Ian Meldrum

Full Name: Ian Alexander Meldrum
Birth Date: January 29, 1946
Birth Place: Orbost, Victoria, Australia

Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum (born 29 January 1946 in Orbost, Victoria) is an Australian popular music critic, journalist, record producer (including as Willie Everfinish), and musical entrepreneur. He was the talent co-ordinator, on-air interviewer and music news presenter on the now defunct popular music program Countdown (1974–1987) and is widely recognised for his trademark Akubra hat, which he has regularly worn in public since the 1980s.

Meldrum has featured on the Australian music scene since the mid-1960s first with his writing for Go-Set (1966–1974), a weekly teen newspaper, then his tenure with Countdown and subsequent media contributions. He produced top ten hits for Russell Morris ("The Real Thing", "Part Three Into Paper Walls"), Ronnie Burns ("Smiley"), Colleen Hewett ("Day by Day"), Supernaut ("I Like it Both Ways") and The Ferrets ("Don't Fall in Love"). Meldrum hosted the Australian leg of Live Aid in July 1985, Oz for Africa, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia, for service to the fostering of international relief and to youth in January 1986. Meldrum has earned a reputation as a champion of Australian popular music both in Australia and internationally, his contributions have been acknowledged with an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Award for "Special Achievement" in 1993, and the "Ted Albert Award" in 1994 at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Awards. Music journalists, Toby Creswell and Samantha Chenoweth describe him as "The single most important person in the Australian pop industry for forty years" in their 2006 book, 1001 Australians You Should Know.

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