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The Masters Apprentices

The Masters Apprentices (or The Masters to fans) are an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals, which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria, in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970 before disbanding in 1972.[1][2] Their popular Australian singles are "Undecided", "Living in a Child's Dream", "5:10 Man", "Think About Tomorrow Today", "Turn Up Your Radio" and "Because I Love You".[2][3] The band launched the career of bass guitarist Glenn Wheatley,[3] who later became a music industry entrepreneur and an artist talent manager for both Little River Band and John Farnham.[2]

The Masters Apprentices
OriginAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
GenresPop rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock
Years active1964–1972, 1987–1991, 1994–1995, 1997, 2001–2002, 2014–present
LabelsAstor, Columbia, EMI, Raven, Virgin
Members
  • Mick Bower
  • Brian Vaughton
  • Gavin Webb
  • Rick Harrison
  • Craig Holden
  • Bill Harrod
Past members
Websitethemastersapprentices.com//

The band reformed periodically, including in 1987–1988 and again subsequently; they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998.[4][5] Both Keays, with His Master's Voice and Wheatley, with Paper Paradise, wrote memoirs in 1999 which included their experiences with the band.[1][2] Onetime guitarist Peter Tilbrook also released the biography A Masters Apprentice, Living In The Sixties in 2015.[6] Keays died from pneumonia related to his multiple myeloma on 13 June 2014.[7] Wheatley died from complications of COVID-19 on 1 February 2022.[8] As from 2020 original members Mick Bower, Brian Vaughton, Gavin Webb and Rick Harrison performed as the Masters Apprentics with Bill Harrod on bass guitar and Craig Holden on lead vocals.[9]

History Edit

1964–1965: Formation and the Mustangs Edit

The Mustangs were a surf music instrumental/dance band formed in Adelaide in 1964 with Mick Bower on rhythm guitar, Rick Morrison on lead guitar, Brian Vaughton on drums and Gavin Webb on bass guitar.[1][2][10] Initially they played covers of the Shadows and the Ventures songs.[1][2] The band's output was profoundly influenced by the Australian tour of the Beatles in June 1964, which had a particular impact in Adelaide due to recent migrants from the United Kingdom.[2] When the Beatles arrived in Adelaide they were greeted by the largest crowd ever seen in their touring career—estimates as high as 300,000 while Adelaide's population being about 668,000 nearly half of the city had turned out to greet them (see The Beatles' influence on popular culture).[2] Following the Beatles' chart breakthrough and tour, the Mustangs changed style and took on a lead singer, Scottish immigrant, Jim Keays.[1][2] The Mustangs rehearsed regularly in a shed behind a hotel owned by Vaughton's family.[2] Their original manager, Graham Longley, made a tape recording of a rehearsal;[2] it was rediscovered and released on CD in 2004 as Mustangs to Masters ... First Year Apprentices.[2] After Keays joined on lead vocals, the band produced more original songs in the beat style.[1]

The Mustangs established themselves on the thriving Adelaide dance circuit by playing in suburban halls and migrant hostels.[2] They built a following with local teenagers, including migrants from the UK, which were an early influence on the band as they were directly in touch with current mod fashions, not as widely known in Australia.[2]

1965–1967: Adelaide years Edit

In late 1965, the Mustangs renamed themselves as "The Masters Apprentices" (deliberately omitting the apostrophe). Bower supplied the name because "we are apprentices to the masters of the bluesChuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James and Robert Johnson".[11] By early 1966 they were one of the most popular beat bands in Adelaide, regularly selling out concerts in the city, as well as making visits to outlying towns of Murray Bridge, Mount Gambier and Whyalla.[2] Their first TV appearance, on Good Friday, was on a Channel 7 telethon hosted by Adelaide TV celebrity Ernie Sigley.[2] They entered the South Australian heat of Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds and finished third behind the Twilights (eventual national winners).[1]

Later in 1966, the Masters Apprentices shared a gig with pop star Bobby Bright of Melbourne duo Bobby & Laurie, who was impressed and recommended them to his label, Astor Records. A few weeks later, they were contacted by Astor, which requested a four-track demo.[12][13] The band went to a local two-track studio to record it, but realised that they had only three suitable songs to record.[12] Needing a fourth track, guitarists Bower and Morrison wrote a new song, "Undecided",[12][14] in about 15 minutes;[12] the backing track was cut in about the same time.[12][13] The title came from the fact that they were undecided about a name for the song when quizzed by the studio owner, Max Pepper.[12] The biting fuzz-tone of Bower's guitar on the track was a fortunate accident; it was caused by a malfunctioning valve in his amplifier, but the group liked the sound and kept the faulty valve in until after the session.[13]

In August 1966, the band made their first visit to Melbourne. They made a strong impression with showcase performances at the city's leading discotheques. Their debut single, "Undecided" / "Wars or Hands of Time", was released in October and gradually climbed the Adelaide charts thanks to strong support from local DJs.

"Wars or Hands of Time", written by Bower,[15] is the first Australian pop song to directly address the issue of the Vietnam War,[16] which was now affecting the lives of many young Australians because of the controversial introduction of conscription in 1965. 20-year-old Keays was one of hundreds of potential conscripts whose birthday (9 September) was picked in a 1966 ballot. He was able to legally avoid the draft by signing with the Citizens Military Force (CMF, later renamed the Army Reserve) and eluded a "short back and sides" haircut with the aid of his girlfriend, who pinned his long hair up under his slouch hat whenever he attended CMF sessions.

During their second trip to Melbourne in late 1966, local radio DJ, Stan Rofe, had picked up "Undecided" and was playing it regularly, their raw sound and wild stage act led him to state:

The Masters are to Australia what the Rolling Stones are to England, and The Doors are to America

— Stan Rofe, quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia.[17]

Rofe, also a columnist with pop magazine, Go-Set, championed many Australian acts during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The band promoted "Undecided" on Melbourne TV series, Kommotion, where members met Ian Meldrum who mimed to "Winchester Cathedral", Meldrum was also a staff writer for Go-Set and was later a record producer, host of the influential TV pop show Countdown and a music commentator.[17]

Returning to Adelaide, the band recorded more original songs, including Bower's "Buried and Dead",[18] which became their second single, plus other tracks which were later on their debut LP album. The success of the second trip made it obvious that they should turn professional and relocate to Melbourne. This led to the departure of original manager Longley and drummer Vaughton, both deciding to remain in Adelaide.[2]

1967: Melbourne and debut album Edit

The Masters Apprentices relocated to Melbourne in February 1967. Vaughton, who remained in Adelaide, was replaced on drums by Steve Hopgood.[1] "Undecided" raced up the Melbourne charts to peak at No. 9 locally.[19] Go-Set had published national singles charts since October 1966 and "Undecided" peaked at No. 13 in April.[20] The group became established as one of Melbourne's top attractions, performing regularly at discos like Catcher, Sebastians, the Thumpin' Tum and the Biting Eye and at a multitude of suburban dances. Despite such popularity, they led a hand-to-mouth existence for the first year or so in Melbourne, often relying on the hospitality of fans and friends.

In May 1967 "Buried and Dead" was released as their second single, and the band made a promotional film clip for TV (at their own expense), which is believed to be one of the first pop music videos made in Australia.[21] They also undertook their first trip to Sydney, where they made a live appearance on the TCN-9 pop show Saturday Date, where they were chased by fans on their way to the studio and had their clothes partly ripped before appearing.

In June 1967, Astor released the group's self-titled debut LP, The Masters Apprentices (also styled as The Master's Apprentices), featuring earlier singles, several originals written by Bower, a cover of Bo Diddley's "Dancing Girl" and the Beatles' "I Feel Fine".[2]

By 1967 the group assimilated influences from the burgeoning psychedelic scene; Keays maintains that it wasn't until some time after that they began to experiment with the drug LSD.[22] Nevertheless, their next single, Bower's "Living in a Child's Dream",[23] is regarded as an early example of Australian psychedelic rock and one of their greatest pop songs.[1][2] It was recorded at the newly opened Armstrong's Studios in South Melbourne and like all their Astor cuts it was nominally produced by staff producer Dick Heming. According to Keays, Heming's input was limited and most of the production was by engineer Roger Savage with considerable input from Ian Meldrum.[24] Released in August 1967, at the peak of the Summer of Love, it reached Top Ten in most Australian capitals and peaked at No. 9 on Go-Set's Top 40.[25] Both "Living in a Child's Dream" and "Undecided" ranked in the Top 5 Australian singles of 1967, and "Living in a Child's Dream" was voted Australian Song of the Year by Go-Set readers.[1]

The success of the new single elevated the band as teen idols, but as pressures mounted lead guitarist Rick Morrison was forced to quit after passing out on stage during a concert in June 1967, suffering a collapsed lung.[2] He was ordered to give up performing and was replaced by Tony Summers (ex-Johnny Young's Kompany).[2] Meanwhile concerts and tours continued, with the group playing up to fifteen shows per week.[2] A tour of New South Wales in July included some of the last pop shows staged at the Sydney Stadium on 30 July, and at Sydney Trocadero ballroom (both later demolished).[2] Also in July, they made it to the national finals of Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, representing South Australia, finishing second to Melbourne's The Groop.[2]

In September 1967, while touring Tasmania, the shy and sensitive Bower was found in his room in extreme distress, the promoter insisting they had to perform; faced with the prospect of going unpaid and being stranded in Hobart, they complied.[2] Bower was dressed, taken to the concert and pushed on stage with his guitar around his neck; he stood motionless through the gig, arms hanging limp, and was hospitalised immediately after, suffering a severe nervous breakdown, and was ordered to give up performing.[2] He was sent home to Adelaide to recuperate, and only returned to live performance in the late 1970s.[2]

The loss of Bower was a blow for the band. Bower was central to their success, having written (or co-written) all their singles and all original tracks on their debut album. His forced departure left the group floundering, and they continued with de facto leadership passing to Keays. At the end of September, Keays and Webb chose Bower's replacement, guitarist Rick Harrison (ex-The Others) from Adelaide.[2]

On 14 October 1967, the band played a free concert in Sydney's Hyde Park, as part of the Waratah Spring Festival. An estimated 50,000 fans packed into the park, but after only a few songs the concert degenerated into a riot. When the crowd surge threatened to crush audience members and topple the makeshift stage, police were forced to close the concert. Escaping band members were pursued by fans towards Kings Cross.[2] That same evening, still dazed by the afternoon's events, they headlined the Living in a Child's Dream Ball, organised by University of NSW students. Keays later described the event:

The ball itself was a psychedelic experience of the highest order. Because of its theme, everyone was dressed as a schoolgirl or boy, some licking lollipops and others playing with yo-yos. There were people frolicking in huge cages filled with Minties and Jaffas and everyone seemed suitably spaced. The band was taken backstage, whereupon we climbed into a giant die which had been specially constructed. The die was then wheeled out on a cue from the stage manager and pushed through the audience up to the stage. At this point the lid of the die flew open and up we popped. Someone from the university then presented me with the key, to thunderous applause by the vast crowd, and we jumped out, slung on our guitars and blasted into the most acid-inspired sounds we could muster. The audience went out of their minds – probably because most of them already were – and pandemonium broke out when we ended the set with "Living in a Child's Dream". The psychedelic light show was as magnificent as had been seen anywhere in the country, with 'trippy' oil lights, the first mirror balls I'd ever seen, smoke machines and the full range of state-of-the-art psychedelia.[26]

— Jim Keays, 1999, His Master's Voice

Newest member, Harrison quit immediately after these concerts and upon returning to Melbourne they recruited another lead guitarist, Peter Tilbrook from Adelaide band, The Bentbeaks. That band had released a single "Caught Red Handed", which had been banned by Melbourne radio in March for alleged obscenity. Not long after, Keays tried LSD for the first time.[2][22] With Astor pressing for a new single, the band turned to their friend Brian Cadd of The Groop, who had already written a number of songs for his own band and for other artists, including Johnny Farnham. Cadd presented them with "Silver People", co-written with The Groop's Max Ross,[27] which was re-titled as "Elevator Driver" and released in February 1968 as their fourth single.

