I chose to end this piece with a poem by Andy Andros. It reinforces my own strong feeling of the era. I was branded a rebel by my school and seen as rebellious by my parents. I was made to feel like one of the "bad kids". When I look back on my years as a teenager in Sydney I have to laugh. I didn't drink alcohol, didn't smoke and was still a virgin. Yet as a result of the way I dressed, and my scorn for some outdated, trivial school traditions, I was labelled "bad". That labelling affected my development as a person and my self-image. I hope we are now more discerning, and look deeper, prior to passing judgement on the young.

Dancing @ The Snake Pit

These are the cherished memories of Ron Millar's early Rock'n'roll days in Perth. Ron describes himself as a "bodgie" (he says you can tell by the hairstyle), a "pure Rock'n'roller". When you hear him speak of The Snake Pit, Canterbury Court and Embassy Ballroom days, he's wistful and invigorated, he's smiling, and his eyes sparkle. It's obvious these memories are special for him, they are, for him, cherished times.

Ron's had five strokes: 1996, 2007, 2007, 2008 and 2008, so remembering, for him, is hard work. He's retained few belongings. But, it's apparent, the era was very special to him, as he's chosen to keep a lot of memorabilia from the early days of Rock'n'roll in Perth. He still has the jacket, shirt and pants he used to dance  in, and he's still got a folder of newspaper clippings and posters from the era.

Ron today

Ron had a distinct advantage over many other young blokes in those days. He had a car, and not just any car. He had a Ford Customline 1956. Cars were a big thing then - people would go and admire the cars out on the street. So, having a car definitely helped with getting a girlfriend. 

Some of the girls were considered "really hot". It helped to have a good car, and be able to dance, to get a "hot chick". There was competition among the girls with what they wore, "they were always trying to outdo each other". There was also competition to attract the "special guys". 

Some of the dancers were married, about half and half. Ron met his wife at The Snake Pit. She was a dancer. "So dancing was a big part of it". She liked Ron because he "could Rock'n'roll", and because he had an awesome car. 

Ron describes the atmosphere at The Snake Pit as "electric". On a good weekend there'd be 200 to 300 people, about half of those dancers, the other half spectators. Of those, about half were Jivers and the others were Rock'n'rollers. Ron describes himself as "pure Rock'n'roller". He says there was no conflict between the different dancers, fights in those days were generally over "chicks".

Ron says people went down to the Snake Pit whatever the weather, "Didn't matter if it rained". Sometimes they danced in the milkbar if it was wet. Sometimes they ate at Peters by the Sea (still there today - a Scarborough icon). 

Ron used to also hang out at Canterbury Court. He had more freedom than most, because he had a car. Canterbury Court was good when it rained, as it was an indoor venue. There were chairs and tables at the Canterbury, and a huge wooden dance floor. They played Rock'n'roll, Jazz and there was some Ballroom. On a good night there would be 300 to 400 people. 

There was also The Embassy Ballroom. That was 50% Rock'n'roll and 50% Ballroom. You had to dress up more if you went to Embassy Ballroom or Canterbury Court. At The Snake Pit you could wear jeans and a t-shirt, at the other venues you wore stovepipe pants, a black shirt, tie and creepers. Ron often wore bright pink socks with a pink and black tie. 

Ron was a key figure in the organization of The Snake Pit reunions and the Rock'n'roll Walk of Fame in Scarborough and remains a "fixture" at the Mustang Bar (Perth's Rocknroll HQ). Through the subsequent decades, Rock'n'roll has remained a central part of his life.

Ron's original dance gear

Les Dixon, Pat Grey & Ron Millar

Unsourced photo from collection of Ron Millar

Some Snake Pit facts extracted from Ron's memorabilia:

(including Stirling Times Jan 17 1995 and unsourced articles)

The man who "set up" the Snake Pit dance floor was Don Errichette. He wanted to give youngsters something constructive to do in their spare time. Don was a US Navy submarine chief petty officer stationed in Perth during WW II. He married a local girl, Rosina Rifici, and bought the small kiosk on the corner of Manning Street and The Esplanade. He named it "La Spiaggia (The beachfront)". (The new Cafe Spiaggia is built on The Snake Pit site). 

Mrs Errichetti imported records from South America to play on the record player of the cafe with speakers facing the outside dining area. As demand grew, the Erichettes had the sand dune behind the shop excavated, a

 wooden floor installed and a jukebox. Don Errichette said the late Robert Holmes a Court was in-charge of building the Snake Pit for Bells Brothers. 

Tony Martin and other members of the Scarborough Police and Citizens Boys' Club supervised dance competitions at The Snake Pit. Winners in those days were determined by audience applause. 

The Snake Pit was never an official name. It was the name the area was known by because of the dancers "snakey actions".

Ron Millar, Susan Forsaith, Les Dixon & Tony Martin

Stirling Times 17 Jan 1995 p3

Bill Blaine: still Rockin' at 67

 Bill Blaine and Dr Cecilia Netolicky

Uploaded 11/7/09

Those of you who grew up in the 1950s and 60s in Perth will remember Bill Blaine and the Dynamics, a band that rocked Perth's teenage hang-outs and featured on early Western Australian television. As stated by David Arys and Shane Hughes1 "Peter Andersen and the Tornadoes vied with Bill Blaine and the Dynamics as Perth's top rock and roll band in the early sixties ..... Bill's group dominated Teen Beat and the Coca Cola Hi Fi Club Hops".

Bill Blaine @ The Swan Yacht Club

Bill Blaine & the Dynamics

Teenbeat was a Western Australian show aimed at 14 and 17 year olds. There was no live audience. The bands played no local material, all covers, the audience wanted songs they knew and the latest material from the USA and Britain. There were generally some dancers, four or five couples. The studio was very small and the show of course was only black and white. It was later replaced by Club 17 with Johnny Young and The Strangers as house band.

The band was offered the opportunity to play at the Coca Cola Hi Fi Club Hops at the Embassy Ballroom (on William Street next to Capital Theatre). The Club started in 1959 and folded in 1963. In the early years between 1,000 and 2,000 teenagers attended these Saturday afternoon dances. The band became known as The Coca Cola House Band. This provided them with local standing, and, as a result, they were offered opportunity to play as the support act for many visiting big names, such as, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Lonnie Lee, Johnny O'Keefe, Lucky Starr, Peter Allen, and many more.

The Coca Cola Hi Fi Club was an international franchise. The Perth  Coca Cola Hi Fi Club, at The Embassy Ballroom, had a huge wooden dance floor and no seating. It cost three shillings and six pence to get in (about 70 cents). You had to be a member. Members had cards which they got from the 6KY radio show.  The local Hi Fi radio show ran from 5 to 6pm five nights a week on 6KY. Every state club ran on the same format. Johnny O'Keefe and the RJs were the House Band in NSW; Col Joye and the Joye Boys in Victoria and The Penny Rockets in South Australia. Those bands did guest appearances on the Perth show.

Colin Nichol was a radio announcer on 6KY. He was also President of the local Coca Cola Hi Fi Club 2. He would get copies of all the new international releases to play on the show. Bill Blaine would go through the records and put aside what he wanted to learn. The band would practice every Tuesday night and learn the new material for the Saturday afternoon gig.

 Colin Nichol was a perfectionist. He insisted musicians wear a suit, white shirt and tie. He moulded them: no smoking on stage; breaks no longer than 10 minutes; and unless you were an established singer you couldn't get on stage. On one occasion he had a challenge quest: Peter Andersen (came 3^rd), Johnny Young (came 2^nd), Victor Ripley (came 1^st). The next week Peter and Johnny had bands up-and-going.

