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Lots of bands. I wish I had pictures from every one of them, but I don't. Here's what I've found so far.


Horsefly Rock and Roll Band (aka The Horseflies). My first working band was a trio that I had in high school (Pershing County High School in Lovelock, Nevada) with my girlfriend Sylvia Hamilton and a drummer named Gabby, 1964 and 1965. We did covers of Beatles, Stones, Animals, Peter and Gordon, and the like. Sylvia was a rich-voiced natural singer, having learned to sing by singing to the farm animals as she did the chores. She was a dream to sing with and a truly lovely friend. Thanks to Sylvia and Tim N. for the photo. Oh, how I wish I still had the Gibson ES-125 shown in the photo.


Driftwoods: John Winn (guitar), Bill Hamilton (bass), a few drummers, and me. I moved to Reno, Nevada, following my high school graduation, joining the Driftwoods immediately. They were looking for a singer, and the connection was made via Bill's sister Sylvia, my high school girlfriend and band mate. We did a cross between guitar instrumentals (Ventures, Duane Eddy, etc) and the pop vocals of the time. We played in some bars around Reno, at social events associated with University of Nevada frats and clubs, and at a bar in nearby Squaw Valley, California. No picture.


Me and Rachelle Mingail. I can't remember if we had a band name or not. Rachelle truly has the voice of an angel, and she has the personality to match. This picture is probably from 1974. Photo: Bruce McDougall


Springwater: Frank Terpstra (guitar), Jim Boyko (drums), and me (bass). We worked as a trio for a year and bit, starting out with a nine-month house gig in the lounge at the old Colony Motor Hotel in Victoria. 1975-ish. No picture.


Sweet Potato Swing Band: Nathan Tinkham, Pat Lawson, Mark Watson, and me (kneeling). This group started out as a Bob Wills-style Texas swing band project. To broaden our market, we became a country band with Texas swing sensibilities. This picture is circa 1978, I expect.


Original Seadog at the Islands Folk Festival: Al Eskelson, Daryl Posein, me, and Paul Ruszel. This band was a ton of fun. We got to play loud, doing both originals and covers.

Diamond Joe and Penny White at Cowichan Community Centre: Joe White, Penny White, and me. Joe performs his songs with great energy. We worked mostly in Alberta as a seven-piece band that included Nathan Tinkham (guitar), Terry Anderson (drums), David Wilkie (mandolin), and Ron Casat (piano). Circa 1980.
Photo: Katie Stewart

Black Mountain Band: Tom Craycroft (vocals, guitar), Ed Atfield (guitar), Joanne (vocals), Jim (drums), a piano player, and me (bass, vocals). Tom was such an enthusiastic performer, concentrating exclusively on country music, especially the music of Johnny Cash. This incarnation of Tom's band performed around Victoria for a few years in the early to mid 1980s. Tom is pictured below.
Photo: Heather Davie

Paddy Hernon: Paddy Hernon, Rick Van Krugel, me, and occasionally Denis Donnelly. A big handful of Paddy's songs are my absolute favourite renditions of those songs. He has a dramatic voice, is a solid guitar player, and really knows how to make a song work. Over several years, we played around Victoria and environs, and we performed several years at Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. We recorded a CD project in 1993-94. No photo.

Sheila Ryan: Sheila Ryan, Rick Van Krugel, Keith Malcom, and me. Sheila is a fine Irish singer, harper, and a lively wit. I played with Sheila off and on for five years or so around Victoria. No photo.

Kindred Spirits at the Islands Folk Festival: George Halkyard, Mike Jones, Bill Gallaher, and me. This short-lived band was the beginning of my association with Bill Gallaher.


Kefi: Pat Lawson (bouzouki), Gary Cohen (doumbek), and me (guitar). Some years after Pat and I had played together in the Sweet Potato Swing Band, he asked me to join Kefi (replacing the departing Ron Gillmore). Kefi performed Greek rembetica music exclusively, working almost exclusively in the Greek restaurants around Victoria. I left the band after a couple of years, but served as the fill-in guitar or bass player for another five years or so. No picture.

Bill Gallaher and Harmony Road at the Lunenberg Folk Harbour Festival: Mike Jones, me, Bill Gallaher, and Maureen Campbell. This festival stop was part of an east coast tour we did in 1995. Lunenberg is a really great festival. And, when you're in town, seek out the restaurant that has the key lime pie ... the best.

Jake Galbraith Trio at the JBI Pub: Alan Hume, Carol Waldo, and me. We had this band for two or three years. Alan is such a virtuoso on the guitar as well as being a great guy, and my wife learned to play bass in the context of the band. We played mostly pop and country rock. The bulk of our audience were people associated with the Gettin' Higher Choir -- they came to sing, and they did just that. Very gratifying.
Photo: Beth Humphries

Howe Sound: Me, Jill King, and Bryon Thompson. This is one of the most interesting and satisfying ensembles I've ever been part of. We all brought unique talents and we produced a unique product. Both Jill and Bryon can sing louder than me. Our party piece was a street-theatre version of the novel Moby Dick with music, 22 minutes running time.

Photo: Terry Ridings

The Clankies: Tracy Summers, Carol Waldo, and me. We performed sporadically over about a five year period, choosing our favorite folk and pop songs as material. Haven't found a picture yet, but I know I have one.

Open Heart at Folkfest Victoria: Me, Beth Woodland, Joy Kruger, and John Grazley. Again, a highlight group for me ... lots of raw talent and real musicianship.

Tradewinds: Noa Molia, me, Maureen Campbell, Peni Tanutovivalu, and Joe Fuleafau. My first gig playing lapsteel guitar. We played music from all over the Pacific Ocean, and the guys were the real deal from Fiji and Samoa. All gems of human beings.

Well Strung: Keith Watson, Robert Anderson, Don Chambers, and me. Both Don and Robert are tremendous songwriters. And, Keith plays a mean guitar. We've all been friends for a good long time, and we get together to perform sporadically.

Mandolirium: Rick Van Krugel, Rod McCrimmon, Mike Brooks, and me. This was the final version of the band, as they broke up shortly after I quit. Quirky, sophisticated music. Photo: Linda Rogers

Light Sweet Crude: Andy Grafitti, Chris Trygg, Richard Bryan Baker, me, and Rick Van Krugel. We recorded a CD in 2007 with high hopes. But the band in this configuration just didn't seem to be workable. Three and four-piece versions worked out well enough to gig regularly. Photo: Linda Rogers

Light Sweet Crude (trio version) at the Islands Folk Festival: Rick Van Krugel, Chris Trygg, and me. This version of the band could go from quite folky to quite rocky. Lots of fun. Photo: Katie Stewart