Rod Jeffery (lead vocals/bandleader) Gary Dale (guitar/backing & occasional lead vocals) Raoul Hawkins (bass guitar) Adam Barnard (drums)
When the band first started out in 1980 the initial line-up consisted of Rod Jeffery (vocals), Gary Dale (guitar), Louise Elliott (reeds), Phil Lord (electric piano) and Jeff Lenham (bass guitar). This band was only put together for the audition at La Bastille in Kings Cross (Sydney) in an attempt to get the gig on offer. However, it did play the full night and was paid the full fee!
From the following weekend Jeff was replaced on bass by Raoul Hawkins and a drummer was added in the personage of Paul Svenson. This particular line-up varied from week-to-week depending on the availabilty of musicians at the time and, more especially, on whether the Layabouts were working or not as Gary, Louise and Raoul were all in that illustrious Sydney R&B icon at the time. Early in the residency, Raoul moved to the United States to study music and was replaced by Grant Watson who became the mainstay bassist of the band for the remainder of year.
A much more expansive band history can be found on the band Website listed elsewhere on this page.
Influences
Many and varied. Some of my favourite singers are Mel Tormé, Nathaniel Coles (Nat 'King' Cole), Joe (Goreed) Williams, Al Hibbler, James Rushing, Joe Turner, Jon Hendricks, Ella Fitzgerald, Annie Ross, Lowell George, Gregg Allman, Robert 'Continental Robert' Susz - a fairly eclectic bunch!
Favourite bands would have to include the Allman Brothers, Little Feat, early Atlanta Rhythm Section, CREAM - once again, a fairly eclectic grouping!
Sounds Like
I'm buggered if I know who I sound like - myself I guess!
BEACHHEAD came into being in early 1980 when it was heard that Kings Cross (Sydney) nightclub, La BASTILLE required a band for its midnight to dawn slot on Friday and Saturday nights. The venue also doubled as a coffee bar and brothel with the audience often including many 'ladies of the night' between jobs.
Mainly it played to the usual collection of late night drinkers, but became a favourite with other musicians, usually those who had just finished their own gigs in other parts of town and were in for last drinks to wind down before going home to bed.
For the next two years the band played at a number of different venues in both Sydney and Wollongong. At one stage holding residencies simultaneously at SONIA'S in the Leichhardt Hotel, FRENCH'S TAVERN in Darlinghurst, La BASTILLE and the WENTWORTHVILLE Hotel
Since that time there have been many different line-ups, with one particular combination performing as BEACHHEAD's BLUES staying together from around August 1993, when it recorded five tracks released on a cassette in December that year, until January 1996 and gaining a huge following as it toured up and down the east coast. From Agnes Waters, north of Bundaberg in Queensland, as far south as Portland, a town on the south western coast of Victoria, just short of the South Australian border.
The current variation has been together since around August 1996 and has played a number of venues in Sydney, among them the HARBOUR VIEW Hotel in the Rocks, the UNITY HALL Hotel in Balmain, the 'Sydney Blues Club' at the EMPIRE of ANNANDALE Hotel, Rydge's CRONULLA BEACH Hotel and the JANNALI INN.
Outside of the metropolitan area it has performed at the KURRAJONG HEIGHTS Hotel, the HOTEL GEARINS at Katoomba, the GRAND CENTRAL, the TATTERSALL'S and the COMMERCIAL Hotels, all in Lithgow, the COMMERCIAL Hotel in Wallerawang, the CORONATION Hotel in Portland (N.S.W.), the OXFORD TAVERN & FAMILY Hotels in Bathurst and, more recently the ROYAL Hotel in Oberon.
In 1997 it performed at the prestigious MANLY JAZZ FESTIVAL, in 1998 at the Annual DUBBO JAZZ FESTIVAL (performing at both the Castlereagh & Civic Hotels) and in January 1999 was part of the programme for the 6th Annual THREDBO BLUES LEGENDS FESTIVAL.