As 1967 ended the band's career reached a critical juncture. They still had no songwriter, and both drummer Steve Hopgood and lead guitarist Tony Sommers were becoming disenchanted with the band's erratic fortunes. Keays decided to replace them and also their second manager, Tony Dickstein. In Sydney, Keays met two brothers, bass guitarist and singer Denny Burgess (ex-The Throb), and drummer Colin Burgess, both had played in a support band, The Haze, at a gig in suburban Ashfield. Keays was impressed and considered them for possible new members.[2]

1968: Classic line-up forms Edit

In January 1968, Keays reorganised the band with Summers and Hopgood departing, and Colin Burgess being flown to Melbourne as the new drummer. Keays then approached Doug Ford, an innovative electric guitarist from the second line-up of Sydney garage rock band The Missing Links and its offshoot Running Jumping Standing Still.[2] The new recruits revitalised the band's career. Ford was a strong songwriter, a good singer and an accomplished electric guitarist who brought a new depth to the band's sound. He and Keays began working as a writing team. Ford's arrival filled the gap left by Bowers' departure and made possible their transition from pop band to rock group. "Elevator Driver"—written for them by Brian Cadd of The Groop—was released in February, accompanied by another film clip and a full-colour promotional poster. The band had to pay for these as Astor Records refused to pay for 'extravagant' promotional items. "Elevator Driver" provided them with a Top 30 hit, and kept the momentum going as they rebuilt the band. In March 1968, Webb married Suzette Belle, President of the Beatles Australian Fan Club.[28]

In April 1968, bassist Gavin Webb—last of original line-up of The Mustangs—was forced to quit, suffering from stomach ulcers. Keays first choice for bass guitar was Beeb Birtles of Adelaide band Zoot and later of Little River Band but Birtles declined. On the flight home, Keays found himself seated next to artist manager Darryl Sambell, who was then enjoying the success of his protégé Johnny Farnham with his No. 1 hit single, "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)". Keays and the flamboyant Sambell hit it off, and Sambell took over the band's management, which was a mixed blessing: he was a master networker and had a flair for getting publicity; he was also a partner in the newly formed AMBO booking agency, which proved helpful for concert bookings; but in the long run Sambell was more interested in Farnham's career and the day-to-day management duties gradually fell to band members. Sambell's pop tastes were also at odds with the developing progressive direction of the band's music.

Glenn Wheatley (from Brisbane's blues group Bay City Union) joined on guitar just after Webb had left and Tilbrook switched to bass guitar. Upon Sambell's advice, they decided not to renew their contract with Astor and negotiated a new contract with EMI. Their next single, "Brigette"—released in June 1968 was their last recording for Astor—marked the debut of the Ford/Keays writing partnership. It was inspired by Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" and bears a resemblance to some of The Move's earlier singles.[29] The quasi-baroque arrangement included a string section scored by The Strangers' John Farrar, and also took them into the Top 40.

In 1968, they topped the annual Go-Set Pop Poll as 'Most Original Group', and they came second to The Twilights as 'Most Popular Australian Group'. They entered the South Australian heats of the 1968 Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, beating local rivals Zoot in a tense contest. They were runners-up in the national final, held in Melbourne in July, with The Groove winning and Doug Parkinson in Focus coming third. After the Hoadleys final, the manager of co-sponsor Sitmar cruise line, who had voted for them, offered the band a working trip to UK, with free passage in exchange for performances.

Keays was interviewed by Go-Set staff reporter, Lily Brett and the 'expose' was printed on 17 July 1968, headlined "Sex is thrust upon us",[30] the article and its follow-up, "Whose breasts are best?",[30] revealed aspects of the bacchanalian groupie scene:

many girls are potential band molls [...] About 20 girls a day come to our house. On Sunday, it averages 50. I'll give you a typical example of what happens. Last week a girl walked in and said, 'Right, boys who's going to make love to me first?' She used a rather more obscene expression than 'make love' [...] And only recently we were in a Victorian country town when five girls aged between 15 and 18 somehow got into our hotel room. They didn't say a word. They took their clothes off and said: 'Will you judge and see which one of us has got the best breasts?'

— Jim Keays, July 1968, Go-Set interviews by Lily Brett, quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia[17][30]

The 'bad-boy' publicity also frustrated Sambell's plans to market them as a wholesome teen combo. Keays stated that there was a backlash from the interview, the roadway outside Keays' flat in East St Kilda was daubed with the slogan "Band Moll's Paradise" in 3-foot-high (0.91 m) letters,[17][31] threats of physical beatings from male audience members and the press claiming they were "sex maniacs".[17]

Live performances continued and in the second half of 1968 they went back into Armstrong's Studios to record their first single for EMI, although this was not released until early 1969. Meanwhile, Astor released "But One Day", an old track from their debut LP, as a single in August 1968, but the band urged fans not to buy it and it failed to chart. The band played hundreds of concerts during the year, touring around country Australia, visiting interstate capitals and dashing between dance venues around greater Melbourne. By this stage, Wheatley had taken on much of their day-to-day management. Their schedule was punishing—typically they would play three shows a night on Fridays and Saturdays at an average of about 45 minutes per gig, and often went to the Channel 0 TV studios on Saturday mornings for appearances on the leading pop show of the day, Uptight!.

In December 1968, Tilbrook left the band, so Wheatley moved to bass guitar. Soon after, Wheatley found a message from the cruise line Sitmar and returned the call, only to be roundly abused by Sitmar's furious entertainment manager; he then discovered that Sitmar had offered the band work on a London-bound cruise liner, which had left the previous week, while the band had been in Brisbane. Unable to locate them, the liner had been delayed for an entire day while Sitmar found a group to replace them. The band confronted Sambell, who denied any knowledge, but a further check with Sitmar confirmed that the deal had been arranged, but that Sambell had been caught up with Farnham's affairs and had forgotten to tell them about it.

By the end of the year, finances and morale were low; despite constant performing, they were heavily in debt, and tensions within the group were nearing breaking point. By the end of the year, friction between the group and Sambell had become intolerable. Their final show of the year was on New Year's Eve, and between sets the band members talked through their problems, patched up their differences, and agreed that Sambell had to go. Wheatley offered to take on their day-to-day bookings and promotion work, leaving Ford and Keays free to concentrate on writing.

1969: From pop to rock Edit

1969 began with The Masters Apprentices settling their new line-up and the Ford/Keays writing team hitting its stride, the band now moved to its best-remembered and most successful phase.[2] The long-awaited first EMI single was moderately successful, and even though it was something of a false start artistically, "Linda Linda" / "Merry-Go-Round", released in March 1969 marked the beginning of a short but successful collaboration with New Zealand-born producer Howard Gable. The bubblegum pop A-side, "Linda Linda" fell into the same faux-music hall category as UK songs like "Winchester Cathedral" but the rocky B-side showed hints of how the group was developing. The single gained radio airplay and helped to revive their waning popularity.

The band continued to tour across the country which helped weld them into a close-knit unit. Meanwhile articles, profiles, pinups and TV appearances proliferated; indeed they were overexposed, Keays claims, so they began to turn down TV appearances for fear of becoming too familiar. When they played at the annual Moomba concert in March at the Myer Music Bowl, they drew a crowd of just under 200,000 people, second only to The Seekers' record-breaking appearance there two years earlier. Their next single, the rocky "5:10 Man", released in July 1969, which peaked at No. 16 on the Go-Set Singles Chart[32] and initiated a string of Top 20 hits. It was a deliberate move towards a heavier sound, as the band were keen to move away from the current bubblegum craze that their manager and producer wanted.

Also in July, with "5:10 Man" climbing the charts, they had their next attempt at the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, and once again they were runners-up—although this time they ran such a close second to Doug Parkinson in Focus that they were also offered the same prize, a trip to UK with the Sitmar line. According to Keays, his band won on points but the judges felt their 'bad boy' image did not make them suitable for first.[2]

In August 1969, the band headed off on the Operation Starlift Tour, an all-Australian concert series, which featured: The Masters Apprentices, Johnny Farnham, Ronnie Burns, Russell Morris, Johnny Young, Zoot, and The Valentines. Although the tour was apparently a financial disaster, it was a promotional success for the band. The Brisbane Festival Hall concert was a highpoint of the tour and they drew a record crowd there, breaking The Beatles' 1964 attendance record. Wheatley was dragged offstage by the audience and had his pants and coat literally torn to shreds, with the result that one of the police on hand threatened to arrest him for indecent exposure if they did not finish playing immediately.

After the Brisbane show, Wheatley calculated that the crowd had paid $5 per ticket—so box-office gross must have been at least $30,000–$35,000—yet his band, like all other acts, were on a fixed fee. They received $200 for the concert, and the top-billed act, Farnham, was paid about $1,000. Wheatley realised that the promoters had pocketed the lion's share of the takings. As a result, the group decided to manage and book themselves and over the closing months of 1969 Wheatley became more involved in choosing venues, booking shows and promoting the group with care to avoid over-exposure, cutting down on appearances and increasing their fee. They closed the year with the bluesy single "Think About Tomorrow Today", which provided another Top 20 hit nationally and went to No. 11 in Melbourne.[19] It was later used by the Bank of New South Wales in its youth-oriented TV ads.

About this time the band switched to wearing leather stage outfits. This fitted their 'bad-boy' image and had a more practical outcome—it was routine for the band to have their clothes and hair literally torn off by frantic fans, and the cost of buying expensive stage clothes which were being shredded nightly was sending them broke. But the leather gear—which resisted even the most ardent fans—provided them with their longest-wearing outfits in years, and Keays maintains it saved them thousands of dollars.[33]

1970: Masterpiece and United Kingdom first year Edit

Early in 1970, the band officially parted with Sambell and set up their own booking agency, Drum. Based in a terrace house office in Drummond St Carlton, Drum began by handling the band's own management but within a few months it was also booking and promoting gigs for The Sect, Ash, Lovers Dream, Big Daddies, Thursday's Children, Looking Glass, Daisy Clover, Nova Express, Company Caine, Plastic Tears, Little Stevie, Tamam Shud, Jeff St John, The Flying Circus and fourteen other acts, as well as promoting tours by overseas acts The Four Tops and Paul Jones (ex-Manfred Mann).

The Masters Apprentices had been stockpiling tracks since they signed with EMI, in February their long delayed second LP Masterpiece was released. Although something of a hodgepodge—as Keays freely admits—it showed the band developing a much broader range.[34] It included the singles "Linda Linda" and "5:10 Man" and album tracks, "A Dog, a Siren & Memories", and "How I Love You", although it omitted the song "Merry-Go-Round". By then they were coming to grips with the album format and emulated the current fad for concept albums by linking the songs with a short guitar-and-string arrangement, crossfaded between tracks. The title track, a live recording, provides a vivid aural snapshot of their live show during 1968, complete with the deafening screams of fans. The album also includes their own version of "St John's Wood", a track Ford and Keays wrote[35] for Brisbane band The Sect, who had released it as a single on Columbia during the year.

In April 1970, EMI released, "Turn Up Your Radio", produced by Gable, and engineered by John Sayers. It was recorded at a late-night session and Keays later recounted that he was so drunk when he recorded his vocals that he had to be held up to the microphone.[36] The song was deliberately designed to be loud and offensive, and was intended as the final nail in the coffin to their ill-conceived teenybopper image. It was released just before the start of the 1970 radio ban—a major dispute between commercial radio stations and record companies—which resulted in the banning of many major-label releases. Despite little commercial radio airplay, the song raced up the charts and peaked at No. 7 nationally.[37]

Since receiving their prize in the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds in mid-1969, The Masters Apprentices were set on breaking into the UK market. They worked to save money for the effort with a national farewell tour in April–May. On 25 May 1970, they boarded the Fairsky for UK, their agency business was left in the hands of Adrian Barker.[38] They were given a send-off by a crowd of fans and friends including Rofe, Sambell, Meldrum, Ross D. Wyllie, Johnny Young and Ronnie Burns. The six-week ocean voyage provided a break after years of constant gigging. Without the pressure and distraction of touring, they wrote and rehearsed new material. Arriving in English in July, the band entered a productive period, where they continued to write and rehearse, and made contact with other Aussie expatriates. Freed from constant performing, they immersed themselves in the cultural life of London, going on shopping sprees for clothes in Kings Road, Chelsea, ploughing through scores of new records and doing the rounds of clubs and concerts, seeing the best music on offer. Wheatley continued work on a manuscript he had begun on the ocean voyage, "Who the Hell is Judy in Sydney?", which recounted his experiences with the group. His memoirs were too hot for publishers at the time and were not printed until decades later when they became the basis for his autobiography Paper Paradise.

Wheatley contacted EMI in London and met with Trudy Green, secretary to staff producer Jeff Jarratt. She liked the Australian band and got Jarratt interested, he agreed to produce them. EMI Australia agreed to pay for the album's recording, with EMI UK providing the artwork; the group were thrilled to record at the legendary Abbey Road Studios with Jarratt and engineer Peter Brown.

