For Alan F Brookes

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Just to make you feel a little homesick :-

BTW I've managed to put On-Line purchasing on my site now. No.1 Son has been given the sack as far as the 'html' goes.
Still quite a 'Messy' site, but I think that Pat with her artistic bent, will soon tidy it up.
www.waikiki-islanders.com

[This message was edited by basilh on 28 August 2006 at 01:11 AM.]

basilh · From: United Kingdom

In case you missed the post about Mat Monro,

This picture of the Castaways main room was taken from the stage end, and if you can imagine, the balconies extending to the side of the stage and at the end of the balconies 2 LARGE 40 foot palm trees with the bottoms on the back of the stage extension.
Well :-
One evening whilst Mat was singing his finale ‘Born Free’, Dave Allen (Who was appearing just ‘round the corner at the “Talk of the Town”) had hatched a cunning plot and slid down from the balcony on one of the palm trees (Accompanied by a suitable glissando from me) landing directly behind Matt just as he was going to hit the last note.
The fun had only begun..
They huddled together for a couple of seconds planning the next move, Dave jumped up on the beautiful white grand piano (Much to the consternation of the club owner John Reeve) and the launched into a sketch they regularly do together at pantomimes. The Nelson-Hardy routine.
Maybe you’ve seen it but just in case you haven’t, I’ll describe it.
Dave says “Captain, Captain, I see Forty Fousand Froggie French Frigates off the starboard bow”
Nelson (Mat) replies “ Hardy, my good man, Fetch me my Red Velvet Jacket”
Hardy “Why do you want your Red Velvet Jacket ?”
Nelson “So the men won’t see the blood if I’m shot”
Hardy runs off and come back with said jacket.
Hardy “Captain, Captain, I see Forty Fousand Froggie French Frigates off the port bow”
Nelson “ Hardy, my good man, fetch me my Brown Corduroy Trousers”
Mat and Dave were very close friends and often appeared on TV on the same show, being complimentary to each other, Dave as a superb comedian and Mat as “Mat”

We played 6 night a week starting at 8:00 pm and finishing at 2:00am. Before each show at the casino/reception and then moving upstairs to the main ballroom to play after the show. Back downstairs to greet the second show audience and then upstairs to finish the night.
Over the 4 years we were resident at the Castaways we got to meet some of the nicest people in the business, none more ‘down to earth than Mat Monro’ he never forgot that he was once just a London ‘Bus driver.
Some of the other artists that we met at the castaways included :-
Tom Jones
Engelbert Humperdink
Mat Monro
Liberace
P.J. Proby
Sarah Vaughan & Billy Eckstine
Cleo Laine & Johnny Dankworth
Mr. Acker Bilk and his Paramont Jazz Band
Val Doonican
The Bachelors
Rosemary Squires
Judith Durham
Lynn Rogers
Sandy Shore
Cilla Black
Diana Dors
Dave Allen
Max Bygraves
Tommy Trinder
The Dallas Boys
Jack Hammer
Susan Maughan
Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang
Earl and Vaughan
Los Zafiros
Jean-Jacques Jordane
Malcolm Mitchell
Bob Monkhouse
The Bonzo Dog doo-Dah Band
The Maori Castaways
Mark Wynter
Eve Boswell
Clinton Ford & The Manhattan Brothers
Cy Grant
The Barron Knights
Ken Goodwin
The Jones Boys
The Other Brothers
The Chants
Duke Hazlett
Mikki and Griff
Craig Douglas
Ronnie Carrol
Dennis Lotis
Kathy Kirby
The Temperance Seven
All of whom I am lucky to count as friends past and present.
The Group at the Castaways

The newspaper adverts for the shows can be found here :- http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets/cuttings/

Just looking at the clippings I notice that Liberace is 4gns including 'Dinner'
and the Waikiki Islanders for Christmas lunch was 4gns
And we didn't have 'Brother George' to feed.. !!

4gns (Guineas = 21 shillings or £1.1s 0d) in 1964 would be at least£50 now !!.
I know why the Liberace show was sold out, but on Christmas Day we had a full house also..

The only reason it's not still going is that someone absconded with half a million of the profits and let the company go bust.. such a pity we would be just eligible for a nice retirement pension now !!

There were 2 shows per night and we started at 8:00pm and finished at 2:00 am...with a short break of 15 minutes between shows.
We played as the customers entered for the show and whilst the main show was on we entertained in the casino and then played in the main hall after each show.
400-500 people per night 6 nights a week for almost 4 years equates to us playing to almost half a million people !!

[This message was edited by basilh on 28 August 2006 at 01:29 AM.]

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Wow, you're really taking me back there, and I envy the life you've led with all those personalities, but what I regret most is that for 35 years I lived in the same environment as you and I never knew of your existence. If I had, I would have attended some of your performances.

Well, I can rectify that omission. I come home to Birmingham (England) at least once a year. My best friend, with whom I always stay, lives ten minutes drive away from you, so the next time I come over I shall make sure I visit you, and take in one of your shows if I can.

I've watched your videos on uTube and they are first class. You're probably the best exponent of Hawaiian music in England. I intend to collect all your CDs.

For anyone who is reading this I recommend that you search out Basil's CDs, because he is a very entertaining performer.

But when I play the steel, don't expect that I can come close to your expertise: I've played on the lap steel for 42 years, but it's always been to accompany others, or for my own amusement. You're not talking to a Jerry Byrd or Sal Hoopii.......

Keep up the good work. Your performances on steel guitar are excellent, and I think when the history of the steel guitar is written you will be up there with the legends.

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