A story of an old Roy Boy, William (Winger) Griffiths (April 5, 1879 - October 16, 1928). As the curtain closes on the Grade cricket season and rises for Australian rules football what better way than to honour the transition than to have a tale about a District (Premier Grade) cricketer and VFL (Victorian Football … Continue reading Winger Griffiths
Will the real Sydney Dickens please stand up? There has been some confusion on the identity of Sydney Dickens or should I say Professor Dickens. On Melbourne's Empire Records back in 1908, two wax cylinder recordings were pressed containing mouth organ medleys credited to 'Professor' Dickens (these are Australia's earliest known mouth organ recordings). For … Continue reading By Dickens
6th January, 2020Hey there Raffers & Riffers,Over a year ago I published an article about a young Australian lad (or American if you prefer), who was a big hit down under when he and his parents toured as part of the Tivoli circuit in 1953. Gene Jimae, although born in Detroit in 1943, was of … Continue reading Gene Genius Returns
G'day Riffers, On a chilly Sunday evening in the winter of 2014 my wife and I had the privilege of attending the Burrinja Cafe here in the Dandenongs (it wasn't raining-only dripping off trees). A local duo transported us back in time to a smoking blues joint in New Mexico called the Golden Inn where … Continue reading Buffalo Blues Burger
Hey there Riff Raffers, Floating on a cloud with a cosmic shroud. Play your music loud Chetarca. "He was one of the pioneers." (Matt Taylor) "Paul was the best harmonica player I had heard and a lovely man with a beautiful soulful voice and a great sense of humour." (Andy Vance) "Paul Lever was a … Continue reading Paul Langford Lever
G'day Riff Raffers, Revisiting a tune with a catchy harp riff that's having its thirtieth anniversary and is as good today as it ever was. It continues to mature like a single malt scotch whisky in an old oak barrel. When Scottish group Del Amitri released their single 'Kiss This Thing Goodbye' for the first … Continue reading Kiss This!
Hello Riffers, Here's a story about a man named Hogan who was busy with five boys of his own, six men all living together, but they were not alone (bit of a mish mash of old TV sitcoms). Just prior to the turn of the twentieth century a young lad raised in the country town … Continue reading Hogan’s Heroes
Hi Riff Raffers, Within my substantial vinyl record collection there is a twelve inch extended play by 'The Goanna Band' titled, 'Living On The Razor's Edge'. Released in 1979 there was a limited print of 500 (maybe 1000?). It was produced by Broderick Smith on the Custom Press label a subsidiary of EMI. Two of … Continue reading Goanna Man Of Mystery
Hello Riff Raffers, “Well I remember when I was young the world had just begun and I was happy. I used to wonder about the earth and how it moved around the sun so snappy.” (Matt Taylor) Back when I was young you could venture down to the local milk bar and purchase sixteen aniseed balls … Continue reading Humpo Bompa (with a dadada da da over the top)
Hi Riff Raffers, Greg Foster is more than an accomplished harmonica exponent and yet for some reason he goes under the radar when we discuss the best Australian harp players. His extensive body of work with Jazz super group 'Galapagos Duck' alone is testimony enough to his proficiency as a musician, songwriter, performer and particularly … Continue reading Ah! Fosters-He’s Got The Flavour