Just before the start of recording, Keays made a trip to mainland Europe, and was in Copenhagen when he heard of the death of Jimi Hendrix, one of his idols. Back in London, Ford and Keays penned "Song for a Lost Gypsy",[39] which they added to their songlist. The band entered the studio in September to record Choice Cuts. The staff and facilities were superior to those in Australia, which allowed a greater range of expression. The songs they brought to the sessions—many written during the voyage—were original and distinctive, distilling their recent musical influences. This included the heavier sounds of Hendrix, King Crimson and Free, as well as the acoustic styles of Donovan, the Small Faces and Van Morrison. They brought in outside musicians to augment some tracks, and made use of Paul McCartney's white grand piano on a few cuts, including "Because I Love You". Towards the end of recording, they found themselves one song short of the optimum LP length, so at Jarratt's suggestion they wrote a new song, built up from a Latin-flavoured instrumental shuffle that Ford had been playing with. Keays wrote lyrics for the piece overnight, they cut it the next day and it became the album's opening track "Rio de Camero".

The entire LP was recorded, mixed and mastered within a month. The choice of the first single was, "Because I Love You", a song of love, separation and independence, and became a popular and enduring recording.[2] To promote it, they used Australian film-maker Timothy Fisher to make a music video. The simple but effective clip was filmed on a chilly autumn morning on Hampstead Heath. Black-and-white prints were shown many times on Australian TV, where colour was not introduced until 1975, but it was shot in colour, as were several other clips for tracks from the LP.

The album's cover depicts an elegant, overstuffed chair in a panelled room, with a mysterious disembodied hand holding a cigarette floating above it. It was from the English design group Hipgnosis, who were responsible for covers by Pink Floyd, 10cc and Led Zeppelin. Despite the prospects for their new LP, the band were caught by surprise after its completion when Wheatley revealed they were almost broke. They were determined to stay in London but desperately needed funds. A phone call to EMI Australia for financial assistance proved futile, so they planned an Australian tour. Wheatley headed home to organise it and secured a local soft drink company as a sponsor. The band returned to Australia at the end of December, just as "Because I Love You" was released. It was their fourth consecutive Top 20 hit, reaching No. 12 nationally,[40] and became one of the key songs of the new era of Australian rock.[2]

1971: Choice Cuts, Australian tour and Nickelodeon Edit

The Masters Apprentices began their national tour in Perth in January 1971. Howard Gable joined them with portable four-track equipment and recorded their first show at the Nickelodeon Theatre. The band was tired and under-rehearsed, and were not satisfied with the results, these recordings became the live LP Nickelodeon, believed to be the second live rock album recorded in Australia.[2] Two of its tracks were released as singles in June 1971.

In their absence the band had been voted top group in the 1970 Go-Set Pop Poll, and both their 1970 singles had been hits. Nevertheless, the band and the music scene had changed by 1971, at first they struggled to regain their previous popularity. A breakthrough gig at Chequers in Sydney allowed the tour to gain momentum, helped by a lengthy profile in the magazine POL, written by freelance journalist Howard Lindley.[41] Lindley became an ardent supporter and started work on a film about the band: he shot several performances in the weeks before they returned to UK, but the project foundered when Lindley committed suicide, only fragments of his material survived.[2][41]

While touring Australia in February 1971, the group released "I'm Your Satisfier". In April 1971, Choice Cuts was released in Australia to widespread acclaim, reaching #11 on the Go-Set Top 20 Album Charts.[42] They made numerous TV appearances, including a three-song live set for the ABC's GTK which included a live-in-the-studio performance of "Future of Our Nation". In Melbourne they played a concert at the Town Hall, supported by Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs. Choice Cuts was released in the UK it was well received by critics. In May 1971, John Halsall called from London to inform them that Choice Cuts was receiving glowing notices in the English music press, including a rave review in Melody Maker. He told them it was selling well in UK and starting to make an impression in Europe—the track "I'm Your Satisfier" had been released in France and had gone into the Top 10 there. Halsall urged them to return to London as soon as possible and that they would be able to record a new album there, so they organised their return and EMI agreed to finance another LP when they got to London.

By the time they arrived in the UK, almost three months had passed since Halsall's phone call and interest was waning. At this point a new UK label Bronze—who had just signed Slade and Uriah Heep—made an approach to the band. Although the group was hesitant, being still signed to EMI, they decided to use the offer as leverage in hopes of getting a better deal out of EMI. Wheatley delivered an ultimatum to EMI Australia, demanding that they either release the band from their contract or match Bronze's offer of £90,000 (or $180,000 in Australia). EMI did neither, responding with an advance of $1,000. Fearing legal repercussions, the band declined Bronze's offer. Keays' later opined that the best course of action would have been to "sign with Bronze and let the lawyers work it all out later."[17]

1971–1972: A Toast to Panama Red Edit

Returning to Abbey Road in September 1971, the band were reunited with Jarratt and Brown plus engineer (and Sgt Pepper's veteran) Richard Lush. Most of the new album was recorded in Studio Two at the same time that John Lennon was making his John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album in Studio One.

According to Wheatley, one of the Masters Apprentices' tracks, "Games We Play", was recorded at George Martin's Air Studios, with Martin himself conducting the children's choir which features on the second part of the track. The album was titled A Toast to Panama Red, in homage to the Central American variety of marijuana. The album was lauded as one of the best Australian progressive releases,[1] but it was largely ignored at the time. Sales were hindered by the lurid cover, which even Keays later admitted was not an ideal choice, being as garish as Choice Cuts was tasteful. Designed and painted by Keays, it was evidently a dig at the UK and featured a grotesque psychedelic caricature of a bulldog's head wearing a Union Jack eye patch, its ears are skewered by an arrow from which dangles a tag emblazoned with the album's title.

The band played sporadic shows to support the album, which was well-reviewed in UK, but EMI Australia did little to promote them. Although Keays' recollections are more positive, Wheatley's own account of the album sessions is that they were an unhappy experience for him.[43] He had a bad LSD trip the night before they went into the studio and began the recording in a negative frame of mind.[43] Tensions mounted steadily during the recording and Wheatley did not play on some of the tracks, with his parts covered by Ford. According to Keays, Wheatley had been working part-time at a management agency over the previous few months and had insufficient time to rehearse because of his day job.

In January 1972, EMI released A Toast to Panama Red and in February they released the single "Love Is", which had been recorded using a twelve-string acoustic specially loaned to Ford for the occasion by one of his heroes, The Shadows' Hank B. Marvin. The classic line-up's last recording was the album's delicate and poignant closing track, "Thyme To Rhyme". According to Ian McFarlane in his Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop the album, A Toast to Panama Red is "one of the great lost treasures of the Australian progressive rock era".[1]

Wheatley tried to convince the rest of the band that they should break up but they disagreed, so he announced he was leaving to work full-time for the management agency. Soon after, Keays announced his own departure and intention to return to Australia immediately. Ford and Burgess decided to keep going and they sent for Burgess' brother Denny, who took over on bass guitar. The final trio line-up soldiered on for a few months, and made one recording, "Freedom Seekers" before finally splitting in mid-1972.

Returning to Australia, Keays undertook some final promotional duties for the "Love Is" single, including a TV appearance in which he performed alone, playing 12-string guitar. He then set about establishing himself as a solo artist, began composing songs, and also wrote for Go-Set magazine.

1973–1986: Post-breakup Edit

In March 1973 Keays played the role of 'The Lover' in the Australian version of The Who's rock opera, Tommy. In 1974 he compiled tracks from the band's latter career and designed the cover for the collection, entitled Now That's It's Over, with liner notes written by Howard Lindley. EMI released "Rio de Camero" / "Thyme to Rhyme" as a single in August 1974, the A-side garnered reasonable airplay but did not chart. In late 1974 Keays embarked on his ambitious concept LP, Boy from the Stars, which was premiered at the final Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1975, where his all-star backing group was joined by Wheatley, recently returned from the UK, in their last performance together for over ten years. Keays continued his solo musical career, fronting Southern Cross, and from 2000 he has toured as a member of Cotton Keays & Morris with 1960s artists Darryl Cotton from Adelaide's Zoot and Russell Morris from Melbourne's Somebody's Image.

Wheatley moved into a career in management, applying lessons learned and contacts made with his band to managing other bands. He spent several years in UK and America, on the eve of his return to Australia at the end of 1974, he was invited to manage the reformed version of Australian harmony-rock band Mississippi, after a name change to Little River Band they set about cracking the American market and Wheatley was instrumental guiding them to their historic American commercial breakthrough in 1976–1977. From 1980 Wheatley also managed John Farnham and oversaw his career revival, initially as a solo artist and then as a member of Little River Band, eventually mortgaging his own house to finance Farnham's hugely successful solo album Whispering Jack in 1986. Under Wheatley's guidance, Farnham staged a spectacular comeback as an adult pop artist when Whispering Jack became the biggest-selling locally produced album in Australian recording history.

In the early 1980s there was a revival of interest in The Masters Apprentices due partly to rock historian Glenn A. Baker, who featured the band for his Rock & Roll Trivia Show on Sydney radio's Triple J, which in turn led to the release of a definitive compilation LP, Hands of Time by Baker's Raven Records in 1981.

1987–present: Reunions and halls of fame Edit

The classic Burgess, Ford, Keays and Wheatley line-up reunited in August 1987 for a "Back to the 1960s" special on the popular TV variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday. It marked the first time all four had played together since Wheatley had left in late 1971. They undertook a reunion tour during 1988 and released an album, Do What You Wanna Do, featuring new material and new versions of their earlier songs. "Because I Love You" also gained new prominence around that time via its use in a series of advertisements for a well-known brand of jeans; the revamped version of "Because I Love You" peaked at No. 30 on the ARIA Charts.

The group minus Wheatley (who only participated in the TV reunion and a few early gigs) undertook occasional reunion concerts and in September 1995 released a new version of "Turn Up Your Radio" recorded with Hoodoo Gurus.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998, the Masters Apprentices received formal recognition for their achievements when they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. The same year they were also honoured in Australia Post's "Rock & Roll" series with a stamp commemorating "Turn Up Your Radio".[44]

In November 1998, Colin and Denny Burgess narrowly escaped death after the car in which they were travelling was struck by a semi-trailer. Both were severely injured—Colin suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries and as a result could not be moved from the wreck for some time. Denny also received serious injuries and had to undergo plastic surgery. Both made a recovery and were the subject of a critically acclaimed documentary.

In 1999, Ford, Keays and Wheatley reunited in Melbourne to perform 'unplugged' at the launch of Keays' memoirs, His Master's Voice: The Masters Apprentices: The bad boys of sixties rock 'n' roll, in which he stated that he would not initiate any further reunions.[45] Wheatley's own memoirs, Paper paradise: confessions of a rock 'n' roll survivor, was released later in the year.[43] At the same times, all of The Masters Apprentices' original albums were re-released and remastered on CD.

In June 2000, ABC-TV screened an edited version of the documentary Turn Up Your Video, which was accompanied by the release of the full-length home video.

Despite Keays' earlier announcement, the band reunited on subsequent occasions including the Gimme Ted benefit concert on 9 March 2001,[46] and the Long Way to the Top national concert tour during August–September 2002, which featured a host of the best Australian acts of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.[47][48] The tour was inspired by the ABC-TV series Long Way to the Top broadcast in August 2001.[49] Keays featured on "Episode 2: Ten Pound Rocker 1963–1968" where he discussed the UK migrant influence on their early work and "Undecided";[50] and in "Episode 3:Billy Killed the Fish 1968–1973" where he described pioneering pub rock and the band's groupies.[51] The classic line-up of Burgess, Ford, Keays and Wheatley reformed although Wheatley only performed for a couple of the concerts and was subbed by his son, Tim Wheatley.[48] Performances of "Because I Love You" and "Turn Up Your Radio" at the final Sydney concert, as well as an interview with promoter Amanda Pelman, feature on the associated DVD, Long Way to the Top: Live in Concert, released in 2002.[48] They also appeared at the 9 October 2005 benefit concert in Melbourne for former Rose Tattoo guitarist Lobby Loyde (guitarist)|Lobby Loyde]]. Another performance was at the 2005 clipsal 500, along with Hoodoo Gurus.

