Riding with The Walsh Brothers

Doug and Walter Walsh.

The old school sound of Maori showbands peppered with comic banter will make a return when entertainers The Walsh Brothers, Doug and Walter, perform at the White House next week.

The leader of the free world is unlikely to make the show because this White House is in Peel Street, Gisborne.

With regular appearances at the RSA, compere spots as the dreadlocked MC of East Coast Vibes, as the Wiz at Live on the Lawn and most recently as his namesake in the musical Footrot Flats, Walter Walsh is a familiar face of entertainment around town. His brother Doug returned from the GC to the EC in 2016 but babyboomers will remember Walter’s older brother as one of the radio voices at 89FM and 2ZG.

In the late 1970s Doug was Billy T James’s driver so show-goers can expect to hear a couple of Billy T songs and of course some of the trademark humour. Doug even performed for a while as a Billy T impersonator. In the 1980s he was drummer for early Pacific reggae band Herbs.

Around 2005 he and Walter recorded an album called The Walsh Brothers in honour of their showbiz father.

“My dad had a band in the 1950s so we dedicated the album to him,” says Doug.

“He sang for and managed The Five Stars, then The Crescendos, then the Condor Showband. He used to have band practices in our lounge.

“My brother asked some of the guys from those days what sort of songs they used to play.”

Doug and Walter recorded some of those songs on their album. The image on The Walsh Brothers poster you’ve seen around town is from that album cover. Copies of their CD will be available at their White House gig.

The two Gisborne entertainers are dedicating the White House show to their father, to Maori showbands, Prince Tui Teka and Billy T James. The song list is old school, says Doug. It includes C Carson Parks 1967 song Cab Driver, a tune made famous by The Mills Brothers; The Drifters’ 1962 song Up On The Roof, and Engelbert Humperdinck’s classic Please Release Me.

After leaving his hometown Doug worked in the mines in Australia for about nine years and for the past three years worked in security for a Gold Coast casino. He saw some sights all right, he says. Now he is back in Gisborne The Walsh Brothers show could be the beginning of new adventure for the brothers.

Walter was a small boy when his father and visiting Maori showband musicians performed in the family home. He looks forward to reliving songs performed by the likes of The Howard Morrison Quartet, The Maori Volcanics, and The Quin Tikis.

The show will also be a tribute to Billy T James and Prince Tui Teka, he says.

“We’ll mix up our show with comedy and dancing and lots of singing. To ensure guests are comfortable, a limited number of tickets are available to the old school cabaret — dinner and a show — evening.

Walter has been in the music business for 40 years. He started off as a disco DJ when he was 15 and has spun records at Gisborne nightclubs such as Nottinghams, Club 2000, The Silver Lair, Crossroads, Brix and the Albion River Bar. He began singing professionally in his late 20s. He has even performed with Prince Tui Teka’s Children of the Mist.

“Between Doug and I we have 40 years of history in entertainment,” he says.

“This will be the first time we have performed together on stage. If it goes well we’ll take it further and take The Walsh Brothers and a band on the road to keep the Maori showband sound alive. We’re old school. We want to bring the music back for people who remember it. That’s the plan for the future. We’re just putting it out there.”

The Walsh Brothers perform at The White House, August 4 at 5.30pm. Smorgasbord dinner and show, $30. Sold out.