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Out front on vocals and harmonica, the charismatic Rod Paine is a stylish showman with one of the most soulful and inspiring voices in this land. Charming audiences for 30 years, he has walked the stages around the country delivering a sound somewhere between Muscle Shoals and mid-sixties electric Blues. Add the broken-up harp sound emanating from his little 40-year-old amp, and he is hard to draw a comparison with.

Ray "TT Slim" Tully (drums) and Tony Harwood (bass) form a dynamic rhythm section that is the backbone of the act. Performing together for over 35 years, this tight unit has graced line-ups such as The Sensational Rocket 88s, The Redliners, The Detonators and The Straight 8s, to name just a few.

In 2014, the Fulltime Lovers welcomed the extraordinary Co Tipping to take over guitar duties, wielding the Fender Stratocaster in a way very few can. This important inclusion signalled a shift in the band’s sound and an extension of its broad appeal. The addition in 2020 of Michael J Shannon on Hammond organ has added colour and depth to the repertoire, where his incredible musical knowledge shows through.

In 2013, Rod Paine & The Fulltime Lovers won the prestigious MBAS (Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society) Blues Performer of the Year Award. They subsequently represented the MBAS in 2014 at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis USA, where they competed with the world’s best to impress an international audience.

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Most recently, the band was awarded the MBAS Band of the Year for 2023.