Air Supply

About Air Supply

Air Supply turned soft rock into a science in the late 70s and early 80s, perfecting the kind of ballads that soundtracked a thousand slow dances and just as many breakups. The duo of Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell started in Melbourne in 1975, meeting during a production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Russell wrote songs, Hitchcock had a voice that could hit notes most singers wouldn't attempt before noon, and together they figured out a formula that would print money for about a decade.

They kicked around Australia first, building a following before Clive Davis signed them to Arista Records and pointed them at the American market. Their 1980 album "Lost in Love" did exactly what it needed to do. The title track went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and suddenly they weren't just another soft rock act trying to crack the States. "All Out of Love" followed and somehow went even bigger, cementing their sound: soaring vocals, lush production, lyrics about romantic devastation delivered with maximum sincerity.

The early 80s belonged to them in a very specific way. "The One That You Love" hit number one in 1981. "Here I Am" went top five. "Sweet Dreams" did the same. "Making Love Out of Nothing at All," written by Jim Steinman and released in 1983, gave them another signature song with all the bombast you'd expect from the guy who wrote Meat Loaf's catalogue. Their run of seven consecutive top five singles between 1980 and 1982 was the kind of streak that defines careers.

The albums from this period—"Lost in Love," "The One That You Love," "Now and Forever"—all went platinum or better. They weren't pushing boundaries or reinventing anything. They were doing one thing exceptionally well, and the market responded. Hitchcock's voice remained the secret weapon, hitting high notes with a clarity that made even the most sentimental lyrics land.

When musical tastes shifted in the mid-80s, Air Supply's commercial dominance faded in the US, but they never really stopped working. They kept touring, kept recording, and found that their catalogue had serious staying power in Asia and other international markets. The songs that defined early 80s radio became oldies staples, wedding playlist regulars, and karaoke standards.

They're still out there now, playing hundreds of shows to audiences who want to hear those songs done right. Hitchcock can still hit the notes. Russell still writes. They've been doing this for nearly 50 years, which is either a testament to the durability of a good power ballad or proof that some formulas just work. Probably both.

Their crowds are older, nostalgic, full of people who actually bought these albums in 1980. When All Out of Love starts, the whole room sings along. Russell's voice still holds up. It's polished, well-rehearsed, the kind of show where nothing goes wrong because they've played it a hundred times. Sincere without irony.

Known for All Out of Love, Every Woman in the World, Lost in Love, The One That You Love, Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)

See Air Supply Live