Members:
-
Mike Westcott - Vocals
-
Chris Stone - Lead guitar
-
Mike London - Rhythm guitar
-
Alan Escombe (Wolhuter) - Bass
-
Grahame Ross - Drums
A number of members of this band later went on to become
members of THE SHAKESPEARES, a group that became well established
in the Benelux countries and Germany.
PHREDD
(Added
01/01/2006)
Circa: 1979/80
Home town: Bulawayo
Members:
Played regularly on the Bulawayo circuit at venues
such as the Electric Circus.
PIED PIPERS (Added
09/05/06)
Circa: 1977
Participated in the Texan Rock Band Competition at
Trade Fair Rhodesia in 1977.
PINK CHAMPAGNE
Circa:
Home town:
Members:
PINK
CHAMPAGNE put the fizz into the evening's function - short socks,
sunburnt knees and all!
PLATO'S REPUBLIC (Added
20/06/05)
Circa: 1969/1971
Home
town:
Members:
-
Tommy (Sean) Goddard - Lead vocals
-
Keith Small - Lead guitar
-
Ric Accorsi - Keyboards
-
John Kirsten - Bass
-
Frank Reynolds - Drums
This band rubbed shoulders with the best that
local music had to offer, including the SILHOUETTES (LINCOLN),
SHORT CIRCUIT GUAVAS and HARM'S WAY. In early 1971
they decided to turn pro and changed their name to WASHINGTON.
With this, Tommy Sean was replaced by John Keyser and the band
moved to South Africa to "give it a go"!
After about a year WASHINGTON disbanded and the individual members
went their separate ways.
Frank Reynolds later formed a band called
BROTHERLOVE with South Africa's Paul De Villiers and Attie Van Wyk.
Without going pro with the band, he did all their local gigs in
Pretoria. The band lasted for about two years until Paul
decided to further his career in the USA - he achieved this and
later became Ann Murray's sound engineer. Thereafter he
"cracked" it big time with a band called Mr.
Mister. Attie went on to form Big Concerts in Gauteng, South
Africa, the main agent for staging the biggest acts in SA.
PLEBS
Circa: 1963 - 1967.
Home town:
Members:
-
Benny Miller - Rhythm guitar
-
Ivan Rabinowitz - Lead guitar (When
Ivan left in 1965 to go to University, he was replaced by George
Santa Clara - who came in on rhythm - with Bennie
switching to lead guitar).
-
Alan Klukow
-
Albert Alan Owen
-
Phillip Roberts
- Bass (See also Tremelos/Mysota
Blues Charmers/Executives/Otis
Waygood & Isaiah)
-
Gerald Bailey
(and various other drummers)
-
Henry Goldberg
(and a succession of vocalists)
The PLEBS were born out of a school association,
founded in 1962, between Bennie Miller and Phillip Roberts.
Their first band was called the Tremelos which later became the
basis for the seminal R & B band, The Plebs. The Plebs
were influenced by Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, BB King and other
American blues bands, as well as English contemporaries such as
the Downliners Sect and the Yardbirds. Phillip Roberts later
went on to play bass in the Executives with Rob Osbourne, Alan
Pruett and others, enjoying a residency at Coq D'Or. After
moving to London in 1971 Phillip Roberts teamed up with old
friends, Otis Waygood who had, themselves, relocated to
England. Playing keyboards and acoustic guitar miked through
the PA, Phillip filled the elusive "fifth member's"
berth following on from Martin and Harry Polis. He also
wrote a number of songs with the band after the had changed their
name to ISAIAH and moved to Amsterdam. He moved
on to become a record producer, film-maker and, now, a screenplay
writer.
Casting his mind back, one of the
band's members recalls The Plebs most exciting gig having taken
place at the Rotunda on Beira beach. The "action"
was triggered by a brawl that broke out amongst about 2 000
drunken Rhodesian holiday-makers who had assembled to listen to
The Plebs. The disturbance initially started when a fight
broke out between Big George and Jackie Koen but soon took hold
and spread throughout the venue. During this near-riot,
someone - or some people - seemed to have succeeded in
"throwing" one of the venue's counter staff into the
boiling chip fat machine!! This called for drastic action
and the Portugese riot police (or army?) descended surrounding the
premises with Uzi submachine guns levelled at the crowd.
Their excited and incomprehensible orders barked at the mob in
Portugese confused the situation even more but, fortunately, the
temperature was lowered and stability - and calm - were
restored. For those who were there, this was truly
unforgettable occasion.
See also the following website: http://members.aol.com/tecartpro/tapweb.htm
PRIORY COOMBE (Updated
17/04/06)
Circa:
Home town: Salisbury
Members:
Ian Rogers - Lead vocals
Dick Cory - Lead guitar
Paul Neto - Rhythm guitar
Rothgar Argent - Bass
Scottie Stevens - Drums
Replacements:
Bennie Miller - Joined band shortly before its
disintegration.
According to the recollections of
those who were close to the band, Dick Cory spent some time as a
young man in the United Kingdom where he trained with the Royal
Air Force. During this time he pursued his music interests
and local folklore has it that he played with HEDGEHOPPER'S
ANONYMOUS and THEM, the latter outfit being a group to
which no less a personality than VAN MORRISON also belonged.
(It is not known if Dick and Van were in the band at the same
time). Upon returning to Rhodesia he started a band
called THE ALIENS and generally gigged about the place with
fellow musos such as Rob Milne, Butch Pepper, Titch Holmes and the
Trevelea brothers. Dick's extroverted playing style,
personality and dress sense soon started to attract a lot of
attention, witnessing the formation of PRIORY COOMBE.
Bo Diddley would seem to have been one of Dick's strongest
influences although PC, as a band, were said to have been most
influenced by the CREAM.
Latest information to hand
is that Dick Cory is still in Harare, Rob Milne is in Port Alfred,
South Africa, and Butch Pepper is in Blackpool, England.
THROUGH THE FISH EYE...
ROUND 'N AROUND...
PSYCHEDELIC GROOVE
Circa:
Home town:
Members:
PURPLE ZINCSTONES
Circa: 1970
Home town:
Bulawayo
Members:
-
Charles "Boonchie" Taylor -
Lead guitar
-
Brian Ras - Rhythm guitar
-
Chookie Milner - Bass
-
Cecil "Chillie" Porter -
Drums
It
is a widely held view that Dennis Scott's arrival took the band to
unprecedented heights with the group playing all genres of music from
bubblegum to rock and blues. Scott composed a number of original songs
during this period and, in 1970, the band laid down some demo material
whilst in Malawi at the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation's facilities.
The demo recording was later lost when the band's manager, Flavio
Vergnano, was relocating from one country to another.