From 1961 -1966, Bill Blaine and The Dynamics also played before the movie and during intermission every Sunday night at the Wirrina Drive-in in Morley, "a hotspot for teenagers" 3 . It was jam-packed. Most people remember the band from these gigs, and The Hi Fi Club, and not so much Channel 7's Teenbeat, as not many people had television in those days.

One Sunday night Colin Nichol and Bill went to a film at the Drive-in. There was almost no one at the movie and an empty restaurant with a stage up one end and a guy playing piano accordion and singing opera in the intermission. Bill describes himself as a "smart ass in those days". He was 20 years old with a pretty good music career; they were the "top Rock'n'Roll Band in WA". At interval Bill bought a drink and asked the guy if he wanted to fill this place. He said, "yes". Bill said, "then hire us!". The bloke rang Bill and said, "you mean what you said?". Bill said, "in a week or two weeks we'll have the place packed". They were paid a guinea each and played an hour before the show and the half hour interval. Colin advertised the gig on radio. In two weeks they had to hire police at the door to control traffic on Walter Road. The place was "chockers and rockin'". That went from 1961 to 1966.

The Band broke up in 1963, but used a variety of other musicians for the Sunday night gig. The Drive-in put their pay up to $3 (one pound ten shillings) a night.

Bill can't remember there being live bands at The Snake Pit, only records. He remembers it rather as "a little patio with no place to put a band".

Bill believes the big thing that made that time was the advent of television with the influence of international shows. He thinks The Beatles heralded the end of the true Rock'n'Roll era.

For Bill's biography see - Bill Blaine's website:
 http://www.billblaine.id.au/index_files/Page354.htm

References/Sources:
Interview with Bill Blaine 10/07/09
Bill Blaine-Biography ( http://www.billblaine.id.au/index_files/Page354.htm )
Western Australian Snake Pit Rock'n'Roll (Collector Records CLCD 4484)
Photographs sourced from artists collection and texts above. Photo "Bill Blaine and the Dynamics" includes his first guitar with pick-up (1961). He was 20 years old. Photo taken by Daily News.

1 Western Australian Snake Pit Rock'n'Roll (Collector Records CLCD 4484)
2 The Club had 15,000 teenage members in those days.
3 Bill Blaine's Biography, http://www.billblaine.id.au/index_files/Page354.htm

Les Meade: crooner, entertainer, showman

 Les Meade and Dr Cecilia Netolicky

Uploaded 14/7/09

Les Meade's curriculum vitae would impress anyone familiar with the early rock'n'roll scene in Australia. He appeared on many of the nation's top television shows of the day: Brian Henderson's National Bandstand, Johnny O'Keefe's Six O'Clock Rock, The Happy Go Lucky Show, Teentime, The Brian Davies Show and The Mike Walsh Midday Show. He also had a recording contract with Festival Recording Company and was dubbed "Australia's Dean Martin". Rocky Thomas (A&R Manager, RCA Records Australia), described him as "a blend of Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and Jim Reeves". [1]

In 1956 Les entered and won three talent quests in succession at the Charles, Raffles and Willagee Park Hotels. These successes kick-started his music career, convincing him to give up his apprenticeship in electrical fitting. Les says, "in the late 50s, at The Charles Hotel talent quest, on a Saturday night, you'd run into everyone trying to break into show business". The quest took place in The Rainbow Room. It was twice the size it is today. There was a cash prize, and it was "good money". The Charles was the most popular hotel then. It was central, and that worked for it. First there'd be the House Band, The Silver Platters, and a bit of dancing, followed by the talent quest. You had to win your heat, then your semi final, and then the finals. So, you had to have a few good numbers to get to the finals. It wasn't all Rock'n'Roll in those days: there was Pop and Ballads as well. Les liked to sing Ballads. He describes himself as "a crooner". He won the Charles Hotel talent quest singing Perry Como's hit "Moon talk".

The Raffles also had talent quests in the 50s. It was another place to make your mark in the music industry. It was a "pretty good club, not exclusive, but well-run, with new decor" It didn't attract the riffraff.

The Willagee Park Hotel also had talent quests. They all ran on the same format, but the Willagee was more for families. It was not a big venue, and only ran in summer, as the talent quest was held in the beer garden.

Following these talent quest successes Les began to pick up professional gigs around Perth, but rather than places like The Snake Pit, Les was sought after for events at Cottesloe Civic Centre; Embassy and Canterbury Court Ballrooms; Government House; and Romano's and La Tenda Night Clubs. He also featured frequently in Perth's first live television variety shows In Perth Tonight and Spotlight. Les discussed appearing on Spotlight on Channel 7 in December 1959, "you were paid four pound ten shillings. You performed one song. You had one run-through in the afternoon, and then did it".

The turning point for Les came when he won the talent quest at the Capitol Theatre run by 6KY, Coca Cola and Festival Recording Company. Festival ran the quest to find a rock star from Perth, however, they decided to award a contract to Les Meade, a crooner. This was in 1959, and Les' contract required him to relocate to Sydney.

 Les said there was no chance to "make it" in the music industry if you stayed in Perth. You had to go "over East", or overseas. However going "over East" was a shock. You went very quickly from being a "big fish in a small pond, to being a very small fish in a very big pond".

Les had thought he'd do a couple of years in Sydney, "then go out and conquer the world". His first show in Sydney was with Ricky May and a juggling act, then Les closed the show. Ricky May was great! Les felt intimidated following him, but Ricky was also impressed with Les. There were so many good acts on the circuit - "acts as good as Tom Jones, Sinatra and Presley, and yet they were still working the scene". Les began to feel it was not what you could do, but who you knew. For instance, trying to get your record played on radio was impossible, "it seemed to all be about connections and payola".

Les recorded his first song with Festival as contracted. However, that didn't involve getting it radio play-time. He did get to meet John Laws, Bob Rogers, and Ken Sparkes, the top DJs of the day. You had to have their support to get your record in the Top 40 Prediction List, and then onto the Top 40. Cutting a record was great for the ego, but where to from there?

Making it in Sydney didn't guarantee you'd make it overseas. Some of the people who made the transition had family in the entertainment industry, others, like Col Joye and Johnny O'Keefe never had success overseas and repeated the pattern of WA musos heading East - the big-fish-small-pond-syndrome. Olivia Newton John, Lana Cantrell and The BGs are stand-outs who made a success of moving overseas.

Les made appearances on most of the top music and daytime variety shows of the time. Being on TV brought instant recognition in the 50s and 60s. Even though only about 25% of people had TV in those days, everyone watched TV. They'd go to town and watch in the windows of Boans Department store, in Murray Street. They'd stand in the street outside the shop window to watch their shows. TVs were on in shop windows all the time. It became part of window dressing. It was a way to bring people in to look at your other goods.

 Les always performed as a solo artist. He's self taught, he doesn't read or write music. He listened to songs, and memorised the lyrics. He wrote them down, and used a tape recorder. He'd stop the tape and write each line as he went along. He liked keeping up-to-date with new material. He felt it was part of being in the business, giving people what they were listening to, and what they wanted.