In October 2010, their 1967 debut album, Master's Apprentices, was listed in the top 40 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.[52]

Keays died from pneumonia related to multiple myeloma on 13 June 2014.[7]

In 2014, at the band's induction to the South Australian Music Hall of Fame, the original Mustangs members reformed as The 1965 Masters Apprentices. Mick Bower, Gavin Webb, Brian Vaughton and Rick Morrison joined with Rob Pippan, Ian Politis, Nannette Van Ruiten, Matt MacNamee and vocalist Craig Holden to perform songs from various eras of the band.[53]

As of 2020, the band continues in their original five-piece format featuring original members Mick Bower, Brian Vaughton, Gavin Webb and Rick Harrison along with bassist Bill Harrod and lead singer Craig Holden.[54]

Legacy Edit

The Masters Apprentices had continued under various line-ups from 1965 until 1972, reforming briefly in 1987 and on several subsequent occasions. Like their contemporaries The Easybeats and The Twilights they tried to break into the UK music scene, and one of the later members of the band, Glenn Wheatley, learned valuable lessons from their travails. After moving into artist management in the 1970s he played a major role in the Australian music industry and the media, most notably through his management of Little River Band—who became the first Australian rock band to achieve major commercial success in the USA—and Australian vocalist John Farnham.[55]

The Masters Apprentices were popular throughout Australia, scored a string of Top 20 chart hits and were consistently hailed as one of Australia's best live and recording acts. They started out as an instrumental band, rose to prominence during the mid-Sixties "Beat Boom", moved through psychedelia and bubblegum pop, finally becoming one of the first and best Australian progressive/hard rock groups of the early Seventies. They went through many line-up changes, with vocalist Jim Keays being the only constant, and their membership also illustrates the intricate interconnections between many Australian bands of that era.

The group was notable in the Australian context in that they played mainly originals. One of their hits, "Undecided" (1967), was revived by Silverchair in 1997, and their well known song "Because I Love You" has been revived many times, including its use in an Australian jeans commercial in the late 1980s. Swedish progressive metal band Opeth named the track "Master's Apprentices" from their 2002 album Deliverance in honour of the band; Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt is a fan.

Personnel Edit

  • Mick Bower – guitar (1964–1967, 2014–present)
  • Jim Keays – vocals, harmonica, guitar (1965–1972, 1987–1991, 1994–1995; 1997, 2001–2002; died 2014)
  • Rick Morrison – guitar (1964–1967, 2014–2017)
  • Brian Vaughton – drums (1964–1967, 2014–present)
  • Gavin Webb – bass (1964–1968, 2014–present)
  • Steve Hopgood – drums (1967–1968)
  • Tony Sommers – guitar (1967–1968)
  • Rick Harrison – guitar (1967, 2017–present)
  • Peter Tilbrook – guitar, bass (Nov 1967 – Dec 1968)
  • Colin Burgess – drums (1968–1972, 1987–1991, 2001–2002)
  • Doug Ford – guitar (1968–1972 1987–1991, 1997, 2001–2002)
  • Glenn Wheatley – guitar, bass (1968–1972, 1987–1988, 2002; died 2022)
  • Denny Burgess – bass (1972)
  • Tim Wheatley – bass (2001–2002)[1][2][3]
  • Craig Holden – vocals (2014–present)
  • Bill Harrod – bass (2020–present)

Timeline Edit

Discography Edit

Studio albums Edit

List of albums, with Australian chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
[56]
The Masters Apprentices
  • Released: June 1967
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Astor (ALP-1025)
Masterpiece
  • Released: February 1970
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Columbia (SCXO-7915)
Master's Apprentices/Choice Cuts
  • Released: April 1971
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Columbia (SCXO 7983)
10
A Toast To Panama Red
  • Released: January 1972
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Columbia (SCXO 7998)
Do What You Wanna Do
  • Released: November 1988
  • Format: LP, CD, cassette
  • Label: Virgin (VOZ2022)

Live albums Edit

List of albums, with details
Title Album details
Nicklelodeon
  • Released: November 1971
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Columbia (SCXO 7992)

Compilation albums Edit

List of albums, with Australian chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
[56]
Now That Its Over (Best Of)
  • Released: 1974
  • Format: LP
  • Label: EMI (EMC 2517)
Hands of Time
  • Released: 1981
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Raven (RVLP 01)
78
Jam It Up (Rarities 1965–1973)
  • Released: 1986
  • Format: LP, Cassette, CD
  • Label: Raven (RVLP-27)
The Very Best of Masters Apprentices
  • Released: March 1988
  • Format: LP, Cassette, CD
  • Label: Virgin (VOZ 2008)
46
Greatest Hits: 30th Anniversary
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD
  • Label: EMI (8146362)
Complete Recordings 1965-1968
  • Released: 2000
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Ascension (ANCD 010)
  • Note: Compiles recordings from the Astor label
From Mustangs to Masters - First Year Apprentices
  • Released: 2004
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Nickoff (NCD-1)
  • Note: Unreleased tracks from April 1966
From Mustangs to Masters - First Year Apprentices Vol. 2
  • Released: 2004
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Nickoff (NCD-2)
  • Note: Unreleased tracks from April 1966
Fully Qualified: The Choicest Cuts
  • Released: 2006
  • Format: CD, digital
  • Label: EMI (0946 3 69574 2 5)

EPs Edit

List of EPs, with details
Title EP details
The Masters Apprentices
  • Released: February 1967
  • Format: 7"
  • Label: Astor (AEP-4012)
The Masters Apprentices Vol. 2
  • Released: 1968
  • Format: 7"
  • Label: Astor (AEP-4059)
Turn Up Your Radio
  • Released: 1970
  • Format: 7"
  • Label: Columbia (SEGO-70190)

Singles Edit

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[57][40][25][32]
1966 "Undecided" 13 The Masters Apprentices (EP) & The Masters Apprentices
1967 "Buried and Dead" 26
"Living in a Child's Dream" The Masters Apprentices Vol. 2 (EP)
1968 "Elevator Driver" 30
"Brigette" 32 non-album single
"But One Day" The Master's Apprentices
1969 "Linda Linda" Masterpiece
"5:10 Man" 16
"Think about Tomorrow Today" 12 Turn Up Your Radio (EP)
1970 "Turn Up Your Radio" 7
1971 "Because I Love You" 12 Choice Cuts
"Future of Our Nation" (live) 51 Nickelodeon
1972 "Love Is" A Toast to Panama Red
1974 "Rio de Camero" non-album single
1988 "Because I Love You" (1988 version) 30 Do What You Wanna Do
"Birth of the Beat" 132
1995 "Turn Up Your Radio" (with Hoodoo Gurus) Greatest Hits (30th Anniversary)
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Awards and nominations Edit

ARIA Music Awards Edit

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. The Masters Apprentices were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.[58]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
ARIA Music Awards of 1998 The Masters Apprentices ARIA Hall of Fame inductee

Battle of the Sounds Edit

The Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds was an annual national rock/pop band competition held in Australia from 1966 to 1972.[59]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1968 themselves Battle of the Sounds National Final 2nd

Go-Set Pop Poll Edit

The Go-Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper, Go-Set and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.[60]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1967 themselves Top Australian Group 5th
1968 themselves Best Australian Group 2nd
1969 themselves Best Australian Group 2nd
1970 themselves Best Australian Group 1st
1971 themselves Best Australian Group 2nd
Best Album Choice Cuts 1st

South Australian Music Awards Edit

The South Australian Music Awards (also known as SA Music Awards, commonly SAM Awards) are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014 The Masters Apprentices South Australian Music Awards Hall of Fame inductee

References Edit

General
  • Keays, Jim (1999). His Master's Voice: The Masters Apprentices: The bad boys of sixties rock 'n' roll. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-185-X. Retrieved 24 August 2009. NOTE: limited preview for on-line version.
  • Duncan Kimball, ed. (2002). "THE MASTERS APPRENTICES". Milesago.com. ICE Productions. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  • McFarlane, Ian (1999). . Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  • Wheatley, Glenn (1999). Paper paradise: confessions of a rock 'n' roll survivor. Sydney, NSW: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-7338-0012-2. Retrieved 27 August 2009. NOTE: only overview for on-line version.
  • Tilbrook, Peter (2015). A Masters Apprentice: Living in the Sixties. ISBN 978-0646944265.
Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m , 1999.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Kimball, 2002.
  3. ^ a b c . Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  4. ^ . Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  5. ^ . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  6. ^ "The Party Cats :: A MASTERS APPRENTICE Living in the Sixties Peter Tilbrook's 400 page Memoirs". Petertilbrook.com.au. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b Zuel, Bernard (13 June 2014). "Jim Keays of Masters Apprentices has died, aged 67". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  8. ^ "Glenn Wheatley, whose clients ranged from John Farnham to Delta Goodrem, dies aged 74". ABC News. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  9. ^ "The Masters Apprentices | HOME | Australian Rock |". Themastersapprentices.com. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  10. ^ Meldrum, Ian (8 March 1967). "Masters Apprentices have made the grade". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  11. ^ Keays, p. 56
  12. ^ a b c d e f Keays, p. 41, 45, 50, 52, 54, 55
  13. ^ a b c Creswell, Toby (2007) [2005]. 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them (RocKwiz ed.). Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant. p. 443. ISBN 978-1-74066-458-5.
  14. ^ ""Undecided" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  15. ^ ""Wars or Hands of Time" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  16. ^ Keays, p. 41
  17. ^ a b c d e f Jenkins, Jeff; Ian Meldrum (2007). Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Melbourne, Vic: Wilkinson Publishing. pp. 61–65, 72. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  18. ^ ""Buried and Dead" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  19. ^ a b Guest, Thomas J. (1991). Thirty Years of Hits. Collingwood, Melbourne: M. J. Maloney. ISBN 0-646-04633-0.
  20. ^ "Go-Set search engine results for "Undecided"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  21. ^ Keays, p. 62–63
  22. ^ a b Keays p. 82–83, 91
  23. ^ ""Living in a Child's Dream" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  24. ^ Keays p. 65
  25. ^ a b "Go-Set search engine results for "Living in a Child's Dream"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  26. ^ Keays, p. 86
  27. ^ ""Elevator Driver" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  28. ^ Keays, His Master's Voice, 1999, p. 101
  29. ^ Keays, p. 101
  30. ^ a b c Keays, p. 140.
  31. ^ Keays, p. 106–107.
  32. ^ a b "Go-Set search engine results for "5:10 Man"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  33. ^ Keays, p. 140, 145.
  34. ^ Keays, p. 152–153
  35. ^ ""St John's Wood" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  36. ^ Keays, p. 151–153, 157, 219, 222.
  37. ^ "Go-Set search engine results for "Turn Up Your Radio"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  38. ^ Keays, p. 218
  39. ^ ""Song for a Lost Gypsy" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  40. ^ a b "Go-Set search engine results for "Because I Love You"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  41. ^ a b Keays, p. 195, 197
  42. ^ "Go-Set search engine results for Choice Cuts". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  43. ^ a b c Wheatley
  44. ^ . Australia Post. 20 March 2001. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  45. ^ Keays, p. ix.
  46. ^ Holmgren, Magnus. . Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 22 August 2003. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  47. ^ . Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  48. ^ a b c Long Way to the Top – Live in Concert (Media notes). Various Artists. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  49. ^ . Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 22 November 2002. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  50. ^ "Episode 2: Ten Pound Rocker 1963–1968". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2009. NOTE: The website quotes Jim Keyes [sic] from The Masters Apprentices.
  51. ^ "Episode 3: Billy Killed the Fish 1968–1973". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2009. NOTE: The website quotes Jim Keyes [sic].
  52. ^ O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
  53. ^ "Original 1960s Adelaide Rock Back". Adelaidenow.com.au. 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  54. ^ "The Masters Apprentices | HOME | Australian Rock |". Masters Apprentices. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  55. ^ "Masters Apprentices in Whyalla". Catalogue record. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  56. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 194. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  57. ^ "Go-Set search engine results for "Masters Apprentices"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 30 August 2009. NOTE: Go-Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974
    • For "Get Buried" :"Go-Set search engine results for "Buried and Dead"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
    • For "Elevator Driver": "Go-Set search engine results for "Elevator Driver"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
    • For "Brigette": "Go-Set search engine results for "Brigette"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
    • For "GoSetFuture""Go-Set search engine results for "Future of Our Nation"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
    • For ""Future of Our Nation":"Go-Set search engine results for "Future of Our Nation"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
    • For "Because I Love You (1988):"The Masters Apprentices discography". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
    • For "Birth of the Beat" :"Week commencing 30 January 1989 - part 2". Bubblingdownunder.com. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  58. ^ "Winners by Award: Hall of Fame". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  59. ^ Stacey, Terence J. (2002). Duncan Kimball (ed.). . MilesAgo: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  60. ^ "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff. Retrieved 16 December 2010.

