Heavenly Lights

The tightly-arranged, yet passionately-sung Black gospel style of the '40s male quartet had a major influence on R&B, soul and popular music that has lasted to this day, yet is now rarely heard outside the church. The traditional a cappella arrangements build on call and response patterns, rhythmic grooves, swapping parts, alternation of leads, and a high level of independence in the parts allowing for improvisation and embellishment.

Tony Backhouse and Stuart Davis, soloists, arrangers and composers from award-winning Sydney choir the Café of the Gate of Salvation, join with Rob Maxwell Jones of jazz groups Rabblescat and Blues Point to explore the intricate, rhythmic and fiery songs by such seminal groups as the Golden Gate Quartet, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Swan Silvertones, the Spirit of Memphis Quartet or the Soul Stirrers.

Formed as a quartet in March 1996 (with tenor William Selwyn, one of the greatest soloists in the Café of the Gate of Salvation), the Heavenly Light Quartet first sang in the Sydney Town Hall at the Great Big Gospel Night with Kate Ceberano, Lily Dior, the Café of the Gate of Salvation and others. They have sung at WOMADelaide, the Melbourne International Festival, East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, the Sydney and Melbourne A cappella Festivals, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival, Brisbane Biennial Festival, Festival Fremantle, Wangaratta Jazz Festival, jazz and rock venues in Sydney and Melbourne, and broadcast on 2BL, Radio National, 2SER, Channel 10's 'Monday to Friday', and Channel 9's 'Today Show'.   
    Since 1999, with the departure of William Selwyn, they continue to perform successfully as a trio. Due to their other musical commitments, the Heavenly Lights tend to perform only on rare occasions, in 2001-2002 appearing only at the Queensland Biennial Festival of Music, the Brisbane Sacred Music Festival, the Goulburn Blues Festival and at the Sydney A Cappella Festival. In July 2003 the trio performed at jazz and blues festivals, concerts and clubs in Spain and the south of France. They toured with Harry Manx in NSW in January 2004.

Be it huge outdoor event like Hallelujah! Logan (in the Queensland Biennial Festival of Music) or the Sydney Opera House, folk festival tent, intimate jazz club like the Basement in Sydney, formal event, party, wedding or church service, the group communicates with passion and energy. The group can step out of their usual genre to sing pop, jazz or rock: eg. backing René Geyer on ’Shakey Ground’ or at the 1997 Jimi Hendrix Tribute night (a benefit for the Sydney City Mission Benefit at Sydney's Hard Rock Café with Ian Moss, Jack Jones etc.) they sang Hendrix' 'Angel' a cappella.

Workshops: as all three members are experienced musical directors and workshop leaders they can create dynamic workshops for singers of all ages and levels. Previous workshops include Festival Fremantle, Campbelltown School of the Performing Arts, Newtown School of the Performing Arts and the Queensland Sacred Music Festival.

Sessions: The Heavenly Lights excel in the studio, and as session singers and arrangers can create fresh harmonies on the spot: among those they have recorded with are Tim Finn, Harry Manx (Live at the Basement; Road Ragas; West Eats Meat - www.harrymanx.com), Margaret Urlich, Charlotte Yates and actor/singer Andy Anderson, and they have performed live with Renée Geyer and Harry Manx.

Recordings:

Their self-titled CD was released in 1997. They can also be heard on the compilation A cappella Bondi, recorded in 2003 at the Bondi Pavilion, Sydney, singing ‘Jesus Hits Like An Atom Bomb’.

Hear an excerpt from Jesus Hits Like an Atom Bomb
(L. V. McCullom)

Tony Backhouse

Baritone/lead and musical director

Contact : Tony

Rob Maxwell Jones

Bass/lead Rob Maxwell Jones began his career as a boy soprano. He studied saxophone and classical piano, and has sung with Sydney a cappella gospel quintet Resurrection Shuffle (with Stuart Davis and Kate Swadling) and a cappella jazz quartet Rabble Scat (which he formed with singer/vocal coach Suzanne Thompson). Currently he is active in seven groups (jazz, Sephardic, gospel, pop) as both an instrumentalist or singer, including  and jazz quintet Blues Point. He also directs the  choir Laanysta.

Contact : Rob Maxwell Jones

Stuart Davis

Tenor/lead Stuart Davis has been part of Sydney's a cappella scene since 1985 and started the Sydney Acappella Association with Tony Backhouse in 1990. For fifteen years the assistant director of the Café of the Gate of Salvation, Stuart has also had extensive studio experience in film, CDs, commercials, and TV.
    Stuart has been a driving force in vocal workshops in schools
(including NSW Department of Education Sing 2001 project, and
over 200 one-day secondary school workshops) and in the community
(including Long Bay Gaol and Musica Viva workshops).
Stuart is currently director of 5 choirs and teaches at TAFE.

Contact : Stuart Davis

Phone : 02.9665 8054

Website : Stuart on-line