INXS

INXS may have been Australia's hottest export in the '80s. The bar band from Sydney began releasing albums at the start of the decade; by the end of it, they were one of the biggest acts on the planet. The unmistakable musical chemistry of the players - brothers Andrew (keyboards/songwriting), Tim (guitar) and Jon Farriss (drums), bassist Garry Gary Beers, and guitarist/saxophonist Kirk Pengilly - were topped off by singer/lyricist Michael Hutchence, whose rapturous voice and chiseled good looks made him a bit of a Jim Morrison for a new generation.

With the passing of Michael Hutchence on Nov. 22, 1997, the world lost one of its greatest rock and roll frontmen. The Australian singer rose to prominence as the face of INXS, who started the decade off as a hungry New Wave combo from down under and ended it as one of the hottest acts on the planet.