GASOLINE VALLEY BLUES BAND

Circa: 1972
Home town: Que Que
Members:

• Dennis Scott - Guitar & vocals

• Andy Scott - Bass & vocals

• Colin Graham - Drums

• Nicky Cole - Guitar & vocals

• Eric Bradnick - Guitar (Joined some time after the band was originally formed)

GATE 

Circa: 1973 - 1980
Home town: Salisbury
Members:

• Chewy Lavalette - Vocals, sax & flute

• Mark Lamberti - Keyboards & vocals

• Martin Coetzer - Guitar & vocals

• Kevin Mason - Guitar

• Tony de Conceiocoa - Bass & vocals

• Bill Donaldson - Drums

In 1974, the following players joined the band, replacing others whom had moved on:

• Deon Bernade - Bass

• Richard Pickett - Drums

• Ivan Laborne - Guitar

• Henk Bormann - Bass

• Stuart Preston - Drums

• Nippy Cripwell - Bass

In 1975, this musician joined:

• Sandy Robbie - Guitar. He replaced Laborne & Coetzer.

1976 saw these changes occur:

• Alistair Coakley - Guitar. Replaced Sandy Robbie.

• Phil Smith - Keyboards. Replaced Mark Lamberti.

• George van Dyk - Bass. Replaced Nippy Cripwell.

1977's changes were:

• Patrick van Rensburg - Drums. Replaced Stuart Preston.

• Dave Stacey - Keyboards. Replaced Phil Smith.

• John Jackson - Keyboards. Replaced Stacey.

• Godfrey Minne - Drums. Replaced van Rensburg.

1978 - No changes!!

1979

• Glen Phelan - Guitar. Replaced Alistair Coakley.

• Graham Clifford - Guitar. Replaced Glen Phelan.

1980

• Vince Lewis - Bass. Replaced van Dyk.

• Andy Murray - Keyboards. Replaced John Jackson.

GATE finally broke up in 1980.

Recordings:

Single

Look After Number One/Any Man Can Be A Fool (1979) EMI

The band played their first gig ever in Salisbury. It is said that GATE hold the record for the most personnel changes in any southern African rock group.

Martin Coetzer continues to gig on the local Durban scene, as a One Man Band, playing at a lot of corporate functions.  Chewy Lavelette lives in Germiston where he is involved in the Real Estate business.

GENTLEMEN (Updated 05/03/08)

Circa: 1965
Home town: Salisbury
Members:

• Barry Stevenson - Lead vocals

• Pat Burke - Lead guitar

• Grahame Wright - Rhythm guitar
• Peter Wright - Bass guitar
• Dennis Jones - Drums

Subsequent personnel changes:

• Tony Winhall - Lead guitar
• John Hodgekinson - Lead guitar 
• Pete Bailey - Rhythm guitar
• Clive Kluckow - Drums

THE LOOK OF GENTLEMEN!

From left to right:  John Hodgekinson, Barry Stevenson, Peter Wright, Dennis Jones & Graham Wright

THE GENTLEMEN

Left to Right:  Peter Wright (bass)/Pete Bailey (guitar)/Barry Stevenson (vocals)/John Hodgekinson - (lead) & Clive Kluckow (drums)

 

THE GENTLEMEN SWEEP THE BOARDS -1968 TEXAN ROCK BAND COMPETITION WINNERS! From Left to Right:  Pete Bailey (Best Rhythm Guitarist), John Hodgekinson (Best Lead Guitarist), Barry Stevenson (Best Vocalist), Pete Wright (Best Bass Guitarist) & Clive Kluckow (Best Drummer)
THE GENTLEMEN - GOING DOWN A TREAT AT LA BOHEME (1966) From Left to Right:  Pete Wright (Bass), John Hodgekinson (Lead), Barry Stevenson (Lead vocals), Graham Wright (Rhythm & vocals),  & Dennis Jones (Drums)

THE GENTLEMEN were founded in early 1965 by Pat Burke and Barry Stevenson who had been playing together with the INDIGOES.  Pat invited Graham and Peter Wright and Dennis Jones from Zambia to join the group.  They had been members of a rock band competition winning band in Zambia, the FORTUNES.  The Gentlemen very quickly established themselves on the local scene, being placed second in the Rhodesian Rock Band Competition staged at Glamis Stadium just eight days after the trio from Zambia had joined!  At the end of 1965, Pat Burke left the group to pursue a classical guitar career and his place as lead guitarist was taken by Tony Winhall who tragically died of cancer a few months later.  For five years the band dominated the Saturday lunchtime and Sunday night scenes, initially at La Boheme, before moving over to Brett's Night Club where they continued to ply their trade.

GENTLEMEN IN WAITING! - The Fortunes Rool The Kitwe Scene

FINDING FORTUNE... AND FAME?

GENUINE IMITATION PLASTIC WATERPROOF STRING VEST ENSEMBLE  

Circa:  1960's
Home town:  Salisbury
Members:

• Richard "Rick" Fenner - Guitar & vocals

• Frederick Algernon Carr-Thompson ("FA" to his mates!) - Trumpet & epic poems

• Ray McCauley (of Liverpool) - Banjo & mandolin

• Jimmy ("Who's on first?") Watt - Tea box bass

• Various suspects - Washboard or drums

• The occasional "ivory tinkler" or two.