External links Edit

  • Official website
  • The Masters Apprentices at Nostalgia Central

masters, apprentices, masters, fans, australian, rock, band, fronted, keays, lead, vocals, which, originally, formed, mustangs, 1964, adelaide, south, australia, relocated, melbourne, victoria, february, 1967, attempted, break, into, united, kingdom, market, f. The Masters Apprentices or The Masters to fans are an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide South Australia relocated to Melbourne Victoria in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970 before disbanding in 1972 1 2 Their popular Australian singles are Undecided Living in a Child s Dream 5 10 Man Think About Tomorrow Today Turn Up Your Radio and Because I Love You 2 3 The band launched the career of bass guitarist Glenn Wheatley 3 who later became a music industry entrepreneur and an artist talent manager for both Little River Band and John Farnham 2 The Masters ApprenticesOriginAdelaide South Australia AustraliaGenresPop rock psychedelic rock progressive rockYears active1964 1972 1987 1991 1994 1995 1997 2001 2002 2014 presentLabelsAstor Columbia EMI Raven VirginMembersMick Bower Brian Vaughton Gavin Webb Rick Harrison Craig Holden Bill HarrodPast membersJim Keays Rick Morrison Steve Hopgood Tony Sommers Peter Tilbrook Colin Burgess Doug Ford Glenn Wheatley Denny Burgess Roger Faynes Wayne Mathews Tony Day Peter Farnan John Favaro Rob Hornbuckle Tim WheatleyWebsitethemastersapprentices wbr com wbr The band reformed periodically including in 1987 1988 and again subsequently they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998 4 5 Both Keays with His Master s Voice and Wheatley with Paper Paradise wrote memoirs in 1999 which included their experiences with the band 1 2 Onetime guitarist Peter Tilbrook also released the biography A Masters Apprentice Living In The Sixties in 2015 6 Keays died from pneumonia related to his multiple myeloma on 13 June 2014 7 Wheatley died from complications of COVID 19 on 1 February 2022 8 As from 2020 original members Mick Bower Brian Vaughton Gavin Webb and Rick Harrison performed as the Masters Apprentics with Bill Harrod on bass guitar and Craig Holden on lead vocals 9 Contents 1 History 1 1 1964 1965 Formation and the Mustangs 1 2 1965 1967 Adelaide years 1 3 1967 Melbourne and debut album 1 4 1968 Classic line up forms 1 5 1969 From pop to rock 1 6 1970 Masterpiece and United Kingdom first year 1 7 1971 Choice Cuts Australian tour and Nickelodeon 1 8 1971 1972 A Toast to Panama Red 1 9 1973 1986 Post breakup 1 10 1987 present Reunions and halls of fame 2 Legacy 3 Personnel 3 1 Timeline 4 Discography 4 1 Studio albums 4 2 Live albums 4 3 Compilation albums 4 4 EPs 4 5 Singles 5 Awards and nominations 5 1 ARIA Music Awards 5 2 Battle of the Sounds 5 3 Go Set Pop Poll 5 4 South Australian Music Awards 6 References 7 External linksHistory Edit1964 1965 Formation and the Mustangs Edit The Mustangs were a surf music instrumental dance band formed in Adelaide in 1964 with Mick Bower on rhythm guitar Rick Morrison on lead guitar Brian Vaughton on drums and Gavin Webb on bass guitar 1 2 10 Initially they played covers of the Shadows and the Ventures songs 1 2 The band s output was profoundly influenced by the Australian tour of the Beatles in June 1964 which had a particular impact in Adelaide due to recent migrants from the United Kingdom 2 When the Beatles arrived in Adelaide they were greeted by the largest crowd ever seen in their touring career estimates as high as 300 000 while Adelaide s population being about 668 000 nearly half of the city had turned out to greet them see The Beatles influence on popular culture 2 Following the Beatles chart breakthrough and tour the Mustangs changed style and took on a lead singer Scottish immigrant Jim Keays 1 2 The Mustangs rehearsed regularly in a shed behind a hotel owned by Vaughton s family 2 Their original manager Graham Longley made a tape recording of a rehearsal 2 it was rediscovered and released on CD in 2004 as Mustangs to Masters First Year Apprentices 2 After Keays joined on lead vocals the band produced more original songs in the beat style 1 The Mustangs established themselves on the thriving Adelaide dance circuit by playing in suburban halls and migrant hostels 2 They built a following with local teenagers including migrants from the UK which were an early influence on the band as they were directly in touch with current mod fashions not as widely known in Australia 2 1965 1967 Adelaide years Edit In late 1965 the Mustangs renamed themselves as The Masters Apprentices deliberately omitting the apostrophe Bower supplied the name because we are apprentices to the masters of the blues Chuck Berry Bo Diddley Jimmy Reed Elmore James and Robert Johnson 11 By early 1966 they were one of the most popular beat bands in Adelaide regularly selling out concerts in the city as well as making visits to outlying towns of Murray Bridge Mount Gambier and Whyalla 2 Their first TV appearance on Good Friday was on a Channel 7 telethon hosted by Adelaide TV celebrity Ernie Sigley 2 They entered the South Australian heat of Hoadley s Battle of the Sounds and finished third behind the Twilights eventual national winners 1 Later in 1966 the Masters Apprentices shared a gig with pop star Bobby Bright of Melbourne duo Bobby amp Laurie who was impressed and recommended them to his label Astor Records A few weeks later they were contacted by Astor which requested a four track demo 12 13 The band went to a local two track studio to record it but realised that they had only three suitable songs to record 12 Needing a fourth track guitarists Bower and Morrison wrote a new song Undecided 12 14 in about 15 minutes 12 the backing track was cut in about the same time 12 13 The title came from the fact that they were undecided about a name for the song when quizzed by the studio owner Max Pepper 12 The biting fuzz tone of Bower s guitar on the track was a fortunate accident it was caused by a malfunctioning valve in his amplifier but the group liked the sound and kept the faulty valve in until after the session 13 In August 1966 the band made their first visit to Melbourne They made a strong impression with showcase performances at the city s leading discotheques Their debut single Undecided Wars or Hands of Time was released in October and gradually climbed the Adelaide charts thanks to strong support from local DJs Wars or Hands of Time written by Bower 15 is the first Australian pop song to directly address the issue of the Vietnam War 16 which was now affecting the lives of many young Australians because of the controversial introduction of conscription in 1965 20 year old Keays was one of hundreds of potential conscripts whose birthday 9 September was picked in a 1966 ballot He was able to legally avoid the draft by signing with the Citizens Military Force CMF later renamed the Army Reserve and eluded a short back and sides haircut with the aid of his girlfriend who pinned his long hair up under his slouch hat whenever he attended CMF sessions During their second trip to Melbourne in late 1966 local radio DJ Stan Rofe had picked up Undecided and was playing it regularly their raw sound and wild stage act led him to state The Masters are to Australia what the Rolling Stones are to England and The Doors are to America Stan Rofe quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia 17 Rofe also a columnist with pop magazine Go Set championed many Australian acts during the 1950s 1960s and 1970s The band promoted Undecided on Melbourne TV series Kommotion where members met Ian Meldrum who mimed to Winchester Cathedral Meldrum was also a staff writer for Go Set and was later a record producer host of the influential TV pop show Countdown and a music commentator 17 Returning to Adelaide the band recorded more original songs including Bower s Buried and Dead 18 which became their second single plus other tracks which were later on their debut LP album The success of the second trip made it obvious that they should turn professional and relocate to Melbourne This led to the departure of original manager Longley and drummer Vaughton both deciding to remain in Adelaide 2 1967 Melbourne and debut album Edit The Masters Apprentices relocated to Melbourne in February 1967 Vaughton who remained in Adelaide was replaced on drums by Steve Hopgood 1 Undecided raced up the Melbourne charts to peak at No 9 locally 19 Go Set had published national singles charts since October 1966 and Undecided peaked at No 13 in April 20 The group became established as one of Melbourne s top attractions performing regularly at discos like Catcher Sebastians the Thumpin Tum and the Biting Eye and at a multitude of suburban dances Despite such popularity they led a hand to mouth existence for the first year or so in Melbourne often relying on the hospitality of fans and friends In May 1967 Buried and Dead was released as their second single and the band made a promotional film clip for TV at their own expense which is believed to be one of the first pop music videos made in Australia 21 They also undertook their first trip to Sydney where they made a live appearance on the TCN 9 pop show Saturday Date where they were chased by fans on their way to the studio and had their clothes partly ripped before appearing In June 1967 Astor released the group s self titled debut LP The Masters Apprentices also styled as The Master s Apprentices featuring earlier singles several originals written by Bower a cover of Bo Diddley s Dancing Girl and the Beatles I Feel Fine 2 By 1967 the group assimilated influences from the burgeoning psychedelic scene Keays maintains that it wasn t until some time after that they began to experiment with the drug LSD 22 Nevertheless their next single Bower s Living in a Child s Dream 23 is regarded as an early example of Australian psychedelic rock and one of their greatest pop songs 1 2 It was recorded at the newly opened Armstrong s Studios in South Melbourne and like all their Astor cuts it was nominally produced by staff producer Dick Heming According to Keays Heming s input was limited and most of the production was by engineer Roger Savage with considerable input from Ian Meldrum 24 Released in August 1967 at the peak of the Summer of Love it reached Top Ten in most Australian capitals and peaked at No 9 on Go Set s Top 40 25 Both Living in a Child s Dream and Undecided ranked in the Top 5 Australian singles of 1967 and Living in a Child s Dream was voted Australian Song of the Year by Go Set readers 1 The success of the new single elevated the band as teen idols but as pressures mounted lead guitarist Rick Morrison was forced to quit after passing out on stage during a concert in June 1967 suffering a collapsed lung 2 He was ordered to give up performing and was replaced by Tony Summers ex Johnny Young s Kompany 2 Meanwhile concerts and tours continued with the group playing up to fifteen shows per week 2 A tour of New South Wales in July included some of the last pop shows staged at the Sydney Stadium on 30 July and at Sydney Trocadero ballroom both later demolished 2 Also in July they made it to the national finals of Hoadley s Battle of the Sounds representing South Australia finishing second to Melbourne s The Groop 2 In September 1967 while touring Tasmania the shy and sensitive Bower was found in his room in extreme distress the promoter insisting they had to perform faced with the prospect of going unpaid and being stranded in Hobart they complied 2 Bower was dressed taken to the concert and pushed on stage with his guitar around his neck he stood motionless through the gig arms hanging limp and was hospitalised immediately after suffering a severe nervous breakdown and was ordered to give up performing 2 He was sent home to Adelaide to recuperate and only returned to live performance in the late 1970s 2 The loss of Bower was a blow for the band Bower was central to their success having written or co written all their singles and all original tracks on their debut album His forced departure left the group floundering and they continued with de facto leadership passing to Keays At the end of September Keays and Webb chose Bower s replacement guitarist Rick Harrison ex The Others from Adelaide 2 On 14 October 1967 the band played a free concert in Sydney s Hyde Park as part of the Waratah Spring Festival An estimated 50 000 fans packed into the park but after only a few songs the concert degenerated into a riot When the crowd surge threatened to crush audience members and topple the makeshift stage police were forced to close the concert Escaping band members were pursued by fans towards Kings Cross 2 That same evening still dazed by the afternoon s events they headlined the Living in a Child s Dream Ball organised by University of NSW students Keays later described the event The ball itself was a psychedelic experience of the highest order Because of its theme everyone was dressed as a schoolgirl or boy some licking lollipops and others playing with yo yos There were people frolicking in huge cages filled with Minties and Jaffas and everyone seemed suitably spaced The band was taken backstage whereupon we climbed into a giant die which had been specially constructed The die was then wheeled out on a cue from the stage manager and pushed through the audience up to the stage At this point the lid of the die flew open and up we popped Someone from the university then presented me with the key to thunderous applause by the vast crowd and we jumped out slung on our guitars and blasted into the most acid inspired sounds we could muster The audience went out of their minds probably because most of them already were and pandemonium broke out when we ended the set with Living in a Child s Dream The psychedelic light show was as magnificent as had been seen anywhere in the country with trippy oil lights the first mirror balls I d ever seen smoke machines and the full range of state of the art psychedelia 26 Jim Keays 1999 His Master s Voice Newest member Harrison quit immediately after these concerts and upon returning to Melbourne they recruited another lead guitarist Peter Tilbrook from Adelaide band The Bentbeaks That band had released a single Caught Red Handed which had been banned by Melbourne radio in March for alleged obscenity Not long after Keays tried LSD for the first time 2 22 With Astor pressing for a new single the band turned to their friend Brian Cadd of The Groop who had already written a number of songs for his own band and for other artists including Johnny Farnham Cadd presented them with Silver People co written with The Groop s Max Ross 27 which was re titled as Elevator Driver and released in February 1968 as their fourth single As 1967 ended the band s career reached a critical juncture They still had no songwriter and both drummer Steve