Rita’s musical career began in 1982, when four unemployed Gold Coast school teachers formed the band, Ultimate Crime. The lineup consisted of Rita and Nick Palmer on guitars, Salvatore Mussetta on bass, and Tom Higgie on drums. Initially fronted by Palmer, who brought a wealth of original material to the band, Rita originally only sang lead vocals on the cover tunes in their repertoire.
In early 1983, the band recorded—at their own expense—a single designed to be sold at gigs. ‘Hear What I Say’, featuring Palmer on lead vocals, was also sent to various radio stations, however, it was the B-side, ‘Your Eyes Can’t See’, with Rita on vocals that disc jockeys chose to play. This gave rise to the band’s growing popularity and they heavily toured the Australian East Coast circuit, playing weddings, fairs, and college fraternity parties.
On their first visit to Melbourne the band recorded ‘Trusting A Rumour’, at Jackson Studios in Richmond. In most reviews the single was mistakingly credited as being by Rita Divine as a solo artist, even though the rest of Ultimate Crime contributed to the writing and recording. As a result, Palmer left the group.
~ Ultimate Crime ’82 ~
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The band added a keyboard player and transformed into a new sound under the name Rita & the Explicit Moments. They were signed to Paedamonte Records in June the following year and the album, Intentions in Time, was released on 31 July 1984. The first single, ‘Introduce Me’, reached No. 8 on the Australian charts thanks to strong radio play and their now legendary debut appearance on the music program Countdown.
When studio cameras panned to the band for their performance on the show on 10 August 1984, Rita stared defiantly down the lens for an extended pause before beginning the song. Dressed in a striking sequin jumpsuit with her hair dyed bright orange, Rita’s defiant androgynous gaze filled the nation’s television screens for a full 10 seconds before she counted in the band. Her manic dancing, powerful vocals and tough-as-nails attitude, at a time when men dominated the music industry saw her instantly embraced by Australian audiences.
The Countdown appearance catapulted the band to national stardom and they toured Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand over the next six months creating, as described by then bass player Salvatore Mussetta, the “cult of Rita”. Intentions in Time eventually reached No. 5 on the Australian charts.
Rita appeared semi nude for a pictorial in the Christmas edition of Sports Illustrated that December. Her image was used to represent Lesley Rosemary Turner Bowrey, an Australian tennis champion from the 60s who was about to be inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
On Easter Monday in 1985, Rita abruptly fired all members of the Explicit Moments via a faxed memo. Amidst a list of ten reasons for her sudden choice, she cited ‘lack of complete control’ as six of them.
~ The Explicit Moments ~
~ first appearance on Countdown ’84 ~
For the recording of her next album, Rita recruited Royal Thundermen’s guitarist Ritchie Clarke. Rita’s ear had caught Clarke’s intricate style in Tasmania when his band had opened for her on the Intentions in Time tour. Divine had heard Clarke was planning on leaving Royal Thundermen due to creative differences, so she invited him, along with drummer Keith Driscoll, to record two songs in August 1985.
Divine said in a later interview, “I decided to break up the Explicit Moments when I first heard Ritchie play. I simply had to record with him. His style totally complimented my vocal range and he seemed so easy to work with. He always does exactly what I tell him to do! He was originally just going to do one track for a solo EP, but we ended up writing a whole album in three weeks. I was very excited.”
Being satisfied with the results, Divine also recruited bassist Ron Waters and labeled the line-up Rita & the Casual Encounters. They released the album Personality Confliction in March 1986. Rita’s loyal domestic fan base ensured that it reached Top 10 in its first week of release, yet critics dismissed Personality Confliction as a pompous over production. One review labelling it “80’s cheese that is an obvious attempt to break into the North American charts.”
The band flew to the US for the first time in early May to open for Aerosmith who were staging their comeback Done With Mirrors tour. Though scheduled to appear as support act for two months, Aerosmith fans and the Casual Encounters did not connect and the band returned to Australia after only 10 dates. In her 2005 memoir, Rita recounted these shows as the worst of her career.
“On our first U.S. appearance we were supporting Aerosmith and played the basketball arena in Chicago, Illinois. One beat before the first note of the first song of our first set I was hit smack on the forehead by foot-long Portillo hot dog with all the trimmings. It dislodged my sunglasses and slobbered down my jumpsuit. I looked down at the microphone to see bits of hotdog bun, barbecue sauce and fried onions on top of it. I remember being blown away that someone would throw an entire, expensive venue priced hotdog at me. We hadn’t even played one note!” She wrote in the autobiography.
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~ opening for Aerosmith ’86 ~
Tears Come Tomorrow, featuring new drummer Vinnie Poncetti, was released on 12 August 1987 and was instantly called out by critics as a carbon copy to its predecessor. The music video for leading single, ‘Procession of Power’, employed a cast of three hundred extras and was shot at several iconic landmarks including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Twelve Apostles. The clip was directed by Russell Mulcahy and was the most expensive music video produced in Australia at that time.
