Reign of the Ghostriders

by Jacinta Evans. Warrnambool Standard 21st Dec 1999 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard1999.

 
Ghost Riders with Ricky Henderson - Battle of the Sounds

Throughout the 1950s and '60s, the Palais dance hall was the place to be on a Saturday night. For a decade, a legendary band called the Ghostriders reigned on centre stage.

In the early 1960s some budding young rockers were dreaming of standing on centre stage at Warrnambool's celebrated Palais for just one night, playing their version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky". They were the Ghostriders, the rock 'n' rollers with boundless youthful energy and a passion for good times, who were to dominate Warrnambool's entertainment scene for beyond a decade. The Ghostriders' legend began in 1960 when four young friends - Billy Fish, 21, Barry Wickham, 21, Bob Dennis, 19, and Joe Willis, 17 - started to teach each other the guitar. With a Coles guitar manual which showed the basic chords and a couple of old Belini acoustic guitars, the guys started off on a legendary ride through the 60s.

Their dream gig at the Palais was to become true before the 1600-strong crowd they had always yearned for, but it wasn't for just one night - it lasted for years. The faces in the band changed from time to time, but the Ghostriders etched their place in Warrnambool's social and entertainment history.

Today, the surviving Ghostriders are parents, some are grandparents, aging face our community. Joe Willis, the baby of the Ghostriders as a 17 year old, is today a friendly face behind the counter at the Liebig Street Newsagency, a grandfather who is still struggling to officially retire from the entertainment scene.  He recalls the bands determination and persistence to make it in the competitive live band scene of the 1960s.

The original foursome were joined by Billy Brebner with his set of drums, and were practising as a band three nights a week. "At this time the Ross Lewis Jazz Band was playing at THE place to be, the Palais de Dance [sic], and Julie Hughson was a female vocalist. Julie's sister Maree had sung with here on a radio 3YB weekly program", Joe recalls. "The Hughson family in Timor was the home of rock 'n' roll, and it didn't matter what time of day or night, the record player was going full bore and the lounge-room was full of people rockin' and rollin' and jiving to Bill Haley and the crew". Maree then joined the band and the practises [sic] intensified. The line-up included Bill Brebner on drums, Bob Dennis on lead guitar, Joe Willis rhythm guitar and vocals, Billy Fish on bass guitar, Maree Hughson on piano and vocals and Barry Wickham on vocals.

Maree Hughson, Joe Willis and Leon Saunders in full voice.

Eight months later the band played its  first gig, a freebee, at the 21st birthday of a friend at Terang. "A crappy PA was hired and the band set off for a big night. Everyone was really impressed with the music which made the band feel pretty good, until, about 11 p.m. Being a hot night we went out the back of the hall to get a breath of fresh air. It was a very still night and across the way there was another hall and the most magic rendition of "Ghostriders in the sky" was wafting across the night air. After making a B-Line [sic] for the sound we discovered Gordon Gilham and the Electones. The band originated from Geelong and were [sic] one of the best rock 'n' roll bands we had ever heard. Gordon Gilham had lost the top of his index finger down to the first joint but he was a guitar maestro." Two years later Gordon Gilham was killed in a car accident returning  from playing at a dance at Cobden, but he had made a lasting impression on the young band. "Hearing the Electones was the best thing that happened to us because as we trudged back to finish our 21st, we realised a lot more work was needed if we were going to bring ourselves up to that standard", reflects Joe.

They persevered and the band learned a good rendition of "Ghostriders in the sky" - "but it didn't sound near as good as the Electones version". Their first paid gig - which earned the whole band six pounds - was at Port Fairy. "When asked for the name of the band for advertising purposes, Billy Fish just said the Ghostriders because by now the song was starting to sound a bit better". And so the Ghostriders came into being. By the end of 1961 rock 'n' roll was all the rage and the jazz band finished at the Palais, and the likes of the Electones moved in. The Ghostriders were building a following at Koroit, Crossley, Mortlake and districts and a new band member, Leon Saunders from Heywood, joined to replace Bob Dennis, while Bill Brebner moved to Melbourne and Gil Everard took over the drums.