Hopgood and lead guitarist Tony Sommers were becoming disenchanted with the band s erratic fortunes Keays decided to replace them and also their second manager Tony Dickstein In Sydney Keays met two brothers bass guitarist and singer Denny Burgess ex The Throb and drummer Colin Burgess both had played in a support band The Haze at a gig in suburban Ashfield Keays was impressed and considered them for possible new members 2 1968 Classic line up forms Edit In January 1968 Keays reorganised the band with Summers and Hopgood departing and Colin Burgess being flown to Melbourne as the new drummer Keays then approached Doug Ford an innovative electric guitarist from the second line up of Sydney garage rock band The Missing Links and its offshoot Running Jumping Standing Still 2 The new recruits revitalised the band s career Ford was a strong songwriter a good singer and an accomplished electric guitarist who brought a new depth to the band s sound He and Keays began working as a writing team Ford s arrival filled the gap left by Bowers departure and made possible their transition from pop band to rock group Elevator Driver written for them by Brian Cadd of The Groop was released in February accompanied by another film clip and a full colour promotional poster The band had to pay for these as Astor Records refused to pay for extravagant promotional items Elevator Driver provided them with a Top 30 hit and kept the momentum going as they rebuilt the band In March 1968 Webb married Suzette Belle President of the Beatles Australian Fan Club 28 In April 1968 bassist Gavin Webb last of original line up of The Mustangs was forced to quit suffering from stomach ulcers Keays first choice for bass guitar was Beeb Birtles of Adelaide band Zoot and later of Little River Band but Birtles declined On the flight home Keays found himself seated next to artist manager Darryl Sambell who was then enjoying the success of his protege Johnny Farnham with his No 1 hit single Sadie The Cleaning Lady Keays and the flamboyant Sambell hit it off and Sambell took over the band s management which was a mixed blessing he was a master networker and had a flair for getting publicity he was also a partner in the newly formed AMBO booking agency which proved helpful for concert bookings but in the long run Sambell was more interested in Farnham s career and the day to day management duties gradually fell to band members Sambell s pop tastes were also at odds with the developing progressive direction of the band s music Glenn Wheatley from Brisbane s blues group Bay City Union joined on guitar just after Webb had left and Tilbrook switched to bass guitar Upon Sambell s advice they decided not to renew their contract with Astor and negotiated a new contract with EMI Their next single Brigette released in June 1968 was their last recording for Astor marked the debut of the Ford Keays writing partnership It was inspired by Donovan s Mellow Yellow and bears a resemblance to some of The Move s earlier singles 29 The quasi baroque arrangement included a string section scored by The Strangers John Farrar and also took them into the Top 40 In 1968 they topped the annual Go Set Pop Poll as Most Original Group and they came second to The Twilights as Most Popular Australian Group They entered the South Australian heats of the 1968 Hoadley s Battle of the Sounds beating local rivals Zoot in a tense contest They were runners up in the national final held in Melbourne in July with The Groove winning and Doug Parkinson in Focus coming third After the Hoadleys final the manager of co sponsor Sitmar cruise line who had voted for them offered the band a working trip to UK with free passage in exchange for performances Keays was interviewed by Go Set staff reporter Lily Brett and the expose was printed on 17 July 1968 headlined Sex is thrust upon us 30 the article and its follow up Whose breasts are best 30 revealed aspects of the bacchanalian groupie scene many girls are potential band molls About 20 girls a day come to our house On Sunday it averages 50 I ll give you a typical example of what happens Last week a girl walked in and said Right boys who s going to make love to me first She used a rather more obscene expression than make love And only recently we were in a Victorian country town when five girls aged between 15 and 18 somehow got into our hotel room They didn t say a word They took their clothes off and said Will you judge and see which one of us has got the best breasts Jim Keays July 1968 Go Set interviews by Lily Brett quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia 17 30 The bad boy publicity also frustrated Sambell s plans to market them as a wholesome teen combo Keays stated that there was a backlash from the interview the roadway outside Keays flat in East St Kilda was daubed with the slogan Band Moll s Paradise in 3 foot high 0 91 m letters 17 31 threats of physical beatings from male audience members and the press claiming they were sex maniacs 17 Live performances continued and in the second half of 1968 they went back into Armstrong s Studios to record their first single for EMI although this was not released until early 1969 Meanwhile Astor released But One Day an old track from their debut LP as a single in August 1968 but the band urged fans not to buy it and it failed to chart The band played hundreds of concerts during the year touring around country Australia visiting interstate capitals and dashing between dance venues around greater Melbourne By this stage Wheatley had taken on much of their day to day management Their schedule was punishing typically they would play three shows a night on Fridays and Saturdays at an average of about 45 minutes per gig and often went to the Channel 0 TV studios on Saturday mornings for appearances on the leading pop show of the day Uptight In December 1968 Tilbrook left the band so Wheatley moved to bass guitar Soon after Wheatley found a message from the cruise line Sitmar and returned the call only to be roundly abused by Sitmar s furious entertainment manager he then discovered that Sitmar had offered the band work on a London bound cruise liner which had left the previous week while the band had been in Brisbane Unable to locate them the liner had been delayed for an entire day while Sitmar found a group to replace them The band confronted Sambell who denied any knowledge but a further check with Sitmar confirmed that the deal had been arranged but that Sambell had been caught up with Farnham s affairs and had forgotten to tell them about it By the end of the year finances and morale were low despite constant performing they were heavily in debt and tensions within the group were nearing breaking point By the end of the year friction between the group and Sambell had become intolerable Their final show of the year was on New Year s Eve and between sets the band members talked through their problems patched up their differences and agreed that Sambell had to go Wheatley offered to take on their day to day bookings and promotion work leaving Ford and Keays free to concentrate on writing 1969 From pop to rock Edit 1969 began with The Masters Apprentices settling their new line up and the Ford Keays writing team hitting its stride the band now moved to its best remembered and most successful phase 2 The long awaited first EMI single was moderately successful and even though it was something of a false start artistically Linda Linda Merry Go Round released in March 1969 marked the beginning of a short but successful collaboration with New Zealand born producer Howard Gable The bubblegum pop A side Linda Linda fell into the same faux music hall category as UK songs like Winchester Cathedral but the rocky B side showed hints of how the group was developing The single gained radio airplay and helped to revive their waning popularity The band continued to tour across the country which helped weld them into a close knit unit Meanwhile articles profiles pinups and TV appearances proliferated indeed they were overexposed Keays claims so they began to turn down TV appearances for fear of becoming too familiar When they played at the annual Moomba concert in March at the Myer Music Bowl they drew a crowd of just under 200 000 people second only to The Seekers record breaking appearance there two years earlier Their next single the rocky 5 10 Man released in July 1969 which peaked at No 16 on the Go Set Singles Chart 32 and initiated a string of Top 20 hits It was a deliberate move towards a heavier sound as the band were keen to move away from the current bubblegum craze that their manager and producer wanted Also in July with 5 10 Man climbing the charts they had their next attempt at the Hoadley s Battle of the Sounds and once again they were runners up although this time they ran such a close second to Doug Parkinson in Focus that they were also offered the same prize a trip to UK with the Sitmar line According to Keays his band won on points but the judges felt their bad boy image did not make them suitable for first 2 In August 1969 the band headed off on the Operation Starlift Tour an all Australian concert series which featured The Masters Apprentices Johnny Farnham Ronnie Burns Russell Morris Johnny Young Zoot and The Valentines Although the tour was apparently a financial disaster it was a promotional success for the band The Brisbane Festival Hall concert was a highpoint of the tour and they drew a record crowd there breaking The Beatles 1964 attendance record Wheatley was dragged offstage by the audience and had his pants and coat literally torn to shreds with the result that one of the police on hand threatened to arrest him for indecent exposure if they did not finish playing immediately After the Brisbane show Wheatley calculated that the crowd had paid 5 per ticket so box office gross must have been at least 30 000 35 000 yet his band like all other acts were on a fixed fee They received 200 for the concert and the top billed act Farnham was paid about 1 000 Wheatley realised that the promoters had pocketed the lion s share of the takings As a result the group decided to manage and book themselves and over the closing months of 1969 Wheatley became more involved in choosing venues booking shows and promoting the group with care to avoid over exposure cutting down on appearances and increasing their fee They closed the year with the bluesy single Think About Tomorrow Today which provided another Top 20 hit nationally and went to No 11 in Melbourne 19 It was later used by the Bank of New South Wales in its youth oriented TV ads About this time the band switched to wearing leather stage outfits This fitted their bad boy image and had a more practical outcome it was routine for the band to have their clothes and hair literally torn off by frantic fans and the cost of buying expensive stage clothes which were being shredded nightly was sending them broke But the leather gear which resisted even the most ardent fans provided them with their longest wearing outfits in years and Keays maintains it saved them thousands of dollars 33 1970 Masterpiece and United Kingdom first year Edit Early in 1970 the band officially parted with Sambell and set up their own booking agency Drum Based in a terrace house office in Drummond St Carlton Drum began by handling the band s own management but within a few months it was also booking and promoting gigs for The Sect Ash Lovers Dream Big Daddies Thursday s Children Looking Glass Daisy Clover Nova Express Company Caine Plastic Tears Little Stevie Tamam Shud Jeff St John The Flying Circus and fourteen other acts as well as promoting tours by overseas acts The Four Tops and Paul Jones ex Manfred Mann The Masters Apprentices had been stockpiling tracks since they signed with EMI in February their long delayed second LP Masterpiece was released Although something of a hodgepodge as Keays freely admits it showed the band developing a much broader range 34 It included the singles Linda Linda and 5 10 Man and album tracks A Dog a Siren amp Memories and How I Love You although it omitted the song Merry Go Round By then they were coming to grips with the album format and emulated the current fad for concept albums by linking the songs with a short guitar and string arrangement crossfaded between tracks The title track a live recording provides a vivid aural snapshot of their live show during 1968 complete with the deafening screams of fans The album also includes their own version of St John s Wood a track Ford and Keays wrote 35 for Brisbane band The Sect who had released it as a single on Columbia during the year In April 1970 EMI released Turn Up Your Radio produced by Gable and engineered by John Sayers It was recorded at a late night session and Keays later recounted that he was so drunk when he recorded his vocals that he had to be held up to the microphone 36 The song was deliberately designed to be loud and offensive and was intended as the final nail in the coffin to their ill conceived teenybopper image It was released just before the start of the 1970 radio ban a major dispute between commercial radio stations and record companies which resulted in the banning of many major label releases Despite little commercial radio airplay the song raced up the charts and peaked at No 7 nationally 37 Since receiving their prize in the Hoadley s Battle of the Sounds in mid 1969 The Masters Apprentices were set on breaking into the UK market They worked to save money for the effort with a national farewell tour in April May On 25 May 1970 they boarded the Fairsky for UK their agency business was left in the hands of Adrian Barker 38 They were given a send off by a crowd of fans and friends including Rofe Sambell Meldrum Ross D Wyllie Johnny Young and Ronnie Burns The six week ocean voyage provided a break after years of constant gigging Without the pressure and distraction of touring they wrote and rehearsed new material Arriving in English in July the band entered a productive period where they continued to write and rehearse and made contact with other Aussie expatriates Freed from constant performing they immersed themselves in the cultural life of London going on shopping sprees for clothes in Kings Road Chelsea ploughing through scores of new records and doing the rounds of clubs and concerts seeing the best music on offer Wheatley continued work on a manuscript he had begun on the ocean voyage Who the Hell is Judy in Sydney which recounted his experiences with the group His memoirs were too hot for publishers at the time and were not printed until decades later when they became the basis for his autobiography Paper Paradise Wheatley contacted EMI in London and met with Trudy Green secretary to staff producer Jeff Jarratt She liked the Australian band and got Jarratt interested he agreed to produce them EMI Australia agreed to pay for the album