Australian music icon will bring all his hits to Warrnambool for the day festival and market event.

"I have a very storied history with Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock and solo releases so you'll hear from all Ross Wilson eras," he said.

"I think my favourite from the Daddy Cool days is Come Back Again because it's so simple and you can sing it anyway you want and it still sounds good. After that would be Eagle Rock.

"For Mondo Rock the songs I like the most are Cool World and A Touch of Paradise which was written for the band, we did it before anyone else.

"The song I didn't write that I love is Come Said The Boy and you'll be hearing all those songs on Sunday."

Though his hit anthem Eagle Rock was an early release in his career, hard yards were paved well-before it was a household name.

"Daddy Cool wasn't my first band but it was the first that got any real success," he said.

"Just like everyone we had to pay our dues and learn the craft. I was getting better and better and I found some other musicians and just like some of the best bands, Daddy Cool happened almost by accident.

"When your first big success happens after years of struggling, it is quite a surprise and a roller coaster.

"Usually pop songs come and go but I think Eagle Rock has a lot going for it. It's got deep blues roots and a kind of pop chorus and really great rhythm. I still go 'wow' when I hear it on the radio and I think 'gee that sounds good'."

The ritual instilled in Australian universities and the pub scene is to pull your pants down anywhere and anytime Eagle Rock begins playing.

How did this begin? Even Wilson himself doesn't know.

"The Australian public invented the pants-drop, I had nothing to do with it, I just think it's really funny," he said.

"Daddy Cool had this wacky side to it and I think that's a pretty wacky thing to do.

"The first time I read about it was in the paper and there was a little article from Townsville saying 'Two men fined for lewd behaviour'. In their defence they said 'but Your Honour we always do that when they play Eagle Rock' and I thought 'what?". Then I started to find out more about it."

Inspired by his father's passion for jazz music and his own taste for blues, rock 'n' roll and pop, Wilson was a rock music trailblazer in the country from the 1970s.

"I think music is all about interaction, it's not just about me, me, me all the time," he said.

"I tended to write by myself and then I had a bit of a breakthrough about collaboration when I wrote the song A Touch of Paradise. That was the first time I'd written music to someone else's lyrics and it became one of the biggest songs I ever wrote. I started collaborating more with other people from that point on.

"I really enjoy working with the band of guys and they help me be the best I can.

"The band is very talented, helps me sound good and inspires me so I'm always singing at the top of my game. I just keep wanting to get together with people like down in Warrnambool and help them dance, get off their bums and jump around.

"That's my whole purpose in life."

Ross Wilson will headline Taste of the Coast on Sunday, December 15 at Flagstaff Hill.

Tickets are still available to the live music, Christmas market, family and dog-friendly event through Eventbrite.

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