Gettin' Around
released 1974
Boot Records
Originally the cover was supposed to be a collage of pictures of the band taken around the world (getting out of a London taxi in England, standing around a rick-shaw in Hong Kong, that kind of thing), but the powers that be at Boot Records decided to go with the above image of an old-time car instead. The photo was taken at the Roadmates Car Club in Mississauga, Ontario.
Cute background tale concerning the above scan: Note the $10 price tag in the upper right hand corner. I bought this, one of only two vinyl copies I own, from the Vinyl Museum on Yonge St. here in Toronto (now sadly departed) back in the '90s. I was killing time waiting for a movie to start down the road and wandered through the Harry Chapin section, as I was wont to do back then. Finding nothing I didn't already own, I drifted over to the next section (F, Folk Music) and my jaw nearly dropped when I spotted the above album.
I can remember wading through cartons of these things back in the day. My Dad's dens in our St. John's and Toronto homes, which doubled as the band's office/fan club headquarters (now there's some memorabilia I'd love to get my hands on! Nothing remains after a fire many moons ago) were packed with boxes full of albums and 8-tracks. We started selling them (for 5 bucks, I believe) from the back of our station wagon at gigs and later through the fan club itself.
Point is they were everywhere around me it seemed but I never thought to grab one for myself. The ones I did try and hold onto always ended up being passed on to a friend. My Mum saved one, which I have, and then this beauty came along.
Not knowing what I had yet, I was dead chuffed just to find a copy in my favorite record store. Their usual price was around 5 bucks an album (not much changes, eh?), so I was curious about the 10 dollar price tag. Gosh, it must really be a rarity, I thought. I took it up to the counter and asked the guy about the price. He flipped the album over.
It was a copy the whole band had autographed and sold at a gig. My Mum's handwriting ("To Howard"), my Dad's, Rod's characteristic kangaroo signature, Brian's "Peace & Happiness", all inked on the back cover. It was like someone flipped a switch on my personal time machine. What a magical find.
I did get a giggle out of them being labelled as Folk. Apparently it was the two guitar cases and the hippy gangster look that fooled 'em. So, Howard, wherever you are, I got your album and I ain't giving it up! :-) Now, onto the album itself.
Album liner notes (written by my father):
"HAVE SHOW - WILL TRAVEL"
The Four Ways coined this phrase a few months after the group was formed in North Queensland, Australia back in 1966, and they have been living up to it ever since. During the past few years, the Four Ways have appeared in literally hundreds of cities in over 20 countries throughout the world. Their travels have taken them from the battlefields of Vietnam to the high schools and colleges of Mid-Western U.S.A. - from the plush nightclubs of the Orient to the Working Mens Clubs in the north of England - from the flight deck of a U.S. Air-Sea to a luxury liner cruising the islands of the South Pacific. Different audiences - different tastes - different age groups, but the result has been the same; and the reason that the Four Ways have been able to please so many widely seperated places can be summed up in one word - VERSATILITY. Everyone who has heard them, from elementary school children to old age pensioners and all those in between, have come away with the impression that the show was tailored especially for them. But then, of course, it was.
The fact that the group has travelled so many successful miles and is still together after all these years speaks for itself, but then so does the individual talents of each of the four.
JOAN HARVEY is a lot more than just another female vocalist, and she has often been called the "Australian Mama Cass". Indeed, Joan is built on the same lines as her famous counterpart, and she combines a fine voice with a sharp sense of humor. Joan was born in Sydney, Australia, and is married to the group's bass player Ron. They have one daughter, Rhonda, aged 10. (Note: I remember being extremely ticked as I was actually 11 at the time. Nevermind having my name on an actual album, which is very cool in retrospect.)
ROD RUMBLE plays lead guitar and is the musical brains of the group. He writes his own songs, several of which are used in the show; and he is responsible for all the group's arrangements. Rod was raised on what we now call "50's Rock" and he still sings many of the old favorites, but his fine vocal ability now embraces many of the present pop hits as well. Rod was born in Cairns, Australia and is married with two sons and a baby daughter.