Listening to Les talk you become aware that he's not just a singer, you'd have to call him an entertainer, or showman. To him it's about the performance, giving the audience a whole experience, making them part of the show, and most importantly, reading the audience, and adapting the show to that particular audience. He says he sings "to people, not at them". He walks into the audience, sits on women's laps, makes the audience feel valued, flirts with the women in the audience ... whilst assuring the guys they're "safe". You can see, listening to Les, that he believes people leaving a show shouldn't just feel they heard good music, to him there's so much more, there's the whole theatrical experience, the engagement and interaction, of performers and audience.

 Les penned a number of songs: "I Know Why", "Fickle Minded Heart", and "Give, Give, Give", but he never performs his original material. At 70, he remains a hard-working musician and promoter. He's currently staging The Tristar Show, Reflections, Total Eclipse and The Les Meade Solo Show. These shows provide opportunity for local performers, and Perth Rock'n'Roll legends, to continue entertaining, whilst keeping Rock'n'Roll music alive and in the public eye.

[1] This is not a biography. If you want to read Les' biography go to his website www.lesmeade.com. This article documents Les' memories of working as a musician in the 50's in Perth and later over East.

Les Dixon: reputed to have formed Perth's first Rock'n'Roll Band

Extracted from Western Australian Snake Pit Rock'n'Roll (David Arys and Shane Hughes) Uploaded 24/07/09

Clive Higgins was born in 1937. With his family, Clive moved to Perth from Malaya in 1957. In mid 1958, while studying at Leederville TAFE, he was roped by some mates into trying out for a band being formed by Tommy Menzel and Brian Prior. Up until this time Clive had only 'thumped' his guitar around the house.

The newly formed Clive Higgins and The Zodiacs, with Clive on vocals and rhythm guitar, Brian on piano and Tommy on drums, started to slowly build up a repertoire, which at first consisted mainly of Elvis songs. The band practiced regularly in the back room of Tommy's mum's florist shop - Daisy's florist in Subiaco. Encouraged by the number of teenagers who showed up at the bands rehearsal, Daisy Menzel decided to organize The Zodiacs first regular dance at the R.S.L. Hall in Subiaco on Saturday afternoons. The dance started to attract larger crowds every Saturday and soon Daisy and The Zodiacs realized a larger venue would be needed. The band was still playing as a three piece, and was on the look out for a regular lead guitarist. The Zodiacs were also playing other venues in Perth, including the YAL Hall on Irwin Street.

In early 1959, Les Dixon joined the band as additional vocalist. As Les recalls, one afternoon he and Saints band mate Johnny Agnew heard a new group were playing at the Bamboo nightclub in Bentley. The band, of course, was The Zodiacs. Impressed by the rocking sounds, Les and Johnny soon gravitated to Daisy's florist. With their arrival the band 'modestly' renamed themselves Clive Higgins and The Zodiac All-Stars featuring Les Dixon. The All-Stars consisted of Clive, Les (Vocals/rhythm guitar), Brian, Tommy, Johnny Agnew (lead guitar) and Jimmy Cook on saxophone.

With Daisy Menzel acting as group manager, the band moved the dance to the Maylands town hall and received sponsorship from Coca Cola bottlers. By mid-1959 The Zodiac All-Stars were established as Perth's best rock and roll act and the Maylands dance was an important part of the bodgie and widgie scene. The band had also met up with popular 6KY DJ Colin Nichol and used him as a source of material. Also through Colin they made semi regular performances at the Coca Cola Hi FI Club Hops at the Embassy ballroom. The dance was run by Colin Nichol (who was also the club's president). The Hi Fi Club boasted around 25,000 members, 2,000 of which would attend the weekly dance.

Clive

The Band

The beginning of 1960 saw many changes to The Zodiac All-Stars. Les Dixon left the group for a more regular source of income. Recently married Les decided to play and sing for show bands like the Norman Wrightson Dance Band, before starting his own show band, The Aristo-Cats, in1961. John Agnew left shortly afterwards and Jimmy McRoberts joined as The Zodiacs new lead guitarist.

Channel 7 was launching a local teen based music show to compete with 6 o'clock Rock on the ABC and Clive Higgins had been approached by Channel 7 promotions man Bob McGuire to see if The Zodiacs would be interested. After the producers, Brian Williams and Coralee Condon caught The Zodiac All-Stars act they were signed as the show's house band. The show, originally titled Rock At 5:50 but renamed Teen Beat, started February 27^th 1960. Sponsored by Coca Cola, the show aired Saturday afternoon at 5:50 and ran for a half hour. Teen Beat's original compere was David Farr. The format of the show was based on its ABC rival. There were two guest artists per episode, both performing two songs live to air. The house band would provide three or four numbers a show with vocal backing provided by The Rhythmaires. The guest artists would be chosen early in the week and would have to come to the Channel 7 studios by 10 o'clock Saturday morning to rehearse the numbers with the band.

The Rhythmaires

Memories of an Era: Perth in the Late 50s and Early 60s 

Ron Spargo, Carol Spargo, Don Baker and Dr Cecilia Netolicky      Uploaded 5/8/09

A lot of people went into town to The Embassy Ballroom in those days. You weren't allowed to jive on Friday, or Saturday, night. The policy was 50% modern, 50% old time dancing. In the 50s, "modern" meant quick step, foxtrot or the modern waltz. Staff who worked for The Ballroom "wanted to keep it nice, so jiving wasn't allowed". Staff policed the dancers. You'd be asked to, "quick-step only please".

The Ballroom was always packed. "It was standing room only". There were tables and chairs and "loges". These were alcoves with lounges. Dress code was jacket and slacks for blokes, on Saturday night they always wore a tie. Women really dressed up, generally with below-the-knee dresses and high-heeled-pointy-toe dancing shoes. The way you dressed in those days generally determined the kind of partner you attracted. Down at The Snake Pit most of them wore tight black jeans and desert boots, but as Carol remarked, "I wasn't allowed to wear desert boots, because my parents thought 'nice girls' didn't wear them".

The last few dances of the night were usually waltzes. The blokes saw this as "warming up to take the ladies home". The slow dances generally started, at least, at the second last dance. This gave you a few slow ones with the same girl. You generally tried to find out where the girls lived before you made plans for afterwards. If the girl lived too far, you didn't ask her home, as most didn't have cars.

The dances closed at 1am for a Ball, or midnight for a Dance. But, street lights were turned off at 1am, or 1.30am, and buses stopped running at 11.30pm or 11.45pm, so you may have to walk a long way home if you missed the last bus, and you may be walking on unlit streets. 

You could only get your license at 18, so the younger kids bused into dances. Also most of the girls didn't have cars. It was safe on public transport in those days, and safe to go home with blokes you'd just met. Most people had Ford Prefects, little Morrises, Anglias, Holdens or Vauxhalls, there were no big American cars.

Pubs closed at 9pm, so some of the older dancers only came to the dances at 9pm. No alcohol was allowed at The Embassy Ballroom or Canterbury Court. After the dances, kids often headed to "Burnie's", "Cookie's", "The Fox Hole" or "The Bright Spot".

Canterbury Court was really good fun on Wednesday nights. You'd meet all your friends there. Saturday night they often went to Subiaco Town Hall or The Embassy Ballroom. Canterbury Court was more "with it". You could jive there, and "more interesting fellows went there", according to Carol.

There were two groups of kids: the "Ivy Leaguers" and the "Bodgies and Widgies", or, you could say the Richie-Cunningham and Fonzarelli types. Perth's "Fonzarelli" was Andy Andros. He was the key figure down at The Snake Pit in Scarborough. He was like "the boss" of the Bodgies. The Ivy Leaguers "never wore desert boots with pink shoe laces", but they did wear jeans and desert boots. They'd take them into work and change before they went out at night. But when they went to The Embassy Ballroom, or Canterbury Court, they always dressed smartly and neatly.

