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Kevin King is another of my all time favorite people,
not only as an artist but as a friend.
It's been a long time since I have seen Kevin & his good wife Pat but when I have spoken to them
on the phone they have always been the same, they always have time for a chat about the early days,
something I never tire of doing.
Kevin arrived in this world on the 19th December 1931. Born at his parents home in Roseville
Sydney the youngest of three sons. As a nine year old in 1941 he was smitton with country music
after hearing Tex Morton singing Rocky Ned on the radio. There after began a life time of
dedication to become a Country Music Star. At 18 years of age, self taught guitarist Kevin
entered various talent quests winning for himself, a guitar as first prize on radio station 2CH
Sydney.
In 1951 Kevin teamed up with guitar picker Pat Ware, playing many pubs, clubs and
charity shows and radio programs. At 21 Kevin was called to EMI studios and recorded several
sides on the Regal Zonophone label in 1952. One of the songs was the now famous
"Rub-A-Dub-Dub" backed by "With This Ring I Thee Wed".
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This recording session was
the beginning of Kevin's career and he subsequently recorded 28 sides over the years on the
Columbia and Regal Zonophone labels.
In 1956 Kevin organised the "All Star Western Show" comprising of the following atrists,
Nev Nicholls,||
Chad Morgan,||
Rick & Thel
and fiddler Peter Mollerson. This show toured Australia for 15 months and played to big
audiences in Town & Country. Kevin then spent 2 years travelling with "The Reg Lindsay Show"
Australia wide.
Kevin settled in Sydney after these tours and was resident singer with his band at the Texas
Tavern, Kings Cross, entertaining American Servicemen on R&R leave from Vietnam. He then moved
to the Crystal Palace Hotel Railway Square Sydney where he stayed for 5 years, from there he
moved to the Regent Street Transport Club where he stayed for a further 5 years. This eleven
years was the boom time for Country Music Artists, to name a few who appeared with him were:
Cowboy Bob Purtell,||
Jan Kelly, Phil & Tommy Emmanual, Ken Kitcking, Warren
Neilsen, also guitarist Dave Longmore, Johnny Walker, Alan Caswell, Lee Britton
also Harmonica Player Mort Fist and Drummer Doug Castle and Bass man Terry Smith
and many more.
During the early 70's Kevin was thrilled to be asked by Slim Dusty to join him and his
family, Michael Cook and Barry Thornton to travel with them to New Guinea to appear
on his show. Also in the 70's Kevin recorded some sides with the Festival Label.
The 70's also saw Kevin as studio musician for many of Australia's top Country Music Artists such
as:
Tex Morton, Johnny Ashcroft, Slim Dusty, Lionel Long, Buddy Williams, Gordon Parsons and
Smoky Dawson.
These sessions required Kevin to play rhythm and acoustic guitar, harmonica and dobro steel
guitar. During this era Kevin also resumed his personal recording career with Columbia and cut
two E.P Records which were mainly cover versions of American Songs.
After leaving the Transport Club Kevin worked solo for several years doing club work in the Sydney
area.
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| In 1987 it was time for Kevin to leave Sydney and retire to the Queensland Sunshine Coast, with
wife Patricia, daughters Sharon and Vickie, their husbands and his 5 grandchildren.
Highlight of Kevin's career have been:-
a)The 2 years of touring with the Reg Lindsay Show
b)Meeting and becoming mates with Tex Morton
c)The signing of his first contract
d)Touring New Guinea with The Slim Dusty Show
e)Visiting Nashville and meeting Hank Williams band, Ernest Tubb, guitarist "Billy Bird",
Mack Wiseman, Roger Miller, Mary Reeves (wife of the late Jim Reeves), Bill Munro's Band and
many others.
Kevin's hand print can be found in the "Hands of Fame" at Tamworth.
Kevin looks back in fondness to his many productive years in the Country Music Industry, of
the vast country side he has travelled and the many geniune life long friends made along that
very long road and will be eternally grateful to have been given that opportunity.
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The following newspaper story tells of the great fun and entertainment the fans had
when visiting the Crystal Palace for a "Kevin King's Country Sounds Show".
It's a story from the Daily Telegraph dated 3rd October 1987.
Longmore: King of
the Crystal Palace
By Doctor Dease
A REFERENCE to Australian
guitar legend Dave Longmore in
last week's About Town report on
Doris Dazed certainly brought a
few old stagers of the country
scene out of the woodwork.
Veteran country connoisseurs,
including Dave Longmores
widow Terry and Doug De Kroo,
mingled with post-Grand Final
revellers at the Hopetoun Hotel
to check out this super-hot
all-woman band, and particularly
the lead guitarist Donna Day.
Terry Longmore had apparently been
shocked to read that, horror of
horrors, a woman was being compared
with with her late husband.
But on the night she did concede that
times had changed and, yes, Donna was
one mighty picker. But, she added
diplomatically, she's working in a
pretty smart band.
Comparisons aside, the night evoked
many memories of Dave Longmore, a
colossus among rock and country guitarists
who played with just about
everybody (from Johnny O'Keefe to
Ray Hoff) and who, for many years, was
a session musician at Festival Studios.
One of my favorite Longmore yarns is
told by Mort Fist (a cohort of Dave's in the
Masked Cocky Stranglers).
It goes back to the early 70's when the
Crystal Palace at Railway Square was
the undisputed headquarters of the
Sydney country music scene.
Fans and aspiring pickers would flock
there on Saturday afternoons to catch
"Kevin Kings Country Sounds" featuring
Dave Longmore, the peerless pedal steel
picker Kenny Kitching and Jan Kelly
(still Australia's best country singer).
Guest pickers would come along and
attempt to match licks with Longmore
and Kitching.
It was all played in a spirit of camaraderie
but sometimes the competition
was fierce, with the best pickers in the
country all trying to outdo each other.
| Guitar giants'
Showdown had
Heaps of bite!
On this particular day, the guest picker
was the great Maori guitarist Johnny J.
Walker ( whose son Darryl, incidentally,
is now with the Flying Emus).
All afternoon the solos had become
more intense as the competition hotted
up and it became obvious that the
encore, Guitar Boogie, was to be one massive showdown.
Kenny Kitching opened the batting
with one of those exquisite breaks that
he makes look so easy; he'd cunningly
selected a key which would make picking
difficult for the following guitarists
and the tension mounted...
Johnny J was next. A big man, he
played guitar seated on a bar stool with
his left hand over the top of the fretboard
in the Thumbs Carlisle style.
He peeled off a lightning solo and just
as the crowd was casping a collective
"Strewth!" he picked up his instrument
and ripped into a refrain by picking
with his teeth, a stunt that usually only
a Jimmy Hendrix could put over.
The Palace erupted and Johnny J.
grinned at Longmore with a look that said "Top that if you can".
Longmore, never one to be fased,
launched into a solo and, just short of
the crescendo, calmly pulled out his denture plate,
proceeded to use said plate as a plectrum
and, naturally, produced the solo of the day.
Kitching and Walker fell off their
stools laughing and the jury, a packed
barful of well-inked country music lovers,
duly awarded the "contest" to Longmore,
hands down.
Sadly, Dave Longmore died in late '86,
but as long as there are good musicians
around who enjoy a post-gig libation,
the Longmore legend will be told for
many years to come.
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| --------------------Copyright © 2000-2001 Noel Clarke. All TradeMarks belong to their Owners.
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