's "Missing You” and Stevie Nicks' "Talk To Me."  Additional musicians on the album include songwriter/producer/guitarist Oliver Leiber (Paula Abdul, The Corrs, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart’s touring guitarist, BB Mak, Beth Hart) and songwriter/guitarist Nick Lashley (Alanis Morisette, Natasha Bedingfield, Avril Lavigne, Mick Jagger, Robbie Robertson, Chris Isaak, Robbie Williams).

Tyrone’s music proves both radio-friendly and deeply personal - an evocative and timeless combination of rock, pop and soul. The debut indie “mini-album” Heavy Soul Part 1 (Jellyfish-MGM), released Sep 16 2006, featured the iTunes-only single You Know as iTunes Single Of The Week, and his debut radio single Back (Where I Started From) received solid airplay in Australia, along with video play on Video Hits, Rage, Channel V and Music Max. The Back (Where I Started From) full band Australian tour (Oct-Nov 2006) well and truly satisfied existing fans and new converts, prompting one fan’s Myspace site to claim Tyrone is the “sexiest man alive”! Tyrone again toured over the 06-07 Xmas-New Year period, including Peat’s Ridge, Woodford and Sydney’s Australia Day Festivals (Darling Harbour), and sung the National Anthem at the Australian Hyundai A League Soccer Grand Final at Melbourne’s Telstra Stadium.

After returning from his US visit, Tyrone conducted an extensive national solo tour (Heavy Soul Tour) in October and November 2007, headlining with established solo artists Paul Greene and Karl Broadie. He has also performed high profile Palimpsest gigs including the “Andy Warhol Up Late” series at the Queensland Art Gallery (2008 Andy Warhol Major Retrospective exhibition) and the official opening of the Qld Government’s new Millennium Arts Project.

“I’ll Bet You Thought I’d Never Find You”, from Palimpsest’s debut self-titled album, has been licensed for release as Track 1 on both CD/vinyl versions of top 2008 UK Nu Jazz compilation Messin’ Around Vol 5 (Freestyle Records; the remix version has been released on UK radio/club DJ Russ Dewbury’s Jazz Rooms compilation (Mr Bongo Records); and the track has been featured on Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio 1 show. In August 2008, Tyrone relocated  to London to pursue his solo career and has performed several high profile shows to date, including TNT Magazine's annual Month of Music series @ Shepherd's Bush Walkabout and the annual Toast Festival @ Kensington Olympia, supporting Aussie legend Jimmy Barnes.

The six tracks tread the line of funk, soul and pop, demonstrating a good mix, as in the versatility George has shown previously. We learn through his writing of a long-term relationship break-up, and that perhaps these songs are part of the therapy required. The emotional rawness is brought out with touching melodies and Tyrone's own talent ensures the songs are well arranged.” Mediasearch.com.au - Carmine Pascuzzi

Here’s what the critics said about Tyrone’s debut
mini-album Heavy Soul Part 1:

“Heavy Soul Part 1 is a fine sample offering of Noonan’s diverse vocal range and musical aptitude. A sonic box of chocolates, each track showcases layers of smoothness and flavour with intriguing centres.

‘Live With A Little’ is a catchy as hell Beatles-style pop number laced with a great rock riff. ‘You Know’ finds Noonan putting on his disco shoes and treading the dance floor with inspired verses of white boy funk. ‘Back (Where I Started From)’ and ‘Memories of You’ are jaunts into pop rock territory that blend commercial radio appeal with deeper lyrical content.

‘You’re Not Here’ finds Noonan in melancholic mode. Armed with a piano, a guitar and his heart on his sleeve, this song is the saddest yet loveliest on the album. All the uplifting melodies and groove-styled beats on other tracks cannot camouflage Noonan’s artistry for tearjerkers. ‘You’re Not Here’ is the draw-card  amongst all six tracks and is the epicenter of the record both thematically and musically.
Heavy Soul Part 1 for all its weighty subject matter is light on melodies and hooks.

Where the words beckon to be consumed and ruminated upon, the music cunningly snubs its own profundity and sails through the air carefree; a refreshing change from albums where lyrical mourning and musical mourning often walk hand in hand.

