Original Divinyls Manager Lovegrove Dies

Vince Lovegrove, original manager of Australian band The Divinyls, died in a car crash March 24 near his home in Byron Bay.

Lovegrove, 64, began as a co-singer in the mid ’60s with pop band The Valentines, whose hits included “My Old Man’s A Groovy Old Man” and “Juliette.”

Its other singer was Bon Scott, for whom Lovegrove helped land his gig with AC/DC.

He “always put his neck on the line for Australian music,” said promoter Michael Chugg, who as a teenager roadied for The Valentines.

As part of a breed of young Australian managers in the ’70s – including Roger Davies, Michael Gudinski, Glenn Wheatley and Chris Murphy – who believed Aussie music could make its mark internationally, Lovegrove signed The Divinyls directly to a U.S. deal.

“He was my mentor,” said Divinyls bassist Rick Grossman, who now plays with the Hoodoo Gurus.

Lovegrove quit The Divinyls when his second wife, U.S.-born actress Suzi Sidewinder and their 8-year-old son Troy, contracted AIDS.

After their deaths, in 1987 and 1993, he won awards for the tele-documentaries “Suzi’s Story” and “Troy’s Story” that he produced.

Performing until his death with the band Mongrels Of Passion, Lovegrove was also a music journalist.

His biography of INXS singer Michael Hutchence led to court action from Hutchence’s partner, British TV presenter Paula Yates, over his claim she “trapped” the singer by getting pregnant.

A memorial concert is being planned in Sydney. Police have not formally identified his body as his car incinerated after leaving the road. But his family confirmed his death.