Somethings are just meant to be – and it was certainly that way for The Chantoozies. The dynamic female pop vocal group dominated the 1980s with their party anthems, adored by audiences for their vibrant live shows and their four female strong lead vocal line-up. Led by Eve von Bibra, Angie La Bozzetta, Tottie Goldsmith and Ally Fowler on vocals – with Brett Goldsmith (bass), David Reyne (drums), Frank McCoy (guitar) and Scott Griffiths (keys) – they played to packed houses, sold-out national tours and joined international headliners on the road, all while keeping true to their ethos of putting on a great party.

It was a party in fact, that was the catalyst for The Chantoozies coming together in the first place. It was Tottie’s birthday in 1986 and for a bit of fun, the friends decided to get a group together to play at reputed nightclub the Underground for the party. Little did they know the chain of events they would set in action. The ‘one-off’ gig spurned a six-week Thursday night residency that packed the house every week – and a flood of offers to play at other iconic venues around Melbourne.

The industry had already started to sit up and take notice of The Chantoozies – who named themselves after the French word chanteuse. There was something different about this group. Not only in their effortless ability to kick off the party – and keep it going – but also in the strong female lead singers and the musicians whose repertoire had music fans, and venues, wanting more. So, Mushroom Records backed the group to release their first single – a cover of the 1970s Redbone song Witch Queen of New Orleans.