s recording with EMI UK providing the artwork the group were thrilled to record at the legendary Abbey Road Studios with Jarratt and engineer Peter Brown Just before the start of recording Keays made a trip to mainland Europe and was in Copenhagen when he heard of the death of Jimi Hendrix one of his idols Back in London Ford and Keays penned Song for a Lost Gypsy 39 which they added to their songlist The band entered the studio in September to record Choice Cuts The staff and facilities were superior to those in Australia which allowed a greater range of expression The songs they brought to the sessions many written during the voyage were original and distinctive distilling their recent musical influences This included the heavier sounds of Hendrix King Crimson and Free as well as the acoustic styles of Donovan the Small Faces and Van Morrison They brought in outside musicians to augment some tracks and made use of Paul McCartney s white grand piano on a few cuts including Because I Love You Towards the end of recording they found themselves one song short of the optimum LP length so at Jarratt s suggestion they wrote a new song built up from a Latin flavoured instrumental shuffle that Ford had been playing with Keays wrote lyrics for the piece overnight they cut it the next day and it became the album s opening track Rio de Camero The entire LP was recorded mixed and mastered within a month The choice of the first single was Because I Love You a song of love separation and independence and became a popular and enduring recording 2 To promote it they used Australian film maker Timothy Fisher to make a music video The simple but effective clip was filmed on a chilly autumn morning on Hampstead Heath Black and white prints were shown many times on Australian TV where colour was not introduced until 1975 but it was shot in colour as were several other clips for tracks from the LP The album s cover depicts an elegant overstuffed chair in a panelled room with a mysterious disembodied hand holding a cigarette floating above it It was from the English design group Hipgnosis who were responsible for covers by Pink Floyd 10cc and Led Zeppelin Despite the prospects for their new LP the band were caught by surprise after its completion when Wheatley revealed they were almost broke They were determined to stay in London but desperately needed funds A phone call to EMI Australia for financial assistance proved futile so they planned an Australian tour Wheatley headed home to organise it and secured a local soft drink company as a sponsor The band returned to Australia at the end of December just as Because I Love You was released It was their fourth consecutive Top 20 hit reaching No 12 nationally 40 and became one of the key songs of the new era of Australian rock 2 1971 Choice Cuts Australian tour and Nickelodeon Edit The Masters Apprentices began their national tour in Perth in January 1971 Howard Gable joined them with portable four track equipment and recorded their first show at the Nickelodeon Theatre The band was tired and under rehearsed and were not satisfied with the results these recordings became the live LP Nickelodeon believed to be the second live rock album recorded in Australia 2 Two of its tracks were released as singles in June 1971 In their absence the band had been voted top group in the 1970 Go Set Pop Poll and both their 1970 singles had been hits Nevertheless the band and the music scene had changed by 1971 at first they struggled to regain their previous popularity A breakthrough gig at Chequers in Sydney allowed the tour to gain momentum helped by a lengthy profile in the magazine POL written by freelance journalist Howard Lindley 41 Lindley became an ardent supporter and started work on a film about the band he shot several performances in the weeks before they returned to UK but the project foundered when Lindley committed suicide only fragments of his material survived 2 41 While touring Australia in February 1971 the group released I m Your Satisfier In April 1971 Choice Cuts was released in Australia to widespread acclaim reaching 11 on the Go Set Top 20 Album Charts 42 They made numerous TV appearances including a three song live set for the ABC s GTK which included a live in the studio performance of Future of Our Nation In Melbourne they played a concert at the Town Hall supported by Billy Thorpe amp The Aztecs Choice Cuts was released in the UK it was well received by critics In May 1971 John Halsall called from London to inform them that Choice Cuts was receiving glowing notices in the English music press including a rave review in Melody Maker He told them it was selling well in UK and starting to make an impression in Europe the track I m Your Satisfier had been released in France and had gone into the Top 10 there Halsall urged them to return to London as soon as possible and that they would be able to record a new album there so they organised their return and EMI agreed to finance another LP when they got to London By the time they arrived in the UK almost three months had passed since Halsall s phone call and interest was waning At this point a new UK label Bronze who had just signed Slade and Uriah Heep made an approach to the band Although the group was hesitant being still signed to EMI they decided to use the offer as leverage in hopes of getting a better deal out of EMI Wheatley delivered an ultimatum to EMI Australia demanding that they either release the band from their contract or match Bronze s offer of 90 000 or 180 000 in Australia EMI did neither responding with an advance of 1 000 Fearing legal repercussions the band declined Bronze s offer Keays later opined that the best course of action would have been to sign with Bronze and let the lawyers work it all out later 17 1971 1972 A Toast to Panama Red Edit Returning to Abbey Road in September 1971 the band were reunited with Jarratt and Brown plus engineer and Sgt Pepper s veteran Richard Lush Most of the new album was recorded in Studio Two at the same time that John Lennon was making his John Lennon Plastic Ono Band album in Studio One According to Wheatley one of the Masters Apprentices tracks Games We Play was recorded at George Martin s Air Studios with Martin himself conducting the children s choir which features on the second part of the track The album was titled A Toast to Panama Red in homage to the Central American variety of marijuana The album was lauded as one of the best Australian progressive releases 1 but it was largely ignored at the time Sales were hindered by the lurid cover which even Keays later admitted was not an ideal choice being as garish as Choice Cuts was tasteful Designed and painted by Keays it was evidently a dig at the UK and featured a grotesque psychedelic caricature of a bulldog s head wearing a Union Jack eye patch its ears are skewered by an arrow from which dangles a tag emblazoned with the album s title The band played sporadic shows to support the album which was well reviewed in UK but EMI Australia did little to promote them Although Keays recollections are more positive Wheatley s own account of the album sessions is that they were an unhappy experience for him 43 He had a bad LSD trip the night before they went into the studio and began the recording in a negative frame of mind 43 Tensions mounted steadily during the recording and Wheatley did not play on some of the tracks with his parts covered by Ford According to Keays Wheatley had been working part time at a management agency over the previous few months and had insufficient time to rehearse because of his day job In January 1972 EMI released A Toast to Panama Red and in February they released the single Love Is which had been recorded using a twelve string acoustic specially loaned to Ford for the occasion by one of his heroes The Shadows Hank B Marvin The classic line up s last recording was the album s delicate and poignant closing track Thyme To Rhyme According to Ian McFarlane in his Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop the album A Toast to Panama Red is one of the great lost treasures of the Australian progressive rock era 1 Wheatley tried to convince the rest of the band that they should break up but they disagreed so he announced he was leaving to work full time for the management agency Soon after Keays announced his own departure and intention to return to Australia immediately Ford and Burgess decided to keep going and they sent for Burgess brother Denny who took over on bass guitar The final trio line up soldiered on for a few months and made one recording Freedom Seekers before finally splitting in mid 1972 Returning to Australia Keays undertook some final promotional duties for the Love Is single including a TV appearance in which he performed alone playing 12 string guitar He then set about establishing himself as a solo artist began composing songs and also wrote for Go Set magazine 1973 1986 Post breakup Edit In March 1973 Keays played the role of The Lover in the Australian version of The Who s rock opera Tommy In 1974 he compiled tracks from the band s latter career and designed the cover for the collection entitled Now That s It s Over with liner notes written by Howard Lindley EMI released Rio de Camero Thyme to Rhyme as a single in August 1974 the A side garnered reasonable airplay but did not chart In late 1974 Keays embarked on his ambitious concept LP Boy from the Stars which was premiered at the final Sunbury Pop Festival in January 1975 where his all star backing group was joined by Wheatley recently returned from the UK in their last performance together for over ten years Keays continued his solo musical career fronting Southern Cross and from 2000 he has toured as a member of Cotton Keays amp Morris with 1960s artists Darryl Cotton from Adelaide s Zoot and Russell Morris from Melbourne s Somebody s Image Wheatley moved into a career in management applying lessons learned and contacts made with his band to managing other bands He spent several years in UK and America on the eve of his return to Australia at the end of 1974 he was invited to manage the reformed version of Australian harmony rock band Mississippi after a name change to Little River Band they set about cracking the American market and Wheatley was instrumental guiding them to their historic American commercial breakthrough in 1976 1977 From 1980 Wheatley also managed John Farnham and oversaw his career revival initially as a solo artist and then as a member of Little River Band eventually mortgaging his own house to finance Farnham s hugely successful solo album Whispering Jack in 1986 Under Wheatley s guidance Farnham staged a spectacular comeback as an adult pop artist when Whispering Jack became the biggest selling locally produced album in Australian recording history In the early 1980s there was a revival of interest in The Masters Apprentices due partly to rock historian Glenn A Baker who featured the band for his Rock amp Roll Trivia Show on Sydney radio s Triple J which in turn led to the release of a definitive compilation LP Hands of Time by Baker s Raven Records in 1981 1987 present Reunions and halls of fame Edit The classic Burgess Ford Keays and Wheatley line up reunited in August 1987 for a Back to the 1960s special on the popular TV variety show Hey Hey It s Saturday It marked the first time all four had played together since Wheatley had left in late 1971 They undertook a reunion tour during 1988 and released an album Do What You Wanna Do featuring new material and new versions of their earlier songs Because I Love You also gained new prominence around that time via its use in a series of advertisements for a well known brand of jeans the revamped version of Because I Love You peaked at No 30 on the ARIA Charts The group minus Wheatley who only participated in the TV reunion and a few early gigs undertook occasional reunion concerts and in September 1995 released a new version of Turn Up Your Radio recorded with Hoodoo Gurus At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998 the Masters Apprentices received formal recognition for their achievements when they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame The same year they were also honoured in Australia Post s Rock amp Roll series with a stamp commemorating Turn Up Your Radio 44 In November 1998 Colin and Denny Burgess narrowly escaped death after the car in which they were travelling was struck by a semi trailer Both were severely injured Colin suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries and as a result could not be moved from the wreck for some time Denny also received serious injuries and had to undergo plastic surgery Both made a recovery and were the subject of a critically acclaimed documentary In 1999 Ford Keays and Wheatley reunited in Melbourne to perform unplugged at the launch of Keays memoirs His Master s Voice The Masters Apprentices The bad boys of sixties rock n roll in which he stated that he would not initiate any further reunions 45 Wheatley s own memoirs Paper paradise confessions of a rock n roll survivor was released later in the year 43 At the same times all of The Masters Apprentices original albums were re released and remastered on CD In June 2000 ABC TV screened an edited version of the documentary Turn Up Your Video which was accompanied by the release of the full length home video Despite Keays earlier announcement the band reunited on subsequent occasions including the Gimme Ted benefit concert on 9 March 2001 46 and the Long Way to the Top national concert tour during August September 2002 which featured a host of the best Australian acts of the 1950s 1960s and 1970s 47 48 The tour was inspired by the ABC TV series Long Way to the Top broadcast in August 2001 49 Keays featured on Episode 2 Ten Pound Rocker 1963 1968 where he discussed the UK migrant influence on their early work and Undecided 50 and in Episode 3 Billy Killed the Fish 1968 1973 where he described pioneering pub rock and the band s groupies 51 The classic line up of Burgess Ford Keays and Wheatley reformed although Wheatley only performed for a couple of the concerts and was subbed by his son Tim Wheatley 48 Performances of Because I Love You and Turn Up Your Radio at the final Sydney concert as well as an interview with promoter Amanda Pelman feature on the associated DVD Long Way to the Top Live in Concert released in 2002 48 They also appeared at the 9 October 2005 benefit concert in Melbourne for former Rose Tattoo guitarist Lobby Loyde guitarist Lobby Loyde Another performance was at the 2005 clipsal 500 along with Hoodoo Gurus In October 2010 their 1967 debut album Master s Apprentices was listed in the top 40 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums 52 Keays died from pneumonia related to multiple myeloma on 13 June 2014 7 In 2014 at the band s induction to the South