INXS

One of the first and most successful bands to pioneer the dance-rock sound that became a mainstay of alternative rock, INXS were first formed when Sydney high schoolers Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss began playing music together under the name Doctor Dolphin. The group would grow and evolve over the coming years, soon taking on Farriss' two brothers Jon and Tom, as well as bassist Garry Gary Beers and saxophonist Kirk Pengilly, eventually settling on the name INXS around 1979. After opening for established group Midnight Oil on a string of tour dates, the band was signed to the indie label Deluxe Records in 1980 and immediately set to work touring and recording, releasing their breakthrough album Listen Like Thieves in 1985 and the international smash hit Kick in 1987. Several more successful albums followed such as 1992's Welcome to Wherever You Are and 1993's Full Moon, Dirty Hearts, at which point INXS took a break from recording until their 1997 comeback, Elegantly Wasted.

The record was well received, but tragically, Hutchence was found dead of asphyxiation that same year. There was intense speculation as to whether the death was accidental or a suicide, and INXS took two years off to cope with the loss. They toured briefly in 2000 with Jon Stevens on vocals, but the group's next great stab at a post-Hutchence life came in 2005, when the surviving members participated in the competitive reality TV series "Rock Star: INXS" (CBS, 2005) with the goal of bringing the show's winner on board as their new singer. The season ended with Canadian vocalist J.D. Fortune taking on the role, recording and releasing the album Switch with the band later that year. He would tour on and off with the group over the next several years. In 2010, INXS released Original Sin in memory of Hutchence. The album featured reinterpretations of the band's past hits, many featuring a variety of guest vocalists. Two years later, the band announced that they were retiring from touring. They would remain an indelible force in both music and pop culture however, even seeing their lives and careers dramatized in the Australian mini-series "INXS: Never Tear Us Apart" (Seven Network, 2014).