Been a ‘muso’ almost all my life … never really serious, aiming at fun rather than fame, certainly never a fortune!

Started in High School in the early 60’s, playing guitar in ‘garage bands’ before the phrase was even invented. Built all our audio equipment, no ordinary mortal could afford a mixer back then!  If you had a 25 watt amp you were king, but my ‘optimized’ 12 watter ran them a close second.  Here we are doing the 'Peter, Paul and Mary' ... but we couldn't find a blonde!

Did my ‘apprenticeship’ in pubs and clubs around Wollongong, playing in 50/50 pop and old-time bands.  Couldn’t afford to wait for the sheet music  … a new number came on the charts on Tuesday, the patrons expected to hear the band play it on Saturday night!  It was mainly simple stuff, but excellent training.
The regular band that grew out of this scene had a great run, climaxing in a three-year season contract with a tour company to play the snow-fields … down by coach after work on Friday, ski all Saturday, play all Saturday night, ski all Sunday, coach back to Wollongong Sunday night, get to bed at 2am, and back to work on Monday.  Oh to be young again!

 

1970 saw a complete change in lifestyle, with a migration to the Central Queensland gemfields.  Managed to get a little band together, but the transient population made it not uncommon to lose a guitarist and have only a fortnight to ‘break in’ another 3-chord player before the next gig. 
An accident put a bit of a crimp in my guitar-playing ability, but we pressed ahead, and got plenty of work around the district playing country dances ... everyone had a ball!   One year at the annual Gemfields Festival we staged a ‘mini-Woodstock’ with bands from three states and audience in the thousands.

 

 

 

Ten years later, another move to Brooweena, west of Maryborough, and a first try at the bass … I liked the meld of melodic and rhythmic content.  Mucking round on bass at a local jam, I was head-hunted by the Hervey Bay country rock group ‘Déjà Vu’ and began my ‘big-power’ phase.  At one stage we had the full outdoor rig, W-bins, the lot, undoubtedly was a factor in my hearing problems now!   We played pubs, clubs and festivals throughout Wide Bay and had a great time until a back injury put me out of contention in 1986.

Took a couple of years to get back on my feet, and my return to music was another quirk of fate.  An acquaintance asked me if I would enter a talent quest to raise money for the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Foundation … I said ‘Sorry, I’m not really a solo performer’ … next day another pair turned up on my doorstep with a guitar and lagerphone and suggested some Australian bush music.   Cutting a long story short, we entered for a lark as ‘Totally Anonymous’, won the talent quest, picked up a great keyboard player, and rode the wave of bush dance popularity after the Bi-Centenary.

A change of job in 1993 and the new pressures involved put me out of the music scene until I discovered Homestead.  It is great to have the opportunity to keep my musical skills alive and  work with a talented and friendly group.   JB.