A précis of the band's inception, rise, successes, demise – and beyond .....
| Johnny Campbell and The Detours A précis of the band's inception, rise, successes, demise – and beyond ..... |
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Johnny Campbell and |  |
The Detours Family Tree | |
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Click the MultiMedia icon for the Johnny Campbell and The Detours MultiMedia page, which features SoundFiles, SoundClips and Videos (many in full HD) spanning well over 20 years ..... |
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| Seriously bitten by the music .... John Richard Campbell was born at St George's Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand on March 26th, 1947 at 1:15pm. He completed his first day of school at the local St Albans School in 1952, but the family soon had a change of address, and as it would be closer to his new home, he transferred to the brand-new Mairehau Primary School as a first-day pupil. He continued on at Mairehau Primary School until Standard 2 in 1955 when he won a Choir Scholarship to The Cathedral Grammar School, becoming a Chorister in the famous Christchurch Cathedral Choir. Having completed his primary education, and his first year of high school in the Senior Division at The Cathedral Grammar School, he moved on to the burgeoning Shirley Boys' High School early in 1961. Shirley Boys' was then in its first year as a complete school - with third through to upper-sixth (now known as seventh) form classes and facilities. Johnny soon became very keen to learn the guitar, having heard The Shadows Apache on the local AM radio station, and having been captivated by the sound, he began trying to develop and hone his latent fingerboard skills on a ukelele! Also, at that same time he was learning modern piano from local bandmaster Bob Bradford, tuition that would provide him with a very good understanding of chord structures and musical forms, soon to be a valuable part of his musical career in the yet-to-be-formed band he was destined to front. Johnny's first guitar was a Futurama III (which his father purchased for him as part of a package to encourage scholastic diligence and, more particularly, the acquisition of School Certificate) – at first the incentive was going to be a 50cc motor-cycle, but Apache had changed that! Johnny can be seen playing this instrument in the picture (circa mid-late 1962) to the right - the venue is unconfirmed, but it is most likely that it was the Shirley Intermediate School assembly hall. At this point the concept of a band was just taking shape, and other Shirley Boys were ideal "pop-star companions" as those first steps towards a band were being taken. Johnny's Futurama III guitar was soon to be replaced with a brand spanking new Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster - just like our Hank's ....... |
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| The first serious attempt at putting a band together was with what was known as The Torments. The group was formed during late 1962/early 1963, and featured female vocalist - Judith Turtill, whose then boyfriend Garry "Gus" Mullholland was on rhythm guitar, Garry's brother Peter was on piano, Bob Barrett on drums, and Michael Robinson on bass. Sunday nights would see The Torments playing at the Friendship House coffee club on Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch. This group was not however a long-term project, and Garry soon decided to leave. He was best mates with Judith's brother Tyrell Turtill and together they had a passion for engineering and for fast cars. Tyrell and Garry designed and built a revolutionary racing car which was known as "The Continental Special" — so called because it was designed around a massively powerful 7.7-litre Continental aero engine - original equipment in a Cessna 180. They raced the car extensively from 1968 up until they were both tragically killed in a car crash in February 1971. Garry's sister, Christchurch playwright Wendy Steeds, has recently immortalised the boys' story in her musical tribute "The Continental Special : The Car That Flew", and a TVNZ "Close Up" documentary on the subject has been broadcast. Judith Turtill (now Judy Glen) who has achieved international success as a comedienne, actress and operatic soprano was heavily involved in the production. Bob Barrett and Mike Robinson continued on to be part of the group which would become known as The Detours. The group's new name was taken from "Detour" the title of the second track of The Ventures self-titled LP of the day. At that point, Johnny (who had come up with "The Detours" as a name), was unaware that there were at least two groups operating in Europe under the name of "The Detours" - the most famous of which went on to become The Who. | ||
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 The Torments / The Detours Early Newspaper Advertisements |
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| All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell | ||
 The Shirley Boys' High School Dance Band (performing at the 1963 Leavers' Dance) Arthur Muir (Rhythm), Johnny Campbell (Lead), Bob Barrett (Drums) and Clive Brunton (Bass) |
 The image above shows Johnny playing his new Fender Stratocaster at Shirley Boys' High School in late 1963, also clearly visible on the top of the speaker cabinet is a JVC Nivico spring reverb unit. At this particular point The Detours were well and truly featuring on the Christchurch entertainment map .... |
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Late 1963 ... the first serious Detours lineup ... The picture to the left was taken as a promo for the local TVNZ "Have A Shot" television talent quest, on which The Detours performed April In Portugal. Taken at St Theresa's Church Hall, Riccarton, it shows (from left) ... Michael Robinson - bass guitar, Bob Barrett (another Shirley Boys' High School lad) - drums, Johnny Campbell - lead guitar, Paul Sargison - rhythm guitar and Jimmy Phillips - saxophone. At this point John and Bob were still at high school. This was the lineup which was responsible for the first commercial recordings the group undertook (although, an acetate had been cut prior). |
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| The four pix in the block above were taken at St Matthews Church Hall, Cranford Street, St Albans. | |
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| Jimmy Phillips on saxophone ... |
| The Detours as a commercial reality ... It was quite normal for local bands to compete for jobs, and The Detours were no exception. This promotional card shows that the band was available for bookings via Johnny's home telephone number, and as their popularity grew, the resultant jobs became more and more substantial. The group secured many prestigious gigs around Christchurch, with the ultimate Church gig of the day falling to them, after Max Merritt and The Meteors departed for Auckland. St Mary's Merivale was definitely the prize, but The Detours were very soon thereafter to take over Max Merritt's parents' Sunday Christchurch Teenagers Club gig at Carlyle Street .... |
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  Buckeye
Lessons In Love
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The very first Detours studio recordings ... Buckeye was a Johnny and The Hurricanes number which perfectly complimented the the newly formed Detours line-up with Johnny's schoolboy friend Jimmy Phillips on saxophone. It had a bouncey drive to it and some effective (if somewhat uninspiring) lead work in between the dominant sax lead parts. At the time these recordings were made, the rhythm guitar slot was not firmly occupied, and Paul Sargison was yet to join the group, thus Kevin Nicholls, who was the elder brother of a school friend of Johnny's played rhythm. Although largely experimental, the recording studio outing was a good exercise for the nucleus of the group. Lessons In Love was a number from the popular 1962 Cliff Richard and The Shadows film The Young Ones - Johnny's first attempt at singing since his choirboy days. Nothing ever came of these recordings, and they never saw the light of day beyond this solitary acetate, which is almost certainly the only copy of the recording in existence (realistically, there would have been no reason to reproduce it at that time). |
 The Detours with new faces Trevor Wright and John Clinton, out on the Church Dance Circuit Jim Phillips (Sax), Trevor Wright (Bass), Johnny Campbell (Lead), Paul Sargison (Rhythm), and John Clinton (Drums) |
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| The band substantiates ... Once the band had established a reputation as a polished and reliable act (particularly on the local church dance circuit), many specialist events became available, and one such venture at the time was the "Al-Di-La" weekly dance which was held at the St John Ambulance Hall in Peterborough Street, Christchurch. The band was only involved in this venture for a very short time, but it was an exceptionally well organised event, and proved to be beneficial for the band's stage performance as they matured and built towards more future residencies, which were just around the corner. |
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| Vintage home recordings ... In the early stages of the group it was always interesting to do raw recordings at home with an old vintage tape, and here are some basic (read primitive for that), unrefined and unadulterated three-piece examples from that magic era ... Johnny (Lead), Trevor (Bass) and John (Drums) ...  |