While Ron's folks listened to Bing Crosby, they tolerated him listening to rock'n'roll because they believed it was a just passing fad. Carol was allowed to go down to the Snake Pit. She used to hang over the edge and watch the dancers. Her family lived in Mt Lawley in those days and it was a direct bus trip down to Scarborough Beach. The family used to go there on hot nights, as there was no air-conditioning. They'd take a picnic and stay down there in summer till 9pm when the temperature cooled down.

Fights were generally fist fights, and the smart kids kept out of them. Perth, in those days, was safe. You could travel on public transport and feel safe. You could go out with someone you only met that night, and not have to worry.

Clive Higgins and The Zodiac All-Stars: making it in Perth's early Rock'n'Roll scene

 Clive Higgins and Dr Cecilia Netolicky Uploaded: 9/8/09

Clive grew up in Malaysia and Singapore. He came to Western Australia as a young adult in 1957, just as Rock'n'Roll was taking off here. He'd travelled to Perth to study Accounting at TAFE, but got side-tracked by the phenomenon of Rock'n'Roll.

Clive had grown up with classical music, learning piano as a child, but the energy, rhythm and drive of early Rock'n'Roll music grabbed him. He describes Rock'n'Roll as "the music of my generation". "The musicians of the day, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, all put a different spin on Rock'n'Roll. They all had their distinctive styles, doing the same stuff, but in very different ways". Clive saw the music itself as quite simple, "almost like nursery rhymes", but "it was the way the early artists interpreted it, that made it special".

On arriving in Perth, Clive went to Musgroves in Barrack Street to buy a guitar and record player. A friend taught him some basic chords and he started "learning by ear". "The music was very basic in those days, and the lyrics were simple. If you could play three or four chords on a guitar, you could play a lot of Rock'n'Roll".

The musical instruments available for Rock'n'Roll in those days "were very primitive". Generally they were cheap imports from the USA, or England. Few were made locally, and the guitars were all semi-acoustic. There was also very little around in the way of amplifiers. Purvisonic Sound built an amp for their band. "It was large, it had to be, because it was all valves, not transistors. It weighed a tonne. It took four of us to lift it. It was about three metres long. It was good for the period, but not great quality by way of sound, and that amplifier was just for the guitars. We hired speakers and microphones for the vocals. The whole system was huge and you didn't have 'roadies' then. You had to cart and set-up your own gear".

In the beginning they were a three piece band: Clive Higgins (rhythm guitar/vocals), Tommy Menzel (drums) and Brian Prior (piano). They'd get together in Daisy's Florist Shop. Daisy was their Business Manager. She was also Tommy Menzel's mother. They'd get there at mid-day, listen to records and jam-it-up at back of florist shop until late at night.

In time, the band expanded to include: Clive, Brian, Tommy, Les Dixon (vocals/rhythm guitar), Johnny Agnew (lead guitar) and Jimmy Cook (saxophone). They called themselves The Zodiac All-Stars. (For more of the band's history see "Clive Higgins and The Zodiac All-Stars", extracted from Western Australian Snake Pit Rock'n'Roll by David Arys and Shane Hughes).

Many of the musicians of the day began their careers in the local talent quests. The Zodiacs All-Stars however were proactive, they started their own dances, hiring halls for their "Hops".

Colin Nichol, from radio 6PM, did a lot of plugging for their dances and compared their shows. There was no charge for plugging their Hops. Colin was the "hot-shot" of time. He was the local radio presenter supporting Rock'n'Roll. Daisy, Tommy's mother, sold tickets for 2/- (about 20c) at the door. During the breaks they'd play records from a record player hooked into their sound system.

They also did occasional gigs at The Coca Cola HiFi Club at The Embassy Ballroom. The HiFi Club ran all afternoon on a Saturday. It attracted young people from 15 to 20. Colin Nichol was the President of The HiFi Club. The Club had strong teenage support with 2,000 teenagers reportedly attending dances.

The Zodiac All-Stars dances were successful, largely because they were one of the only bands going at the time with regular gigs. The fans would be screaming and yelling. They'd come up to get their autograph. "It was good for the ego". There'd be "a wall of girls right against the stage screaming their lungs out, reaching out, and putting lipstick on our shoes (they wore white shoes in those days)". The band had a fan club. Fans would flock around them as they walked down Hay Street in those days.

The band got a break with Channel 7's Teen Beat in 1960. They became the House Band for the show for six months. Teen Beat was on round 5 or 6pm on Saturday. It was a half hour show. On the show they did all covers. There was a select group of jivers as "audience". There'd be about 12 couples. The show was all done live. They'd go in around 11am and practice with the artists performing in show, then do their own practice. They generally did their own make-up. Occasionally there was a make-up lady. The makeup "was Maxfactor's pancake makeup. At the end of the show your clothes were covered in it".

Unlike many of the Rock'n'Roll musicians of the period, for four years, Clive made his living solely from his music. Then he joined the public service and moved to Canberra. He continued performing until 1993. In 1998 Clive's contribution to Western Australian Rock'n'Roll was acknowledged when he was awarded the Rock'n'Roll Dance Industry Award (See image).

Clive as a young man

Clive's Dance Industry Award

Colin Nichol: Perth's Father of Rock'n'Roll

Colin Nichol and Dr Cecilia Netolicky Up-loaded 11/08/2009

 Colin worked at 6PM Perth from 1957 to 1960. During that time he developed a close relationship with the record companies. This facilitated the early acquisition of new releases. He discussed overseas trends with the record companies, and read Cashbox and Billboard magazines, to see what was happening abroad. Colin became the local 'man in the know', when it came to Rock'n'Roll. In those days, listeners would write to the radio station making requests, and those listeners started to request Rock'n'Roll.

Hansen-Rubenson McCann-Erickson of Madison Avenue, New York City, was the advertising company employed to promote Coca Cola. They developed some very astute strategies for promoting the product to this new market sector with cash to spend, "teenagers". In this era Coca Cola became the major sponsor of teenager-targeted events, such as, dances, radio shows and talent quests. Their product and logo were ever-present. Without their support many of these events wouldn't have got off the ground, however through this sponsorship they modified the modus operandi of a generation, influencing their drink of choice, and encouraging the consumption of high-sugar-content drinks. It was an insidious, and highly successful, campaign and succeeded in changing the dietary habits of following generations. 

This was something other programs couldn't compete with, as Coca Cola had a massive network of contacts, and vast cash resources to sink into the project. As a result, the HiFi radio shows became the most popular local shows - they were exciting, featured interviews with the teenagers' favourite stars, and fore-grounded a local radio personality. Through these shows' advertisements, and promotions, Coca Cola's products were able to be marketed directly to teenagers. 