The big break came in 1962 with that much-awaited call from the Palais. "Could we play the following Saturday night. The jazz band would return to take on the side stage and the Ghostriders would take over centre stage", Joe Willis recalls. "It was an unbelievable sight to see all those people rockin' the night away. The Palais was the place to meet on Saturday nights. Buses came from Port Fairy, Koroit, Mortlake, Camperdown and Terang". For the 2 years between 1962 and 1964 the band averaged five nights a week while the band members also held their full-time jobs. The composition of the band changed several  times. Gil Everard left, to be replaced by Graeme Saunders, along with his younger brother Leon, just 16 at the time. The Saunders brothers still play in top rock 'n' roll band Sound Advice. Another new arrival was Russell Henderson, who had been travelling Australia with the Buddy Williams show under the name of Rockin' Ricky Randall. He joined the Ghostriders after returning home to the family farm at Minhamite.

Russell Henderson (left) joined the Ghostriders after some time with the Buddy Williams Show. He is pictured with Bill Fish.

Beatlemania was in and the band was in great shape with four vocalists to do the harmonies required. The jazz band was replaced in 1962 with alternate bands the Rebs, The Ramblers and the Vampires, while the Ghostriders played centre stage. One single recording - "Ann" - and 2 television performances were made in the 10-years reign on centre stage of the Palais. The Ghostriders found they were in demand, with bookings from as far as Mt. Gambier, Ballarat, and Geelong. "All members in the band held down 40-hour a week full time jobs", Joe says. "Many a morning you would arrive back at the Palais to unload the gear after a gig about 4.30 am., grab a pie and a  bowl of soup at Bill's pie cart and head off for an hour or two sleep before work."

Return of the Ghostriders - the band regrouped briefly outside the old Palais building in Koroit Street for this photograph earlier this month. The musos include Joe Willis (left), Barry Wickham, Maree Hughson, Bill Fish, Graeme Saunders and Leon Saunders (front).

After a decade, the Palais' big dances closed, giving way to the emerging pub scene, which by now had extended trading hours. The band members went on to play the pub scene, changing its [sic] name to Red, until the sudden death of Russell. Twenty five years later, in 1993, the Ghostriders regrouped with Billy Fish, Barry Wickham, Leon Saunders, Graeme Saunders, Joe Willis, Maree Hughson and Neville Olson, who has since died, for a comeback at St. Pius Hall. Billy Fish, today a businessman who operates a Liebig St. shoe store, had retired after the Palais days and hadn't played the bass guitar for 25 years. Barry Wickham, now a Terang timber worker, hadn't performed regularly either. To a packed hall with standing room only, the crowd waited until nearly midnight before the band arrived on stage. Suddenly every light in the hall went out and the haunting rhythm introduction to Ghostriders in the sky started, and the old band was in full swing again. "Much to the disgust of the neighbours, for which we apologise, the band rocked the hall until 3.45 am", Joe reveals. It wasn't planned but another eight cabarets were held during the 3 year period until 1996 with St Pius, Emmanuel College, St John of God Hospital, and Brauer College all benefiting from these great nights. Joe Willis claims he officially retired from entertaining two years ago on New Years Eve, but couldn't resist the temptation for "just one more job" on  New Year's Eve to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium. He will be teaming up with friends out of his last band Limited Edition, a 60s through to the 90s rock 'n' roll band, to farewell a century of good times.
 
The Ghost Riders in 1964. L to R, Bill Fish, Leon Saunders, Gil Everard, Joe Willis, Maree Hughson and Ron Menz

 

Bill Fish

 

Ricky Henderson

 

Barry Wickham

 

Joe Willis

Reformed as "The sounds of the Ghost Riders" for the 2017 Rock the Clock Festivals (Leon Saunders on the left of the photo)

Link to audio file from ABC Radio 774 13th Nov 2020