BEVERLEY DICK

Beverley Dick was born in early 1940 in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton. When Beverley was sixteen she appeared with Helen Larsen on 3UZ Radio Auditions. Both Beverley and Helen were members of the local church basketball team. Soon after the radio 3UZ appearance Beverley performed on the Australian Amateur Hour as a solo artist. This national talent quest had the winner of each state final perform competitively for the National title. Beverley represented Victoria.

Neville Pellett suggested that when Beverley returned to Melbourne from holidays in Shepparton she contact Bill Earle, who co-ordinated the Trailblazers on radio 3XY Melbourne. The Trailblazers, a group of artists and musicians with a strong country and western leaning, rehearsed for their weekly 3XY radio show at the Erskine Hall Carlton, and later at the Albion Hall Brunswick. Probably the largest audience to witness a Trailblazers performance was at an early Moomba Festival in Melbourne when more than 10,000 people enjoyed their unique style of country and western music. With the Trailblazers Beverley also performed at the Healesville Shire Hall and the Collingwood Town Hall.

During 1956 the Trailblazers recorded an album for Planet Records (Planet PP015). The cover art of this record shows the Trailblazers performing on the stage of the State Theatre Flinders Street Melbourne. This was a posed publicity shot. In addition to performing as part of the group on this album, Beverley sang "Love Song of the Waterfall" as a solo. This track features Beverley's distinctive yodel.

The first rock-n-roll group in Melbourne was the Henri Bource Allstars. Many groups, such as the Planets and the Thunderbirds, followed. Early in 1957 Beverley was approached by Henri Bource to sing on a rock-n-roll album that the Henri Bource Allstars were recording for Planet records, (Planet PP016). On this album, 'Rock-n-Roll Party', Beverley sang many rock-n-roll standards including "Tutti Frutti", "R-O-C-K", "Be Bop A Lula", "Razzle Dazzle", "Teddy Bear" and "We're Gonna Teach You to Rock". It is understood that the 'Rock-n-Roll Party' album, which was recorded at the old eastern Market (now the Southern Cross Hotel) in Exhibition Street, Melbourne, was the first coloured rock-n-roll album cover to be released in Australia.

In 1958 one of the Planets' featured vocalists, Johnny Edwards, asked Beverley to join the group. The following Friday, Beverley Dick appeared with the Planets at the Ormond RSL. During 1958 as the Planets featured female vocalist, Beverley performed at venues that included the Burwood RSL, Ormond RSL and Glen Iris RSL. The main influences on Beverley's performance and choice of material were, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Janis Martin, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins and Johnny O'Keefe. During 1959 Beverley Dick and the Planets, together with the Planets' other featured artists, Johnny Edwards, Billy Dodds, and Ron Patrick regularly performed at Earl's Court St. Kilda, Heidelberg Hall Ivanhoe, and the Soldiers Hall Moonee Ponds. These venues were amongst the most popular pioneering rock-n-roll dances in Melbourne.

It was during 1959 that Beverley toured with Johnny O'Keefe, the Delltones, the Dee Jay's, Malcolm Arthur and Lonnie Lee. The tour, which took place during late September and early October, was Johnny O'Keefe's first interstate tour and went to country centres including Ballarat, Warrnambool and Geelong.  Following the tour with Johnny O'Keefe, Beverley suggested that the existing vocalists working with the Planets form a vocal group. The Planetones, as the group was known, comprised, Johnny Edwards, Ron Patrick, Billy Dodds and Beverley Dick. Often the group wore white cardigans emblazed with a red "P" or black cardigans with a white "P".

With Beverley Dick and the Planetones, also the Planets they recorded an extended play single for AWA. The tracks were "Express Eleven", an instrumental, "Lipstick On Your Collar", featuring Beverley Dick and "Only A Fool", a song performed by Johnny Edwards and the Planetones. Throughout her career Beverley Dick was conscious of performing material with which the audiences could really relate. Although her recording work was not extensive, it was significant that Beverley was the featured female vocalist on probably the first rock-n-roll album recorded in Australia. Beverley's capacity as a vocalist was highlighted by the ease with which she made the transition during her career from Country and Western to Rock­n-Roll and then to music suitable for ballroom dancing. She was probably the first to professionally make such a transition.

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