"Baby, please don't go" (Big Joe Williams 1935, Muddy Waters 1953, Them 1964 The Masters Apprentices

Описание: Masters Apprentices @ Musicland Fawkner 22/11/2025

Brief History and band members
1964–1965: Formation and the Mustangs
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. Initially they played covers of the Shadows and the Ventures songs. 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. 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). Following the Beatles' chart breakthrough and tour, the Mustangs changed style and took on a lead singer, Scottish immigrant, Jim Keays. The Mustangs rehearsed regularly in a shed behind the King’s Head hotel owned by Vaughton's family. Their original manager, Graham Longley, made a tape recording of a rehearsal; it was rediscovered and released on CD in 2004 as Mustangs to Masters ... First Year Apprentices. After Keays joined on lead vocals, the band produced more original songs in the beat style.
The Mustangs established themselves on the thriving Adelaide dance circuit by playing in suburban halls and migrant hostels. 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.
1965–1967: Adelaide years
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". 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. Their first TV appearance, on Good Friday, was on a Channel 7 telethon hosted by Adelaide TV celebrity Ernie Sigley. They entered the South Australian heat of Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds and finished third behind the Twilights (eventual national winners).
Former members
Jim Keays – vocals, harmonica, guitar (1965–1972, 1987–1991, 1994–1995; 1997, 2001–2002; died 2014)
Rick Morrison – guitar (1964–1967, 2014–2017)
Gavin Webb – bass (1964–1968, 2014–2024; died 2024)
Steve Hopgood – drums (1967–1968)
Tony Sommers – guitar (1967–1968)
Peter Tilbrook – guitar, bass (1967–1968)
Colin Burgess – drums (1968–1972, 1987–1991, 2001–2002; died 2023)
Doug Ford – guitar (1968–1972 1987–1991, 1997, 2001–2002)
Glenn Wheatley – guitar, bass (1968–1972, 1987–1988, 2002; died 2022)
Denny Burgess – vocals, bass (1972)
Tim Wheatley – bass (2001–2002
Current members
Mick Bower – guitar (1964–1967, 2014–present)
Brian Vaughton – drums (1964–1967, 2014–present)
Rick Harrison – guitar (1967, 2017–present)
Craig Holden – vocals (2014–present)
Bill Harrod – bass (2020–present)
Dan Matejcic – guitar (2023–present)