BRIAN SMALL is the group's drummer, and he too adds his vocal ability to the show both with his own songs and as harmony backing for others in the group. He was born in Dundee, Scotland and although he has now lived in many places, including Australia, he still enjoys singing a song or two from the "old country".
RON HICKS plays bass guitar and provides much of the comedy in the show. He has collected comedy songs from all over the world, but still one of the biggest hits in the show is the group's version of "My Boomerang Won't Come Back". Ron dresses as a witch doctor, complete with kangaroo skin, bone necklace, and a genuine boomerang that really does come back.
Four talented people who make up a unique entertainment package called the FOUR WAYS. A happy blend of music, vocal harmony, and comedy put together by four Australians who really mean it when they say HAVE SHOW ---- WILL TRAVEL.
The following files are all in .mp3 format with the file size in brackets. They were made from the original vinyl album, so do include some snaps, crackles and pops to be expected from the era. Still very good quality, IMHO. Enjoy!
- Four Ways Of Love (3M) written by Rod Rumble
The band's only chart-topper (here in Canada). We no longer have a copy of the chart itself, so I'm not sure how high it went (and it may have been regional to Newfoundland at the time). Any help on this front would be greatly appreciated.
Lead vocals: Joan Harvey.
- Baby Is Gone (3M) written by Jack Clement
Lead vocals: Joan Harvey.
- Loving Her Makes Life A Living Thing (2M) written by Rod Rumble
Lead vocals: Rod Rumble.
- Two Little Boys (3M) written by Edward Madden and Theodore Morse
Aussie Rolf Harris had the bestselling UK single of 1969 with this tune originally written back in 1903. I used to sing it as a lullaby to my son, which is kind of twisted seeing as it's about war! Lovely tune, though.
Lead vocals: Joan Harvey.
- Singing Away My Blues (2.5M) written by Tom C. Connors
The album was recorded on Boot Records, a label formed in 1971 in Toronto by Stompin' Tom Connors and his manager Jury Krytiuk. Part of the recording deal was that you had to cover one of Stompin' Tom's songs and the band chose this peppy tune.
Lead vocals: Joan Harvey.
- Court Of King Caractacus (2.5M) written by Rolf Harris
A real crowd-pleaser at gigs!
Lead vocals: Ron Hicks.
- Wallace The Wobbly Wallaby (3M) written by Rod Rumble
Another local hit and a good example of Rod's fun side.
Lead vocals: Rod Rumble.
- Whiskey On A Sunday (2.5M) written by Glyn Hughes
The Irish Rovers had a hit with this one in 1968. We were friends with the band when we lived in Vancouver and a number of band members attended my parents' wedding.
Lead vocals: Joan Harvey.
- Heartbeat (2.5M) written by Norman Petty and Bob Montgomery
A Buddy Holly hit in 1958.
Lead vocals: Rod Rumble.
- Freedom Come, Freedom Go (2.5M) written by Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Albert Hammond, and Mike Hazelwood
The Fortunes went to number 7 on the UK charts with this hit in 1971.
Lead vocals: Rod Rumble.
- The Shelter Of Your Eyes (2.5M) written by Don Williams
Don's first top 20 song in 1972, I always love telling the tale of when our agent asked his permission for the band to record it. He played it for Don (and Johnny Cash, who just happened to be in his office that day) and he said it was written for a man but he really liked my Mum's version. Johnny Cash made a point of giving the agent his card, saying, "if that little lady's ever in Nashville, you tell her to look me up, she has a big future." The agent mentioned the boys in the band would be thrilled to hear this, but Johnny made it clear he didn't want the boys, just her. If only she had pursued this offer, where would we all be now, eh? Personally speaking, it's my favorite song on the album. I think my Mum sounds wonderful on this track.
Lead vocals: Joan Harvey, backed by herself (very high-tech stuff for the time!).
- Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On The Bedpost Overnight (2M) written by Billy Rose, Marty Blum, and Ernest Breuer
Skiffle king Lonnie Donegan ("My Old Man's A Dustman") hit with this one in 1958. Another crowd favorite, especially when Dad used to swing his hips, "Can you heave it left and right?".