"The Hops were popular because there was nowhere for teenagers to go. [The drinking age was 21.] Pubs might have had a duo, trio or soloist, performer, but it was small scale. There were not enough venues for artists. There was nowhere for them to appear". Through the HiFi Club Colin ran regular talent quests. This provided opportunity for young musicians to get a start. Many local legends such as Johnny Young and Peter Andersen began their Rock'n'Roll career at these talent quests. The HiFi Club radio shows ran: Sunday at 10.30 am, Wednesday 5.30 to 6pm, and Friday 5.30 to 6pm. The shows also included interviews with local bands and visiting artists. The HiFi Presidents also compered events with visiting artists at the local Ballrooms, and other venues. "In Perth, the HiFi Club Hops expanded from the Embassy Ballroom to regional areas. We took it to the audience. It was a huge exercise. We had a massive sound system built by Bob Purvis of Purvisonic Sound. We also used Purvisonic's broadcast van for airport interviews to welcome visiting stars. These visits were promoted on radio so fans could be there live at the interview. The interview was put to air later". In this way, Club members got to feel they were 'in the know'. They could keep up with the latest action just by listening in. They could be there, and feature in events, as radio and TV stations reported on the arrival, in Perth, of national and international stars. For instance, Cliff Richard and the Shadows came to Perth in the early 1960s. "They didn't even have a proper vehicle to transport him in, so I used a friend's father's Jag to pick him up". Coca Cola strongly emphasised that events "had to be clean - no fights, no immoral goings on, clean living - that was the image of Coke. No smoking on stage and the performers had to dress properly". Andy Andros and his mates (from The Snake Pit) used to help keep order at the Hops.

Colin at The HiFi Club

The HiFi Club started in the USA about two years earlier than in Perth. Perth's club started "in 1960 and ran to February 1963" when Colin left Australia. It moved from Radio 6PM-AM with Colin when he shifted to Radio 6KY-NA in 1961. Perth's club was "the last HiFi Club standing". All the others had folded, but Coca Cola kept it going just for the Perth Club.

Interview with Colin Nichol

What was the price of a Coke in those days? About 6 pence. "The price of a coke in 1959 was 5 cents" (WikiAnswers http://wiki.answers.com/)

Why do you think the Club achieved such popularity? Would the same sort of thing succeed today?

It was an exciting radio program introducing the stars of the era. It drew on the creation of "the teenager" as an entity (teenagers, as a defined group, didn't exist before then). It provided opportunity to meet people. It was very social. It attracted huge crowds. I don't know how many romances I was responsible for indirectly. There was a hesitancy of some parents to let kids go. Some kids didn't tell their parents where they were going. Some parents thought it was okay if they went in groups.

How much input did Coca Cola have? Were the Clubs clones, or was there opportunity for Clubs to adapt to their members?

It was largely up to the President to develop the Club according to the situation. They varied. We sent back tapes to show what we were doing. We had own approach. I just did what I do. As something appeared to be a logical follow-on I'd do it. So it grew.

Did the local Club evolve into more than you originally expected?

Yes. The framework stayed the same. The structure was set up around the radio program, variations occurred through events run by the Club. The radio show was it, the Hops were tacked on. The role of President was not clear-cut. I got involved in talent searching, seeking venues, rehearsing and training singers and bands, and advising on singing and staging. Live dances and shows were tacked-on to the HiFi Club. We'd run our own functions.

What were the highlights of the era?

In 1957 Elvis got here. Then Rock Around the Clock and Blackboard Jungle. These were seminal to whole story of Rock'n'Roll.

How much a part of your life, at the time, was the HiFi Club?

It suffused my whole life. I had to be careful taking back streets, because I had to be careful about being followed. I had to move home a couple of times.

What was the high point of the era for you?

Going away with that accumulation of experience behind me. Standing on stage in a theatre full of people, over a 1,000 people, at the Capital Theatre. Going to DJ conventions to Hayman Island and Terrigal. Flying back on a charted aircraft from Sydney with no one on board except The Everly Brothers, Crash Craddock, Bobby Rydell, Buddy Holly's group The Crickets, their managers and me.

Kelly Green: our Rock'n'Roll Cinderella

Dr Cecilia Netolicky

(All material from an interview with Kelly Green 31/08/2009. Pictures from Kelly Green's collection) 

Kelly used to go to Canterbury Court and Fiesta Theatre (in Scarborough) with her older sisters. Her sisters performed at both venues. Her mother would ask them to take her with them. The places were packed with bodgies and widgies, "they were all the go at the time". Kelly's sister went out with Andy Andros, "the Boss" at the Snake Pit and the reputed head of the bodgies. Her twin went out with Rocky. Talent scouts used to come to these venues.

When you cut a record the recording companies made arrangements for you to meet the DJs. "But, there were so many young bands. You needed drive and confidence to market yourself, or a good manager. It wasn't enough to be a good performer. You had to be able to sell yourself to the DJs, to coax them into giving you air-time. Some of the more confident guys, like Billy Thorpe and Johnny Devlin, were better at this". 

 Interview with Kelly Green

Peter Andersen: Rockin' Perth for more than 40 Years

Peter Andersen and Dr Cecilia Netolicky

Up-loaded 5th November 2009

Peter Andersen first heard guitar music at the Midland oval, which in those days had a concrete velodrome (push-bike race-track), which he used to frequent as his father was involved in the local  cycling club. On occasion, there would be concerts at the oval. On one particular night, Tex Croft, a Country musician, was appearing. Tex let Peter run his fingers across the strings of his guitar. "It was the most magical sound I'd heard. From there I begged my father for a guitar, which he finally bought, and I was off to Billy Barnes School of Music". Peter was only about 10 at this time. 

At age 11, Peter went with his parents to visit relations, on his father's side, in Brisbane. His uncle had a house just below the Cloudland Ballroom. One night Bill Hayley and the Comets were playing there. "The feel of that music had me hooked for life". 

Peter began performing at 13. However, his first "serious gigs" were at 16 with The Rocketeers at a dance studio in Kings St. The band only lasted about three weeks, that's when Peter met Ken Mitchell. 

A young Peter Andersen

At 14, in 1959, Peter got a solo spot on Stairway to the Stars, on Channel 7. The Musical Director of Channel 7 virtually said, "don't give up your day job". Peter met that Director some years later in Adelaide, about 1975, where he reminded him what he'd said. 

Peter worked in the automotive and rag trades briefly after leaving school, but all he wanted to do was play music. He's made his living as a musician his whole life, despite that initial discouragement. 

Peter and Ken Mitchell formed a band called The Tornadoes. This band lasted only 12 months, but they played at The Embassy Ballroom. This was a huge achievement for local musicians, as The Embassy was regarded as a top venue for Rock'n'roll. Ken negotiated the gig through Colin Nichol. "Colin hadn't heard the band. He hired them off Ken's word. Ken was a good talker". 

The Tornadoes made a self-funded recording about 1962. They recorded "Alone with the Blues" a song written by Ken Webster, the band's bass player. Colin played the record on radio 6KY, but it was never formally released.  Unfortunately the band broke up a week after recording was complete, over women issues, so the record never went anywhere.

Peter plays guitar, saxophone, bass and drums, but he remains primarily a vocalist. He explained how he landed up playing such a wide variety of instruments: 

In The Midnighters, Ken Mitchell was pianist, but when The Shadows hit the scene, he moved onto drums. On occasion, the band would still feature Ken on piano, then I would play drums (self taught). 

Bass playing came about when I joined The Troupadors, and we were without a keyboard player. Therefore the bass player, Graham Flintoff, played keyboards, and I went onto bass. 

The sax playing also started in The Troupadores. We were booked to open The Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore for 6 months (1971). However the agent had stated we had brass in the band. As I didn't like trumpet, I bought a cheap sax, and had three weeks to learn it. When we hit Singapore I could play two songs fluently, but there was more practice to come. 

Playing with The Midnighters

All the structured musical tuition Peter had, was those first few guitar lessons at Billy Barnes School of Music. 

