Goodnight, God Bless and Safe Home: The Golden Showband Era.
Author: O’KEEFE, Finbar.
Dublin: O’Brien Press, 2002. 144 pages. Illustrated. Paperback.
The mood, the memories, the excitement of Ireland’s golden showband era - recreated by a band member.
Ireland in the 1960s rocked, hucklebucked and jived to the sound of the showbands. There were almost seven hundred bands touring the length and breadth of the country, filling the newly created giant ballrooms with brylcreemed lads and beehived lassies. Many became household names: Brendan Bowyer and The Royal, Dickie Rock and The Miami, Butch Moore and The Capitol, Joe Dolan and The Drifters, Big Tom and The Mainliners. Eileen Reed gave her ‘Wedding Dress’ away nightly, while Jo Mac drummed up a storm with The Dixies. From the North came the innovative Freshmen, fronted by Billy Brown and Derek Deane, as well as one of the first showbands,The Clipper Carlton.
Finbar O’Keefe was part of that scene. A member of The Saints, he later formed The Las Vegas Showband. His unique insider’s account tells the story from both sides of the bandstand.
ISBN: 0862787777
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