''Bandstand'' is an Australian live pop music, variety television program screened from November 1958 to June 1972. Featuring both local and international music artists, and produced in-house at the studios of the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

Willoughby, New South Wales Willoughby is a suburb located on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 8 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby. The City o ...

, it was originally broadcast only in New South Wales, It became a national program in the early 1960s as the network expanded into other Australian states. The host of ''Bandstand'' for its entire existence was radio presenter and television newsreader Brian Henderson. Although unrelated, the program was based on the concept of the American pop music show ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

''.

Founding

''Bandstand'' was created in November 1958 by television executive Bruce Gyngell in consultation with Mayfield B. Anthony. The host for virtually the entire run was Brian Henderson, who was also a local newsreader from January 1957. From 1960 it developed a national profile as the Nine Network was created to link affiliate stations in other Australian cities. The network previously broadcast a pop music television program, ''

TV Disc Jockey ''TV Disc Jockey'' was an early Australian television music program which is notable as it later evolved to become the Australian version of ''Bandstand''. It aired on the Nine Network's TCN-9 from June 1957 to February 1958. The series original ...

'', from June 1957 to February 1958. Its host was John Godson, with each episode filmed in front of about 40 teenagers, who "listen to the records, rock-'n-roll, drink vast quantities of Coke, and generally have fun under the eye of the TV camera." In March 1958 ''TV Disc Jockey'' was replaced by '' Accent on Youth'', with Henderson as its host, and by May 1958 he was the most popular local identity with the station's viewers. The program was renamed as ''Bandstand'' and Henderson continued as its host until its last episode on 17 June 1972. By then he was chief news reader and remained in that position until retirement in November 2002.

Synopsis

The Bandstand Family

''Bandstand'' is closely associated with a core group of pop performers, who regularly appeared on the program, which became known as the Bandstand Family. Over the years they included Col Joye, Little Pattie, Warren Williams, Lucky Starr, Sandy Scott, Bryan Davies, Dinah Lee, Johnny Devlin, Laurel Lea, Judy Stone,

the De Kroo Brothers Leo de Kroo (born 8 July 1941) is an Australian pop and country music singer, and an accomplished luthier. For much of the 1960s he was a regular performer on ''Bandstand'', a pop music TV show, hosted by Brian Henderson. De Kroo was one half ...

Digby Richards Digby George "Dig" Richards (12 September 194017 February 1983) was an Australian rock and roll singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, musical theatre actor and television presenter, active during the late 1950s and early 1960s as lead singer with ...

Robyn Alvarez Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, '' Robyn Is Here'', which produced two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

, the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

, the Allen Brothers (a duo of the unrelated, Peter Allen and Chris Bell),

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a showbusiness family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on rad ...

Lana Cantrell Lana Eleanor Cantrell AM (born 7 August 1943) is an Australian-American singer and entertainment lawyer. She was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in the Grammy Awards of 1968. Music career Cantrell recorded six albums for ...

Cathy Wayne Catherine Anne Warnes (7 December 1949 – 20 July 1969), professionally Cathy Wayne, was an Australian singer and dancer, who was killed during a tour of Vietnam at a United States Marine Base where she was hosting with others a music concert ...

, The Delltones,

Pat Carroll Patricia Ann Carroll (May 5, 1927 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress and comedian. She was known for voicing Ursula in '' The Little Mermaid'' and for appearances in CBS's ''The Danny Thomas Show'', ABC's '' Laverne & Shirley'', and ...

and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

. The Bandstand Family toured Australia and were recorded on albums. Most of the artists were signed with

Festival Records Festival Records (later known as Festival Mushroom Records) was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005. Festival was a wholly owned subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to ...

– Gyngell's old employers.

Crew

The musical director was Bob Young; all the band tracks and vocal performances were pre-recorded at Natec Sound Studios in Bligh Street Sydney. Its Audio Director was Max Alexander who also worked for Channel Nine. Bandstand had three producer-directors over its timespan. The original was Warwick Freeman who was responsible for its development and building its image. Second was Ray Newell who carried on the tradition. Brian C. Morelli took over in 1969 he returned the programme to live vocals and successfully produced the program on location including the Australiana Pioneer Village, Wilberforce NSW and in Singapore and Malaya, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl Melbourne for the King of the Pops Award night. He also instigated the Bandstand Awards. The categories were voted on by all of the Network stations, Australia wide, who transmitted Bandstand. As well, under Morelli's leadership, he continued the Junior Bandstand annual series and introduced a teenage series entitled Midi-Bandstand. The program continued until the final broadcast, with Henderson, on 17 June 1972.

Attempted revivals

An attempt was made in 1976, by the Nine Network, to revive the program with a new host,

Daryl Somers Daryl Paul Somers (né Schulz; 6 August 1951) is an Australian television personality and musician, and a triple Gold Logie award-winner. He rose to national fame as the host and executive producer of the long-running comedy-variety program '' ...

as ''Bandstand ‘76''. Its format was based on the BBC production, ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'', and ran for two years. The change in music tastes however gave this type of format a limited life. Morelli was engaged again for the 1976–1978 series, it was produced by the Reg Grundy group and featured popular music groups and soloists including former ''

Six O'Clock Rock ''Six O'Clock Rock'' was an Australian rock and roll television show broadcast on ABC from 28 February 1959 to 1962 at 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Program synopsis Inspired by the BBC program '' 6.5 Special'', it had a similar format to its riv ...

