Editing Skyhooks (band) (section)

==History==
===1966–1974: Early years and formation===
[[Greg Macainsh]] and Imants "Freddie" Strauks both attended [[Norwood Secondary College|Norwood High School]] in the Melbourne suburb of [[Ringwood, Victoria|Ringwood]] and formed Spare Parts in 1966 with Macainsh on bass guitar and Strauks on lead vocals.<ref name="ARDb">{{cite web |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |last2=Notling |first2=Fredrik |last3=Brown |first3=Jenny |title=Skyhooks |url=http://hem2.passagen.se/honga/database/s/skyhooks.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040319145753/http://hem2.passagen.se/honga/database/s/skyhooks.html |archive-date=19 March 2004 |access-date=11 April 2024 |publisher=[[Australian Rock Database]]. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren)}}</ref><ref name="Jeff">{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Jeff |url=http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an41896781 |title=Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia |author2=Ian Meldrum |author2-link=Ian Meldrum |publisher=Wilkinson Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-921332-11-1 |location=[[Melbourne, Victoria|Melbourne, Vic]] |pages=84, 89, 90, 104–128, 145, 266–267 |access-date=22 November 2009}}</ref><ref name="SpencerSpare">Spencer et al, (2007) [http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=198810 Spare Parts]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} entry.</ref> Spare Parts was followed by Sound Pump in 1968,<ref name="SpencerSound">Spencer et al, (2007) [http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=197870 Sound Pump]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} entry.</ref> Macainsh formed Reuben Tice in [[Eltham, Victoria|Eltham]], with Tony Williams on vocals.<ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="SpencerReuben">Spencer et al, (2007) [http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=174920 Reuben Tice]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} entry.</ref> By 1970 Macainsh was back with Strauks, now on drums, first in Claptrap<ref name="SpencerClaptrap">Spencer et al, (2007) [http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=40585 Claptrap]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} entry.</ref> and by 1971 in Frame which had [[Graeme Strachan|Graeme "Shirley" Strachan]] as lead vocalist.<ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="SpencerFrame">Spencer et al, (2007) [http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=78015 Frame]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} entry.</ref> Frame also included Pat O'Brien on guitar and Cynthio Ooms on guitar.<ref name="SpencerFrame"/> Strachan had befriended Strauks earlier—he sang with Strauks on the way to parties—and was asked to join Claptrap which was renamed as Frame.<ref name="JenB">{{cite web|url=http://www.milesago.com/Obits/shirl.htm|title=We just liked him 'cos he was Shirl|last=Brown|first=Jen Jewel|work=MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975|editor=Duncan Kimball|publisher=ICE Productions|date=31 August 2001|access-date=24 November 2009}}</ref> Strachan stayed in Frame for about 18 months but left for a career in [[carpenter|carpentry]] and a hobby of [[surfing]] in [[Phillip Island (Victoria)|Phillip Island]].<ref name="JenB"/>

[[File:Red Symons.jpg|thumb|Skyhooks guitarist [[Red Symons]], who replaced founder Peter Inglis in August 1973. (1973–1977, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994, pictured in 2011)]]
Skyhooks formed in March 1973 in Melbourne with Steve Hill on vocals (ex-Lillee), Peter Inglis<ref name="APRA Does">{{cite web | publisher = [[APRA AMCOS]] (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) | title = 'Does Work' at APRA search engine | url = http://apraamcos.com.au/search?searchtype=works&keywords=does+work | access-date = 17 September 2020 }} Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'</ref> on guitar ([[The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band]]), Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, [[Peter Starkie]] on guitar and backing vocals (Lipp & the Double Dekker Brothers) and Strauks on drums and backing vocals.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/> The name, Skyhooks, came from a fictional organisation in the 1956 film ''[[Earth vs. the Flying Saucers]]''. Their first gig was on 16 April 1973 at [[St Jude's Church, Carlton|St Jude's Church]] hall in [[Carlton, Victoria|Carlton]].<ref name="Jeff"/> At a later gig, former [[Daddy Cool (band)|Daddy Cool]] frontman, [[Ross Wilson (musician)|Ross Wilson]] was playing in his group [[Mighty Kong (band)|Mighty Kong]] with Skyhooks as a support act. Wilson was impressed with the fledgling band and signed Macainsh to a publishing deal.<ref name="McF"/> In August, Bob "Bongo" Starkie (Mary Jane Union) on guitar replaced his older brother Peter (later in [[Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons]]) and Inglis was replaced by Red Symons on guitar, vocals and keyboards.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/> The two new members added a touch of theatre and humour to the band's visual presence.<ref name="McF"/> By late 1973, Wilson had convinced [[Michael Gudinski]] to sign the band to his booking agency, Australian Entertainment Exchange, and eventually to Gudinski's label, [[Mushroom Records]].<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/>