Peter joined The Troupadores in 1969 (they had been around since 1963). The Troupadores have continued to play professionally, now taking on mainly corporate gigs. Peter left The Troupadores because his "body couldn't handle the riggers of the road. They were always on the road. They played everywhere in Australia". 

Interview with Peter Andersen 5^th November 2009

Dr Cecilia Netolicky 

What was it like playing at The Embassy Ballroom?

Playing at The Embassy Ballroom was like the shows on TV and in the movies. There were screaming girls down the front. At one stage, I lost the sleeve off my shirt. The rest of the crowd was jiving and having an all round good time. 

What were your other career highlights from those days?

Some features, other than The Embassy, were appearing on shows brought to Perth staring American and Eastern states pop idols like Johnny O'Keefe, Dig Richards, Bobby Darin, The Everly Brothers, Col Joye and The Chessmen. At this time we were performing as The Midnighters.

What do you think you did differently, that got you recognised?

I believe showmanship gave me the edge over a lot of just singers, and I think humility and dedication to your audience is essential. 

How was it going from being a big deal in Perth to trying to break-in in England?

It was frustrating going from being a "big fish in a little pond", to a virtual unknown. I knew it would be hard. In London we worked as The Midnighters. We played gigs with some well-known local bands, such as, The Animals, while we were trying to get a recording out. 

Why did you decide to go to England?

We made the decision to go to England, rather than going over East, after talking to Johnny O'Keefe. He quoted "If you make it in Australia, you've still got to make it in England. But if you make it in England, the rest follows". It was good advice, but the doing was harder than the saying. 

Do you regret going to England to give it a go?

No. The experience gained by being where the whole world music scene was being generated from at the time was an experience you couldn't get anywhere else. 

Do you have any regrets about getting involved in the music scene? Is there anything you would do differently with hindsight?

No regrets at all. In this business there's a huge gap between making a lot of money, and just making a living. But, what it all comes down to is you've made a living doing something you love, and making a lot of people happy. 

What were the significant changes you believe Rock'n'Roll contributed to music history?

I think the start of the cross-rhythms between Country, Blues, up-tempo stuff and Big Band music gave Rock'n'Roll its unique feel. 

Why do you think Rock'n'Roll music was portrayed as evil in the early days?

I think it was a marketing strategy. It was cool to make it sinful. The "bad boy" image gave it an edge and made it seem different from what came before. The theory was, if the parents don't like it, the kids will love it. In Australia musicians and kids just believed what was said, Australia was just a clone of the USA in those days.

 On reflection, who do you see as the significant History-makers of Rock'n'Roll?

Bill Hayley, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Big Joe Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.

Who do you see as the local Rock'n'Roll History-makers?

The lack of recording facilities made it hard here, but I'd say the pioneers were Les Dixon, Bill Blaine, Clive Higgins, Colin Nichol (who loved Rock'n'Roll and did everything he could to push it), Kelly Green, Clem Croft and, me of course.

MARTIN CLARKE AND CLARION RECORDS

WA's iconic entrepreneur remembered and written by Colin Nichol Up-loaded 17/11/09

In its heyday of almost three-decades long history, Clarion issued as many as five releases a week. Right up to mid-2006, Clarke was licensing re-releases of his early hits and compilations through UK labels and by then UK-based, was talking of bringing a major artist to tour Australia.

In London, where he moved in 1978, he worked with Valentine Music finding, promoting and recording talent while organising tours and public relations for such performers as Dave Brubeck. He continued, as he had always done, occasionally commuting to the USA as part of his music activities.

Passionate about music by the age of 12, Clarke worked at Radio 6PR at 15 and built the Clarion studio at 272 Hay Street Perth by the time he was 21. As a colleague and family friend, I recall the teenage Martin recording earlier in the living room at the family home on Glyde Street, Mosman Park, with drums isolated to the bathroom for sound separation. He was strong-willed and determined to put Perth on the national music map, despite critics saying Perth was too small.

He described his purpose-built recording studio: "The studio was what we call a room within a room, the ceiling was high, it was 26 feet." However, it wasn't until 1966 that the Clarion label was really up and running. Clarke says that it was simply impossible to set up a label straight way so he was available for any type of recording.

Clarke's dedication to professional production saw him install world standard recording and disc cutting equipment ahead of elsewhere in Australia. His state-of-the-art specially imported Neumann lacquer-cutting lathe enabled him to have total control over his product and this remains a 'first' for Australia.

Apart from occasional recordings with the symphony orchestra, it was mostly players from pubs who recorded on Clarke's label. He attributes being at the right place at the right time. "It just happened that all the talent was in Western Australia at the time because the hits that we made weren't just hits in WA, but hits in every part of Australia."

Clarion had a subsidiary imprint Action, but few singles are known to have been released on that label. The first single issued on Clarion in 1962 was Jag Drag b/w Little White Star by Peter Piccini and His Orchestra, both composed by him. The A-side was an instrumental; the B-side was a song with monologue, about the then-recent space flight of John Glenn, which made reference to Glenn having seen the lights of Perth from orbit.

Maestro Piccini, a renowned accordionist and composer-arranger, later became musical director for the Nine Network. He arranged, conducted and played on many Clarion recordings. The early releases from the label, distributed by Clarke himself, were largely by local TV personalities, but when he began recording local rock bands such as The Times, Russ Kennedy & The Little Wheels, Roy Hoff & The Off Beats, and especially Johnny & The Strangers, soon to become Johnny Young & Kompany, sales began to rise.

1966 saw the manufacture and distribution of Clarion recordings taken on by Festival Records from 16 May, on a national basis. This triggered the reissue of some of the records that had already been successful in Western Australia like The Skye Boat Song by Glen Ingram, songs by Robby Snowden, Johnny Young and others. Over the next few years sales were strong and the label earned three gold record awards.

Clarke's success not only extended to the Australian market, but the international one as well, making trips to the US at least twice a year, for months at a time, promoting Perth-based artists. He worked hard for his artists, listing of whom covers the music scene of the period: Chris and John, Swingshift, Colin Cook, Maggie Hammond, the Proclamation, The Clan, Gemini, The Birds (a knock-off of the originals), Lloyd Lawson, The Hi-Five, The Offbeats, The Court Jesters, Chalice, Joy Mulligan, Sue Jennings, Bill Shepherd.

The label's first major success was Johnny Young's double-sided hit Cara-Lynn/Step Back (May 1966) and Johnny featured prominently on the Clarion catalogue until mid-1969. Festival Records eventually took over the Young contract when buying the Clarion catalogue.

The Valentines signed with the label in May 1967, as well as Glenn Ingram, Toni Lamond, Perth's 'pop prince' Robbie Snowden, and songwriter Bill Millar. It was Millar, in collaboration with Clarke, who recorded one of Clarion's most remarkable singles, the outrageous psychedelic confection Even Stevens Hypnotic Suggestion, which they released under the pseudonym 'The Vegetable Garden'.

He enabled the likes of Hi Five, The Times, Swingshift, Wayne Pride, Les Meade, the Quarefellas, and many others to reach the greatest potential audience, even overseas. His list of artists is very long and includes as well: Fatty Lumpkin, Tex and Clem Croft, Watts and Martin, Bill Shepherd and Orchestra, Terry Walker, Toni Lamond, the Troupadours, Tony Tyler, Maggie Hammond, Russ Kennedy and the Little Wheels.

In February 1978 the label was wound up. In 1989, still active in music, Clarke felt he had gone as far he could. His mother, the last of his family in Perth, had passed on in 1985 and he decided it was time to move on. "The world was changing, it always does, and music just keeps moving on."

