UNCLE BOB'S BAND

Uncle Bob’s Band enjoyed a relatively brief but remarkably colourful life, performing in Sydney and Melbourne between 1974 and 1976. The band brought together a wealth of musical experience. Tony Burkys, Bob McGowan and Terry Darmody had all been members of the Original Battersea Heroes; John Taylor had played with Hot Rocket; and Keith Shadwick came from Sun, featuring Renee Geyer. Together they drew on an eclectic mix of blues, jug band music, country and jazz swing, alongside their own original material. The result was a distinctive rock, swing and country sound with one important ingredient: it was made for dancing.

From the outset, Uncle Bob’s Band quickly developed a following on Sydney’s inner-city live music circuit. They also attracted the attention of radio station 2JJ, later to become 2JJJ FM, and became regular performers at live-to-air and other concerts, often appearing in support of major Australian bands of the period. A significant boost came when Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, then in Sydney promoting their hit ''Wangaratta Wahine'', took Uncle Bob’s Band under its wing. UBB suddenly found themselves playing to larger audiences and building an increasingly enthusiastic following.

That momentum led the band to stage its own dances at Balmain Town Hall. ''Spring Cleaning'', followed later by ''Quietly On The Run'', drew full houses and gave the band an opportunity to create events very much in its own image. And Uncle Bob’s Band was rarely content simply to play a gig. The group’s theatrical streak came to the fore in two Adventures in Paradise shows, the first at Dural, organised by the band itself, and a second at Paddington Town Hall, organised by a friend. Costumes and alter egos were all part of the entertainment, with UBB reinventing itself through a collection of wonderfully improbable personas: ‘The Ordinaires’, ‘Flip Dunbar and The Inflatable Thongs’, and ‘Don’ Mentionit and The Four Gettables (plus one)’.

Bob McGowan even appeared as the nude guitarist, anticipating Flea’s rather more famous adoption of the idea by many years. In 1975, former Skyhooks frontman Steve Hill took over the band’s management. He encouraged UBB to relocate to Melbourne, where the band had been offered the prospect of a recording contract with a fledgling company established by a radio station. Unfortunately, the opportunity disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. When the band being promoted ahead of UBB failed to achieve the hoped-for radio airplay success, the company folded and the proposed recording deal came to nothing. UBB nevertheless made it into the studio.

Dave Flett, bass player with Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band and a recording studio designer and builder, recorded the group in one of his newly completed studios. One of the resulting tracks, ''Mr Domestic'', was subsequently selected by Ross Wilson for inclusion on a Melbourne compilation album. The remaining tapes were eventually erased. A further recording session took place at the ABC’s city studios, produced by Sue Mathews. This session captured material that had not been recorded by Flett.

With Melbourne now their home base, Uncle Bob’s Band set about building a new following. But the interstate move had not been easy for every member, and after six months the band decided to call it a day. Their final performance took place before a packed house at Melbourne’s London Tavern, an appropriate place to finish. It was the venue where UBB had transformed previously empty Thursday nights into weekly full-house dance parties. The band may have ended, but its members continued making music.

Tony Burkys went on to join Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band. Warwick Kennington played with the Fabulous Nudes in Melbourne before joining the Zarsoff Brothers and later The Eddys in Sydney. John Taylor went on to become a founding member of Little Heroes. Uncle Bob’s Band lasted only a short time, but packed a remarkable amount into those years: Sydney’s inner-city gigs, live radio, packed town hall dances, theatrical alter egos, recording sessions, an interstate relocation and, finally, those crowded Thursday nights at the London Tavern. For a band that was only around from 1974 to 1976, Uncle Bob’s Band left behind a story considerably bigger than its lifespan.

In 2004, after a spontaneous holiday family ‘reunion’ the year before, the band re-emerged with the album 'Unfinished Business', and dedicated it to their original sax player, Keith Shadwick, who died in the same year. The original lineup’s final performance was at the Merton Hotel (Sydney) in 2016, while a second album, 'Now And Then', was recorded in 2018 and marked the passing of ‘Uncle’ Bob McGowan. In 2022 Ian Shadwick restored his brother Keith’s tapes of the 1976 sessions; and 'Django Rock' was released as a 2 x CD on the ETT Imprint Pty Ltd label. The album was mastered by Dave Marett … who (coincidentally) produced and engineered the 1982 ‘One Perfect Day’ sessions for Little Heroes, Taylor’s then band.

Members

Tony Burkys (guitar, vocals), Bob McGowan (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Terry Darmody (vocals, harmonica), Warwick Kennington (drums, vocals), Keith Shadwick (sax, flute, vocals), John CJ Taylor (bass, vocals), Mark (Basil) Butler & John ‘Doc’ Dease (lyrics).

ALBUMS
'Unfinished Business' 2008
'Now And Then' 2018
'Django Rock 1976' 2022 ETT

References 

John Taylor