Skyhooks gained a cult following around Melbourne including university [[intelligentsia]] and [[Pub rock (Australia)|pub rockers]],<ref name="Jeff"/> but a poorly received show at the January 1974 [[Sunbury Pop Festival]] saw the group booed off stage.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Two tracks from their live set, "Hey What's the Matter?" and "Love on the Radio" appeared on Mushroom's ''Highlights of Sunbury '74''.<ref name="McF"/> After seeing his performance on TV, Hill phoned Macainsh and resigned.<ref name="Jeff"/> To replace Hill, in March, Macainsh recruited occasional singer, surfer and carpenter Strachan from his Frame era.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="JenB"/> Strachan had been dubbed "Shirley" by fellow surfers due to his curly blond hair ''a la'' [[Shirley Temple]].<ref name="JenB"/>

===1974–1975: ''Living in the 70's''===
{{Main|Living in the 70's}}

For Skyhooks, the replacement of Hill by Strachan was a pivotal moment, as Strachan had remarkable vocal skills, and a magnetic stage and screen presence.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Alongside Macainsh's lyrics, another facet of the group was the twin-guitar sound of Starkie and Symons.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Adopting elements of [[glam rock]] in their presentation, and lyrics that presented frank depictions of the social life of young Australia in the 1970s, the band shocked conservative middle Australia with their outrageous (for the time) [[costumes]], make-up, lyrics, and on-stage activities.<ref name="McF"/> A 1.2-metre (4&nbsp;ft) high mushroom-shaped [[phallus]] was confiscated by [[Adelaide, South Australia|Adelaide]] police after a performance.<ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="Jenkins">Jenkins (1994).</ref> Six of the ten tracks on their debut album, ''[[Living in the 70's]]'', were banned by the [[Federation of Australian Commercial Broadcasters]] for their sex and drug references:<ref name="McF"/> "Toorak Cowboy", "Whatever Happened to the Revolution?", "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed", "Hey What's the Matter", "Motorcycle Bitch" and "Smut".<ref name="Jeff"/> Much of the group's success derived from its distinctive repertoire, mostly penned by bass guitarist Macainsh,<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> with an occasional additional song from Symons—who wrote "Smut" and performed its lead vocals.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="APRA Smut">{{cite web|publisher=[[Australasian Performing Right Association]] (APRA)|title="Smut" at APRA search engine|url=http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=Smut|access-date=26 November 2009}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Although Skyhooks were not the first Australian rock band to write songs in a local setting—rather than ditties about love or songs about New York City or other foreign lands—they were the first to become commercially successful doing so.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Skyhooks songs addressed teenage issues including buying drugs ("Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)"), suburban sex ("Balwyn Calling"), the gay scene ("Toorak Cowboy") and loss of girlfriends ("Somewhere in Sydney") by [[Name-dropping|namechecking]] Australian locales.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Jeff"/> Radio personality, Billy Pinnell described the importance of their lyrics in tackling Australia's [[cultural cringe]]:

{{blockquote|[Macainsh] broke down all the barriers [...] opening the door for Australian rock 'n' roll songwriters to write about local places and events. He legitimised Australian songwriting and it meant that Australians became themselves.<ref name="Jeff"/>|Billy Pinnell, quoted in ''Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia'' p. 104}}