'' host,

Johnny O'Keefe John Michael O'Keefe (19 January 1935 – 6 October 1978) was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include " Wild One" (1958), " Shout!" and "She's My Baby". In his twenty-year career, O'Keefe rel ...

, as well as original Bandstand family members Laurel Lea and Little Pattie now known as Pattie Keith.

Normie Rowe Norman John Rowe (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer and songwriter of pop music and an actor of theatre and soap opera for which he remains best known as Douglas Fletcher in 1980s serial '' Sons and Daughters''. As a singer he was ...

even performed on the 1970s modern version having returned from his service in Vietnam war that Daryl Somers was now the host for. New release international artists' promotional films were also integrated. The Swedish quartet

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

, who were first introduced to Australia in 1975 by Molly Meldrum on ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

'', appeared on ''Bandstand'' in 1976 as part of the initial revival of ''Bandstand'', ABBA were brought to Australia to film the ''Bandstand'' special ''The Best of ABBA''. They also appeared on an episode of the program which was shown the week before the special went to air. This appearance included a short interview with Daryl Somers and a performance of "Mamma Mia".

Legacy

In 2019, ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

'' listed ''Bandstand'' at #101 in its list of the 101 greatest Australian television programs of all time, which appeared in its monthly '' TV Week Close Up'' publication. The magazine cited Brian Henderson as a major reason as to why the program became a "Saturday staple".

Home media

Umbrella Entertainment Umbrella Entertainment is an Australian film distribution company that began operating in 2001. It is based in Kew, Victoria. Umbrella Entertainment manages the theatrical, physical, and digital releases of Australian films, documentaries and a ...

has released, in conjunction with

, a series of "The Best of ''Bandstand''" DVD packs, each with selections from two years' programs. *Volume One, 1960–1962 (three discs, re-released as Volume Five, 2014) includes

The De Kroo Brothers Leo de Kroo (born 8 July 1941) is an Australian pop and country music singer, and an accomplished luthier. For much of the 1960s he was a regular performer on ''Bandstand'', a pop music TV show, hosted by Brian Henderson. De Kroo was one half ...

The Delltones The Delltones were an Australian rock 'n' roll band, which formed in 1958. They started as a doo-wop, harmony quartet with Warren Lucas (tenor vocals), Brian Perkins (baritone vocals), Noel Widerberg (lead vocals) and Ian "Peewee" Wilson (bass ...

, The Allen Brothers, Patsy Ann Noble,

Jimmy Little James Oswald Little, AO (1 March 19372 April 2012) was an Australian Aboriginal musician, actor and teacher, who was a member of the Yorta Yorta tribe and was raised on the Cummeragunja Reserve, New South Wales. Little started his profes ...

, Col Joye, Lucky Starr, Judy Stone,

John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a Papua New Guinean-born Australian radio announcer. For 50 years, until 2007, he was the host of an Australian morning radio program combining music with interviews, opinion, live advert ...

and Ian Turpie, as well as touring American stars. *Volume Two, 1963–1964 *Volume Three, 1965–1966 (five discs) with Billy Thorpe, Dinah Lee,

Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...

The Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 sing ...

and

, with international stars

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

and others.Sleeve notes from the disc pack

References

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The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

, issue=1 , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47119916 , access-date=2017-02-17 , via=

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "maint ...

{{Cite news , date=1962-10-12 , title=Bandstand for Canberra TV , volume=37 , page=27 , work=

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

, issue=10,354 , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104297034 , access-date=2017-02-17 , via=National Library of Australia {{Cite news , last=Strachan , first=Cynthia , date=7 May 1958 , title=Television Parade , volume=25 , page=31 , work=The Australian Women's Weekly , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47813397 , access-date=2017-02-17 , via=National Library of Australia {{Cite web , last=Tabakoff , first=Jenny , last2=Peatling , first2=Stephanie , date=2002-10-22 , title=That's the way it is – Hendo to call it a night , url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/21/1034561445970.html , url-access=limited , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009103549/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/21/1034561445970.html , archive-date=2016-10-09 , access-date=2017-02-17 , website=

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

, publisher=

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased '' The Sydney Morning Hera ...

{{Cite magazine , last=Burfitt , first=John , last2=Cullen , first2=Tamara , last3=Hadley , first3=Amy , last4=Hockey , first4=Maddison , last5=Mitchell , first5=Thomas , last6=Recchi , first6=Karina , last7=Vnuk , first7=Helen , last8=Wang , first8=Cynthia , last9=Zubeidi , first9=Zara , display-authors=1 , date=July 2019 , title=101 Greatest Aussie TV Shows of All Time , magazine= TV Week Close Up , publisher=

Bauer Media Group Heinrich Bauer Publishing (german: Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG), trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 r ...

{{Cite episode , title=The Early Years , series=George Negus Tonight , series-link=George Negus Tonight , last=Negus , first=George , author-link=George Negus , network=

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

, date=2003-11-17 , transcript=Transcript , transcript-url=http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/history/Transcripts/s991302.htm

External links

''Bandstand''
at the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

Nine Network original programming 1958 Australian television series debuts 1972 Australian television series endings 1960s Australian television series Black-and-white Australian television shows Australian music television series Australian television series based on American television series