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| Baby What's Wrong Vocals: Johnny and Trevor |
Long Tall Shorty Vocal: Johnny |
Johnny B. Goode Vocal: Trevor |
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| The Detours - Caledonian and era Newspaper Advertisements All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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 April In Portugal |
 My Blue Heaven |
| The Detour's first commercial record .... (well almost) .... Prior to the Surf City residency coming to fruition The Detours had recorded two numbers featuring the Campbell, Sargison, Robinson, Clinton, Phillips line-up, and April In Portugal was the intended A-side with My Blue Heaven on the flip. This combination, however never made it to release, as the band was presently made aware of the infinitely more topical, surfing oriented number Murphy The Surfie (written by Joy Boys lead guitarist Norm Day). As it turned out (for unknown personal reasons), Mike Robinson unexpectedly never made it to the Murphy recording session. In the Robbins Recordings control room that night, as Keith Robbins was blowing bubbles through a straw into a glass (highly miked-up) to represent the wiped-out Murphy, a bass line was being dubbed in by Johnny, using his thumb picked Stratocaster on the neck pickup with the tone control on full treble cut - (this was of course immediately prior to Trevor Wright joining the band as bass player). The record was moderately successful, however, Keith Robbins strongly resisted all temptations to suddenly head off to the Bahamas, so one can assume the record, had little impact on the Robbins company's fiscal performance. Being from very limited production runs the commercial pressing of this record makes it highly collectable these days ! |
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 T-shirt concept, design and production by Myles Johnson to whom eternal thanks are due ! |
| The first major "break" for The Detours came in mid-late 1963 ..... ..... and this involved the securing of the residency at the new Surf City which had been established in the Pleasant Point Domain Hall at South Brighton. It was a standing-room-only affair on Saturday nights at The City, with the band playing free sound-shell concerts in New Brighton on a Saturday afternoon as well, to the delight of the twisting, stomping multitudes (see the Christchurch Photo Review report from March 1964, below). Surf City was conceived as a potentially franchiseable entity by Australian ex-professional wrestler, Bob Novak and was bank-rolled by Dick Jamieson, the owner and operator of the ritzy local American Health Studios. The band's reputation grew dramatically during the Surf City era, and a significant (and very loyal) fan-base was built up. The Surf City residency included a tour to New Plymouth for gigs in the local Sports Hall, and this was very good for the band which by now was a very stable 5-piece unit which included the young John Clinton on drums, and (old man of the team) Trevor Wright on bass. |
 The Detours on stage in front of the Surf City banner. This was the band's first major residency. Johnny Clinton (Drums), Paul Sargison (Rhythm), Johnny Campbell (Lead), Jim Phillips (Saxophone) and Trevor Wright (Bass) |
 Murphy The Surfie |
 April In Portugal |
| The commercial pressing of RRSP 36 featuring "Murphy The Surfie" b/w "April In Portugal" | |
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The Detours entertain at Surf City  Jimmy was always more than happy to show off his ability to play his sax behind his back and Johnny is obviously impressed. The Detours were noted for their solid rhythm section. Trevor would always provide a big solid bass platform, under the John Clinton drums. |
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| The boys worked hard to make their point of difference in the competitive world of Friday-and-Saturday-nighting on the Christchurch Scene, and it payed off well, as they built up an almost cult-type following from within the surfie community. | |||
| The Detours - Early Surf City era Newspaper Advertisements All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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| New Brighton Sound Shell, Christchurch - March 1964 Article taken from PHOTO REVIEW Christchurch - March 1964, Volume 2 Number 1 |
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| New Brighton Sound Shell, Christchurch - March 1964 Article taken from PHOTO REVIEW Christchurch - March 1964, Volume 2 Number 1 |
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| Surf City - Pleasant Point Domain ... The promoters of Surf City went out of their way to cater for the surfing community, and endeavoured to always present a varied and interesting programme with lots of competitions and prizes. The event was extremely well supported by surfies, and young people in general. |
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| The Detours - Surf City era Newspaper Advertisements All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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| The Detours - Surf City era Newspaper Advertisements All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell | ||||||||||
| The Miss Surf City Contest ... The Miss Surf City Contest was a gala event which was held at the Pleasant Point Domain – the home of Surf City. Shortly after Johnny Campbell and The Detours had departed for the bright lights of the city and The Laredo Nitespot, the coveted Miss Surf City title was taken out by a glamorous Petronella (Elly) Hijgemann, who was subsequently to become the wife of Myles Johnson, the designer and producer of the original Detours' Surf City T-shirts. |
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 Elly Hijgemann is interviewed by 3ZB's Arch King |
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The Detours ..... "Dancing With The Stars" .... When the Surfside '64 Show hit town, Bob Novak (who had become The Detours unofficial, official manager), had a good friend who was well connected with Harry M. Miller, and he arranged for The Detours to set up their gear at a house in Merivale - one cannot but imagine that this was a cunning endeavour to get The Detours noticed by some important show-bizers - and after the show, the cast duly came to the Merivale address, for a free-for-all session with everyone there taking turns to perform during the course of the evening. Eventually, it was time to move over to The Shirley Lodge Hotel, where the cast were staying, and Johnny recalls having Dennis Wilson and Mike Love of the Beach Boys in the back seat of his 1949 side-valve Morris Minor. They were telling him how they had written a million-selling song about Dennis' old 1932 Ford Model B Coupé — the famous Little Deuce Coupe!. Having made the journey safely, the party recommenced in one of the Joyboys' units, where the Joyboys' drummer, John Bogie, provided a demonstration of a certain dance involving a strategically placed, loosely rolled-up newspaper and fire! This was a totally revealing experience for the hitherto sheltered young Detours, and is a well-remembered occasion even to this day ..... |
| The Programme from Harry M. Miller's Surfside '64 Tour | |
| 1964 ends, and school's out ... forever ... The end of 1964 saw the end of the last year of high school for Johnny, and he and several mates headed north to the famous Tahunanui camping ground for the summer holidays. As is evidenced by the photo, the fashion by-word of the moment was the so-called "jock-strap and jandals", and it was impossible not to adhere to the majority decree. Music did not feature heavily in this little sojorn, and it was all appreciation rather than participation for our hero. He did, however have the mandatory acoustic guitar in the tent, and would oblige the inhabitants each morning with opening riffs from The Beatles (then current) single I Feel Fine at the insistence of "good old boy" Mike Huls (who regretably is no longer with us). The summer holidays were the lay-over period between the end of school and the start of term at Canterbury University, to which Johnny was headed for his intermediate year, shortly after his return from holiday. One of the first jobs for The Detours for 1965 was the annual Students' Orientation Party (held that year at the Addington Racecourse) - and 1965 was to prove to be a very good year for the band with the securing of the prestigious Laredo residency as second stringers (but very soon to be the top dogs) to The Playboys, who were Auckland-bound - reinventing them selves as Dave Miller and The Byrds. |
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The Detours move to The Laredo Nightspot .... The Laredo Nightspot was clearly Christchurch's No. 1 dance attraction of the day, and it was always very well patronised. Friday nights produced good crowds, but Saturday nights were a standing-room-only affair, with many of New Zealand's major pop acts appearing in a seemingly endless Saturday night procession. The venue for The Laredo was the now demolished Horticultural Society Hall running between Gloucester Street and Oxford Terrace (which sported the main entrance). It was run by a natural gentleman, Jimmy Rhydings, and his wife, and it was a well organised and happy working environment for the bands working there. The hall was well appointed, being fitted with a state-of-the-art Philips p.a. system, but even this system struggled to provide clear vocals over the very loud guitar backings (which were assisted by an incredible slap-back echo from the very large window at the opposite end of the hall from the stage). There was a hierachical structure within the resident bands - with the "top dogs" able to enjoy the best time slots, and of course to back the visiting artists, but there was great camaraderie between bands, and many long-term friendships were struck between supposed "rivals". Local hero compere was Les Stott, who rather fancied himself as an Elvis-alike, and he tended to align himself with the second-string band (for their sins) to sing Elvis numbers during the evening - this was a habit Les was unable to break. |