The first Skyhooks single, "[[Living in the 70's (song)|Living in the 70's]]", was released in August 1974,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks">Spencer et al, (2007) [http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=193800 Skyhooks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108075055/http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=193800 |date=8 November 2014 }} entry.</ref> ahead of the album, and peaked at No. 28 on the Australian [[Kent Music Report]] Singles Charts.<ref name="Kent">{{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]] |publisher=Australian Chart Book Ltd |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 |location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives, NSW]]}} NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until [[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]] created their own [[ARIA Charts|charts]] in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.</ref> The album, ''Living in the 70's'' initially charted only in Melbourne upon its release on 7 October 1974.<!-- The album debuted on the Kent Music Report w/c 14 October 1974, meaning it had to be released (at least) one week before that. --> It went on to spend 16 weeks at the top of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Charts from February to June 1975.<ref name="Kent"/> The album was produced by Wilson,<ref name="ARDb"/> and became the best selling Australian album, to that time,<ref name="McF"/> with 226,000 copies sold in Australia.<ref name="Eliezer">{{cite book|url=http://www.immedia.com.au/HighVoltage/sample.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112134315/http://www.immedia.com.au/HighVoltage/sample.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 2007|title=High Voltage Rock 'n' Roll: The Movers and Shakers in the Australian Music Industry|last=Eliezer|first=Christie|year=2007|chapter-url=http://www.immedia.com.au/HighVoltage/sample.php#gudinski|chapter=Michael Gudinski: He Should Be So Lucky|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=[[Sydney]]|isbn=978-1-921029-26-4|access-date=24 November 2009}}</ref>

Skyhooks returned to the Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1975. They were declared the best performers by ''[[Rolling Stone Australia]]'' and ''[[The Age]]'' reviewers, and Gudinski now took over their [[band manager|management]].<ref name="Sunbury75">{{cite web|url=http://www.milesago.com/Festivals/sunbury75.htm|title=Festivals – Sunbury Festival 1975|work=MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975|editor=Duncan Kimball|publisher=ICE Productions|year=2002|access-date=24 November 2009}}</ref> The second single, "[[Horror Movie (song)|Horror Movie]]", reached No. 1 for two weeks in March.<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> The band's success was credited by Gudinski with saving his struggling Mushroom Records and enabled it to develop into the most successful Australian label of its time.<ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="JenB"/><ref name="Eliezer"/>

The success of the album was also due to support by a new pop music television show ''[[Countdown (Australian TV series)|Countdown]]'' on national public broadcaster [[ABC Television (Australian TV network)|ABC Television]], rather than promotion by commercial radio.<ref name="Jeff"/> "Horror Movie" was the first song played on the first colour transmission of ''Countdown'' in early 1975.<ref name="Jeff"/> Despite the radio ban, the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]'s newly established 24-hour rock music station [[Triple J|Double Jay]] chose the album's fifth track, the provocatively titled "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed", as its first ever broadcast on 19 January.

===1975–1976: ''Ego Is Not a Dirty Word''===
{{Main|Ego Is Not a Dirty Word}}
<!-- Commented out: [[File:ego is not.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Skyhooks' second album, ''[[Ego Is Not a Dirty Word]]'']] -->
Skyhooks' 1975 national tour promoting ''Living in the 70's'' finished at Melbourne's [[Festival Hall, Melbourne|Festival Hall]] with their [[ANZAC Day]] (25 April) performance.<ref name="Jeff"/> They were supported by comedy singer [[Bob Hudson (Australian singer)|Bob Hudson]], heavy rockers [[AC/DC]] and New Zealand band [[Split Enz]].<ref name="Jenkins" /> Strachan then took two weeks off and considered leaving the band, but he returned – newly married – and they continued recording the follow-up album, ''[[Ego Is Not a Dirty Word]]''.<ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="JenB"/> Initially, they were locked out of the recording studio until their manager, Gudinski, sent down the money still owed for recording the first album.<ref name="Eliezer"/> ''Ego Is Not a Dirty Word'' spent 11 weeks at the top of the Australian album chart from 21 July 1975,<ref name="Kent"/> and sold 210,000 copies.<ref name="Eliezer"/> with the single, "[[Ego is Not a Dirty Word (song)|Ego Is Not a Dirty Word]]" issued in April ahead of the album,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> peaking at No. 2.<ref name="Kent"/> The next single, "[[All My Friends Are Getting Married]]" reached No. 2 in July,<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> and was followed by "[[Million Dollar Riff]]" at No. 6 in October.<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> Macainsh's then girlfriend, Jenny Brown,<ref name="Jeff"/> described the band in her 1975 book, ''Skyhooks : Million Dollar Riff''.<ref name="Brown">{{cite book|title=Skyhooks : Million Dollar Riff|last=Brown|first=Jennifer Lois|year=1975|publisher=Dingo|location=[[Collingwood, Victoria|Collingwood, Vic]]|isbn=0-909109-01-X}} Note: Brown was later known as Jenny Hunter Brown and then as Jen Jewel Brown.</ref> A live version of [[Chuck Berry]]'s "[[Let It Rock (Chuck Berry song)|Let It Rock]]" from a December performance was released as a single in March 1976 and reached No. 26.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/>

