Masters Apprentices

Through determination and persistence the Masters Apprentices were the one Australian Sixties group to endure into the Seventies, taking advantage of a succession of line-up changes around enigmatic lead singer Jim Keays to span between (and survive) changes in music fashion.

Like many other group of the day, the Masters Apprentices was born in 1965 out of a Shadows-inspired instrumental group (The Mustangs) taking on a singer to bring themselves up to date with the Beatles/Rolling Stones-led pop revolution of the mid-Sixties. With Jim Keays on board the renamed group became one of the top rhythm and blues style bands in Adelaide. The Masters Apprentices name came as a declaration of their love for the pioneers of The Blues.

Looking towards a national profile the group entered a recording studio and put down a couple of original tracks, the anti-war song 'War Or Hands Of Time' and an energetic workout they didn't have time to name, and called 'Undecided' on the recording tape. They sent the results off to Astor Records in Melbourne, hoping to attract a recording contract. Astor released both those songs as the Masters Apprentices' first single without even signing them to a record contract. Who were they to argue as 'Undecided' started to become a national hit?

The second single 'Buried And Dead' followed the same raw rock and roll path as 'Undecided', but the third single 'Living In A Child's Dream' saw the first dramatic shift in direction for the Masters Apprentices, this time offering a melodic pop piece with psychedelic lyrics. With a national top ten hit on their hands the Masters Apprentices were now one of the most popular groups in the country. On the shift from Adelaide to Melbourne the group had already endured a couple of line-up changes. Now Mick Bower, guitarist and chief songwriter, was forced to leave after suffering a nervous breakdown.

The group took on the management of Daryl Sambell, also manager of pop acts Johnny Farnham and Zoot, who moved them to EMI's Columbia label, where his other acts resided. Without the obviously talented Bower to rely on the Masters the Masters looked outside for songs. In the studio they turned a song named 'Silver People', written by The Groop's Brian Cadd, into another hit, retitled 'Elevator Driver', a more straight-up pop song.

The Masters Apprentices also found themselves caught up in the annual Hoadley's Battle Of The Sounds, where the top bands in the country allowed themselves to be judged by panels of "experts" in pursuit of the First Prize, a paid trip to England on the Sitmar passenger ship line. The Masters were not alone in gearing their whole focus towards winning that trip. In their current pop mode the Masters were in the running, but after two attempts the best they could do was come a close second to The Groove. By now the final important line-up change had taken place with the departure of guitarist Peter Tilbrook leaving Jim Keays, Doug Ford (ex-Running Jumping Standing Still), Glenn Wheatley (ex-Bay City Union) and Colin Burgess as the Masters Apprentices for the next three years. Jim Keays and Doug Ford consolidated into a formidable songwriting team.

Despite coming second in The Battle, the Masters managed a Sitmar trip anyway and geared themselves towards their journey to England. Rather than also coming a poor second to Daryl Sambell's other acts, the group now chose to manage themselves, and with the assistance of their trusty road manager Adrian Barker formed their own agency Drum. Adrian stayed behind as the group boarded its London-bound ship in May 1970, with their current hit 'Turn Up Your Radio' giving the group the biggest hit of its five year career. Ironically, just as the Masters' aggressive 'Turn Up Your Radio' single was blasting from radios, the group's single and those of all the other established recording artists signed to the major record companies were about to be banned from Australian airwaves, caught up in a six month dispute between the record companies and the radio stations. The Masters Apprentices sailed away to their London adventure as their contemporaries at home were wondering about their future. Many didn't survive.

In London the Masters Apprentices recorded an album at Abbey Road in a studio adjacent to the Beatles. It was only the group's third album, and the first time they'd sat down to record specifically for an album. The settled line-up, the consolidated songwriting core, their years of experience and the adventure of London itself all combined to make 'Choice Cuts' the Masters' finest moment on record. The single from the album was 'Because I Love You'.

With the band back in Australia to restore its finances with a heavy touring schedule they learned of positive interest in their album in England and France. By the time they could get themselves back those embers of interest were cold again. The group left Australia in May 1971 with a hastily recorded live album, 'Nickolodeon'.

Their second London experience wasn't as happy or as focussed. They knew it was the end as they were finishing the album. By the time 'Panama Red' was released the group had broken up, Jim Keays to try a solo career, Glenn Wheatley to pursue management.

Jim and Doug Ford would eventually reform the Masters Apprentices in 1988, in November releasing their first album in 17 years, 'Do What You Wanna Do', comprising one side recorded live, and the other side new studio material. A re-recorded 'Because I Love You' became a hit all over again. There was another attempt to put a new Masters line-up on the road in 1997. Wheatley, Ford and Keays subsequently reunited in Melbourne to perform 'unplugged' at the launch of Keays' book, in which he signalled his intention not to participate in any further reunions. Despite that intention the band has since reformed on a few occasions, most notably for the hugely successful "Long Way To The Top" national concert tour, which featured a host of the best Australian acts of the rock era. They also performed at benefit concerts for 70s star Ted Mulry. Pete Wells and Lobby Loyde.

In July 2007 Jim Keays fell ill while on holiday in England, where doctors found his kidneys had failed. He was diagnosed with myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, placed on dialysis and made arrangements to comer home for further treatment.