 Jimmy Phillips and Paul Sargison at The Laredo Nitespot |
 Johnny Campbell with Les Stott |
 Les Inwood guesting with the Detours |
| From Surf to Surfistication ... The Detours had come from a surf/stomp culture at Surf City, and were soon highly aware of the need to keep a close eye on the pop charts for hit songs to add to their already entensive repertoire. Even though they were playing 2 nights a week, there were still two nights of band practice to be undertaken, and this was generally in Johnny's parents lounge. There had already been a move to raise the level of the band's sophistication by the addition of a "uniform", consisting of light grey individually tailored trousers, and hand-made blue jackets, and this was of course entirely acceptable at the Laredo Nitespot. |
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 A typical Friday and Saturday night crowd at the Laredo Nitespot - a few familiar faces here ! |
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| The Detours, resident at The Laredo as understudies to The Playboys ... these are some Laredo Newspaper Advertisements from the era ... All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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On a Friday or a Saturday night ... the place to be in the city of Christchurch was The Laredo Nitespot — undoubtedly Christchurch's numero uno nitespot of the day, and where there was always heaps going on, with Mini Talent Contests, Star Searches etc., Compèred by the inimitable Les Stott, who worked tirelessly hard for the good of The Laredo Nitespot. Les was an ultra-flamboyant character, who survived as the centre of attention - a personality trait not exclusive to him ! |
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The evenings were always well organised, but there were never rehersals for "contestants", and this was a constant challenge for The Detours. The real buzz came when having gravitated to top slot, The Detours would back any NZ Star Guests at The Laredo, and these included Sir Howard Morrison, Rochelle Vinsen, Jim McNaught, The Librettos, Peter Posa, Allison Durbin, Gwynn Owen, Tommy Adderley, Yolande Gibson, John Hore, Toni Williams, Anne Murphy, Ray Woolf and Ray Columbus ..... |
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| A card of signatures of local pop stars visiting The Laredo on a particular evening Showing are (clockwise from bottom) ..... Peter Posa, Anne Murphy, Ray Woolf and Jimmy Sloggett |
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| The Christchurch Teenagers Club ... Managed by the legendary Trevor King Q.S.M., Max Merritt and The Meteors were a very hard act to follow at the Christchurch Teenagers Club which Trevor and Max's parents Ilene and Jimmy had established circa 1956. Johnny Campbell and The Detours were privileged to be invited by Max's mum to take over Max's role of entertaining the city's youth on a Sunday afternoon in The Railway Hall in Carlyle Street. This was of course as a result of Max having taken his band north to the "big smoke and the bright lights" - he was, however to return to his old haunts whenever he was back in town - to the obligatory buffet tea of scones, sandwiches and hot saveloys served by Mrs Merritt and her daughter Pam with Jimmy Merritt manning the door. |
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| What about those colourful uniforms ... ?? Here are a couple of very interesting shots of The Detours taken outside the Carlyle Street Sunday Youth Club. They are among the very few colour photos ever taken of the band, and the blue jackets with the light grey trousers are perfectly revealed with a full colour pallette. Even through the "anything goes" days of the Surf City gig the band maintained a high standard of dress, and it is interesting to note the continuation of the latter day Surf City "uniform", which the band continued to wear at the beginning of the Laredo stint, prior to purchasing the trademark grey suits which were necessary to be more in tune with the "big beat" presentations of the era. ..... and what about that haircut ... ?? ..... departing from the established hair style mode of the day, Johnny it appears (for some inexplicable reason) has gone down the "all American boy" track by the look of his short-lived flat-top! Thankfully this trend did not continue – as evidenced by the many other photographs presented on this site. It is also interesting, historically, to look carefully at the Railway Hall behind the band – there you will see Max Merritt's Dad Jim, standing in the doorway watching proceedings unfold before his very eyes. The Holden belonged to Paul Sargison's father. The Detours were (L-R) ..... Jim Phillips, Trevor Wright, Johnny Campbell, Paul Sargison and John Clinton (clutching his ride-cymbal) |
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 Early shots of The Detours after their arrival on the Carlyle Street Sunday Youth Club Scene |
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Another early shot of The Detours, taken at the Carlyle Street Christchurch Teenagers Club. The band's original chipboard speaker cabinets with amplifiers on the stage below the cabinets can be seen. Notice also to the left of Johnny's foot, the original Mark I Watkins Copicat Echo Unit, which Johnny's Dad had dutifully obtained from the UK with a no-remittance license, the same basis as was required to import the lovely original '62 Fiesta Red Stratocaster Johnny is playing (and which he regrets having sold). Also interestingly, John Clinton has had the name Clint signwritten on his bass-drum. |
 Jimmy Phillips at Carlyle Street |
 Johnny and his original Stratocaster |
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| Johnny Campbell talking to Ian Johnstone whilst KH looks on (Carlyle Street) Many thanks to KH for shuffling through her ancient archive and tracking down one or two "gems" | |
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| Vocals - an important facet of any repertoire ... In this shot (taken at The Carlyle Street Sunday Youth Club) Johnny and Paul harmonise into a mutual AIWA dynamic microphone. Paul was at this time running into quite a heavy work-load in the course of his university studies, and was soon to quit the band - to be replaced by Brian "Barney" Bligh on rhythm guitar. Brian can be seen in the photograph below in the middle at the bottom. Brian playing a Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster gave the band the obligatory three Fenders line-up of the day - Johnny and Brian with a Fiesta Red Stratocasters, and Trevor with a Sunburst Jazz Bass. |
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| From understudies to top band .... When Johnny Campbell and The Detours arrived at The Laredo Nitespot, The Playboys were in the No. 1 spot, and this was the case for some considerable time - indeed until The Playboys went to Auckland having renamed themselves Dave Miller and The Byrds. This was not all that long a time after Max Merritt and The Meteors had taken themselves north, and the opportunity presented itself for Johnny and his Detours to take over the première spot at The Laredo, having already assumed Max's residency at his Mum's and Dad's Sunday Teenagers Club in the Railway Hall in Carlyle Street, Sydenham, much to the fancy of the large number of weekly Teenagers Club supporters and Laredo fans. The Carlyle Street gig was a Sunday afternoon labour of love which was to continue for quite a while thereafter. The newspaper advertisement to the left shows The Detours as lead band on a night when The Playboys were out of town, shortly prior to their permanent departure from Christchurch. |
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 This letter was the beginning of the Official Detours Fan Club |
 Jezebel |
 The Chapel In The Moonlight |
| The original (unreleased) acetate cuttings of Jezebel and The Chapel In The Moonlight Recorded at Robbins Recordings just around the time that Brian Bligh was joining the band, and he did not appear on the recordings. The tracks were intended as recording company demonstrations for a little known Christchurch singer, Englishman Johnny Franklin who had a lovely voice, and he requested The Detours to accompany him on these demos, which he intended to take back to the UK with him. Jezebel was arranged by Johnny and comes across as very business-like, with some intricate (almost frenetic) strumming and percussive stops and starts. The sound reeks of Fender, and was played by Johnny on his own guitar through Brian's amplifier. The Chapel In The Moonlight was a double take with Johnny on rhythm and lead guitars - amazingly there appears to be no tape echo in use although the studio reverb is there in abundance! Trevor Wright (as always) plays intricate bass-lines, and John Clinton is as solid as ever on drums. The boys remember this as a very enjoyable session. |