With Australian commercial success achieved, Skyhooks turned to the US market. Gudinski announced a $1.5&nbsp;million deal with [[Mercury Records]]/[[Phonogram Records]],<ref name="McF"/> which released a modified international version of ''Ego Is Not a Dirty Word'' with "Horror Movie" and "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed" from their first Australian album replacing two tracks.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="Jeff"/> A US tour followed in March–April 1976, but critics described them as imitators of [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] due to the similarity of Symons' make-up and stage act to that of [[Gene Simmons]],<ref name="Howl">{{cite web |last=Nimmervoll |first=Ed |author2=Greg Macainsh |title=Skyhooks |url=http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/en/skyhooks/skyhooks.htm |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120726191200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/14231/20120727-0512/www.howlspace.com.au/en/skyhooks/skyhooks.htm |archive-date=26 July 2012 |access-date=22 January 2014 |publisher=Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd (Ed Nimmervoll)}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and despite limited success in [[Boston]], Massachusetts and [[Jacksonville, Florida]] they failed to make inroads into the general US market.<ref name="McF"/>

After completing their 1976 US tour, the band remained in San Francisco and recorded their third album with Wilson producing, ''[[Straight in a Gay Gay World]]'', which was released in August 1976 and peaked at No. 3 on the Australian album charts.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> In July, upon return to Australia they launched The Brats Are Back Tour with a single, "[[This Is My City]]",<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> which peaked at number 32.<ref name="Kent"/> "[[Blue Jeans (Skyhooks song)|Blue Jeans]]" followed in August and peaked at No. 12 on the singles chart.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> By October, Strachan provided his debut solo single, "[[Every Little Bit Hurts]]" (a [[cover version|cover]] of [[Brenda Holloway]]'s 1964 hit).

===1977–1981: Later years to break-up===
{{Main|Greg Macainsh|Red Symons|Graeme Strachan|Bob Spencer}}
[[File:Rose Tattoo - Werner Rennen 2018 28.jpg|thumb|Symons' replacement [[Bob Spencer]] joined in early 1977 (1977–1980, pictured in 2018)]]

In February 1977, Symons left the band and was replaced on guitar by [[Bob Spencer]] from the band [[Finch (Australian band)|Finch]].<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/> With Symons' departure the band dropped the glam rock look and used a more straight forward [[hard rock]] approach.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> During that year Skyhooks toured nationally three times, while their first single with Spencer, "[[Party to End All Parties]]", entered the top 30 in May.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> Strachan released his second solo single, a cover of [[Smokey Robinson]]'s "[[Tracks of My Tears]]", which reached the top 20 in July.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/> Meanwhile, Mushroom released a [[compilation album|singles anthology]], ''[[The Skyhooks Tapes]]'', which entered the top 50 in September.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> The band's mass popularity had declined although they still kept their live performances exciting and irreverent.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/>

In January 1978 they toured New Zealand and performed at the [[Nambassa]] festival. In February their next single, "[[Women in Uniform]]",<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> was issued and peaked at No. 8, while its album ''[[Guilty Until Proven Insane]]'' followed in March and reached No. 7.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> The album was produced by Americans Eddie Leonetti and [[Jack Douglas (record producer)|Jack Douglas]].<ref name="ARDb"/> The second single from the album, "Meglomania" released in May,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> peaked at number 93.<ref name="Kent"/> Strachan told band members he intended to leave—but it was not officially announced for six months—he continued regular shows until his final gig with Skyhooks on 29 July 1978.<ref name="Howl"/> Strachan released further solo singles, "Mr Summer" in October and "Nothing but the Best" in January 1979,<ref name="McF"/> but neither charted in the top 50.<ref name="Kent"/> Strachan's replacement in Skyhooks, on lead vocals, was Tony Williams (ex-Reuben Tice with Macainsh).<ref name="McF"/><ref name="ARDb"/><ref name="Jeff"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/>

