|
The
Victors
Showband |
Two top sax-players, Chris St.Leger and Len McCarthy
teamed up with Johnny
Sweeney to form the brass
section of a new showband in Cork in 1964. Chris had played with The Regal
and The Derek Joys
while Len had come from The Regal and doubled on bass. Lead
guitarist was Wolfgang
Nordt from Stuttgart,
Germany. Waterford man
Mick Cleere came from The
Savoy Showband, played guitar and doubled on trombone while
drummer Tony Erangey
had laid down the beat with Cork’s Butter Exchange Brass & Reed
Band.
All The Victors needed now was a
dynamic, versatile lead vocalist. Art Supple
was working on his father’s farm, just outside Youghal by day
and singing with a semi-professional band, The Pat Irwin All-Stars
who played relief to all the big bands at The Red Barn, Youghal,
when he was approached to audition for The Victors. The handsome
six-footer sang a few songs made popular by his idol, Brendan
Bowyer and he was immediately offered the job. |
