Sacred Cowboys were an Australian post-punk and rock band formed by mainstay Garry Gray, as a lead singer-songwriter, and Mark Ferrie in 1982.
The group have issued six albums: Sacred Cowboys (1984), We Love You ... Of Course We Do (1985), Trouble from Providence (August 1988), Things to Come (July 1996), Cold Harvest (January 2007) and 1982–85: Nailed to the Cross (February 2008).
Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described them as "one of the most confrontational live outfits" with their music as "mixed post-punk moodiness and country raunch over a mutant swamp-blues backbeat".
Initially the group were a covers band playing Creedence Clearwater Revival, Alex Chilton, The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, Suicide and Bob Dylan.
[3] According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, Meldrum's assessment had "instantly cemented their nefarious reputation as the local scene's enfants terribles.
[1] In December Sacred Cowboys followed with a six-track self-titled extended play on the White Label, which was produced by Tony Cohen (Models, The Birthday Party).
[1][2] Late in 1987 Sacred Cowboys reformed with a line-up of Doolan, Ferrie, Gray and Rischbieth joined by Stephan Fidock on drums (ex-The Reels).
[1] From early 1994 Sacred Cowboys reformed with a line-up of Doolan, Ferrie, Fidock and Gray, joined by Spencer P Jones, then Penny Ikinger on guitar (ex-Wet Taxis, Louis Tillett's Aspersion Caste).
[7][8][9] TJ Honeysuckle at i94bar.com noted that Ikinger and Jones were "hugely distinctive presences here" while Gray's vocal delivery "swings easily from snarling to caressing – he has a snake oil seller's charm at times, a cursing preacher's tone at others".
[8] Radio station, PBS 106.7FM's review described the album "the songs are narrative in style, a kind of urban uprising driven by dysfunctional dreamers and powerless onlookers".
[11] Amazon's editorial review recalls their early style, "[they] played a wild, dangerous and completely unique brand of rock'n'roll inspired by the artists whose material they cover".