Lead vocals: Ron Hicks with help from drummer Brian Small near the end.
In late 1979, my parents had a parting of the ways and Mum and I moved back to Toronto, while Dad stayed behind and managed another pub (The Rose and Thistle) and kept busy with his various sporting activities. A few years ago, he moved back to Australia and re-married his first wife, Hazel. He's now a happily retired grandfather.
UPDATE: I kept putting off this latest update as it just makes it all too real for me. If I didn't write it down, it didn't happen, you know? Very sad to relate that my father passed on in Sept. 2008; he never recovered from a stroke. I had talked to him about a year or so beforehand, and I could tell he was a contented man surrounded by all that loving family, especially the grandkids. The music business took its toll on all of us, but I truly believe the last chapter of his life was the happiest. For that, I'm very grateful. I'm also pleased that this awful situation brought me closer to his other family and that I was able to share a part of his life many of them never knew about through this site. Blessings from tragedy, indeed.
My mother went on to run the head office cafeteria for Extendicare for many years (where I worked for a spell as the mail clerk) before retiring and moving out of town where she now lives with her man, Ray, in a lovely house right on Lake Ontario. She still sings for fun and still knocks 'em dead when she does. My 40th birthday bash in 2004 was made even more memorable for my guests and myself when she did some numbers with our friends The Par Three.
UPDATE: Another sad update via my Mum, and this was one of those weird coincidences life throws at you now and then as a test. Her beloved Ray passed on in Sept. 2008 as well. In fact, both my father and Ray, a man I considered my stepfather, both had strokes and both died within hours of each other on opposite parts of the world. I get it, Big Fella, life is short, appreciate your loved ones *now*, there may not be another day. We were all blessed by Ray's spirit for the too-brief time we had together.
My parents reunited in the mid-'90s for a Commonwealth Day gala back at the Arts and Culture Center in St. John's (no band, just a local fella backing them on guitar, Alan Doyle, who was just starting to find his feet with his band, Great Big Sea) and sounded wonderful. It was the first time my father had been on stage in eons and he revelled in it.
Thanks to this site (and his buddy, Des), we've just recently reconnected with Jeff Doyle, which was a real treat for my Mum as they chatted on the phone via his home back in Australia. I'll update with more as soon as I can. So wonderful to be back in touch!
We haven't had contact with Bob Grant for many years (all hits on Google are for another young singer of the same name), but I know he continued performing as part of a duet with, I believe, his life partner. He promised to marry *me* way back when, what gives there, Bob? ;-)
The last we heard, Lenny Brand had married his girlfriend Sue, left the biz entirely and moved to Minnesota. They soon ended up running a boarding kennel in Phoenix, Arizona.
Alas, not everyone survived the era for one reason or another. Sadly, Brian Small died of eye cancer approx. 20 years ago now, caused by environmental conditions.
I have no news concerning Ken Lennon. All I know is he divorced his wife, left his family and probably spent his remaining years drinking. He was a fun-loving guy when he wanted to be, but he just couldn't beat the bottle.
And while he did end up singing and winning awards for his songwriting in Australia for many years after the band broke up, Rod Rumble never did out-run his own personal demons and committed suicide back in 2001.
They were heady days indeed, especially for a kid such as myself that thought all families travelled the globe singing and entertaining. I've seen sights I'll never forget, met people I still love with all my heart, and have many happy memories I love to share. We didn't reach the heights we thought we would, but we had a damn good time trying! I hope you enjoyed this look back at a very important time of my life as much as I've enjoyed sharing it with you.
UPDATE
My one hope for this site when I first decided to build it was that someone from the past we'd lost touch with, or an audience member from somewhere out there, would get in touch. Just to say, "Yeah, I remember those crazy days too." Well, I've been doubly blessed.
I was delighted to hear from Rod's daughter, Jenelle. Not only has she been in touch (it's been at least 25 years since we've seen each other) and updated me on her new family, but they all met up with my Mum when she went home for a visit, how great is that?! So pleased to see this mini-reunion take place via the site.
And it was a real treat to hear from Captain Irv LeVine (see The '60s page).
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