Having already seen the world thanks to his success with Clarion, Clarke finally made the decision to move to England, where he still had family connections and branch out in the music business abroad. "There's nothing wrong with Australia, I love Australia."

Tributes to Martin Clarke came from, amongst others, artists, print media and radio stations, two of which devoted programmes to him. His impressive lifetime output, originally on vinyl then cassette, is now on CD and as the technology changes and moves on, so his legacy is carried on. And his memory continues to be valued by those who knew him.

Acknowledgements: WAMI, Cherry Red Records, Miles Ago

THE COCA-COLA BOTTLERS WORLDWIDE HI-FI CLUB IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

1960 - 1963 (See "Colin Nichol: Perth's Father of Rock'n'Roll" for pictures)

 Colin Nichol Up-loaded 24 January 2010

IN the mid-fifties and early Sixties, with the discovery of the phenomenon of the teenager, organisations and parents were looking for a way to keep the teens 'off the streets' and out of trouble. The Coca-Cola Company came up with a way to help both groups. They started a radio and dance club that would be supported and promoted by the Company, at that time probably the only international organisation uniquely able to achieve such a vast operation.

The Hi-Fi Club began in America in 1958. By June 1959, Coca-Cola bottlers sponsored it in 47 states of America and its membership was estimated at almost two million teenagers. It was an ambitious but simple idea. Young people and teenagers love music and to dance, Coke would provide both for them. They would turn to schools or any responsible group looking for a way to promote positive youth activities.

They would supply the framework for a successful Club and the organisation would do the rest. The most popular Club events were dances. Membership was open to every teenager who wanted to join, with no initiation fees or dues required. Each member was given a membership card, and only members could attend events. Contests would be held at each local event and prizes given, many of which are collectable items today.

The Club was co-ordinated by an advertising agency in New York City for the Coca-Cola Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia. While blatantly commercial, its by-product was the creation of a social phenomenon, hugely successful in a part of the world like Western Australia where there was little else catering for the emerging teenage generation.

As its local president, radio presenter and compere, I ran dance shows that attracted huge crowds and where local singers and groups finally had the ultimate live performance venue. Nine years later, after moving to Britain and visiting New York City, I was told by the advertising executives behind the Club that we had been one of the most successful and the promotion had been extended as a consequence. Our membership had risen well above the 10,000 mark.

In Australia, the Club worked through radio stations and the top 'teen DJ' in each area. I was chosen as State President of the Coca-Cola Bottlers Hi Fi Club and started July 1960. I had previously been running dance shows in association with Coca-Cola. It also operated in other Australian States. This major international advertising campaign brought new insights to Western Australian radio listeners.

It should be remembered that Western Australia at the time was conservative and isolated; the rest of the world seemed far away. We only had inklings of what was happening in the rest of the world from films and from glimpses of American Bandstand on television as well as of the Australian version from Sydney and we fed off those when the opportunity came to emulate them.

The Club radio shows featured exclusive star interviews, competitions, novelty effects and American imported records not heard before in the State. It was, for many, a window to the wider world. Most important were the parcels of American 'donuts' - the seven-inch, 45 rpm singles discs with the large hole in the centre, the first we'd seen like that.

These were selected from the latest releases in the States and were really hot property. With these, I had first play of forthcoming hits, often before they were even available to the Australian record companies. Additionally, I imported new release records direct from England. This was a defining element which helped bring forward the release date of discs in Australia to line up with overseas.

The Hi-Fi Club dances were held at the Embassy Ballroom in Perth and up to about 1500 young people would attend these on a Saturday afternoon. The local Coca-Cola Bottler appointed their executive John Hancey to facilitate the organisation of these and represent the company. He also kept an eye on behaviour.

My role expanded to organise and run other dances around the metropolitan area and in some country towns including Narrogin, Bunbury, Katanning and Albany. These were the first of their kind and a key part of the music and dance revolution that was going on.

In 1961 the Coca-Cola organisation transferred the Hi Fi Club and me to Radio 6KY as they felt that it was a more progressive station and one that rated better in listener surveys. My sessions at the Radio 6PM network where the Club started had been 5.30-6.00 pm Wednesdays and Fridays and 9.30-10.00 am Sundays. Imagination at radio stations was lacking for the most part, but the direct opposite was the case at 6KY. I suspected there were additional reasons: the managers of 6KY and Coca-Cola Bottlers (Perth) Pty Ltd were close friends.

They were developing a plan to tender for the next commercial television license for the metropolitan area and combining their resources would help facilitate this, as well as provide a pool of potential talent. This move resulted in a stunning pay rise for me of five Pounds a week. While with 6KY, I presented other programmes as well as long Hi-Fi Club sessions. 6KY and the Hi Fi Club achieved top listener ratings in WA.

There was no instruction of any significance given to me in the operating of the Club, other than protect the reputations of the companies involved and ensure decent behaviour prevailed. It was all left to me and my instincts. It was my responsibility to present the programmes on air as I saw fit and use the material provided to make the shows unique. The fact was, there had been no precedent to this type of promotion here and no one knew what to do. Before long, I had a separate office of my own and secretary to cope with the volume of response.

The radio station was cautiously giving me my head in the operating of this promotion; I didn't fully realise the implications of that at that at the time. By the time I got to Radio 6KY, under the watchful eyes of senior executive Norm Manners and general manager Bob Mercer, my work with the Club and other programmes I presented were influential to the station overall, apart from the fact that I was also programme director and overseeing most music played.

Coca-Cola would supply the DJ with plenty of material, and the DJ was to learn about the product and its history, which was not done in my case; I already had a good relationship with the local bottler. In America the DJ's name or image would appear on advertising and point-of-sale materials. Mine was printed on the letterhead of the welcoming letter to new members.

There was the eagerly anticipated monthly disc jockey package that included an LP record or transcription with the theme song or commercial for Coca-Cola, a series of special tracks containing interviews and programming from other Hi-Fi Clubs. There were open-ended interviews where the DJ could pretend to be 'live' with the artist, a segment called Around the World Hit Parade and a Popular Records set that included commercial recordings of artists who appeared on the programme.

The DJ package also had scripts and commercials, which in total included over two hours of music and programming ideas. Contests held by the Hi-Fi Clubs made the Club fun and while individual clubs were able to come up with their own ideas, Coke had plenty of suggestions for games and contests.

The transcription given to the DJ contained extracts to be used for contests, including accelerated dance melodies, scrambled records and famous solos. Members could then play 'name that tune', 'guess the sound effect' or other games to win prizes. Other suggested contests were 'pick the top tune of the week', the 'mystery tune' or - my personal favourite - 'name the backward record'. In America in 1960, Coca-Cola added a nationwide talent contest to the Hi-Fi Club promotion and we had them here.

There were plenty of collectible items with The Hi-Fi Club logo, specifically made for the Club. These included: Dance Sox - red socks with The Hi-Fi Club knitted in white on each side; A tie of braided leather with a gold-finished metal emblem slide tie-clip; record holder - a red and white plastic holder for 90, 45-RPM records; a transistor radio - with a leather case sporting the club logo; Club badge and other original items.

Not all of these came to Perth due to the impracticability of shipping from the USA and unsuitability for our audience, but we had a good range for effective gifts and prizes. Most commonly, we gave away bottles and packs of Coke in the now-classic glass bottles, records and movie tickets. We also filled cinemas from time to time for members-only showings of pop music films, such as the latest Elvis Presley.