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| More newspaper advertisements featuring support groups at The Laredo Nitespot All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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| As well as a plethora of local artists permeating through The Laredo Nitespot on Friday and Saturday nights, there was also a constant stream of local guest bands and guest artists, some of whom would be featured in Laredo Nitespot newspaper advertisements from time to time. Nationally known stars were more likely to just turn up on the night after having played their concerts, but local guest bands and artists were a significant attraction and they were utilised as a promotional drawcard for The Laredo. It is very interesting to note some of the acts which featured over time (such as those shown in the adjacent advertisements). Amongst the line-up were The Dynamics (later to turn themselves into The Secrets), Peter Paul and The Pursuers, The Counts, The Esquires, Our Generation, Kay Lichfield and Phil Garland. Not surprisingly, The Laredo was the major social focal point of the day, and it was fashionable to be there. There were of course a goodly number of other nitespots around Christchurch city, and their number increased significantly over time. It is fair to say, however, that The Laredo was generally the first port of call for an evening out, as the doors closed at the midnight hour, and most of the other establishments were just getting warmed up and into their stride at that stage of the evening, leaving a wide choice for the stayers and the players. | |||
 The last shot taken of The Detours as a 5-piece group. Jimmy Phillips (Saxophonist) left very shortly thereafter. |
 Carol |
 You Really Got Me |
| The original (unreleased) acetate cutting of Carol and You Really Got Me The band had become rather rhythm and bluesy, and one of their hottest stage numbers was the Chuck Berry masterpiece Carol. This featured the group's extremely talented drummer John Clinton on lead vocals. Handclaps were over-dubbed, and it is recalled that it was heaps of fun standing around and changing clap-patterns as the track eeked out. The sound is very very typical of The Detours with a thin razorish lead guitar, and fat background. Carol wound up only to be an experiment and was never taken beyond this acetate, although it was always one of the group's favourite stage numbers, as was the Kinks standard You Really Got Me which features John Clinton and Johnny Campbell on vocals with Trevor and Brian backing up vocally. |
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| No suits at Carlyle Street on Sunday afternoons ... Having invested in a full set of very dapper grey suits (most groups, and especially The Beatles were setting high dress standards - but nobody was telling The Rolling Stones), The Detours (despite their upwardly mobile Laredo image) chose to stay with a full casual approach to the Carlyle Street Teenagers Club on a Sunday afternoon, where large numbers of loyal Detours supporters would be within easy touching distance of their heroes! At this point it is interesting to note the "VOX" style amplifier cabinets, which Johnny made. The newspaper advertisement to the left represents one of (and probably THE) biggest Sunday afternoon at the Teenagers Club (1964), with the return of Max Merritt and his not inconsiderable entourage. As can be seen in the advertisement, The Detours are at this stage firmly established as the resident act at the Teenagers Club, appearing as the main act with Max and his famous Meteors as Special! Special! Guest Artists. Visits to the Teenagers Club by significant artists were a semi-regular thing, with Max's parents commanding great respect from the Rock 'n Roll fraternity. On this particular day guests included the artist's from the touring Peter Posa Show - they included Peter Posa himself, the sensational Dinah Lee, and Dinah's fashion mentor, Jackie Holme, the proponent of Dinah's "mod" style, and Max Merritt's girlfriend at that time. |
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| The Detour's drummer in the No. 1 pozzy ... In line with the established pecking order, and with The Detours now resident as top group at The Laredo, newcomers The Vigilantes came in as second band, and John Clinton was able to acquire rights to the elevated plinth to the right (audience left) of the stage. Note the Beatles-style "The Detours" on the bass-drum. By now, Brian Bligh was well entrenched as rhythm guitarist, and the band had morphed into a four-piece, with Trevor Wright on bass guitar, Johnny on lead guitar and John Clinton on drums. The band's golden era at The Laredo. |
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Inspiration for a hit song ... Johnny's girl-friend was undeniably The Detours' greatest fan of the day, and it's not surprising that she was the inspiration for the Detour's hit single My Girl, written by Johnny (in his final year at Shirley Boys' High School in 1964), although the record was not released until early in 1965. The number was particularly strong in the Hamilton area for some unknown/obscure reason, but also sold well locally. In those days, the Hit Parade was the gauge by which records stood or fell, and each area had its own locally produced 30 minute programme slot each week. Sadly My Girl received no serious attention from the prestigious (nationally syndicated) Lever Hit Parade. |
 My Girl |
 Just Can't Go To Sleep |
| The original (pre-release) acetate cutting of the single "My Girl" b/w "Just Can't Go To Sleep" | |
 My Girl |
 I Just Can't Go To Sleep |
| A production pressing of the single "My Girl" b/w "Just Can't Go To Sleep" (Robbins RRSP54) | |
 My Girl |  I Just Can't Go To Sleep |
| Signed (c1965) production pressing of the single "My Girl" b/w "I Just Can't Go To Sleep" (Robbins RRSP54) SIDE A: Trevor Wright (Bass) and Johnny Campbell (Lead and Vocals) SIDE B: Brian Bligh (Rhythm) and Graham Hanham (Drums) NOTE: John Clinton was the drummer for these recordings. Graham Hanham had not yet joined the group when the record was made. |
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My Girl "The Video"
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| This video is a timely amalgam of the old and the new. It features the original 60s audio soundtrack (which was recorded at Robbins Recordings), along with video footage shot live at John's 50th Birthday Bash in 1997. The group which reunited on that evening featured Larry McKay (Rhythm Guitar), John Clinton (Drums), Trevor Wright (Bass Guitar) and John Campbell (Lead Guitar and Vocals). Brian Bligh (who played the rhythm guitar on the original recording) was also in attendance, although he did not take the stage. | ||
| Graham Hanham joins the group ... Whilst John Clinton was still at high school, his father was transfered to Whanganui, and John was forced to leave the band and move away from Christchurch (although he did subsequently return and rejoin The Detours). John was replaced by a superb technician in Graham Hanham, who had long been admired by the boys. Graham added a solid polish to the group, which was presently focussed on quality instrumental music - especially The Shadows, but also to diverse showpieces like Baby Elephant Walk and El Cumbanchero. The trend was towards group-harmony-vocals from the likes of Brian Poole and The Tremeloes and The Beatles, and this style was ever-increasingly being included in Detours' sets. |
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That sultry Stones look catches on ... This sepia-style shot of The Detours was intended to capture the sultry looks which at that time were associated with The Rolling Stones (and little did they know they would be appearing on The Stones' Show very shortly thereafter). This was at a time when The Detours were very much a pop "cover-band", always recognising the crowd's demands for current hits, but such was the nature of The Laredo, and the massive regular crowd which fanatically turned up week upon week to soak up the music and be entertained with surprise appearances by many of the country's leading artists. Keeping abreast of the latest pop tunes was a full-time job, and the band used to rehearse twice a week, as well as playing Fridays and Saturdays at The Laredo, plus Sunday afternoons at the Merritt's Sunday Christchurch Teenagers Club. This amount of playing was also very hard on instruments, and Johnny used to change his strings every Friday prior to the gig. Beggs and Sedley Wells were where to buy strings in those days (directly opposite each another on High Street) and Charlie Jemmett and Alan Irvine remained in the music business forever! Johnny was fanatically into Gibson Spanish Electric guitar strings which were thinner (and brighter) than the more commonly popular Gibson Sonomatics. |
 The Rolling Stones |
 Roy Orbison |
 The Newbeats |
 Ray Columbus and The Invaders |
