The band built a "grass roots" reputation as a pub rock band. The name Men At Work was thrown into the hat by Colin Hay, and was seconded by Ron Strykert, when a name was required to put on the blackboard outside The Cricketer's Arms Hotel, Richmond. John Rees, a friend of Jerry, joined soon after. Ultimately, he decided to join the band in October 1979. Hay asked Greg Ham to join the group, but Ham hesitated, as he was finishing his music degree. a former bandmate of Jerry Speiser, together with Speiser, Hay and Strykert performed and recorded the music to 'Riff Raff", a low budget stage musical, upon which Sneddon had worked. Around this time as a side project, keyboardist Greg Sneddon (ex-Alroy Band). In 1978, he had formed an acoustic duo with Strykert, which expanded by mid-1979 with the addition of Speiser. Hay had emigrated to Australia in 1967 from Scotland with his family. They were soon joined by Greg Ham on flute, sax and keyboards, and then John Rees on bass guitar, with Strykert switching to lead guitar. The nucleus of Men at Work formed in Melbourne around June 1979 with Colin Hay on lead vocals and guitar, Ron Strykert on bass guitar, and Jerry Speiser on drums. In 2019, Hay revived the Men at Work moniker and began touring with the assistance of a backing band including none of the other original members. On 19 April 2012, Ham was found dead at his home from an apparent heart attack. From 1996 until 2002 Hay and Ham toured the world as Men at Work. Soon after the release of Two Hearts, Ham left also, leaving Hay as the sole remaining member. During the recording of the Two Hearts album, Strykert decided to leave. In 1984, Speiser and Rees were asked to leave the group, leaving Hay, Ham, and Strykert. In May 2001, "Down Under" was listed at No. 4 on the APRA Top 30 Australian songs and Business as Usual appeared in the book 100 Best Australian Albums (October 2010). They won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1983, they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1994, and they have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Their third album Two Hearts (3 April 1985) reached the top 20 in Australia and top 50 in the US. Their second album Cargo () was also No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in New Zealand, No. 3 in the US, and No. 8 in the UK. With the same works, they achieved the distinction of a simultaneous No. 1 album and No. 1 single on the Australian, New Zealand, and United Kingdom charts. In January 1983, they were the first Australian artists to have a simultaneous No. 1 album and No. 1 single on the United States Billboard charts: Business as Usual (released on 9 November 1981) and "Down Under" (1981), respectively. This line-up achieved national and international success during the early to mid-1980s. The group was managed by Russell Depeller, a friend of Hay, whom he met at La Trobe University. They were soon joined by Greg Ham on flute, saxophone, and keyboards and John Rees on bass guitar, with Strykert switching back to lead guitar. After playing as an acoustic duo with Ron Strykert during 1978–1979, Hay formed the group with Strykert playing bass guitar and Jerry Speiser on drums. Its founding member and frontman is Colin Hay, who performs on lead vocals and guitar. Men at Work is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", " Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake".
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