The first real trio I played in was at Tommy's nightclub in Brisbane, Queensland in the early 1960's. Stan Walker was the leader and piano player, Billy Boon played the bass. Tommy's was open six nights a week and the band hours were 9pm till 2am. The place was always packed from the time the pubs closed at 10pm, with people from all walks of life who wanted to stay out late, for whatever reason.

We played to lawyers, doctors and all sorts of professional people; merchant seamen from the ships that tied up in the Brisbane River to unload cargo from all over the world;sailors from the Australian, British, French, New Zealand and United States navies; soldiers from the Australian army; students, criminals, coppers, hookers, husbands and housewives. There were nightly fights, furniture smashing and many other diversions of that nature - a total uproar. The piano was a small upright with no amplification, the bass had no amp either and gut strings.

Don't Be That Way

ianbloxsom