Smith's Gully Band was formed in Melbourne around the mid 70s. Flautist Kelly Skinner remembers: I think it was 1977 or '78 when Phill Day and I joined Smith Gully. This picture was taken at Panton Hill hall. Here we have Keith Lawrie, Kelly Skinner and John Rasmussen. On the squeezebox is, I think, Rowan Webb. In the bottom corner is Phill Day. Norm Adams should've been there on fiddle, but maybe he was having a night off and that's why we had the squeezebox. I remember the first gig I did with the band. It was at the St Andrews pub. It was the first time I was going to be playing Irish tunes. I learned most music from the dots, and the idea of playing without them was pretty scary. During the gig, Keitho noticed I was a bit edgy. He said to me, "You've got no reason to be nervous. There's 200 people in here who can't do what you can, that's why they're here." and I thought, yeah, and who's going to notice if I get a note or two out of place? I can't say I totally relaxed, but it did put things in persepective. I loved being in the band. Marshall Webb was the dance caller when I first joined. He started me off on my dance calling career, and taught me a lot about dancing. When he left the band, the role of dance caller fell to me. I grabbed it with glee!
In 1981 they released their album 'About Time' on the Anthology label. Few bush bands would dare to kick off their recording career without throwing in a handful of well-worn pub favourites. But the Smiths Gully Band came up with, a refreshing blend of traditional songs and dances as well as several compositions of their own. One of the highlights of the album belongs to neither category - ''Lonegan's Widow'', a gentle lament about one of Ned Kelly's victims was written by American Shel Silverstein. Occasionally freshness lapses into slight clumsiness, but the album was a welcome stranger for folk music enthusiasts.
Members
Norm Adams (fiddle), Rayner Balfour (mandolin, flute, tin whistle, accordion, piano, five string banjo), Keith O. Lawrie (guitar, vocals), John Rasmussen (guitar, 12 string guitar, five string banjo, vocals), Marshal Webb (bodhran, concertina, lagerphone), Kelly Skinner (flute)
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