Since then the band has also played a three nighter in Canberra at the HOLY GRAIL BAR, during the inaugural BATHURST JAZZ FESTIVAL at the Family Hotel in June 1999 and packed the house at the METROPOLITAN HOTEL in Orange when it performed there for the Orange Jazz Club in July 1999.
The band played its first gig in almost three years at the inaugural CANBERRA Blues'n'Rock Festival in March 2003 and received extremely high praise from all those punters lucky enough to catch them.
Gigs for the band are few and far between these days. However, in February of 2008 they were one of the featured artists at the 2008 AUSTRALIAN BLUES MUSIC FESTIVAL in Goulburn NSW and friends including great singers Gail Page & Diana Wolfe (leader of The WOLFE GANG), harmonica players Hugo Pfandler (from the Sydney Blues Society) & 'Harmonica Ron' and legendary guitarists 'Blind Dog Donnie' (Formerly of Lil' Fi & the DELTA RHYTHM KINGS) & Mal Eastick sat in with the band much to the delight of both band members and punters alike.
A 'special' guest over the entire weekend however was bassist Grant Watson who drove down from Brisbane just for the Festival and the chance to play with his old bandmates once again.
From the get-go in 1980 BEACHHEAD has always played its own brand of R'n'B, sticking close to the roots, but also embracing elements of such idioms as Reggae, Funk and Jazz. In many cases, long before others did.
I'm supposed to be in bed asleep, but wanted to stop by and say hello first! How are you feeling? I think of you often and send you big love and hugs on cyber wings through the computer monitor! :) I'm waaayyyy behind in everything right now, but little by little has to do.....for now. Off to sleep now. Bless your today...Always Kitty
Love for you to stop in and have a listen to my new song you can find it on my site in the ReverbNation player. It is called "Greed Is The Pleasure" mean alot to know what you think. Cheers Frank Macias & The LOST AMIGOS www.myspace.com/frankgrantblues
Hey Beach, Ole Buddy! Deb told me that you've checked out the alternative world and found it to be friendly-righ ground for aimless wandering old fart musicians!! Well, if YOU put your OK signature on it, tell the others I'm right behind you....as soon as I chase down the damn horse, get it back to the barn, leave a lifetime amount of feed for him while I'm away, close up my house, find the darn keys, ...well, you know, I have difficulties being me. But just because I'm completely nuts, that don't mean I'm STUPID! hee hee
Looking forward to catching up with you oner in that secret hideaway world. Please make sure to relay that to the others..
Huge Love, Hugs and Warm Smiles, Kitty "...and on that day God told the swine to fly... and, by golly.... THE SWINE FLEW!!! :)
The Festival was great, Beachie. It's interesting how empty life seems to be for a day or two after attending a good festival.
My two favourite acts, and I saw all three of their sessions, were Andy 'Sugarcane' Collins (Australian Blues Album of the Year 2006) and Pugsley Buzzard. Couldn't resist buying all their CDs as well which are nearly worn out already ;-) .
I'm embarrassed to say I hadn't heard of either of them before although that's not surprising as neither JB HiFi nor Chaos lists their CDs in their catalogues.
"Poor fellow, my Aussie Blues." (With apologies to Xavier Herbert.)
Great to hear from you and that the Birthday Bash might be on again.
Life here has been pretty hectic but hopefully things will change a bit now that I'm retired. Finished up at work last Thursday and now plan to do lots more with my photography plus all the "Honey do ..." jobs my wife has for me. I keep putting things into my diary and she say slow down you can't do everything now that your retired. I'm sure as hell going to try. On the weekend went to the Vintage Guitar display. Some lovely instruments there makes me want to learn to play. I'll have to dig out the one my son left here. Skip Sail gave a great talk and display on the National Guitars which really sound great. My goal is if I can learn to play half decently, I'll treat myself to one if I can afford the $$$.
Take care of yourself and I hope to see you in Canberra.
ATTENTION all Melbourne Rockers !! Recently crowned "Sydney's best live rock act" - OOH LA LA are hitting The Ding Dong next Thurs 12th March supported by Electric Mary. Come check out Sydneys hardest rock n roll soul band !
