Hi all you other Aussies, & interested others,Way back in 1973 when I went to the Nimbin Festival, a bush band called Mulga Bill's Bicycle Band played one evening out on a sports oval or something. When it got too dark to see where we were dancing we still yelled for more music because it was so good.
I was just wondering who the band members were. I used to have one of their posters but I think it is long gone after innumerable shared house moves. I probably wore it out from taking it down and tacking it up again on the walls, or someone else may have taken a fancy to it and snaffled it. It didn't have the band members names on it, as far as I remember, though.
I often try to think back about how I became interested in folk music.
The list so far is:
1. Hearing the Irish Rovers (I think it was them) singing Black Velvet Band on the radio. I don't know what year that was.
2. School of the Air, ABC Radio school's broadcasting programme - Chris Kempster who is a singer/songwriter and also the editor of the Henry Lawson songbook was a key player in getting folk music into schools via this programme. In primary schoool, from 1963-1966
3. Borrowing John Meredith's book called Folk Songs of Australia from the local public library and trying to play the songs on a plastic whistle called a Musette. Also learning some folk tunes on the Musette at school. 1966(?) onwards.
4. Going to a folk concert at Maitland, put on by the Newcastle Folk Club, with performers such as Bobby Campbell, Brad Tate (I think he was there) and Bill Morgan. 1971
5. Going to the Newcastle Folk Club a couple of times when I was in high school. 1971-2
6. Going to the Nimbin Festival, hearing people making their own music, seeing & dancing to Mulga Bill's Bicycle Band. 1973
7. After moving to Newcastle in 1974, going regularly to the Newcastle Folk Club and every year to Newcastle Folk Festival, and some other festivals elsewhere.By then I was well & truly hooked.
So, Bob Bolton & others, can you help me here with the names of the band members?
Helen