Part Beyond Thunderdome part Terminator, the four minute visual feast features a bleach blonde Rita breaking out of a futuristic insane asylum with several cloned inmates, and proceeding through major cities recruiting all whom they encounter. The clip culminates with over one hundred peroxided Rita look-a-likes clad in orange spacesuits dancing in mechanical precision on top of Ayer’s Rock.
“I watched her work and choreograph into the early hours of the morning rehearing take after take,” Mulcahy later said. “Organising the boys, then the girls and the designs of the spacesuits over and over again until it was all perfect. I was in awe.”
Procession of Power first aired on MTV on 8 December 1988 at 3.40 pm, the exact moment when the entire American nation tuned in to CSN to witness Ronald Reagan greet Mikhail Gorbachov on the steps of the White House. Both the single and album unfortunately failed to chart out side of Australia.
Rita made her first foray into acting the following year, appearing as Aunt Pauline in the family film The Woods Near Kindle Mountain. She also provided the voice role of Magda the Ostrich in the animated Wallaby Drive, based on the children’s book of the same name.
~ Procession of Power video shoot ~
~ Sydney Opera House ’89 ~
Cracks began emerging within the Casual Encounters in late 1989 during the studio re-dub sessions for Live Rita Live. Conflict arose when Rita accused Poncetti and Waters of secretly tampering with the mix, in which they made her vocals less prominent. The dispute led to both the drummer and bassist quitting that summer.
Wanting to continue together as a band, Divine and Clarke formed Rita & the Rescinded Decisions in early 1990. Clarke’s ex-Royal Thundermen bandmates Vivian Denstra and Jimmy Bain were hired as the group’s rhythm section. The 1989 album, More Than Just Memories, included the singles ‘Let’s Go!’ and ‘This Time is Now’.
Although she intended the Rescinded Decisions to operate as a democracy Rita again dominated, both in songwriting and in decision-making. The band’s next release, I Shall Remain, was initially popular though some fans complained of “lyrics that preach” as well as “repetitive tunes” and “minimalist or no production”.
The label again invested an elaborate sum in the attempt to break the artist into foreign markets and spent several million dollars on six Rita Devine statues. One the day of I Shall Remain’s international release, the 50 foot high monuments floated on barges down six rivers around the world including the Hudson and the Thames.
Rita & the Rescinded Decisions returned in the U.S. for a two-week promotional blitz that began with an appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on 3 November 1990. The American nation was again tuned in to CSN, this time to witness Bill Clinton’s presidential election. The following shows were so badly attended that Vivian Denstra threw down his bass and stormed off stage during the fourth engagement.
According to music historian Roger Mapleton, “[the] failed attempts to break into the American market represented a major blow to Rita… Her high-energy Queensland rock was overlooked by an audience only interested in grunge. Also Rita’s lyrics were about distinctly Australian experiences, a factor often cited as a major reason for the band’s lack of international appeal.”
~ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ’90 ~
~ promo in Egypt ~
On 21 May 1993, Rita married Ritchie Clarke in a non traditional wedding on The Gold Coast’s Nobby Beach. Instead of buying rings, the bride and groom had them tattooed on their fingers and recited their vows in the ocean as a dozen helicopters filled with photographers sent down a windy backwash on them and the 150 guests.
Many speculate that Rita’s ensuing pregnancy had an effect on Paedamonte’s lack of support for the 1994 release The Last Straw. The tour was originally scheduled for ten national dates but reduced to seven as Rita found soon it too uncomfortable travelling in the van and was demanding to be flown first class due to her condition. It was Rita’s last album for the Paedamonte label.
Following the birth of her daughter on 18 May 1994, Rita announced that she was retreating from live extensive performing. “I am one of the luckiest people in the world to be able to do this; but over ten years on the road has been hard. Ninety-nine per cent of touring is the award ceremonies, the airports, the hotels, the interviews and also being confined to a mini van for 8-hours a day.” She stated in various interviews.
Over the pursuing years Rita carved out a successful media career as a regular guest and/or host on The Steve Vizard Show, The Mike Walsh Show, and The Footy Show. She also acted in television dramas: Neighbours, Police Rescue, Home and Away, and Chances. In 1997, she gave the Crown Casino in Melbourne its opening performance with her very own cabaret spectacular, Red Hot & Rita, playing to an audience of over 20,000.
~ Rita & Ritchie ~
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Rita was appointment as a UNICEF Ambassador in 2003. She and Richie regularly travel to such countries as Angola, India, and Kosovo to perform a selection of her greatest hits to improve the lives of families in impoverished countries.
The career Rita Divine has left an indelible impression that inspired not only female but also the male performers who were to emerge in her wake. Jonny Goodwin of Bianca Dreams spoke of Rita in Rolling Stone’s issue “Immortal Women: The 100 Greatest Australian Female Artists of All Time”, in which he said “Listening to her album Personality Confliction when I was 15 and confused made a huge impact on me. I decided when I heard the song ‘I Will Never Stop’ that I was going to start a band.”
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