Aussie music icon reveals why he suddenly quit music after his famous '70s band broke up to work on a local council

Australian music icon Daryl Braithwaite rose to great fame and scored countless hits with his iconic band Sherbet.

But after the popular 70s band broke up in 1984, Daryl, 75, decided to step back from music and has now revealed why he decided to briefly shun the limelight.

After first trying to go it alone in his music career, the singer went on the dole and found a daily gig as a council road worker.

He found it depressing trying to secure gigs in clubs without his former bandmates Tony Mitchell, Garth Porter, Alan Santo and Clive Shakespeare.

'When the break came, it was more or less, I didn't want to be in the club and fornicating with my fellow musicians, so I backed out,' said Daryl. Courier mail.

He said he only rediscovered his drive for music after stepping back from fame and working his council job, which prompted him to pick up the mic again.

'And I guess motivation [to play music again] Then it came through working the manual, not singing, being on the dole,' he explained.

'Then, finally, I started thinking to myself, “This is really messed up”.

Daryl eventually made his big musical comeback in 1988 with his number one album Edge.

In 1991, he had another hit with the single The Horses, a cover version of a Ricky-Lee Jones tune first recorded in 1989.

Now, the veteran actor has no plans to retire anytime soon and still wants to belt out a musical.

'It's the same thing as when I started. You hear something that excites you, and it attracts you. I remember it vividly from when I was 10, 12, 15,' he told Daily Mail Australia recently.

'That still applies. If you're not interested in it, you won't do it.'

After his popular band broke up in 1984, the singer went on the dole and found a daily gig as a council road worker, saying he found himself trying to secure club gigs.

Although recording has never been his favorite part, performing live still gives Daryl a thrill.

'I love the live aspect. You connect with people instantly. It's either going to work or it's not, that excitement never gets old,' he said.

As for his iconic hit The Horses, Daryl said he still wants to perform it more than thirty years later.

'No, I'm not tired of singing it. It's been so popular over the years that it still connects with people in a way that amazes me,' he said.

'We played it to about 7,000 people in the park last weekend and they sang it like there was no tomorrow. Not over yet, that's for sure.'

Daryl said he performed the feat Global pop superstar Harry Styles in his time Australia tour in 2023 is a career high.

'It was incredible. I couldn't believe it when I got the call,' he recalled.

'Harry is such a huge star that being asked to sing with him was just fantastic. It leads to the question, “Is this really going to happen?” And then we came out and it was awesome,” he said.

He said he only rediscovered his drive for music after stepping back from fame and working his council job, which prompted him to pick up the mic again, and he had a huge hit with a cover of The Horses.

Daryl first rose to fame in the 1970s as the frontman of popular Aussie pop group Sherbet.

Formed in 1969, the band had the number one Australian hits Summer Love (1975) and Howchat (1976).

In the '80s, the band evolved into the Sherps following a series of line-up changes and had another hit in 1981, I've Got the Skill.

Daryl began a solo career during his time with Sherbet and had several number one hits including You're My World (1973) and Calvary (1975), Old Sid (1976).

In 2017, Daryl was honored by the music business when he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.