THEY grew up in the suburbs of Logan, two lad who would go on to produce two albums with 25 million sales, singles sales of 15 million and two US No 1 singles.
Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones rose to fame as Savage Garden, the 90s pop duo that sold more copies per album than any other Australian act ever.
In 1997, they won no less than 10 ARIA Awards. Their No. 1 hits still hold the record for the longest number of weeks on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in the US.
While the band split in 2001, this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the release of their debut single “I Want You” which rocketed the Logan lads to international fame.
Daniel Jones will speak exclusively to River 94.9 on the 20th anniversary of Savage Garden and Logan City Council has assembled six gift packs, to be won by River 94.9 listeners, after Daniel’s father unlocked the fan club’s vault and offered original memorabilia for distribution.
To mark the occasion, Logan City Council will also be exhibiting original material donated by Gary Beitzel, the former owner of the now closed Woody’s bookstore at Woodridge, where Darren Hayes worked for five years before joining Daniel to create Savage Garden.
Logan City Council’s Sports and Community Services Chairperson, Steve Swenson, said the collection captured the history of Savage Garden, particularly the duo’s early years and their path to success.
“Over the years fans would come to Woody’s to see where Savage Garden started and they collectively contributed to this amazing memorabilia,” he said.
“When Woody’s closed in 2014, Gary generously donated much of what had been collected to the people of Logan and left us with a tremendous legacy for all to enjoy.
“Similarly, Daniel’s father generously lent many collectibles to Council and we have been able to put together a display that includes two ARIA awards, a signed photograph and two letters from music studios – including a rejection letter from Sony.
“He has arranged an exclusive interview with Daniel, who is now leading a relatively quiet life in the United States, away from the music scene.
“Marking this 20th anniversary of their first release will ensure that Savage Garden will be rightfully remembered in Logan as our city’s first international recording stars.”
To celebrate the anniversary Savage Garden has released a new compilation album, Savage Garden: The Singles which is on sale in stores, online and via download alongside their two multi-platinum selling albums Savage Garden and Affirmation which feature Deluxe Edition bonus discs of previously unavailable live performances and rare remixes of key songs.