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| Undoubtedly the zenith of The Detours career ... Long time The Detours admirer Trevor King had arranged for The Detours to open the Christchurch concert of the Big Beat '65 Rolling Stones' Tour at the Theatre Royal, Christchurch in February 1965. Johnny and Brian Bligh were at the movies in the afternoon and an usher tracked Johnny down with a message to contact Trevor King immediately if not sooner - for what was, as it turned out, VERY good news - The Detours were to be on the Rolling Stones Show that night. The line-up was: John Campbell (Lead), Brian Bligh (Rhythm), Trevor Wright (Bass) and Graham Hanham (Drums), and they were playing to a packed theatre, which was a very nervous time for the boys. Trevor Wright had to beg to use Bill Wyman's bass amplifier - our Bill was not wildly enthusiastic about this, but duly agreed. The show kicked off with The Detours playing Manfred Mann's Do Wah Diddy Diddy which was a huge hit and gaining lots of air-play at that time. You can see from the review (adjacent), that The Detours were suitably well received but alas not musically impressive enough to register on the reviewer's buzz scale. Johnny mentions that the boys were gob-smacked that The Rolling Stones should be wearing stage make-up (something which The Detours were yet to be subjected too). Having met Roy Orbison on the previous (Surfside '64) tour, Johnny was certain that Mr. Orbison would know who he was, so he confidently walked up to The Big O and shook his hand saying "Hi Roy, do you remember me ??" - to which Mr. Orbison replied "NO !". A huge blow to a young fella's ego on the brink of a night in front of the lights, but Johnny recovered successfully and continuing to move forward with minimal residual counselling. |
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| A signed publicity shot of The Rolling Stones taken in London circa 1963/64 This shot is of the original Rolling Stones including the late Brian Jones and Charlie Watts - the signatures are now badly faded out! Left to right: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts |
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| All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell | |
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"On The Beat" - a regular Christchurch Star newspaper column All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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 Those days at The Laredo were happy ones ... ... and the band enjoyed an excellent camaraderie on and off stage, with a very stable line-up dedicated to performing to the best of its ability. Sadly, around this time, Brian Bligh was to quit the group due to National Service. |
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| Quite soon after this Brian Bligh left the group ... ... after having been a key player through the band's halcyon days - to be replaced by the ex-Vigilantes virtuoso Larry McKay. The band was experiencing amazing popularity, and with increasing work-load and regular practices, things were hectic. DanceTime Spectacular! was Brian's last performance, and a new era was about to unfold with the band focussing on the then super popular Mersey-type sounds in lieu of big-echo instrumentals, for which they were known. Johnny would soon turn his back on his beloved Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster, and Larry his equally loved Gibson ES335TDC for Beatles-inspired Gretsch Tennesseans. |
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The Larry McKay era ... Larry was a foundation member, and the original rhythm guitarist for The Vigilantes, and Johnny appreciated and admired his playing immensely - inspirational, and highly-spirited, Larry and Johnny readily gravitated together musically. The band started to do complex numbers which showcased both guitarists' techniques, and allowed for interactions and harmonies between them. The shot shows (L-R) John Campbell, Larry McKay, Trevor Wright and Graham Hanham. Amplifiers visible are Johnny's VOX-alike, Trevor's bass amp and Larry's lovely acoustic-sounding Selmer (which he imported at great pain and expense) from Mother England. This was a very creative era for the band, and one in which the sound became very tight and polished. There is no doubt that the new wave of in-band collaborative writing and the wider influences of the increasing sophistication of group sounds in general, had an impact on The Detours at that time. The group remained firmly entrenched at The Laredo Nitespot, and reluctantly continued to pander to Les Stott's obsession with singing Elvis songs. Johnny continued to try hard to shake Les's stated impression of him as a jumped up schoolboy, and thankfully, music won at the end of the day. The Detours would go on from strength to strength, with a huge local following. Larry got his box out from under the bed and found the image to the left ..... |
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| "Walk With Me" ... ... was Larry's baby and he trotted it out one afternoon at his place when Johnny came around. Between them, Larry and Johnny polished the song - Johnny came up with the suspension introduction along with the lead embellishments. Later in the week at band practice, the completed song was presented to Trevor and Graham who added their own various parts, and response harmonies were introduced. Trevor's fine walking bass is particularly catchy, and the song was a regular part of the band's performance. The track was recorded at Robbins Recordings studios in one evening only. The plan was to return to the studio at a later time to over-dub proper vocal tracks, but, having spent several hours recording the backing track, and wanting something tangible to take away for the evening's work, rough vocals were added in one extra take with Larry singing lead and the rest of the guys singing backings. An unfinished masterpiece! |
 Walk With Me |
 Wake Up Little Susie |
"Wake Up Little Susie" ... One of the songs which had crept into the group's repertoire, and which always seemed to get the crowd going was the old Everly Brothers' song Wake Up Little Susie, and it was a number which the band enjoyed performing immensely. Larry's very distinctive and very choppy Gibson ES335TDC features prominently here. The lead vocals feature Johnny Campbell and Trevor Wright with Larry McKay and Graham Hanham providing harmonies in the background. This recording was however hastily selected, because it was in the current reportoire. It was simply to provide a flipside for Walk With Me which was proposed to Robbins Recordings as a new release for Johnny Campbell and The Detours, however it was destined to be one of those which would go absolutely no further, and the quality of the performance on this recording leaves a lot to be desired. |
| Timaru — The Downtown Nitespot ... Timaru had been crying out for its own piece of night-life, and The Downtown Nitespot was the name chosen for the new Stafford Street venue, organised by local second-hand dealer Ray Wright. The Detours were chosen as the out-of-town headline act to open the newly established nitespot, and the job meant that for several weeks, the group would have to head away on the 100 mile journey to Timaru each Friday afternoon, to be ready to play that night. The very popular local group - The Boys — Max Fletcher (Bass), Maurice Sammons (Lead), Geoff Hannan (Vocals), Kevin Toneycliffe (Drums) and Errol James (Rhythm) claimed the initial residency. Downtown management often utilised other local groups, including Timaru's Don's Problems (who featured with The Detours on opening night). |
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| Enter two Gretsch Tennesseans ... No Dean Martin influence here. Nevertheless, the music did somehow "take us back to Tennessee". With Beatles and Mersey-sounds taking a serious hold on the band, Johnny and Larry almost inevitably decided to purchase matching Gretsch Tennesseans and run with a more country oriented sound. Johnny very bravely abandoned his trusty Watkins Copicat Echo Unit in deference to the spring reverb built into his new Jansen Quad Amplifier.. |
| The Detours were engaged for an exclusive summer gig at The Blue Moon, Paraparaumu Beach ..... | |
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This three-week summer job was an amazing experience for the band, and on this occasion they were joined by The Vigilantes' vocalist Dixon McIvor (pretending to be under 10 years old in the shot above). The deal was that the band would live in Paraparumu for three weeks in the house of a relative of Jimmy Rhydings — the house being within easy walking distance of the near-the-beach venue. As it was the only dance in the area, and being on almost every night meant that it became a holiday focal point, and excellent crowds were guaranteed. Despite best efforts with limited security from the promoters, there were frequent erruptions in and around the hall, and this was a concern for the boys, who were supported at THE GOLDEN COAST DANCE CENTRE by Tommy Kahi's all-girl band The Chikadees (also to appear shortly thereafter in a Christchurch *Startime* Spectacular in the Majestic Theatre). The shots above were all taken in the playground of a park in Whanganui, the city to which John Clinton's parents and family had moved earlier. Dixon remained a member of The Vigilantes, even though he was singing with The Detours. Larry was to ultimately leave the group and return to The Vigilantes prior to the The Detours' move to The Mecca Nitespot. |
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 The Detours (Larry and John with Gretsch Tennesseans) backing Wellington vocalist Gwynn Owen. This photograph was taken at the Laredo Nitespot - March 1966 Trevor Wright (Bass), Larry McKay (Rhythm), Gwynn Owen, and John Campbell (Lead) (obscured). |
