The Easybeats drummer Gordon ‘Snowy’ Fleet dies

Liverpool-born drummer Gordon “Snowy” Fleet, the man who put the beat in The Easybeats, has died in Perth on February 18 at age 79.

Fleet played on the Australian rock legends’ hits during their incredible run of success spanning 1964 to 67, including Sorry, She’s So Fine, Wedding Ring and the working-class anthem Friday On My Mind.

The affable musician even came up with the name, suggesting The Easybeats — a reference to fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles — was a better name than guitarist Harry Vanda’s The Starfighters.

Before immigrating to Australia with his wife and young child, Fleet was an apprentice bricklayer who played in bands around Liverpool, often sharing stages with the Fab Four.

He met the rest of the iconic rock band at Villawood Migrant Hostel in Sydney.

Fleet was staying at a neighbouring East Hills Hostel when he found a note on his door, which read “I believe you’re from Liverpool and play the drums, would you like to play with us?”

Fleet auditioned, got the gig and found himself jamming in a hostel laundry as part of the original line-up of The Easybeats alongside Vanda, songwriter/guitarist George Young, bassist Dick Diamonde and charismatic singer Stevie Wright.

In interviews, Fleet recalled Glasgow-born Young and his younger brothers Malcolm and Angus, who would go on to form AC/DC, quickly became like family.

All five Easybeats were migrants, with Wright born in Leeds, England while Vanda and Diamond were both Dutch.

The band released its debut single For My Woman in March 1965 before achieving national fame with the classic She’s So Fine.

The latter song launched Easyfever, the antipodean answer to Beatlemania.

“A lot changed with that song,” Fleet told ABC Radio in 2019. “All of sudden we had all these chicks going crazy.

“We couldn’t do a show anywhere — if there was no security to stop them getting on stage, we couldn’t play.”

She’s So Fine appeared on Easy, The Easybeats’ debut album produced by Ted Albert, who signed the band to his label.

The band recorded its follow-up It’s 2 Easy and its third album Volume 3 in 1966 before moving to the UK, where Wright took a backseat in songwriting and focused on partying in swinging London.

Young teamed with Vanda to create the songwriting and production duo that helped forge the sound of Australian popular music for the next few decades.

The pair wrote Friday On My Mind, which hit the UK Top 10 and earned The Easybeats international fame.

In 2001, a panel of 100 music industry figures assembled by the Australasian Performing Right Association voted it the best Australian song of all time.

Despite remarkable success and being unhappy with spending so much time away from his family, Fleet left the band in 1967.

Tony Cahill took over on drums until the group split in 1969.

Fleet was part of a reunion tour in 1986.

The Easybeats were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005. Fleet attended the ceremony with Wright and Vanda.

Fleet moved to Perth where he took over his family’s construction business, later running it with his son Adam, who played in local rockers Kaos.

He also ran a rehearsal studio in Jandakot.

Fleet died on Tuesday, February 18, according to a source close to the band.

The drummer turned builder’s death means that Vanda is the only original member of The Easybeats still alive.

Wright died in 2015, Young in 2017 and Diamonde in September last year.