A HISTORY of
1980 
1986
BEACHHEAD/BEACHHEAD'S BLUES
1980
Beachhead & Co. (March-May)
This first band was cobbled together specifically
to play a 'Graveyard Shift' residency at
La BASTILLE in Kings Cross, SYDNEY which
lasted around two months. After approaching
the management of the venue they were required
to first audition for the slot. It is worth
noting that at least three of the six band
members were also members of the LAYABOUTS. This situation continued, to a large extent,
throughout the whole of 1980.
The 'Audition' Band
Rod ‘Beachhead’ JEFFERY – main vocals/leader
Phil LORD – ‘Wurlitzer’ electric piano/backing vocals
Gary ‘Guitar’ DALE (LAYABOUTS) – electric lead & rhythm guitar
Louise ELLIOTT (LAYABOUTS) – alto saxophone/flute
Jeff LENHAM – electric bass guitar
The 'Gig' Band
Rod ‘Beachhead’ JEFFERY – main vocals/leader
Phil LORD – ‘Wurlitzer’ electric piano/backing vocals
Gary ‘Guitar’ DALE (LAYABOUTS) – electric lead & rhythm guitar
Louise ELLIOTT (LAYABOUTS) – alto saxophone/flute
Raoul HAWKINS (LAYABOUTS) – electric bass guitar (later replaced by Grant WATSON)
Paul ‘Swanny’ SVENSON – drums
Beachhead (May Onwards)
After this initial stint at La BASTILLE,
the & “Co.” was dropped, the band now
became ‘BEACHHEAD’. The rest of 1980 was
taken up with residencies at French's Tavern
(Saturday afternoon), Sonia's at the Leichhardt
Hotel (Tuesday & Saturday nights) and
the Wenty Resch's Hotel (Thursday night).
The band also returned to La BASTILLE for
a very short and unhappy period as well as
replacing the LAYABOUTS for an entire weekend
of gigs when that band decided to take a
short sojourn. That entire weekend (July
11th - 13th) was recorded and archival tapes
of the best material still exist.
After one of the La BASTILLE gigs, during
the load-out, Gary's beloved Stratocaster
was stolen from beside the car and a benefit
gig was held at Sonia's with a band comprising
of BEACHHEAD and friends who'd played with
the band at the Kings Cross venue over the
months.
During this period Louise left both BEACHHEAD
and the LAYABOUTS and joined Jay & the BRAZILIAN COCKROACHES. In BEACHHEAD she was replaced by Karl JUDD
on tenor saxophone. A second guitar was added
for a time (Murray OSBORNE) and when Gary
had to leave, because of committments to
the LAYABOUTS, a replacement was already
in the band. The two guitarists did, however,
allow for some interesting ALLMAN BROTHERS
Style guitar duets.
The 'Benefit' Band
Rod ‘Beachhead’ JEFFERY – main vocals/leader
Phil LORD – ‘Wurlitzer’ electric piano/backing vocals
Gary ‘Guitar’ DALE (LAYABOUTS) – electric lead & rhythm guitar
Louise ELLIOTT (LAYABOUTS) – alto saxophone/flute
Grant WATSON – electric bass guitar
Paul ‘Swanny’ SVENSON – drums
Plus
Brian WAKEFIELD - Vocals
Vicki KENNY - Vocals
Peter FINE - Clarinet/saxophone
Danny FINE - Saxophone
Dave 'Frank Bennett' WRAY - Tenor saxophone
Jim HEYWOOD - Drums
Geoff 'Rod' LEWIS - Guitar
Dave COLTON - Guitar
Jeff LENHAM - Guitar
The 'LAYABOUTS Weekend' Band
Rod ‘Beachhead’ JEFFERY – main vocals/leader
Phil LORD – ‘Wurlitzer’ electric piano/backing vocals
Gary ‘Guitar’ DALE (LAYABOUTS) – electric lead & rhythm guitar
Louise ELLIOTT (LAYABOUTS) – alto saxophone/flute
Dave 'Frank Bennett' WRAY (LAYABOUTS) – tenor saxophone
Grant WATSON – electric bass guitar
Paul ‘Swanny’ SVENSON – drums
The 'Two Guitar' Band
Rod ‘Beachhead’ JEFFERY – main vocals/leader
Phil LORD – ‘Wurlitzer’ electric piano/backing vocals
Gary ‘Guitar’ DALE (LAYABOUTS) – electric lead & rhythm guitar
Murray OSBORNE – electric lead & rhythm guitar
Karl 'Muppet' JUDD – tenor saxophone
Grant WATSON – electric bass guitar
Paul ‘Swanny’ SVENSON – drums
This was the same as the final 1980 line-up with the exception of Gary DALE who had to leave because of committments to the LAYABOUTS. However, on at least one occasion Gary was replaced by Tony PEDROZA (ex-Foreday Riders) for a Sunday afternoon gig at Sonia's. On one other occasion when the 'twin guitar' position was filled by 'Rod' LEWIS and Jeff LENHAM.
1982
After spending most of 1981 with 'original/new' music band TOXIC SHOCK, Rod was finally back singing R'n'B with a new version of BEACHHEAD which held the Saturday night residency at the Local Inn, West Ryde during the first half of the year. This band, or variations thereof, also worked at Mirrors Wine Bar - Dee Why, the Highwayman Hotel - Hornsby, the Jolly Frog Inn - Windsor, Alley Cat Wine Bar - North Sydney, Montgomery (Monty's) Hotel - Pyrmont and the Sandringham (SANDO) Hotel - Newtown.
