INXS

INXS (pronounced "In Excess") is an Australia rock group. The band was formed in 1977 and comprised Michael Hutchence (lead vocals), Andrew Farriss (guitar and keyboards), Tim Farriss (lead

INXS (pronounced "In Excess") is an Australia rock group. The band was formed in 1977 and comprised Michael Hutchence (lead vocals), Andrew Farriss (guitar and keyboards), Tim Farriss (lead guitar), Jon Farriss (drums), Garry Gary Beers (bass), and Kirk Pengilly (saxophone and guitar). On September 20, 2005, Canadian singer J.D. Fortune became the band's new lead vocalist after a twelve-week competition on the CBS reality show Rock Star: INXS.

INXS began under the name The Farriss Brothers but the band changed their name to INXS in 1979, just prior to the release of their self-titled debut album in 1980. INXS and its follow-up, 1981's Underneath the Colours (produced by Richard Clapton) were hits in their native Australia, and their third album titled Shabooh Shoobah was released worldwide. The single "The One Thing" brought them their first top 40 hit in America, while "Don't Change" became a staple in the set list of college rock bands who played the frat circuit. With the Nick Launay-produced fourth album, The Swing in 1983, the band received significant attention in the US and UK, as the single "Original Sin" became a minor pop radio hit and the band's charismatic singer Michael Hutchence gained attention for his MTV-ready looks. The band, which had started out as a New Wave act featuring more synthesizers than guitar, gradually moved in a more straight-ahead Rock oriented direction through the first half of the 1980s. By 1985's breakthrough album Listen Like Thieves the band had perfected a matured sound influenced by The Rolling Stones and Chic but true to the band's original roots in the Aussie pubs. In the US, the first single, "This Time" stalled at #81 in late 1985, but the band roared out of nowhere with the second, "What You Need", which in early 1986 became a top five hit, bringing the band their first breakout U.S. hit.