Don Tuckwell and the Hi-Lites playing a gig at the North Wagga Hall. Photo: Museum of the Riverina (Tuckwell collection).
Today, the team from the Museum of the Riverina take us back to the 1960s when rock n’ roll was shaking up the world.
Here we see Don Tuckwell and the Hi-Lites playing a gig at the North Wagga Hall.
Decked out in their matching shirts and tuxedos and with their hair carefully combed, this was clearly the pre-Beatles mop-top era!
It’s interesting to note that there does not appear to be any amplification. The singers do not have microphones, presumably relying on the acoustics of the iconic hall, and are adding their own percussion with some slick moves and clapping.
This hip group was made up of (from left) Peter Brown on saxophone, Tom Murphy on trumpet, [unidentified], lead singer Dennis Blackett (former Deputy Mayor) and Ron Hanson on piano.
Obscured in the background we see Don Tuckwell on drums and Arnie Small, playing the classic Aussie tea chest bass.
Don Tuckwell is a well-known name in Wagga.
For more than 30 years his business, Don Tuckwell Audio, was an iconic part of the Baylis Street landscape until he moved to new premises inside the South Town Walk in 2016.
The Hi-Lites weren’t the only band Don was involved with. In the 1950s and 1960s, he was the drummer in the Riverina RJs and also played with The Blue Suede Rockers.
As a child, he was a member of the St. John’s Anglican Church choir, and later, was a drummer with the Wagga City Brass Band.
Before opening his own business Don was employed at The Clef, and also Haberecht’s World of Sound.
What bands did you see live in Wagga?
Image and information supplied by Michelle Maddison, Curator at the Museum of the Riverina
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