THE CYRIL B BUNTER BAND

Formed in the early 70s by guitarist Gary Lothian (ex Elliot Gordon Union, Galadriel), bassist Jimmy Bee and drummer Rosscoe Clarke, The Cyril B Bunter Band truly were a rite of passage for countless Sydney fans that signified good times. Adding Maybelline Broadbent on keyboards and Des Perado on sax they were renowned for putting on the best blues and boogie shows in town. The Bunters would pack out venues to the brim before hitting the road on frequent national tours with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, Canned Heat and good mates George Thorogood and The Destroyers (which later saw George recording The Bunters “Boogie People” on his 1991 album 'Boogie People'. Between 1977 and 1985, the band did roadshows all over the east coast of Australia. Cyril B Bunter’s name came from the combination of a joke about the name Cyril; the B was chosen because most of their favourite blues artists had the letter in their name; Billy Bunter was the name of the British doughnut- eating character and they wanted the band to sound fat. 

In 2013, Cyril B Bunter were invited to reunite for the Thredbo Blues Festival. Audience responses were so overwhelmingly positive that the band re-released their 70s-80s vinyl recordings on CD for the first time, and embarked on their 41st Anniversary Reunion Tour, thrilling fans old and new on a string of festival and club dates. The band launched a live CD 'The Good Boogie Live! to a throbbing full-house crowd at Sydney’s Basement and in 2018, The Bunters, their powers undiminished released the album 'Locomotive'. Des Perado died in 2021.

Members

Maybelline Broadbent (keyboards), Des Perado (sax), Gary Lothian (guitar), Bruce Stephens (drums),

James Miller (bass), Jimmy Bee (vocals/bass), Rosscoe Clark (drums), Ali Penney (keyboards)