Williams' first single for Skyhooks, "Over the Border", a political song about the state of the [[Queensland Police Force]] at the time, reached the top 40 in April 1979,<ref name="Kent"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> and their fifth studio album, ''[[Hot for the Orient]]'', was released in May 1980,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> but failed to enter the top 50.<ref name="Kent"/>

From 1975 to 1977, Skyhooks were—alongside [[Sherbet (band)|Sherbet]]—the most commercially successful group in Australia, but over the next few years, Skyhooks rapidly faded from the public eye with the departure of key members, and in 1980 the band announced its break-up in controversial circumstances. [[Ian Meldrum|Ian "Molly" Meldrum]], usually a supporter of Skyhooks, savaged ''Hot for the Orient'' on his "Humdrum" segment of ''Countdown''—viewers demanded that the band appear on a following show to defend it.<ref name="Jeff"/> Poor reception of the album both by the public and reviewers led the band to take out a page-sized ad in the local music press declaring "Why Don't You All Get Fu**ed" (title of one of their songs) and they played their last performance on 8 June, not in their hometown of Melbourne, but in the mining town of [[Kalgoorlie]] in [[Western Australia]].<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/>

===1982–1999: Reformations and later releases===
In December 1982, Mushroom released a medley of Skyhooks songs as "[[Hooked on Hooks]]" which peaked at No. 21.<ref name="Kent"/> Demands for the "classic" line-up of the band—Macainsh, Bob Starkie, Strachan, Strauks and Symons—to reform were successful and on 23 April 1983, they started the Living in the 80's Tour.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> Support acts for the first concert included [[The Church (band)|The Church]], [[Mental as Anything]], The Party Boys, [[The Sunnyboys]], and [[Midnight Oil]]—who acknowledged, "Hooks were the only Australian band they would let top the bill above them".<ref name="McF"/><ref name="RageBio">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rage/guest/2001/skyhooks.htm|title=Skyhooks special – Skyhooks bio|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)|date=6 October 2001|access-date=26 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320041812/http://www.abc.net.au/rage/guest/2001/skyhooks.htm|archive-date=20 March 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> This tour was released on LP as ''[[Live in the 80's]]''.

A one-off reunion concert took place in October 1984, and in 1990 the band finally recorded new material, including "[[Jukebox in Siberia]]", released in September,<ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/> which peaked at the top of the [[ARIA Charts|ARIA Singles Charts]] for two weeks.<ref name="AusCharts">{{cite web |title=Discography Skyhooks |url=http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Skyhooks |access-date=22 November 2009 |publisher=australian-charts.com}}</ref> In November, ''[[The Latest and Greatest]]'', a compilation album, was released, which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Charts.<ref name="AusCharts"/> The tracks were taken from Skyhooks' first four studio albums along with two recent singles, "Jukebox In Siberia" and the uncharted "Tall Timber".<ref name="AusCharts"/><ref name="SpencerSkyhooks"/>

In 1992, Skyhooks were inducted into the [[Australian Recording Industry Association]] (ARIA) [[ARIA Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]],<ref name="ARIAList">{{cite web |title=ARIA Awards 2009 : History: Winners by Artist : Skyhooks |url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-artist.php?letter=S&artist=Skyhooks |access-date=26 November 2009 |publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association]] (ARIA)}}{{dead link|date=May 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> while their manager, Gudunski, and record label, Mushroom Records, received a 'Special Achievement Award'.<ref name="ARIA1992">{{cite web |title=ARIA Awards 2009 : History: Winners by Year : 1992: 6th Annual ARIA Awards |url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=1992 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235813/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-year.php?year=1992 |archive-date=26 September 2007 |access-date=26 November 2009 |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)}}</ref> Producer of their first three albums, Wilson, had been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 as an individual and again as a member of Daddy Cool in 2006.<ref name="ARIAHoF">{{cite web|url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-award.php?awardID=36|title=ARIA Awards 2009 : History: Winner by Award : Hall of Fame|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)|access-date=26 November 2009|archive-date=2 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202052952/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-award.php?awardID=36|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The final release of new Skyhooks material came in June 1999 when a twin-CD, ''Skyhooks: The Collection'', was issued.<ref name="McF"/><ref name="Howl"/> Disc one contained a greatest hits package, very similar to "[[The Latest and Greatest]]", with additional tracks. Disc two is referred to by fans as "[[The Lost Album (Skyhooks album)|The Lost Album]]", with previously unreleased songs from their 1990 and 1994 recording sessions.

