Carol Lloyd
Birth name Carol Ann Cramb
Born October 17, 1948
Auchenflower, Queensland, Australia
Died February 13, 2017 (aged 68)
Auchenflower, Queensland, Australia
Genres
Rock
Occupation(s)
Singer Songwriter Composer Advertising Executive
Instruments Voice, Percussion
Carol Ann Lloyd (1948–2017) was an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, and advertising executive. She was known as “Australia’s original rock chick” for her role in the Brisbane-based bands Railroad Gin and her own Carol Lloyd Band. She was recognized for her curly, red hair, which was said to have been insured with Lloyd’s of London for $100,000.
Lloyd was born at the Fermoy Private Hospital, Auchenflower, Brisbane, Queensland and attended Rocklea State School.
Lloyd became the lead singer of Brisbane group Railroad Gin in the early 70s. The band was signed to PolyGram records and had three singles that reached the top of the charts in Brisbane in 1974, then an album, A Matter of Time, in 1975. In 1973 Railroad Gin performed a Rock Mass with the Queensland Youth Orchestra at St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane. They were the support act for Suzi Quatro at Festival Hall in 1974.
In 1975, Lloyd left Railroad Gin due to throat problems, and by the end of the year had formed Carol Llloyd Band and signed a worldwide recording contract with EMI Records – a first for an Australian artist. They had a hit in Queensland with “Storm In My Soul” and released album Mother Was Asleep At The Time in 1975.
Lloyd was co-writer of the theme song for World Expo 88, “Together, We’ll Show the World”.
Lloyd performed a series of shows at the Brisbane Powerhouse: “It Takes Two, Baby” with Sue Ray in January 2014, “It Takes Two Baby” with Pearly Black in July 2014, and “It’s Time: the No.1 hits of Railroad Gin and The Carol Lloyd Band” in December 2014, at which the All The Good Things live album was recorded.
A benefit show was held for Lloyd at QPAC on 20 October, 2016 to assist with medical expenses and artists including Katie Noonan, Alison St Ledger, Yani, Ellen Reed, Troy Cassar-Daley, Peter Harvey, Annie Petersen and Leah Cotterell donated their performances. The show was named Goodbye Ruby Tuesday after the Rolling Stones song frequently covered by Lloyd, and she made an appearance on stage in a decorated wheelchair to join Ellen Reed in performing it.
Personal life
Lloyd and her partner Annie held a surprise commitment ceremony on August 10, 2013 at The Edge (Qld State Library) in the Brisbane Cultural Centre during an event named “The Party Of A Lifetime” staged by Lloyd shortly after she went public with the prognosis of her terminal condition. She died around 1:00pm on Monday, February 13, 2017 at the Wesley Hospital (Brisbane) due to complications from Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.