Biography:

The Masters Apprentices (or The Masters to fans) are an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals, which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria, in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970 before disbanding in 1972.^[1][2] Their popular Australian singles are “Undecided“, “Living in a Child’s Dream“, “5:10 Man”, “Think About Tomorrow Today”, “Turn Up Your Radio” and “Because I Love You”.^[2][3] The band launched the career of bass guitarist Glenn Wheatley,^[3] who later became a music industry entrepreneur and an artist talent manager for both Little River Band and John Farnham.^[2]

The band reformed periodically, including in 1987–1988 and again subsequently; they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998.^[4][5] Both Keays, with His Master’s Voice and Wheatley, with Paper Paradise, wrote memoirs in 1999 which included their experiences with the band.^[1][2] Onetime guitarist Peter Tilbrook also released the biography A Masters Apprentice, Living In The Sixties in 2015.^[6] Keays died from pneumonia related to his multiple myeloma on 13 June 2014.^[7] Wheatley died from complications of COVID-19 on 1 February 2022.^[8] As from 2020 original members Mick Bower, Brian Vaughton, Gavin Webb and Rick Harrison performed as the Masters Apprentics with Bill Harrod on bass guitar and Craig Holden on lead vocals.^[9] Bassist and founding member Gavin Webb died after a cancer battle on 16 April 2024, at the age of 77.^[10]

History

1964–1965: Formation and the Mustangs

The Mustangs were a surf music instrumental/dance band formed in Adelaide in 1964 with Mick Bower on rhythm guitar, Rick Morrison on lead guitar, Brian Vaughton on drums and Gavin Webb on bass guitar.^[1][2][11] Initially they played covers of the Shadows and the Ventures songs.^[1][2] The band’s output was profoundly influenced by the Australian tour of the Beatles in June 1964, which had a particular impact in Adelaide due to recent migrants from the United Kingdom.^[2] When the Beatles arrived in Adelaide they were greeted by the largest crowd ever seen in their touring career—estimates as high as 300,000 while Adelaide’s population being about 668,000 nearly half of the city had turned out to greet them (see The Beatles’ influence on popular culture).^[2] Following the Beatles’ chart breakthrough and tour, the Mustangs changed style and took on a lead singer, Scottish immigrant, Jim Keays.^[1][2] The Mustangs rehearsed regularly in a shed behind the King’s Head hotel owned by Vaughton’s family.^[2] Their original manager, Graham Longley, made a tape recording of a rehearsal;^[2] it was rediscovered and released on CD in 2004 as Mustangs to Masters … First Year Apprentices.^[2] After Keays joined on lead vocals, the band produced more original songs in the beat style.^[1]

The Mustangs established themselves on the thriving Adelaide dance circuit by playing in suburban halls and migrant hostels.^[2] They built a following with local teenagers, including migrants from the UK, which were an early influence on the band as they were directly in touch with current mod fashions, not as widely known in Australia.^[2]

1965–1967: Adelaide years

In late 1965, the Mustangs renamed themselves as “The Masters Apprentices” (deliberately omitting the apostrophe). Bower supplied the name because “we are apprentices to the masters of the blues—Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James and Robert Johnson“.^[12] By early 1966 they were one of the most popular beat bands in Adelaide, regularly selling out concerts in the city, as well as making visits to outlying towns of Murray Bridge, Mount Gambier and Whyalla.^[2] Their first TV appearance, on Good Friday, was on a Channel 7 telethon hosted by Adelaide TV celebrity Ernie Sigley.^[2] They entered the South Australian heat of Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds and finished third behind the Twilights (eventual national winners).^[1]

Later in 1966, the Masters Apprentices shared a gig with pop star Bobby Bright of Melbourne duo Bobby & Laurie, who was impressed and recommended them to his label, Astor Records. A few weeks later, they were contacted by Astor, which requested a four-track demo.^[13][14] The band went to a local two-track studio to record it, but realised that they had only three suitable songs to record.^[13] Needing a fourth track, guitarists Bower and Morrison wrote a new song, “Undecided“,^[13][15] in about 15 minutes;^[13] the backing track was cut in about the same time.^[13][14] The title came from the fact that they were undecided about a name for the song when quizzed by the studio owner, Max Pepper.^[13] The biting fuzz-tone of Bower’s guitar on the track was a fortunate accident; it was caused by a malfunctioning valve in his amplifier, but the group liked the sound and kept the faulty valve in until after the session.^[14]

In August 1966, the band made their first visit to Melbourne. They made a strong impression with showcase performances at the city’s leading discotheques. Their debut single, “Undecided” / “Wars or Hands of Time”, was released in October and gradually climbed the Adelaide charts thanks to strong support from local DJs.

“Wars or Hands of Time”, written by Bower,^[16] is the first Australian pop song to directly address the issue of the Vietnam War,^[17] which was now affecting the lives of many young Australians because of the controversial introduction of conscription in 1965. 20-year-old Keays was one of hundreds of potential conscripts whose birthday (9 September) was picked in a 1966 ballot. He was able to legally avoid the draft by signing with the Citizens Military Force (CMF, later renamed the Army Reserve) and eluded a “short back and sides” haircut with the aid of his girlfriend, who pinned his long hair up under his slouch hat whenever he attended CMF sessions.

During their second trip to Melbourne in late 1966, local radio DJ, Stan Rofe, had picked up “Undecided” and was playing it regularly, their raw sound and wild stage act led him to state:

The Masters are to Australia what the Rolling Stones are to England, and The Doors are to America

— Stan Rofe, quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia.^[18]

Rofe, also a columnist with pop magazine, Go-Set, championed many Australian acts during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The band promoted “Undecided” on Melbourne TV series, Kommotion, where members met Ian Meldrum who mimed to “Winchester Cathedral“, Meldrum was also a staff writer for Go-Set and was later a record producer, host of the influential TV pop show Countdown and a music commentator.^[18]

Returning to Adelaide, the band recorded more original songs, including Bower’s “Buried and Dead“,^[19] which became their second single, plus other tracks which were later on their debut LP album. The success of the second trip made it obvious that they should turn professional and relocate to Melbourne. This led to the departure of original manager Longley and drummer Vaughton, both deciding to remain in Adelaide.^[2]

Credits: