1985 Air Supply – Just As I Am

1985 Air Supply – Just As I Am

An Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1975 introduced singers Chrissie Hammond and Russell Hitchcock and guitarist Graham Russell to each other. They began performing as a harmony group until Chrissie left. Jeremy Paul then joined the group in 1976, contributing vocals and playing bass guitar.

The band’s first single reached the top ten in Australia that year. They spent several years chasing another hit until Graham spent 15 minutes writing the song Lost In Love in 1979. The song became a top twenty hit in Australia, but a newly recorded version of the song became an international hit that reached #3 on the US Hot 100.

Seven more top five hits followed in the US, three of which also reached the top of the Adult Contemporary chart.

American singer/songwriter Rob Hegel co-wrote the song Just As I Am with Dick Wagner and released it as a single in 1982. The record did not chart in the US.

In 1985, Air Supply recorded and released their eighth album. The first track on the album was a cover version of Just As I Am. They released it as a single that peaked at #19 on the Hot 100 and reached #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

No more singles from the band reached the top forty on the Hot 100, but two more of their singles reached #13 and #12 on the Hot 100 within the next two years.

The band split up for a few years after releasing a Christmas album in 1987. They reformed in 1991 and became popular in Southeast Asia during the next decade.

Out of nowhere, in 2010, the band released two more singles that reached the top thirty on the Adult Contemporary chart. Their single Dance With Me became their first charting record in over 15 years!