Lusaka Bands

From Great North Road

Lusaka Bands with Brian Geyser

By: Brian Geyser

These are a couple of articles and photos of Brian Geyser's bands in Lusaka in the 50's and 60's.

Both these newspaper clippings are of The Aces in the 1950's. The first clipping is The Aces performing at the Scout Hall in Lusaka.

The Aces news clip.

The band members from left to right are as follows:- Brenda Petzer (vocals), Johnny Decock (drums), Brian Geyser (lead

guitar), Geoff Mossop (bass guitar) and Gordon Herder (rhythm guitar). All these band members were The Aces original line-up which I formed after my band The Rebels was axed from performing in Lusaka.

The Aces news clip.

L to R: Brenda Petzer and I performing at the M.O.T.H. Club in Lusaka.

On reading the old archives on the message board some members were discussing the Federal Rock Till You Drop Competition which was held at the Central Sports Club in Lusaka. It was The Aces who played at this function and we broke the Federal Record for the longest time a group has ever played non stop at this time in the Federation.

The Dance Competition was won by one of my friends Ronnie Gordon and Lesmarie Postma. What a long haul it was for us and all the competitors.The Competition was also filmed by the Federal Spotlight and I remember seeing all of us on the movie screen at the Carlton Cinema.

The Aces band members then changed and Mickey Stagg took over from Johnny Decock on Drums, Veldin Bekker took over from Gordon Herder on rhythm guitar. Brenda's family moved to the then Southern Rhodesia and Cheryl Flemming and John Brown joined the group on vocals.

It was with the earlier Aces that I won the Stars of The North Rock Band Competition (as Best Lead Guitarist) held in the OB Bennett Hall in Kitwe.

When The Aces eventually broke up Geoff Mossop and I formed the Kingpins of which there is already a posting and picture on the board.

Best regards

Brian Geyser (Posted to GNR: Thursday, February 07, 2002 at 08:59)

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Hi Northerners

Paudie Coughlan.

I think that you are correct. The reporter was confused in calling us a teenage jazz group. We were a Rock n' Roll band. But with all problems we were having in Lusaka at this time with parents saying our music was driving their children in their words crazy and down the wrong track, I am not surprised at the reporters confusion.

Yes it is good to see the changes in styles over time. My time in the music business ranged from the 1950's to the late 1970's in firstly Northern Rhodesia (and the The Federation) to Zambia. By the way I have had a long email from Mike Thomas yesterday. He is still in the music game singing in Durban and his daughter is following in his footsteps.

If you look carefully at the photo I posted of the old Crusaders with Jimmy Mackromallis in which was a triple session with The Kingpins and another unknown Group at Charter hall. Manuel Marques pointed out to me that if you look below his large cymbal you will see my wife looking towards the group and me sitting next to her in my Kingpins getup with a fag hanging out my mouth. This year we have been married for 38 Years.

As my previous groups The Jeanagers, The Rebels, The Aces and then The Kingpins were mainly Rock n' Roll ie:- Elvis , Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Shadows and Cliff, Stones etc., I saw the potential of the Crusaders different style. It was at this session I decided that the time had come for a change and so joined the Crusaders.

The Crusaders

I joined this group shortly after independence 1965-1966 I think.

Below are two photo's when we were playing at Charter Hall in Lusaka shortly after I joined up with them.

The Crusaders, Charter Hall, Lusaka.

The Crusaders, Charter Hall, Lusaka.

On both photo's from left to right are:- Roger Sheard on rhythm guitar, Kosta Constantinou on bass guitar and Brian Geyser on lead guitar.

Unfortunately Manuel Marques on drums cannot be seen in these photo's.

Regards

Brian Geyser (Posted to GNR: Saturday, February 09, 2002 at 11:32)

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Text & photo contributions by: Brian Geyser.