IF you watched Australian television in the '90s it was impossible to avoid the Daddos. The three effervescent brothers Cameron, Andrew and Lochie were everywhere.
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They dominated the silver screen on shows like Perfect Match, Models Inc, Round The Twist, Cluedo and Neighbours to become household names.
While TV made Cameron Daddo one of Australian TV's biggest stars and led to his 1992 move to Hollywood, what's less known is music was actually the 55-year-old's first love.
"Music's always been my backbone," Daddo says. "It's been a platform for me long before I ever became a public person, to what people know me now.
"I always played and sang. It just happened that the acting and television took over before I really got my music out there."
In 1993 he released his debut album A Long Goodbye, with featured the minor country-rock hit 15 Fifteen Minutes Of Fame, which featured guitar and backing vocals from a then relatively unknown Keith Urban.
For almost the next 20 years music took a backseat to Daddo's work in Los Angeles, where he was based until 2017 working on TV shows like F/X: The Series, Hope Island and the David Lynch film Inland Empire.
However, Daddo would constantly perform at open mic singer-songwriter nights in LA to maintain his chops.
"It was for my own head space," he says. "You're actually a singer-songwriter, so you have to do it."
Over the past decade Daddo has slowly drifted back to music. In 2011 he released Ten Songs..and Change, followed by the EP Songs From The Shed in 2016. This week Daddo released his latest EP Son and Moon.
The five-track record blends Daddo's love of Aussie pub bands like The Angels and Cold Chisel with the country and folk of James Taylor and Neil Young.
"All the other projects I've done with my music, there's been some aspect where I've gone, 'I woulda, coulda, shoulda'," Daddo says. "With this project, I don't have any of that. I'm really happy with all the songs the way they are and what we've done with them."
The EP was assisted by Daddo's latest acting role, playing musician Evan Slater on Channel 7's soapie institution Home & Away.
It's given Daddo a chance introduce himself and his music to a younger demographic who never heard 15 Minutes Of Fame in the '90s.
"I've always looked for jobs that incorporate my music," he says.
"It was a no brainer for me to put my hand up for this gig because I was able to play my original songs on Home & Away.
"It gave me a terrific opportunity, the best platform I've ever had to launch some new music and certainly bring life to music I've previously recorded.
"One of the great things is, when Evan is playing on screen with his guitar I've only been playing my original songs and I'll go and stick up a recording on Instagram."
Daddo is so confident in Son and Moon that he plans to branch out into domestic touring later this year.
"I've gotten way more confident in bringing it forward now," he says. "I feel more competent as a musician. Certainly I feel I'm in a groove with my singing, which I'm happy about."
Cameron Daddo's EP Son and Moon is out now.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