Bob Purvis with his Purvisonic Sound provided the most advanced audio of world standard for our events from the late Fifties onwards. When bands and singers took a break, the latest dance music discs were played by Bob to keep the non-stop action going. Many world-famous singers and groups later used his facilities at Perth appearances. We were using radio or wireless microphones on stage before they were in common use and the equipment Bob provided was always world best and never let us down.

The advent of TVW-7 our first television station in 1959 opened new opportunities and their teenage programme Club 7-teen was a Sixties sensation. Its less well-remembered predecessor in the Fifties, however, was Teen Beat with its brief predecessor Rock at Five Fifty, for both of which I provided early artists and running schedule from my desk at Radio 6PM.

I was the one who had the knowledge of performers and contacts at this time. I would covertly type out the programme's schedule at my desk at Radio 6PM and the regular house band, the Zodiac All Stars at that time with lead singer Clive Higgins, would take it to the TV station. The artists I selected had first appeared and 'auditioned' on the Hi Fi Club 'hops' and earlier dance shows I ran which preceded the Club.

These were at the Embassy Ballroom in central Perth and later also at the Pagoda Ballroom at Como, wonderful dance halls lost except for memories and a few photographs. As well, we 'toured' to local halls around the metropolitan area and country towns. Scarborough had a couple of venues we used and the big concerts came to the now long-since demolished, huge Capital theatre.

Additionally rock and roll and pop at the time colonised such venues as Coral Gunning's large Windmill Tea Rooms on Hay Street West Perth, Canterbury Court Ballroom - and bands were featured, usually Bill Blaine and the Dynamics, at the Wirrina Drive-in on Sunday nights, another regular event. There was also the, at the time infamous, Snake Pit on the beach. Then other dance clubs followed and huge pub halls, bringing in the era of hard rock and the period most music fans today remember.

The Club and Coca-Cola were involved in introducing many rock and roll shows and individual artists to WA, often in association with the Lee Gordon Organisation and Channel Seven. I compered many of these at the Capitol Theatre as well as Embassy Ballroom and they included Col Joye and the Joy Boys, Dig Richards, Crash Craddock, Judy Cannon, The Crickets, Bobby Rydell, Johnny O'Keefe, Frankie Davidson, Pat Boone, Brenda Lee, Duane Eddy, Cliff Richard and others supported by local acts.

The Coca-Cola Company created commercial jingles, which became classic hits on radio and television in the 1960s and which were played on the Club radio shows. The McGuire Sisters sang Really Refreshed; Miss Oklahoma 1958 Anita Bryant, a popular singer in the 1960s, became the latest Coca-Cola Girl on American radio and television from 1964-1967. Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Roy Orbison, Petula Clark, the Supremes, the Moody Blues, Jay and the Americans, and other popular singers all contributed their renditions of Things Go Better with Coke.

It all came to a quite sudden end when, on the spur of the moment, I decided to go to England with the pop group The Times on the MV Australia, leaving on 3 March, 1963. We set sail for new opportunities in an old country. The Hi-Fi Club soon faded away and was replaced by Coca-Cola sponsoring other music events as they arose, from time to time.

The Coca-Cola Bottlers Hi-Fi Club rode the incoming wave of the age of the teenager and of the new music, opening up a new world for young Western Australians as well as for me. The association allowed me to use my imagination in radio shows but especially for expanding the live dance events, which would not have been likely without that backing.

Importantly, the impetus of the Club and its connections swept over the lack of progressiveness prevalent at the time. It may have been a commercial venture but in many parts of the world, particularly in remote and sleepy Western Australia, it rocked out a wake-up call that has reverberated since.

Acknowledgements: Online sources, Bill Blaine, John Dubber

The Yeomen 1965-1967

Terry Harris            up-loaded 23 March 2010

 Ross Ludlam, Fred Maynard, Rudy Zuidwind, Ron Sanders and Terry Harris got together in the Autumn of 1965, all teenagers except for Ross who was really old and had just turned 20. Ron knew Terry from John Curtin High School * and also Fred from UWA where he and Fred were both first year students. So a friend of a friend of a friend resulted in the five practicing a couple of times a week. After a month or so they knew eight numbers: Abeline, Shaking all Over, Gloria, Kansas City, Hello Josephine, Do You Wanna Dance and a couple of others.

Arguably the biggest teenage dance at that time was the Broadway Stomp on a Saturday night. A converted picture theatre with all the seats taken out - most suburban theatres had closed down by then with the advent of television in Perth. Two bands played together regularly at the Broadway each Saturday, Johnny and The Strangers and Peter and The Drifters. Rudy Zuidwind was taking Bass guitar lessons from John Pecorra who was a member of Peter and The Drifters. Rudy asked if his band (as yet unnamed) could do a spot at the Broadway on a Saturday night. John indicated that it should be OK and that his band's gear could be used. So on the 17th of July 1965 the five novices having adopted the Band name The Rejects, fronted up to the Broadway Stomp to do their spot.

 Television and Radio

In the 1960's WA bands received excellent support from local TV and radio. Club Seventeen was a TVW Channel 7 production giving exposure to Perth based bands and other performers. Johnny Young was the compeer of that show for a while in the mid 60's. Unbeknownst by the Band at the time, a number of their supporters had taken up a petition for them to appear on Club Seventeen which saw them make their television debut on that show on Saturday 29th of January 1966. (The same show also marked the TV debut of local band The Spektors with John Collins and Bonnie Scott alternating on lead vocals & drums) Whilst the vision was live to air, all sound was pre-recorded with the performers miming at the time of the telecast. Any act without already having a recording as such, needed to put down the sound at Channel 7 studios on the morning of the show. Accordingly The Yeomen recorded the following numbers on the morning of January 29th: Tony Barber's "Someday", The Kinks "Till The End of The Day" and The Easybeats "Women".

 The Gigs

Most gigs involved at least two bands. This was the case at the stomps which also had occasional interstate visiting acts. Competition between the groups was friendly enough with all being cover bands. It is hard to recall an original band from that time, although there may have been some. There always seemed to be some added kudos by being the first local group to play a version of the latest releases by the popular international and Australian acts. Radio stations would play the new material some weeks before the record or sheet music became available here. To get the right chords and correct words was an involved process at that time. It needs to be remembered that these were the days before video recorders, ipods or even cassettes. Some were lucky enough to have reel to reel tape recorders which involved placing the microphone in front of the radio and waiting for recent releases to be played. By whatever method, it was always good to be the first with the latest, staking claim as it were to 'that song' being yours. From the stage budding guitarists could be seen in the front of the crowd 'vulturing' the cords of the latest songs.

As mentioned, competition between Bands was healthy. The Yeomen experienced just one unsporting act at the hands of another Band. (Not counting theft of small items of gear) The occasion was when they were one of the support acts for The Easybeats at the Pagoda Ballroom, April 1966. They were partway through their set when the power failed ... well the plug had been pulled. Suspicion fell on those standing next to it, smirking.

 * RE: John Curtin High School - Remember the end of term concerts at High School ? Back in 1964 a group of students at John Curtin High School Fremantle formed a group (no name) which in part gave rise in 1965 to The Spektors, The Yeomen and The Winztons. Wyn Milsom - Lead Guitar & Bruce Abbott - Bass Guitar (Spektors); Ron Sanders - Drums & Terry Harris - Vocals (Yeomen); and Ted Junko (Ward/Holloway) - Rhythm Guitar (Winztons). Later on Wyn, Bruce and Ted teamed up again as members of The Valentines.