Air Supply

Formed in Melbourne in the mid-1970s, Air Supply brought together English guitarist and songwriter Graham Russell, who had settled in Australia, and singer Russell Hitchcock, whom he met during a local production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1975. The duo quickly moved toward melodic soft rock and pop ballads, characterized by Hitchcock’s high lead voice, vocal harmonies and often orchestral arrangements. After a self-titled debut album in 1976 and several releases limited to the Australian market, Air Supply gained attention opening for Rod Stewart, then broke through around 1980 with the albums Lost in Love (1980) and The One That You Love (1981), which established the band on the North American pop and adult contemporary scene. The live lineup around Air Supply evolved over time, but the Russell/Hitchcock core remained constant, continuing to record with Now and Forever (1982), Air Supply (1985) and The Earth Is... (1991), before returning in the 1990s and 2000s with The Vanishing Race (1993), News from Nowhere (1995) and Mumbo Jumbo (2010), while maintaining a steady schedule of international touring, notably in the Americas and Asia.