Ayers Rock was a jazz fusion/progressive rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group formed in 1973, and included many well-travelled rock performers; drummer Mark Kennedy had previously played in Spectrum, and played on sessions for King Harvest and Friends. Bassist Duncan McGuire (who was also an experienced recording engineer and producer) had been in Australian groups since the late 1950s, including The Phantoms, The Epics, and The Questions (which later became Doug Parkinson In Focus) and had also played with King Harvest. Guitarist Ray Burton had played with The Dave Bridge Quartet, The Delltones and The Executives, and worked with Helen Reddy in the U.S., where he wrote the music for Reddy's international hit "I Am Woman". These three joined forces with guitarist Jimmy Doyle, who had also played with The Delltones and Dig Richards and was musical director for pianist Winifred Atwell on her Australian tours. They formed the group initially as McGuire Kennedy and Burton, changing their name a few months later to Ayers Rock when they were joined by saxophonist Col Loughnan. Loughnan had started his career as a vocalist, and took over as lead singer in The Delltones following the tragic death of original member Noel Widerberg.