Australian Music Hall of Fame the original Mustangs members reformed as The 1965 Masters Apprentices Mick Bower Gavin Webb Brian Vaughton and Rick Morrison joined with Rob Pippan Ian Politis Nannette Van Ruiten Matt MacNamee and vocalist Craig Holden to perform songs from various eras of the band 53 As of 2020 the band continues in their original five piece format featuring original members Mick Bower Brian Vaughton Gavin Webb and Rick Harrison along with bassist Bill Harrod and lead singer Craig Holden 54 Legacy EditMain articles Colin Burgess musician Doug Ford musician Jim Keays and Glenn Wheatley The Masters Apprentices had continued under various line ups from 1965 until 1972 reforming briefly in 1987 and on several subsequent occasions Like their contemporaries The Easybeats and The Twilights they tried to break into the UK music scene and one of the later members of the band Glenn Wheatley learned valuable lessons from their travails After moving into artist management in the 1970s he played a major role in the Australian music industry and the media most notably through his management of Little River Band who became the first Australian rock band to achieve major commercial success in the USA and Australian vocalist John Farnham 55 The Masters Apprentices were popular throughout Australia scored a string of Top 20 chart hits and were consistently hailed as one of Australia s best live and recording acts They started out as an instrumental band rose to prominence during the mid Sixties Beat Boom moved through psychedelia and bubblegum pop finally becoming one of the first and best Australian progressive hard rock groups of the early Seventies They went through many line up changes with vocalist Jim Keays being the only constant and their membership also illustrates the intricate interconnections between many Australian bands of that era The group was notable in the Australian context in that they played mainly originals One of their hits Undecided 1967 was revived by Silverchair in 1997 and their well known song Because I Love You has been revived many times including its use in an Australian jeans commercial in the late 1980s Swedish progressive metal band Opeth named the track Master s Apprentices from their 2002 album Deliverance in honour of the band Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt is a fan Personnel EditMick Bower guitar 1964 1967 2014 present Jim Keays vocals harmonica guitar 1965 1972 1987 1991 1994 1995 1997 2001 2002 died 2014 Rick Morrison guitar 1964 1967 2014 2017 Brian Vaughton drums 1964 1967 2014 present Gavin Webb bass 1964 1968 2014 present Steve Hopgood drums 1967 1968 Tony Sommers guitar 1967 1968 Rick Harrison guitar 1967 2017 present Peter Tilbrook guitar bass Nov 1967 Dec 1968 Colin Burgess drums 1968 1972 1987 1991 2001 2002 Doug Ford guitar 1968 1972 1987 1991 1997 2001 2002 Glenn Wheatley guitar bass 1968 1972 1987 1988 2002 died 2022 Denny Burgess bass 1972 Tim Wheatley bass 2001 2002 1 2 3 Craig Holden vocals 2014 present Bill Harrod bass 2020 present Timeline EditDiscography EditStudio albums Edit List of albums with Australian chart positions Title Album details Peak chartpositionsAUS 56 The Masters Apprentices Released June 1967 Format LP Label Astor ALP 1025 Masterpiece Released February 1970 Format LP Label Columbia SCXO 7915 Master s Apprentices Choice Cuts Released April 1971 Format LP Label Columbia SCXO 7983 10A Toast To Panama Red Released January 1972 Format LP Label Columbia SCXO 7998 Do What You Wanna Do Released November 1988 Format LP CD cassette Label Virgin VOZ2022 Live albums Edit List of albums with details Title Album detailsNicklelodeon Released November 1971 Format LP Label Columbia SCXO 7992 Compilation albums Edit List of albums with Australian chart positions Title Album details Peak chartpositionsAUS 56 Now That Its Over Best Of Released 1974 Format LP Label EMI EMC 2517 Hands of Time Released 1981 Format LP Label Raven RVLP 01 78Jam It Up Rarities 1965 1973 Released 1986 Format LP Cassette CD Label Raven RVLP 27 The Very Best of Masters Apprentices Released March 1988 Format LP Cassette CD Label Virgin VOZ 2008 46Greatest Hits 30th Anniversary Released 1995 Format CD Label EMI 8146362 Complete Recordings 1965 1968 Released 2000 Format CD Label Ascension ANCD 010 Note Compiles recordings from the Astor label From Mustangs to Masters First Year Apprentices Released 2004 Format CD Label Nickoff NCD 1 Note Unreleased tracks from April 1966 From Mustangs to Masters First Year Apprentices Vol 2 Released 2004 Format CD Label Nickoff NCD 2 Note Unreleased tracks from April 1966 Fully Qualified The Choicest Cuts Released 2006 Format CD digital Label EMI 0946 3 69574 2 5 EPs Edit List of EPs with details Title EP detailsThe Masters Apprentices Released February 1967 Format 7 Label Astor AEP 4012 The Masters Apprentices Vol 2 Released 1968 Format 7 Label Astor AEP 4059 Turn Up Your Radio Released 1970 Format 7 Label Columbia SEGO 70190 Singles Edit Year Title Peak chart positions AlbumAUS 57 40 25 32 1966 Undecided 13The Masters Apprentices EP amp The Masters Apprentices1967 Buried and Dead 26 Living in a Child s Dream The Masters Apprentices Vol 2 EP 1968 Elevator Driver 30 Brigette 32non album single But One Day The Master s Apprentices1969 Linda Linda Masterpiece 5 10 Man 16 Think about Tomorrow Today 12Turn Up Your Radio EP 1970 Turn Up Your Radio 71971 Because I Love You 12Choice Cuts Future of Our Nation live 51Nickelodeon1972 Love Is A Toast to Panama Red1974 Rio de Camero non album single1988 Because I Love You 1988 version 30Do What You Wanna Do Birth of the Beat 1321995 Turn Up Your Radio with Hoodoo Gurus Greatest Hits 30th Anniversary denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country Awards and nominations EditARIA Music Awards Edit The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence innovation and achievement across all genres of Australian music They commenced in 1987 The Masters Apprentices were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998 58 Year Nominee work Award ResultARIA Music Awards of 1998 The Masters Apprentices ARIA Hall of Fame inducteeBattle of the Sounds Edit The Hoadley s Battle of the Sounds was an annual national rock pop band competition held in Australia from 1966 to 1972 59 Year Nominee work Award Result1968 themselves Battle of the Sounds National Final 2ndGo Set Pop Poll Edit The Go Set Pop Poll was coordinated by teen oriented pop music newspaper Go Set and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities 60 Year Nominee work Award Result1967 themselves Top Australian Group 5th1968 themselves Best Australian Group 2nd1969 themselves Best Australian Group 2nd1970 themselves Best Australian Group 1st1971 themselves Best Australian Group 2ndBest Album Choice Cuts 1stSouth Australian Music Awards Edit The South Australian Music Awards also known as SA Music Awards commonly SAM Awards are annual awards that exist to recognise promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry They commenced in 2012 Year Nominee work Award Result2014 The Masters Apprentices South Australian Music Awards Hall of Fame inducteeReferences EditGeneralKeays Jim 1999 His Master s Voice The Masters Apprentices The bad boys of sixties rock n roll St Leonards NSW Allen amp Unwin ISBN 1 86508 185 X Retrieved 24 August 2009 NOTE limited preview for on line version Duncan Kimball ed 2002 THE MASTERS APPRENTICES Milesago com ICE Productions Retrieved 17 April 2009 McFarlane Ian 1999 Encyclopedia entry for The Master s Apprentices Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop St Leonards NSW Allen amp Unwin ISBN 1 86508 072 1 Archived from the original on 30 September 2004 Retrieved 24 August 2009 Wheatley Glenn 1999 Paper paradise confessions of a rock n roll survivor Sydney NSW Bantam Books ISBN 0 7338 0012 2 Retrieved 27 August 2009 NOTE only overview for on line version Tilbrook Peter 2015 A Masters Apprentice Living in the Sixties ISBN 978 0646944265 Specific a b c d e f g h i j k l m Mc Farlane 1999 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Kimball 2002 a b c The Masters Apprentices Australian Rock Database Passagen se Magnus Holmgren Archived from the original on 29 March 2012 Retrieved 6 March 2014 ARIA 2008 Hall of Fame inductees listing Australian Recording Industry Association Archived from the original on 15 June 2008 Retrieved 5 June 2008 Winners by Award Hall of Fame Australian Recording Industry Association ARIA Archived from the original on 19 May 2011 Retrieved 24 August 2009 The Party Cats A MASTERS APPRENTICE Living in the Sixties Peter Tilbrook s 400 page Memoirs Petertilbrook com au Retrieved 28 September 2021 a b Zuel Bernard 13 June 2014 Jim Keays of Masters Apprentices has died aged 67 Smh com au Retrieved 13 June 2014 Glenn Wheatley whose clients ranged from John Farnham to Delta Goodrem dies aged 74 ABC News 1 February 2022 Retrieved 2 February 2022 The Masters Apprentices HOME Australian Rock Themastersapprentices com Retrieved 5 November 2020 Meldrum Ian 8 March 1967 Masters Apprentices have made the grade Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 29 August 2009 Keays p 56 a b c d e f Keays p 41 45 50 52 54 55 a b c Creswell Toby 2007 2005 1001 Songs The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists Stories and Secrets Behind Them RocKwiz ed Prahran Vic Hardie Grant p 443 ISBN 978 1 74066 458 5 Undecided at APRA search engine Australasian Performing Right Association APRA Retrieved 29 August 2009 Wars or Hands of Time at APRA search engine Australasian Performing Right Association APRA Retrieved 29 August 2009 Keays p 41 a b c d e f Jenkins Jeff Ian Meldrum 2007 Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia Melbourne Vic Wilkinson Publishing pp 61 65 72 ISBN 978 1 921332 11 1 Retrieved 29 August 2009 Buried and Dead at APRA search engine Australasian Performing Right Association APRA Retrieved 2 September 2009 a b Guest Thomas J 1991 Thirty Years of Hits Collingwood Melbourne M J Maloney ISBN 0 646 04633 0 Go Set search engine results for Undecided Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 31 August 2009 Keays p 62 63 a b Keays p 82 83 91 Living in a Child s Dream at APRA search engine Australasian Performing Right Association APRA Retrieved 2 September 2009 Keays p 65 a b Go Set search engine results for Living in a Child s Dream Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 31 August 2009 Keays p 86 Elevator Driver at APRA search engine Australasian Performing Right Association APRA Retrieved 3 September 2009 Keays His Master s Voice 1999 p 101 Keays p 101 a b c Keays p 140 Keays p 106 107 a b Go Set search engine results for 5 10 Man Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 31 August 2009 Keays p 140 145 Keays p 152 153 St John s Wood at APRA search engine Australasian Performing Right Association APRA Retrieved 12 September 2009 Keays p 151 153 157 219 222 Go Set search engine results for Turn Up Your Radio Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 1 September 2009 Keays p 218 Song for a Lost Gypsy at APRA search engine Australasian Performing Right Association APRA Retrieved 29 August 2009 a b Go Set search engine results for Because I Love You Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 1 September 2009 a b Keays p 195 197 Go Set search engine results for Choice Cuts Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 11 September 2009 a b c Wheatley Australian Stamps Rock Australia Australia Post 20 March 2001 Archived from the original on 11 September 2007 Retrieved 21 May 2008 Keays p ix Holmgren Magnus Gimme Ted The Ted Mulry Benefit Concerts Australian Rock Database Archived from the original on 22 August 2003 Retrieved 4 December 2020 Long Way to the Top Live in Concert DVD Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Archived from the original on 14 September 2007 Retrieved 13 September 2009 a b c Long Way to the Top Live in Concert Media notes Various Artists Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2002 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link ABC Online Long Way to the Top Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC 22 November 2002 Archived from the original on 24 November 2010 Retrieved 13 September 2009 Episode 2 Ten Pound Rocker 1963 1968 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 13 September 2009 NOTE The website quotes Jim Keyes sic from The Masters Apprentices Episode 3 Billy Killed the Fish 1968 1973 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 13 September 2009 NOTE The website quotes Jim Keyes sic O Donnell John Creswell Toby Mathieson Craig October 2010 100 Best Australian Albums Prahran Vic Hardie Grant Books ISBN 978 1 74066 955 9 Original 1960s Adelaide Rock Back Adelaidenow com au 2014 Retrieved 24 July 2021 The Masters Apprentices HOME Australian Rock Masters Apprentices Retrieved 5 November 2020 Masters Apprentices in Whyalla Catalogue record Government of South Australia Retrieved 24 August 2009 a b Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 194 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Go Set search engine results for Masters Apprentices Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 30 August 2009 NOTE Go Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974 For Get Buried Go Set search engine results for Buried and Dead Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 31 August 2009 For Elevator Driver Go Set search engine results for Elevator Driver Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 31 August 2009 For Brigette Go Set search engine results for Brigette Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 31 August 2009 For GoSetFuture Go Set search engine results for Future of Our Nation Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 1 September 2009 For Future of Our Nation Go Set search engine results for Future of Our Nation Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 1 September 2009 For Because I Love You 1988 The Masters Apprentices discography Australian charts com Retrieved 23 July 2021 For Birth of the Beat Week commencing 30 January 1989 part 2 Bubblingdownunder com 30 January 2020 Retrieved 23 July 2021 Winners by Award Hall of Fame Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved 23 October 2020 Stacey Terence J 2002 Duncan Kimball ed Hoadley s National Battle of the Sounds MilesAgo Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964 1975 ICE Productions Archived from the original on 31 August 2012 Retrieved 8 January 2013 Australian Music Awards Ron Jeff Retrieved 16 December 2010 External links EditOfficial website The Masters Apprentices at Nostalgia Central Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Masters Apprentices amp oldid 1177015546, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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