The Cockroaches took their name from an obscure nom de plume favoured by The Rolling Stones during the 1960s. The original line-up of the band was: Paul Field on vocals, John Field on Vocals and Guitar, Anthony Field (Vocals and Guitar), Keyboardist Jeff Fatt, Phil Robinson on Bass and Drummer, Tony Henry. In their total history, The Cockroaches released 4 albums. These were:

·         The Cockroaches (1987)

·         Fingertips (1988)

·         Positive (1991)

·         Hey Let’s Go – The Best of the Cockroaches (1999)

The Field brothers (Paul, John and Anthony) started the group in 1979 while still at boarding school, St Joseph's College at Hunter's Hill (NSW). Paul Field started singing with the Year 10 band at school. At this young age, the boys realised that through a band, you became “popular”. The band regularly played at school dances and at pubs. The Cockroaches began writing their own music and issued a string of singles on a variety of independent labels. In 1986 the band signed a deal with Regular Records.

The band's first original songs were:

·         I Want a Leather Jacket

·         Blue Moon of Kentucky (June 1980)

·         Through with Her

·         Bingo Bango (June 1981)

·         Used to Be

·         She Goes on and on (August)

·         Empty Heart

·         Apartment #9 (October)

·         Shake Jump and Shout

·         Last Night

·         Empty Heart (November 1982)

·         See You in Spain

·         I've Been Thinking About You (June 1984)

·         My Whole World's Falling Down

·         Groovin’ in the Graveyard (June 1985)

·         Another Night Alone My Type of Girl (December).

By 1985, Phil Carson had replaced Phil Robinson on bass. The band's first single on Regular, `Wait Up'/`Henry's Lizard' (September 1986), became a national Top 40 hit and #13 in Sydney. The band's debut album The Cockroaches (March 1987) produced three further singles, `She's the One'/`Can in the Hand' (January), `Some Kind of Girl'/`Dr Richmond' (May) and `Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)'/`Something Good' (August). The Cockroaches reached #9 on the national chart, on its way to selling over 100 000 copies and `She's the One' became the band's biggest hit when it peaked at #7 during April 1987. `Some Kind of Girl' and `Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)' also made the Top 30.

Peter Mackie replaced Carson before the band recorded its second album, Fingertips. In early 1989, The Cockroaches undertook a national tour. The band's third album on, Positive (June 1991), included a cover of Brenda Lee's `Here Comes the Feeling' (August), which also appeared on the soundtrack to the feature film The Crossing. By the end of the year, however, The Cockroaches as a band concept had run its course. To add to the stress, Paul Field’s 18month-old daughter died from SIDS while touring.

Anthony Field went back to Uni started The Wiggles with Jeff Fatt, Murray Cook (bass) and Greg Page (vocals), which turned out to be one of the most successful ventures of the 1990s.  

Adapted from: Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop / Ian McFarlane 1999
under licence from Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd (www.whammo.com.au)