Mackenzie Theory

MacKenzie Theory were an Australian jazz rock group formed in September 1971. Rob MacKenzie (lead guitar) and Cleis Pearce (electric viola) were the mainstays. They recorded two albums, Out of the Blue (1973) and Bon Voyage (1974) for Mushroom before disbanding in May 1974. MacKenzie wrote their original tracks and produced their material. Out of the Blue peaked at No. 19 on Go-Set's Australian Albums chart. In the 1990s, MacKenzie was a member of United States rock'n'roll revival act, Sha Na Na. MacKenzie Theory were formed in Melbourne in September 1971 by lead guitarist, Rob MacKenzie, with bass guitarist Mike Leadabrand and drummer Andrew Majewski. At that time, MacKenzie also met electric viola player Cleis Pearce at a concert in Sydney, while he was filling in with another group. He was so impressed with her playing that he immediately invited her to join, even though she had no previous experience of playing rock or improvised music. Previously, MacKenzie had been a member of Leo and Friends and King Harvest. MacKenzie Theory played instrumental jazz rock with elements of John Coltrane, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Santana. At early gigs they supported other artists including, Band of Light, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Chain, Madder Lake or Spectrum. The band performed at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1972 and at the second festival in January 1973. Their track, "New Song And", was included on the triple live album, The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973, which appeared on Mushroom Records in April. Their debut album, Out of the Blue, recorded live in the studio, was issued in July, and it peaked at No. 19 on Go-Set's Australian Albums chart in August. During September, Leadabrand and Majewski left and were replaced by Paul Wheeler (ex-Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) on bass guitar and Greg Sheehan (ex-Blackfeather) on drums. Pianist, Peter Jones also joined. MacKenzie Theory appeared at Sunbury again in 1974 and "Supreme Love" appeared on Highlights of Sunbury '74 Part 2. They disbanded by mid-year before MacKenzie and Pearce travelled to the United Kingdom. Their final appearance on 15 May at Dallas Brooks Hall, East Melbourne was recorded and released by Mushroom Records as a live album, Bon Voyage. In October of that year, Tony Catterall of The Canberra Times praised that album and lamented the band's break-up. He compared them favourably with American groups, the Flock and Grateful Dead. Catterall felt, "Bon Voyage is in keeping with the times, freer and less intense than that of those two groups. Both Flock and The Dead had music that bored into your skull and really messed thing up. Theory's music, while being just as spacey does not produce that feeling of oppressiveness and evil the other two could generate. The album was reportedly released against the wishes of MacKenzie, who felt that the performance captured on the album was below par for the group. MacKenzie had been awarded a travel grant in 1974 from Australia Council for the Arts to study guitar in Europe. He relocated to Los Angeles in the 1980s, where he worked as a session and auxiliary musician. During the 1990s, MacKenzie was a member of United States rock'n'roll revival act, Sha Na Na. In December 2009, Aztec Music issued a remastered version of Out of the Blue on CD. MacKenzie returned to live in Australia in 2014. The label issued Bon Voyage on CD in 2019. In the 1980s, Pearce performed and recorded with the Sydney-based jazz ensemble Women & Children First, led by saxophonist Sandy Evans. She was a visiting artist at Southern Cross University in 1998 for their Women in Contemporary Music Program. Pearce lived in Byron Bay, where she composed, taught and made art. Mike Leadabrand – bass guitar (1971–1973) Rob MacKenzie – guitar (1971–1974) Andrew Majewski – drums (1971–1973) Cleis Pearce – electric viola (1971–1974) Peter Jones – piano (1973–1974) Greg Sheehan – drums (1973–1974) Paul "Sheepdog" Wheeler – bass guitar (1973–1974) General McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality. Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara; Paul McHenry (2002) . The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Noble Park, Vic: Five Mile Press. ISBN 1-86503-891-1. Note: [on-line] version of The Who's Who of Australian Rock was established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. As from, September 2010 the [on-line] version shows an 'Internal Service Error' and was no longer available. Specific [online] first edition: McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'MacKenzie Theory'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 23 August 2004. [print] second edition: McFarlane, Ian; Jenkins, Jeff (Foreword) (2017). "Encyclopedia entry for 'MacKenzie Theory'". The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (2nd ed.). Gisborne, VIC: Third Stone Press. pp. 294–295. ISBN 978-0-9953856-0-3. Kimball, Duncan; Pearce, Cleis (2002). "MacKenzie Theory". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions. Retrieved 5 May 2011. "Search results for 'MacKenzie Theory'". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 28 April 2011. Note: Go-Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974. Catterall, Tony (21 October 1974). "Rock Music Good Music on a Sad Occasion". The Canberra Times. Vol. 49, no. 13, 891. p. 11. Retrieved 9 June 2026 – via National Library of Australia. "Mackenzie Theory, Songs, Albums, Discography & Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 June 2026. Cashmere, Paul (18 December 2009). "MacKenzie Theory Remastered". Undercover News. Undercover Network Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2011. MacKenzie Theory; Hoopla Digital (2019), Bon Voyage, Aztec Music, retrieved 9 June 2026 "Visiting Artists". Southern Cross University. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2026 – via National Library of Australia. "Women in Contemporary Music – Cleis Pearce". scu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 11 August 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2026 – via National Library of Australia. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 186. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. "Who's Who of Australian Rock / Compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 April 2011. MacKenzie Theory at AllMusic MacKenzie Theory discography at Discogs MacKenzie Theory at ProgArchives.com