Garth Porter
Garth Porter (born 24 September 1948) was a Hamilton-born musician, best known for being the keyboard player of Australian pop band Sherbet. Porter co-wrote many of the bands songs, including their 1976 hit "Howzat". The song went to number one in Australia and New Zealand, and made the Top 10 in several other countries including the UK, The Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and Israel. The single also charted in the United States where it reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sherbet declined in popularity following this song, and after a short breakup in the late '70s reformed as The Sherbs. Among their singles, they released 'We Ride Tonight' in 1982, with Porter as the primary songwriter. The song reached #26 on the US charts, and was sampled in the 2013 Daft Punk 2013 song 'Contact'.
In Hamilton, Porter attended Hamilton Boys High School between 1962 and 1965. John Dix’s 1988 book on New Zealand music 'Stranded in Paradise' (and various internet sites) have stated Porter was a member of Swellfoot's Assembly in 1969, before moving to Australia. Although this was argued in an article by Swellfoot's Assembly member Marion Arts with Hamilton Underground Press to not be the case, it seems that there was an earlier incarnation of the band in which he was a member, prior to the Marion Arts version.
Bands
- Samael Lilith: 1969-1970
- Toby Jugg: 1970
- Sherbet: 1970-1980
- The Sherbs: 1980-1984
- Stevie Wright Band: 1986
- Alex Smith and The Volunteers: 1989
