Sydney
Sydney...aah Sydney, I lived in that beautiful city for 20 years. Not doing much to begin with until a certain Stuart Cowell rang me one Sunday lunchtime and suggested I get my 'bottom' down to The Rose of Australia pub for a gig that afternoon.
The gig was with Stuart on guitar, a bass player I can't remember and one Darcy Le' Year. What a blast it was, and after that work started to come in. I also had a great 'regular' gig at the Adams Apple wine bar with an excellent band, we played lots of George Benson material, thanks to Peter Gilbert, great guitar player and Don Hopkins on a very sympathetic Keyboards.
Then I sort-of drifted in to the Country music field.
This was a band from the mid 80's called Gunsmoke. L-R, Rob Brown - Bass..(one of my favourite players), Graham - Vocals and the mighty Jack (DamnedYankee) Pledge on Geeetar. We played every Sunday 'arvo' at The North Annandale pub, and Charles the Chef would keep us well topped up with the best Vino..(hic). Great fun.
In '89 I joined the much feared McCauleys Raiders and steamed off to a life of beer, women and.....horseracing. Ben (McCauley) is one of the worlds great 'tipsters' and....I lost a bit. But the band were fantastic. We were not worthy...tee hee.
L-R Chris Somerfield, Ray Schloeffel, Bruce Gembitsky and the great man (Mac) is seated before us. A good fun band and all good players, I had a great time.
And so to my good friend Ray (Raymondo) Schloeffel. I first saw him when he gigged with Macauleys Raiders at Campbelltown in 1990. I was just 'blown away' by the virtuosity, dexterity and beauty of his playing. He became a regular member of the band, and as he always stayed at my place (he had no transport) we became close friends. He would come over on nights off and I would cook up a storm and he would make a vile 'punch' that NASA became interested in. I can't remember what was in it, neither can I ever remember finishing it...........but there was never any left the next day....
He had a difficult up-bringing, and as I had no family in Sydney, we sort-of 'adopted' each other. Neither of us were working on the Millenium New Years Eve, so we sat up all night watching the fireworks being let off all over the world. It was his last New Years Eve with me. He died 5th September 2002. My friend Michael Vidale rang me and I was heartbroken, it was a bad day for me. I miss him terribly, Being in the UK I couldn't get to his funeral, so I've put this piece in for him.
Chris, 'Simmo', Raymondo & Bruce Sydney '91