The English-born, Melbourne-bred Hammond sisters, Chrissie and Lyndsay, were the archetypal 1970's sex bombs with big hair. They had tremendous, booming rock voices and were in constant demand as session vocalists.

Between the two, they appeared on albums by Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons, Stars, Jon English, Daryl Braithwaite, Marc Hunter, Ted Mulry Gang, Flash and the Pan and Anne Kirkpatrick. As a vocal duo, they toured behind Ted Mulry Gang, Mark Holden, Stevie Wright, Norman Gunston, Daryl Braithwaite and Shirley Strachan.

Chrissie first came to prominence in the role of Mary Magdalene in the second Australian stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1975 she worked with the original lineup of Air Supply, before embarking on a career with her sister.

Lyndsay fronted a group called Skintight for three years and toured with Rene Geyer before forming Cheetah with Chrissie. In 1977 Philips issued the single Love Ain't Easy To Come By without the duo's consent, or that of their manager Brian de Courcy.

Ian 'Molly' Meldrum produced their official debut release, a cover of the Ronettes' Walking In The Rain, which reached #12 in October 1978.

Deeper Than Love (February 1979) was the duo's first single for the Alberts label, featuring a lavish and dramatic production sheen which was perfect for commercial radio. It failed to chart in Australia, but it did take off in Germany and went on to sell 100,000 copies across Europe.

Under the production guidance of Alberts' resident gurus Vanda and Young, the Hammond sisters turned their attention to AC/DC-styled hard rock with much success. Their debut album, Rock & Roll Women (April 1982) yielded a string of anthemic rock singles; Spend The Night (Sept 1980), Love You To The Limit (Feb 1981), Bang Bang (Aug 1981), and My Man (April 1982).

Cheetah toured across Australia and the UK (including a spot at the 1982 Reading Festival) but disbanded shortly after.

Lyndsay settled back in London for 10 years recording and touring with Word of Honour and the Vagabonds eventually returning to Australia to record her Raven and Red Dust Diva albums. Chrissie still lives in London and has played leading roles in Cats and Chicago in the West End and has recorded extensively with keyboard maestro Rick Wakeman.

• LINK TO CHEETAH SINGLES

• LINK TO CHEETAH ALBUM

• LINK TO CHEETAH WEB SITE