Heavy Soul Part 1 is a solid offering for Noonan fans and a good enticer for those ready to discover him away from the safety net of george, providing limitless insight into his potential as a solo artist and the genres of music he might try his hand at mastering on future long players.”
Beat Magazine – Helen Barradell

“With george on extended hiatus, Tyrone Noonan has obviously been keeping himself busy with the recording of this excellent mini-album - his “break-up record”, if you will. Despite the negative undertone of a relationship ending, Noonan can still clearly write a pretty darn awesome tune and here, he delivers six superb tracks of love-lost and starting over. Noonan masterfully walks the line of rock, pop and soul without really clumsily stumbling completely into either genre.
 
The excellent ‘Live With A Little’ sounds like a hybrid of and Chili Peppers while the funky ‘You Know’ throws in a little Prince to boot and ‘You’re Not Here’ is the kind of love-ballad that radio should be all over by now.  My heart goes out to you and your heartbreak, Tyrone, but it’s hard to remain unselfishly sympathetic while you’re delivering a product of this high calibre.”
Time Off – Ben Preece

“Given that I don’t much care for Noonan’s other band, george, I wasn’t looking forward to hearing his solo release. But this mini-album is actually really, really good. It’s much more straightforward, simple and catchy than the atmospherics of george.  The songs are so full of hooks you have to wonder where Noonan’s been hiding this stuff. If you’re looking for a great pop album for this summer, go buy this.”
Illawarra Mercury - Glen Humphries

“The George band member takes time out to go solo. In turn, Tyrone Noonan delivers very personal emotions placed in these songs. When one considers the circumstances behind the tracks, the result, not surprisingly, is the title Heavy Soul Part 1. This really only touches the surface of what he wishes to express. Tyrone follows the path of many singer-songwriters in not being afraid to “expose himself”.

The six tracks tread the line of funk, soul and pop, demonstrating a good mix, as in the versatility George has shown previously. We learn through his writing of a long-term relationship break-up, and that perhaps these songs are part of the therapy required. The emotional rawness is brought out with touching melodies and Tyrone's own talent ensures the songs are well arranged.” Mediasearch.com.au - Carmine Pascuzzi

Some quotes about george and Tyrone’s jazz group Palimpsest:

"Fronted by brother/sister song writing team Katie and Tyrone Noonan, george has incited near religious fervour in wake of its live performance"
Rolling Stone

"Chillingly good and absolutely world class"
Time Off

"Two of the most powerful and moving voices in the business"
Beat Magazine

"From the first bar Tyrone Noonan enforces his right to be considered one of Australia’s most
talented jazz practitioners."
IndieCds.com

“Jamie Cullum interprets jazz standards and a Radiohead tune (with serious marketing budget) and sells millions. Tyrone Noonan from george does down a similarly eclectic path, makes a better record, plays some great shows around the country and has to fight to register on the mainstream radar. Australia, you sometimes want to shout, have a look under your nose!”
Noel Mengle, Album of the Week review, The Courier-Mail

“Tyrone’s soaring vocals and impressive octave range, like his sister’s, are tailor-made for jazz... His phrasing on the swing standard “Lullaby of Birdland” would do credit to a veteran.”
Tony Hillier, Rhythms Magazine Australia

“Palimpsest is a cohesive and lyrical album of seriously smooth and sexy sounds – a fusion of originals, jazz standards, Brazilian samba rhythm and intelligently reworked Bowie, McCartney and Vince Jones classics.”
Megan Yarrow, Time Off Magazine

““Tyrone Noonan’s album Palimpsest offers an entirely excellent repertoire of contemporary jazz sounds and textures.... Noonan’s vocals are fabulous/easily comparable with Vince Jones; rich, golden, funky and full of emotion.”
Sound Bites Review, The Northern Star

“I’m discovering something quite compelling about the album.…You’ll (at least) find yourself challenged by the self-titled release.. The 2nd track, a cover of Australian jazz great Vince Jones’ America, is an absolute corker.’’
Dave Hayes, The Drum Media