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:
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
1980
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:
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.