The 'Main' Band
Rod BEACHHEAD Jeffery - main vocal/leader
Tony PEDROZA (ex- FOREDAY RIDERS Blues Band) - vocals/guitar
Dave EAGER - harmonica
Don RAPHAEL - tenor saxophone
Pat CRUMPLER - percussion
Gary KEELY - electric bass guitar
Peter Scott READ - drums
1983
At some point during the year, a BEACHHEAD was put together to do a couple Saturday night slots at the Allet Cat Wine bar.
The 'Alley Cat' Band
Rod BEACHHEAD Jeffery - main vocal/leader
Gary ‘Guitar’ DALE (LAYABOUTS) - vocals/guitar
Bruce THORBURN (HOOLEY DOOLEYS) - fiddle
Raoul HAWKINS - electric bass guitar
Luigi 'Lu' CORCOGLIONETTI - drums
1984
In mid-year a new line-up was formed using
some stalwarts and some new players to perform
a Monday night residency at the Cat &
Fiddle Hotel - Balmain (then owned by George
Lippman who later moved to Goulburn and became
instrumental in establishing a local Blues
scene there). The gig didn't last more than
two months. However, the venue became the
longstanding Friday night gig for the FOREDAY RIDERS in early 1984.
This band also did at least two other gigs
- one friday night at Monty's Restaurant
& Bar (North Sydney) and one Saturday
afternoon at the Commercial Hotel (East Balmain).
The 'Monday Night' Band
Rod 'Beachhead' JEFFERY - leader/vocals
Gary ‘Guitar’ DALE (LAYABOUTS) - guitar
Maree STEINWAY - electric piano/vocals
Laurie SAVAGE - saxophones/flute
John MACKIE - bass guitar
Luigi 'Lu' CORCOGLIONETTI - drums
(While on tour with the LAYABOUTS Gary was
replaced by Murray OSBORNE)
1985
In March 1985 the band played o one-off unpaid gig at the Dry Dock Hotel - Balmain on a Saturday evening with the intention being to record a 'live' demo tape. While nothing was forthcoming from that effort, the next owner of the hotel heard Rod sitting in with a jazz band at another hotel and booked BEACHHEAD for a Saturday residency which ran from June to August of that year and attracted very good crowds. Several audio tapes of that band (and a video) exist.
The 'Live Demo' Band
Rod 'Beachhead' JEFFERY - leader/main vocal
Gary 'Guitar' DALE (LAYABOUTS) - guitar
Will IRVING (DREI WRETCHES) - guitar
Laurie SAVAGE - reeds
Cathy CONNOR - electric piano/electric organ
Ken WALLER - bass guitar
Luigi 'Lu' CORCOGLIONETTI - drums
The 'Saturday' Band
Rod 'Beachhead' JEFFERY - leader/main vocal
Jeff LENHAM - guitar/keyboards
Mike RYAN - trumpet/flügelhorn
Laurie SAVAGE - tenor & baritone saxophones/flute
Cathy CONNOR - electric piano/electric organ
Ken WALLER - bass guitar
Luigi 'Lu' CORCOGLIONETTI - drums
Gary 'Guitar' DALE (LAYABOUTS) - 2nd guitar (was replaced by Mike RYAN on trumpet)
Some of the regular sit-ins included Dom TURNER (slide guitar), the late Roger JANES (trombone), Robbie BURNS (trombone), Roger VINCENT (trumpet), Brian WAKEFIELD (vocals) and Bob SCOTT (jazz vocalist extraordinaire).
The band also played at the Manly Pacific
International Hotel during the 1985 MANLY
JAZZ FESTIVAL. On that occasion the trumpet
was replaced by Roy AINSWORTH on soprano saxophone.
A couple of other gigs were played around
the Balmain area featuring either Will IRVING (in 1985 at the Callan Park Hotel, Rozelle
and the Gladstone Park Bowling Club, Balmain),
or Brendan O'REILLY (in 1986 at Dick's Hotel, Balmain) on guitar.
1986
The band only performed three times in 1986 and the bands for those gigs are as follows:
Dick's Hotel - BALMAIN (January)
Rod 'Beachhead' JEFFERY - leader/main vocal
Brendan O'REILLY - guitar
Jeff CARRUTHERS - alto saxophone
Laurie SAVAGE - tenor & baritone saxophones/flute
Cathy CONNOR - electric piano/electric organ
Ken WALLER - bass guitar
Luigi 'Lu' CORCOGLIONETTI - drums
The 'Jazz Party' - WEST RYDE (February 2nd)
Rod 'Beachhead' JEFFERY - leader/main vocal
Rupert JEANS - guitar
Jeff CARRUTHERS - alto saxophone
Laurie SAVAGE - tenor & baritone saxophones/flute
Cathy CONNOR - electric piano
Ken WALLER - bass guitar
Luigi 'Lu' CORCOGLIONETTI - drums
Plus
Murray HILL - alto saxophone
David HOLT - drums
The 'Beachhead Wedding' - WEST RYDE (December
20th)
Rod 'Beachhead' JEFFERY - leader/main vocal
Will IRVING - guitar
Peter 'Rabbit' RICH - guitar
Jeff CARRUTHERS - alto saxophone
Laurie SAVAGE - tenor & baritone saxophones/flute
Cathy CONNOR - electric piano
Ken WALLER - bass guitar
Luigi 'Lu' CORCOGLIONETTI /Mitch PRESTON - drums
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