Australian music industry mourns the passing of Steve Prestwich

I was greeted with the news this afternoon that came as a complete shock to me, that Steve Prestwich had passed away of a Brain Tumour yesterday at 3pm.

.....Prestwich, 56, died yesterday afternoon, less than two weeks after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

A hard man of Australian pub rock who could also pen a tender ballad, Prestwich, who also played with Little River Band, underwent surgery on Friday and did not regain consciousness,Cold Chisel announced on the band’s website today.

"Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Phil Small and Don Walker are shattered by the loss," the website said.

"All our thoughts are with Steve’s loved ones at this difficult time."


Cold Chisel, which formed in Adelaide in 1973, boasted a legendary live show and brought out their breakthrough album, Breakfast At Sweethearts, in 1979.

Songs such as Khe Sanh, Bow River and Flame Trees became the anthems of a generation.

Born in Liverpool, England, Prestwich had his first gig playing drums at the age of 11.

He moved to Adelaide when his family migrated in 1971, and two years later was a founding member of the band Orange, featuring Barnes, Moss, Don Walker and Les Kaczmarek. The following year the group changed its name to Cold Chisel.

Prestwich wrote and co-wrote and some of Chisel’s biggest hits, including Forever Now, When The War Is Over, Nothin’ But You, Monica, Best Kept Lies, and Flame Trees.

Just as wild as Cold Chisel’s concerts were the band’s off-stage fist fights, predominantly involving Prestwich and Barnes, who clashed from the band’s early days in Adelaide.

In 1998, Barnes recounted a particularly fierce dust-up between the pair following a concert in New Zealand when Prestwich, after a few drinks, accused Barnes of not singing the songs correctly.

‘‘So I just smacked him, straight in the face, right where he stood, picked him up and battered him out the door," a grinning Barnes told the Adelaide Advertiser at the time.

"We punched and punched each other all the way down the hallway."

The dispute simmered before Prestwich retorted with "My mother hits harder than you’’, sending the pair into another scrap.

But despite their regular clashes, Barnes insisted the pair were "best mates’’.

After Cold Chisel broke up in 1983, Prestwich joined Little River Band, touring the US and releasing two albums with them. Little River Band recorded When the War is Over with John Farnham.

Despite breaking up in 1983, Chisel reformed and toured twice - in 1998 and 2003.

Just last month, lead guitarist Ian Moss confirmed Chisel had reformed for new studio album to be released this year.

Prestwich’s solo career began in 2000 with the release of Since You’ve Been Gone, which was followed in October 2009 by his second solo album Every Highway.

Megan Levy
January 17, 2011 - 3:06PM

I recall sitting at Steve's desk working on my laptop with him sitting next to me as we discussed the artwork and layout of his then to be released album Every Highway, which I did the artwork for. I so enjoyed his laughter, his humour, his reminiscing about the glory days and his general banter, I miss him already. It was just a brief association, but one I will be forever grateful for, and also for Paul robert Burton who had worked extensively with Steve, who introduced me and my talents to Steve.

I even took some pictures of him for a magazine article which i include her as well as the song of his most famous song.