===After Skyhooks===
Strachan and Symons each went on to successful careers in Australian media including radio and television. Symons worked as a breakfast presenter on ABC radio and wrote humorous newspaper columns after being on the TV show ''[[Hey Hey It's Saturday]]'' as a house band member and judge of the Red Faces segment. Starkie played locally with different bands including Ol' Skydaddys,<ref name="ARDb"/> and [[Ram Band]]. Strauks was drummer for Melbourne rock band [[The Sports]], [[Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons]], folk band The Bushwackers and the Ol' Skydaddys.<ref name="ARDb"/> Macainsh played with [[John Farnham]] on his Whispering Jack Tour and with [[Dave Warner (musician)|Dave Warner's from the Suburbs]],<ref name="ARDb"/> in 1988 he put together and managed a successful [[AC/DC]] tribute band called Back in Black who went on to support Skyhooks on their comeback tour. He was a board member of [[Australasian Performing Right Association]] (APRA) (1997–2000) and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) (2001–2006),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ppca.com.au/SPContent.aspx?PageID=105&ItemID=27|work=PPCA |title=PPCA Announces Board for 2005|publisher=Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA)|date=22 February 2005|access-date=26 November 2009}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and is an intellectual property lawyer.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/roadkill-on-digital-highway-how-music-is-fighting-back/story-e6frg996-1225793341486|title=Roadkill on digital highway: how music is fighting back|last=Bodey|first=Michael|work=[[The Australian]]|date=2 November 2009|access-date=26 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beatup.com.au/pdf/Greg%20Macainsh%20(ex-Skyhooks).pdf|last=Lang-Lemchert|first=Susan|year=2005|title=Quiet Achiever|publisher=Susan Lang-Lemchert|access-date=26 November 2009}}</ref>

Strachan was killed in an air crash on 29 August 2001, when the [[helicopter]] he was learning to fly solo crashed into [[Mount Archer, Queensland (Somerset Region)|Mount Archer]] near [[Kilcoy]], northwest of [[Brisbane]]. A memorial concert was held on 11 September 2001 at the Palais Theatre, tributes were paid and some remaining members—Strauks, Macainsh, Starkie, Symons and Spencer—performed with guest vocalists [[Daryl Braithwaite]] and Wilson. It is the only time Symons and his replacement, Spencer performed together on stage. Braithwaite performed "All My Friends Are Getting Married" with the band while Wilson sang the rare Skyhooks track "Warm Wind in the City".

The 30th anniversary of the release of the ''Living in the 70's'' album was commemorated in 2004, with different incarnations of the band performing. Absent were Strachan, Hill and Inglis. Vocals were performed by Wilson, Williams and Bob Starkie. The original line-up of Skyhooks, including Hill, reformed in 2005 at the Annandale Hotel in [[Sydney]] for a one-off [[concert|gig]], a benefit for Hill, who had been diagnosed with [[liver cancer]]. The line-up of Inglis, Peter Starkie, Strauks and Macainsh joined him onstage. Hill died six weeks later. In November 2009, the "Skyhooks Tour Archive", displayed on the band's website, listed 925 live shows.

Macainsh, Starkie and Strauks appeared as Skyhooks at the 2009 [[Helpmann Awards]] in Sydney. They performed "Women in Uniform" with Australian rock icon [[Jimmy Barnes]] providing vocals. Red Symons was also slated to perform with the band, but was replaced by Diesel after withdrawing a few days before the show.

Original guitarist Peter Starkie died of complications after a fall, in mid-September 2020, aged 72.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.noise11.com/news/original-skyhooks-guitarist-peter-starkie-has-died-aged-72-20200915|title=Original Skyhooks Guitarist Peter Starkie Has Died Aged 72|first=Paul|last=Cashmere|author-link=Paul Cashmere|date=15 September 2020|website=Noise11.com|access-date=16 September 2020}}</ref>