This short-lived but historically-important skiffle/trad jazz group was informally called to order in the BSAP Traffic Branch’s “Lay-Bye” bar at Cranborne Barracks, Salisbury, one drunken Friday night sometime in the late ‘60s. No-one can actually remember the date – after all, it was the Sixties…!

The two founding members, Fred Thompson and Rick Fenner, ordered a triple Scotch with a beer chaser and a pint of Oude Meester and a Coke, respectively. They put both the drinks on someone else’s chit.

Both Fred and Rick had played individually at a number of bars, and Rick already professed some obscure claim to fame – some rubbish about “Jo’burg’s legendary Troubadour folk club” and “RTV”.

Fred’s true talent as a trumpet player, however, had only recently become evident. One night, at approximately 02h00 Lima, on the Parade Ground of the Police Training Depot, his impromptu and alcoholically-inspired rendition of bugle calls - commencing with "Reveille" and finishing with "The Bugle Call Rag" – made a deep and emotional impression on both the recruit company and the instructor cadre.

Somewhat taken aback by the short but impassioned chase by screaming fans in cars with roof-mounted flashing blue lights, Fred decided to forsake further fame and restrict his playing to more traditional venues - hence his presence in the “Lay-Bye”.

After the initial gig, and against all the founders’ expectations, people actually began to request the band’s presence. It became a semi-regular (depending on the availability of prune juice – we had sanctions, you know!) and occasionally sought-after party band comprised of said members and the odd scruffy RTV techie.

The band’s unique strength and attraction lay in its inimitable ability to intersperse good foot-tapping music (the band) with epic poetry recitals (Thompson), thus appealing to a far broader spectrum of tastes than its competitors.

 Primary venues were various police and military messes and hostels, post-Marlborough race meeting parties, the Sables Motor Club and, indeed, any place that wouldn’t throw them out.

The pair’s musical commitment did not end here. On days when he missed rehearsals “because he was on duty”, Fred was instrumental (no pun intended) in establishing the Sunday "Jazz Afternoon Jam Sessions", first at the *********Hotel and later at the Sherwood Arms. Rick, meanwhile, was exploring his more intellectual, feeling side and was singing folk songs at the Beverley Rocks with a little-known local called Clem Tholet.

Despite these distractions, and to their everlasting amazement, the G.I.P.W.S.V.E. performed not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES on RTV’s Saturday night extravaganza, “Starlight Bar-B-Q” – more than any other Salisbury band. Feeling that they had succeeded beyond their wildest expectations – being invited back once was far better than a gold record – they disbanded, and the founder members returned to their unfinished business in various Messes.

GIPSEY

Circa: 1975
Home town: Gwelo
Members:

• Suley Mahomed - Lead guitar & vocals

• Spike Wells - Drums & vocals

• Jay ??? - Bass (Left band and bass was taken over by Dave Amm)

• Dave Amm - Rythmn/Bass & organ

GIPSY  (Revised 16/09/05)

Circa:  1972
Home town:  Salisbury
Members:

• Doug Kennedy - Vocals & percussion

• Taffy Whelan - Guitar & vocals

• Jack Lolliot - Bass & vocals

• Dave Richards - Keyboards & vocals

• Mark Robbins - Drums

Gypsy soon made their mark on the local scene when they won the Rhodesian Rock Band competition staged at the Skyline Hotel.  Riding on  this wave of success, the band travelled to South Africa where they played the Coral Lounge at the old Grand Hotel, as well as Smuggler's in Durban.  At this stage Mark Robbins left the band and proceeded overseas where he was to continue his music activities.

Winning Chords

Taffy Whelan on the day GIPSY won a Rock Band Competition at the SKYLINE circa 1970

GREENSTONES

Circa: 1970
Home town:
Members:

• Okke Hansen - Guitar & vocals

• David North - Guitar & vocals
  
  These two New Zealanders settled in Rhodesia in the early 1970's, singing of their travels and experiences with notable success.

Recordings:

Singles

Arianne Jacqueline (1974) CBS
Salome, Jennifer And Me (1974) CBS
Pretty Girls (1975) CBS
Open Up Your Heart (1975) CBS
Mama's Troubadour (1976) CBS

Album

Life In Rhodesia (1975) CBS

GUTTER (Added 06/04/08)

Circa:
Home town:
Members:

• Nigel Dams - Guitar & vocals

• Mark Stewart - Vocals & bass

• Tony Hugget - Drums & vocals

Nigel Dams recalls that Mark and Tony were amazing vocalists who taught him about harmony.  When he first met them in audition they asked what he knew how to play, to which he responded "How about Fat-Bottomed Girls"?  They said "OK, let's play..." and as he started the guitar part they stopped and asked where the lead-in vocal part was.  They restarted the song and the duo came in with "to die for" harmonies at the right place and at the right time!  From that time onwards, the due never failed to amaze with their unerring ears and angelic harmonies.

At one stage in 1982, the band succeeded in holding both the No 1 and No 2 chart spots simultaneously with "Slipping Away Slowly" and "In The Middle Of The Night".  The former was flighted on television in Zimbabwe are at least a couple of occasions.  The band also made an album in Durban called Cabbages and Kings, produced by stalwart Rhodie muso, Nick Pickard.