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| Great looks, a heap of talent, and arguably one of the best singers to come out of the Wellington scene in the 1960s - Gwynn Owen carved her niche and toured New Zealand in 1966 promoting her single HMV HR.268 In My Room // Treat Him As I Would which was released in June of that year, followed up quickly with HMV HR.279 That's When Happiness Began // Take A Look in December 1966 - this record was also released in the USA on the Uptown label UPTOWN 746. In 1967 she released HMV HR.289 This Place // Hard Lovin' Loser, but her career proved to be a relatively short-lived one, and she moved to Auckland to raise a family shortly after releasing that last HMV single. The Laredo Nitespot in Christchurch was on her list of tour venues for her 1966 NZ tour. Gwynn released a further single in 1969 (this time of the Sound Of Now label), SPN 2 Games People Play // Son Of A Preacher Man. | |||
| Rhythm Guitarist for The Detours, Larry McKay was to subsequently go back and rejoin The Vigilantes after the penultimate (Laredo-based) iteration of The Detours broke up. Ultimately, Trevor Wright - long-standing bass player for The Detours, would also move to join The Vigilantes, but there was yet one more (final) iteration of The Detours to go before that happened. |
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 Christchurch Star - Friday June 3rd, 1966 |
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 Typical Star Trek Slipper Dance Crowd |
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| Star Trek Slipper Dance Publicity These clippings (ex Veronica Enright collection) appeared shortly before The Detours moved to the Mecca Nitespot |
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| The final incarnation of The Detours ..... Returning to the original designation of the band as simply The Detours — John Campbell, Trevor Wright, and John Clinton (who would subsequently move to Australia and found the award-winning country music group The Wolverines) decided to join forces with Peter and Paul Talbot (ex Peter, Paul and The Pursuers) to form what was to be the last ever Detours line-up, and a residency at The New Exclusive Mecca Nitespot (formerly The Safari Lounge), was to follow. The boys purchased new suits, and a series of publicity pictures were taken to announce and publicise the new super group as they slid into their new prestigious residency at The Mecca Nitespot, located upstairs on Tuam Street, between Manchester and High Streets. Top: Peter Talbot and John Clinton Centre: John Campbell Bottom: Trevor Wright and Paul Talbot. |
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| A Christchurch newspaper narrative on the Detours, issued shortly prior to the band's securing the "Mecca" residency All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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 Header/Logo for the New Exclusive "MECCA" Nitespot |
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| Detours/Mecca era newspaper advertisements All the newspaper clippings on this site were diligently collected by John's father Ron Campbell |
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| The last known picture of John Campbell at the Mecca Nitespot - complete with Gretsch Tennessean and Jansen Quad Amplifier Many thanks to Kaye Millar (née Bassett) for this old gem ! With their new residency, The Detours set about changing their style to maximise the vocal impact of Peter and Paul, who were superb harmonists. This really de-focussed the group from its strong instrumental base-line, and it was soon apparent that the New Exclusive Mecca Nitespot, and the (new-look) Detours were not a forever combination. |
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| The Detours disbanded in July of 1966 ..... |
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| One particular evening — after having practised at the "Mecca" — John Campbell came to the inevitable conclusion that his brief musical career should come to an end, and so he loaded his equipment into his 1949 side-valve Morris Minor and headed off into the sunset to seek his fortune in the big bad commercial world. |
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| ...... but the story did kinda continue ...... |
| EON Recording Company Limited |
 The distinctive original EON Recording Company record sleeve |
 Folk Troubadours — Ronnie and Dougal | |
| Background to the 1966 EON recordings ... Subsequent to the demise of The Detours, John was in touch with Dougal McEachen (another ex Christchurch Cathedral Chorister) who had written several great songs. These were raw and needed arranging and commercialising, so John collaborated with him on I Love You And I Don't Care and Leave Me Alone which were to be the flagship tracks at that point. A number of others, including The Lady Angeline, Mercedes and I'm Just A Heartbeat Away From You, were recorded on a home tape recorder, but regretably never published (although restored versions of these songs can be found further down this page). The EON project was to record (at Robbins Recordings again!) two numbers for release on the new "EON Recording Company" label. EON was the love/brain-child of Maurice Enright, father of Veronica (Ronnie) Enright (see the *Startime* Spectacular advertisement above), who was Dougal's partner in a Sonny & Cher-type duo. The EON studio recordings featured John's Gibson Jumbo Acoustic, and included former Detours bassist Trevor Wright along with ex-Meteor Andy Joines and seasoned local session-men John Sanchez-Lloyd and Neil Falconer - to be forever known as The Individuals. EON records stood out with their distinctive sleeve and are highly collectable. | |
 Ronnie and Dougal on stage |
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 I Love You And I Don't Care |
 Leave Me Alone |
| A production copy of "I Love You And I Don't Care" b/w "Leave Me Alone" (EON1001) This disc was signed by Maurice Enright and given to John in appreciation of his efforts in coordinating the project |
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 The faces of the "individuals" involved in the EON1001 project are revealed (from left to right) — Ronnie (Veronica) Enright, Dougal McEachen, Johnny Campbell, Andy Joines, Trevor Wright, Neil Falconer and John Sanchez-Lloyd. |
| + 43 years - a reunion of The Individuals for Ronnie's 60th — unfortunately John Sanchez-Lloyd was unable to be present |
 Especially for the Individuals' reunion at Ronnie's 60th in 2009, Johnny produced digitally remastered versions of the original EON1001 releases "I Love You And I Don't Care" and "Leave Me Alone", and CD copies were handed out to mark the occasion. The re-mastered tracks were to prove useful in fulfilling requests for future releases on the RPM/Frenzy label. |
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| + 50 years - a further reunion of all of The Individuals |  Come & See Me is a compilation Double CD published by Grant Gillander's RPM/FRENZY Records on September 28th, 2015 - this release included the EON1001-B (Ronnie and Dougal) track "Leave Me Alone" along with a plethora of precious recordings of materials from Dream Babes and Rock Chicks from Down Under. |
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| + 50 years - a quasi GOLD DISC AWARD |  It seemed like a logical thing to do - 50 years represents a golden anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than to produce a "GOLD DISC AWARD" for the team. Here is a close-up of the home-grown quasi award seen above. The document bears the signatures of all the original participants in the EON recording sessions which resulted in the EON1001 release "I Love You And I Don't Care" and "Leave Me Alone" |
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| + 50 years - and another EON track resurfaces |  The Kiwi POP Music Scene 1967 is a further compilation Double CD published by Grant Gillander's RPM/FRENZY Records and released in early December 2017 - this extensive compilation of tunes first released in NZ in 1967 offered 60 tracks and included the EON1001-A (Ronnie and Dougal) track "I Love You And I Don't Care". Featured NZ artists included icons such as Larry's Rebels, Mr. Lee Grant, The Chicks, Ray Columbus and Ray Woolf. |
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| + 50 years - restoration of old tapes from the EON era |  This particular vintage SONY tape recorder was used extensively by Johnny and Dougal (and Ronnie) for home recordings prior to the trip to Robbins Recordings for the EON1001 session(s). Johnny has attempted to recover tapes made on this old machine, and the results are listenable via YouTube links to the left. Techos know that bad "Wow and Flutter" is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove! |
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I'm Just A Heartbeat Away From You
The Lady Angeline Mercedes |
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| John Campbell's 50th Birthday Bash was held in the old Civic Chambers in Manchester Street, Christchurch on April 26th, 1997, taking the form of a buffet dinner and dance, with a 31 years on reunion of JC and The Detours. Original members John Clinton, Trevor Wright, Jim Phillips, Larry McKay and Brian Bligh all attended. |
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| 1997: John's 50th Birthday Invitations were in the form of a CD - here's the folded-out jewel case insert. Dougal McEachen created the artwork for these invitations. |
 Baby What's Wrong ?
