Chain, an Australian blues band, formed in late 1968 with a line-up including guitarist and vocalist Phil Manning and lead vocalist Wendy Saddington. The group originated as the Beat 'n Tracks and underwent several lineup changes before transitioning to Chain, inspired by Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools". In September 1970, Matt Taylor joined as lead vocalist and harmonica player. The classic line-up of Manning, Taylor, Barry Harvey, and Barry Sullivan achieved their breakthrough with "Black and Blue", released in 1971, which peaked at number 12 nationally. Their first studio album, Toward the Blues, followed and reached the top ten. Chain disbanded in July 1974 but reformed periodically, more permanently from 1983 to 1986. Sullivan died in October 2003, and Saddington passed away in June 2013 after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