I Saw Her Standing There |
John's 50th Birthday Bash ... April 26th, 1997 - exactly one month after John's actual birthdate, The Detours performed together again for the first time in 31 years, and what a (long) night it turned out to be. John Clinton had flown over from Australia especially for the event (arriving that afternoon to watch John Campbell car racing at Ruapuna), but to be safe, the others (John Campbell, Trevor Wright and Larry McKay) had put in a couple of strategic practices in the weeks prior! An hour-long rehersal was held at 5:00pm that afternoon prior to the 7:00pm kick-off, and things went off extremely well, considering none of the boys had even clapped eyes on John Clinton for over 30 years - let alone be on stage ripping up a storm with him. The SoundClips under the image to the left and following images, were all recorded live to digital tape. |
| An invaluable addition to the band ... The band was augmented for the occasion by Andy Carey (on the ENSONIQ mini-grand piano and synth keyboard) - who was the evening's star performer, impersonating Elton John to a trick. Andy's brilliant organ backing added dramatically to John's Wonderful Tonight tribute to his wife Robyn, and the band was able to re-visit many numbers they used to play, including Kon-Tiki, Memphis, My Girl, Carol, Johnny B. Goode, and Dance On. The pic shows (left to right) - Larry McKay (Rhythm Guitar), Trevor Wright (Bass Guitar), John Campbell (Lead Guitar), John Clinton (Drums) and Andy Carey on organ. Seasoned trainspotters may well enquire as to why John was playing a Parker "Fly" Guitar. In reality there was no sound excuse - it just seemed like a good idea. |
 Wonderful Tonight
Memphis
Johnny B. Goode |
 40 Miles Of Bad Road
Peter Gunn
Yakety Sax |
The return of the magic saxophone ... Being an original member of the 5-piece Detours, but not having played with the group for almost 33 years - and with no rehersal whatsoever - the boys gladly welcomed Jimmy Phillips to the stage to weave some of his old saxophone magic. During the formative years of the band, and especially whilst the focus was on church dances, the group relied heavily on Jimmy's saxophone to provide a variety of sounds to keep the music flavoured and "interesting" for the audiences. At that time, there was not an overwhelming requirement for vocals, and the music supplied was overwhelmingly instrumental. The SoundClips shown to the left, feature Jimmy's wailing saxophone. First-up is Duane Eddy's 40 Miles Of Bad Road supported closely by The Peter Gunn Theme and a well-botched version of Yakety Sax. |
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 Dixon McIvor singing "Sweet Caroline" with The Detours |
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 Andy Carey did his Elton John thing ...... |
 ..... there were (of course) GROUPIES ..... |
 ...... and there were GROPIES too ...... |
  MultiMedia Page Click for a separate page of Videos, SoundClips and SoundFiles.Please take time to enjoy the various recordings presented ... |
 Home Studio Recordings Having always been interested in music and making music, it follows logically to have home facilities to make good quality new recordings, and to be able to restore old material, so there has always been the statutory Campbell "home-studio". In this case, the targets are two TASCAM DA-88s (with TASCAM composite remote control), winding up via a plethora of rack mounted processors/effects units, at a 16-track TASCAM mixing console. More recently computers have started to feature heaviliy in studio environments (especially with the advent of manageable professional processing software such as Pro Tools) – there is no doubt that it is great to be able to produce permanent recordings for future enjoyment. |
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| Spencer Street Revisited was the first ever (and last!) rock concert to be held in the magnificent Christchurch Cathedral. Many original artists who had played at the legendary dance in the late 1950s and 60s returned to perform in the Cathedral over two nights (Friday and Saturday, September 29th and 30th, 2006). The Friday evening concert was filmed by CTV using their O/B facility - thanks to Murray Wood, who was later to lose his life in the collapse of the CTV building in the February 2011 earthquake. |
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| Spencer Street Revisited - Rock ’n’ Roll Revival — Promotional Materials |
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Frightened City
The Savage
Kon Tiki The Theme From The Deer Hunter (Cavatina)
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The Spencer Street revisitation ... Turning the wheel full circle, ex Cathedral chorister Johnny Campbell returned to the place of his musical nurture, to perform once again - albeit in blue jeans and on electric guitar. The Cathedral had amazingly expanded its community vision to host Spencer Street Revisited, in deference to the legendary Christchurch 1960s dance hall. It was a combined event, marking the 150th anniversary of Christchurch City and Anglican Diocese, as well as the Cathedral's 125th Anniversary, and more than 2000 people attended over two nights, enjoying the sounds of 60s Rock 'n' Roll played by an amazing array of original musicians. Just as in days gone by, compère Bob Consedine introduced the acts - Johnny Parker + The Wildcats/Downbeats wearing their zany "WildBeats" T-Shirts, John Campbell toting a Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster, the new enhanced Vigilantes line-up with Murray Wood and Wayne Allen, 60s rocker/pin-up boy turned modern folk hero Phil Garland, Dion + Cecile Murphy finally managing to break with their Copper Cat legacy, Ray Columbus (who gave an extensive theological lecture, vaguely interspersed with karaoke versions of a number of his greatest hits), Peter Nelson + the Castaways featuring Peter Gillette on Hammond Organ, and original Meteors drummer Peter Sowden along with former Invaders guitarist Brian Ringrose and their new formed retro-group About Time with vocalist Norm Bland. Saturday evening also saw an unscripted solo performance by Paul Muggleston, who was back visiting the city at that time. |
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| Walk Don't Run Apache Wonderful Land
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| Spencer Street Revisited The Rock 'n' Roll Revival Christchurch Cathedral, Friday 29th and Saturday 30th September, 2006 — principal artists in order of program appearance ... | |||||||
 Bob Consedine |
 Johnny Parker |
 Wildcats/Downbeats |
 John Campbell |
 Dixon McIvor |
 The Vigilantes |
 Murray Wood |
 Wayne Allen |
 – The Cathedral – |
 Phil Garland |
 Dion and Cecile |
 Ray Columbus |
 Peter Nelson |
 The Castaways |
 Peter Gillette |
 – Spencer Street – |
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 Brian Ringrose |
 About Time |
 Norm Bland |
 Paul Muggleston |
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| John Campbell with Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster - back in Christchurch Cathedral |
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| Spencer Street Revisited — Rock ’n’ Roll Revival — Concert Programme (Outside) |
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| Spencer Street Revisited — Rock ’n’ Roll Revival — Concert Programme (Inside) |
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| John Campbell performing in Christchurch Cathedral under the watchful eye of compere Bob Consedine |
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| A portion of the Christchurch Cathedral Crowd enjoying the Spencer Street Revisited Concerts |
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| ROCKONZ was intended to be an annual Rock 'n' Roll Revival event, with community and Christchurch City Council support, and it achieved notoriety over a short period. Central to the organisers' strategy was the creation of a ROCKONZ Music Hall of Fame, and a number of awards were given out over time. The event has effectively ceased to exist, but the ROCKONZ Hall of Fame remains alive and well on the historical website www.rockhappenz.com. | ||
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| ROCKONZ - Christchurch PRESS Newspaper Advertisement (Image scan thanks to Wayne "Biggy Rat" Allen) |
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| ROCKONZ - 50 Years of Rock 'n Roll — Concert Brochure Front Cover — |
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| ROCKONZ - 50 Years of Rock 'n Roll — Concert Brochure Inside Spread |
| The ROCKONZ Concert ..... Saturday 24th March, 2007 heralded the first Christchurch "ROCKONZ Festival" which consisted of a series of outdoor events leading up to the ROCKONZ Concert and Hall of Fame Presentations in the Christchurch Town Hall that evening. The show opened with master percussionist Wayne Allen leading John Campbell into the early 60s instrumental Apache with a cleverly crafted drum solo. This was closely followed by a Cliff Richard Tribute from Cliff-A-Like David LaPlanche accompanied by a hand-picked backing group The Rockits (Wayne Allen, Neville Claughton, Murray Wood, Bob Heinz and Peter Gillette) and featuring John Campbell who remained on lead guitar for that set. Blasts continued with Johnny Parker, Dion and Cecile Murphy, Toni Williams, Ben Blackett (as Elvis), The Vigilantes, and Peter Nelson and The Castaways concluding the first half. The second half featured Christchurch's international stars, and new ROCKONZ Hall of Fame inductees, Ray Columbus and The Invaders, Dinah Lee, and Max Merritt (with his new-look Australian-based Meteors). The ROCKONZ festival was strongly endorsed by Mayor Garry Moore, and had been expected to become an integral part of the city's annual cultural event schedule. Thanks must be extended to Dion and Cecile Murphy for their vision. |
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| ROCKONZ Morning Parade Left to right: Ben Blackett (Elvis), David LaPlanche (Cliff Richard), John Campbell |
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| David LaPlanche does "Cliff" at the ROCKONZ Concert, backed by "The Rockits" (featuring John Campbell) Left to right: John Campbell, Neville Claughton, Wayne Allen, David LaPlanche, Murray Wood, Bob Heinz and Peter Gillette |
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| ROCKONZ Finale Left to right: Dinah Lee, Jon McRea, John Campbell, John Parker, David LaPlanche, Dion and Cecile Murphy |
| John Storey (ex Christchurch 60s group "Johnny and The Revellers") held a bash on Sunday March 16th, 2008 to mark his 65th birthday. The venue was John's bar – "The Miller" in Lincoln Road |  |
As was to be expected there was an endless supply of 60s "icons" — all willing and able to step up and entertain a wall-to-wall crowd. There was certainly no lack of "good old Rock 'n' Roll" |
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| — The Backlashers (for the time being) were – Dean Luke (Lead Guitar), John Campbell (Rhythm Guitar), Neil Blue (Bass), John Storey (Sax) and Frank Kerrison (Drums) — | ||
 John Campbell  ROCKONZ 2009 Detours Reunion Cashmere Club Gigs |
 John Clinton |
 Larry McKay |
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 Jim Phillips |
 Paul Sargison |
 Trevor Wright  ROCKONZ 2009 Rock Hall of Fame Awards Dinner |
Johnny Campbell and The Detours received the ROCKONZ Southern Star Award at the ROCKONZ Awards Dinner in 2009 The group reunited at The Cashmere Club, Christchurch as part of the annual ROCKONZ festival. Gigs took place on Sunday May 10th and Tuesday May 12th, 2009 to packed houses. |
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| Johnny Campbell and The Detours Reunited - with friends The Cashmere Club, Christchurch in May 2009 |
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Cees Klop was a Dutchman associated with White Label Records and Collector Records who died in August, 2017. Since the mid-60's he had been on a one man mission to preserve (what otherwise might have been lost forever) - previously unknown 1950's Rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll. Cees traveled the USA/Canada for 30 years finding records and labels he had never seen before. He made several trips to New Zealand and aquired a lot of previously unkown and unpublished music which he subsequently released on the Collector Records label. | |
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| Early Rock & Roll from New Zealand — Collector Records CLCD 7759 A/B (Volumes 13 and 14) The Detours featured on Track 5 of Disc B (Volume 14) with "Murphy The Surfie" |
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| Flaxwood Festival was co-founded and organised by two great friends – entrepreneur, (the late) Hans Schuitman, who also owned the Flaxton Road venue, and John Campbell, a retired businessman who shared Hans' dream for such a festival. Between them, they acquired commercial sponsorship and support from the musical fraternity in order to realise their dream of an annual charitable music event. Flaxwood Festival subsequently generated over $250,000.00 for various charities over the four years of it's operation. Regretably a major set-back occurred with the tragic earthquake of February 22nd, 2011, and this saw the loss of the Festival's inaugural Musical Director (Murray John Wood). The Festival's name was changed from Flaxton Festival to Flaxwood Festival, in Murray's perpetual honour. Hans passed on in September of 2011, and The Festival continued for a further three years after his death until the venue became unavailable. An alternative may materialize at some stage in the future. |
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 John Campbell |
 Wayne Allen |
 Peter Kearns |
 Suzanne Lynch  Graham Wardrop |
 The Flaxwood Shadows |
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 Bob Heinz |
 Robbie Carpenter |
 Kevin Taylor |
 Woolston Brass |
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 Dixon McIvor |
 Hans Schuitman |
 John Dunne |
 Red Hot and Dixie |
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The Flaxwood Shadows hand-picked and specially assembled for Flaxwood Festival 2011 with top New Zealand artists Suzanne Lynch and Graham Wardrop The Woolston Brass was also in attandance as a major attraction and they delivered a wide range of musical gems including some stirring military music in traditional style. Flaxwood Festival 2011 was held on Sunday April 03rd, 2011 at the home of (the late) Hans Schuitman, raising more than $40,000.00 for supported charities - Woolston Brass ($16,036.27), Chrsitchurch City Mission ($16,036.27), The One-2-One Charitable Trust ($8,018.14). |
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 John Clinton |
 Darcy LeYear |
 Chris Doyle |
 The Wolverines  Brendan Dugan  Marian Burns  Pat Dugan |
 Woolston Brass |
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 John Campbell |
 Larry McKay |
 Trevor Wright |
 JC + Detours |
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 Kevin Frewer |
 Paddy Long |
 Dixon McIvor |
 PN + Castaways |
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 Peter Nelson |
 Don Clarkson |
 Peter Gillette |
 Cruise Control |
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 Doug Petrie |
 Glenn Schuitman |
 John Dunne |
 Red Hot and Dixie |
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Australia's #1 Country Rock Group The Wolverines headlined Flaxwood Festival 2012 which also featured Kiwi legend Brendan Dugan with his father Pat Dugan as special guest. Marian Burns fiddled, Cruise Control (featuring iconic Toni Williams) enthralled, while Peter Nelson and The Castaways AND Johnny Campbell and The Detours re-formed especially for the occasion. Once again The Woolston Brass featured prominently in support of their status as a principal charity. Flaxwood Festival 2012 was held on Sunday February 18th, 2012 at the home of (the late) Hans and Carolyn Schuitman, raising almost $57,000.00 for supported charities - The Salvation Army ($20,156.02), The Woolston Brass ($15,117.01), The Christchurch Women's Refuge ($7,558,51) and The One-2-One Charitable Trust ($7,558.51). Additionally a special grant of $6,500.00 was made to earthquake victim Kate Barron |
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 John Clinton |
 Darcy LeYear |
 Chris Doyle |
The Wolverines  Roy Phillips  Marian Burns |
 The Wolverines |
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 Albert Bennett |
 Something Else |
 Outpost 42 |
 Woolston Brass |
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 Allan Barron |
 John Campbell |
Trevor Wright |
 Voice + FAI |
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Larry McKay |
 David Fiu |
 John Dunne |
 Final Jam 2013 |
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Australia's #1 Country Rock Group The Wolverines headlined Flaxwood Festival 2013 which also featured international star Roy Phillips (The Peddlers) Marian Burns fiddled to the delight of the crowd who had been previously entertained by Something Else, Voice and Fai. The Woolston Brass featured prominently once again. Flaxwood Festival 2013 was held on Sunday February 24th, 2013 at the home of (the late) Hans Schuitman, raising almost $60,000.00 for supported charities - The Order Of St John (37,871.56), The Woolston Brass ($15,779.82), The One-2-One Charitable Trust ($6,311.96). |
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 John Clinton |
 John Campbell |
 Trevor Wright |
 Peter Caulton  JC + Detours  PN + Castaways |
 Flaxwood Fetsival |
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 Larry McKay |
 Anthony E-Carter |
 Tamara Williams |
The Woolston Brass |
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 Peter Nelson |
 Don Clarkson |
 Peter Gillette |
 JC + Detours |
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 Doug Petrie |
 Trevor Wright |
 John Dunne |
 PN + Castaways |
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Peter Caulton's "Ring Of Fire" Johnny Cash Tribute headlined Flaxwood Festival 2014 and he was supported by reunions of two iconic Christchurch 60s groups Johnny Campbell and The Detours with Anthony Easterbrook-Carter and Tamara Williams PLUS Peter Nelson and The Castaways Outpost 42 were in attendance in their full Star Wars kits, whilst once again The Woolston Brass featured in support of their status as a principal charity. Flaxwood Festival 2014 was held on Sunday March 02nd, 2014 at the home of (the late) Hans Schuitman, raising almost $50,000.00 for the stated charities - The Westpac Chopper ($33,385.00), The Woolston Brass ($12,845.00) and The One-2-One Charitable Trust ($3,470.00) |
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| Circa 2012 Grant Gillanders of Auckland established the FRENZY Music Limited, NZ re-issue label and subsequently, FRENZY has re-issued the works of many major New Zealand 60s artists and groups, but the company has never lost sight of the less conspicuous acts that were around in this wonderful era. The Detours have appeared on several of FRENZY's excellent compilation CDs, albeit with just the two numbers which were popular single releases in 1963 and 1965 for the group on the Robbins Recordings Label. |
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| The Kiwi Beat Music Scene 1963-1966 — Frenzy Records CD 108 The Detours appear on Track 36 of this compilation with "My Girl" |
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| Themes From An Empty Coffee Lounge — Frenzy Records CD 112 The Detours appear on Track 31 of this compilation with "Murphy The Surfie" |
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| The Kiwi Music Scene 1965 — Frenzy Records CD 133 The Detours appear on Disc 1 Track 24 of this compilation with "My Girl" CD 133 was Frenzy's first trip to Number One on the New Zealand Compilations Chart |
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| Johnny Campbell + The Detours - OVERTIME The Essential Recordings 1963-2019 Frenzy Records CD 137 |
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Click here to order your copy of Johnny Campbell + The Detours on CD or USB OVERTIME - The Essential Recordings 1963-2019 Frenzy Records 137 |
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| The Kiwi Music Scene 1964 — Frenzy Records CD 142 The Detours appear on Disc 2 Track 29 of this compilation with "Murphy The Surfie" |
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| Most of my life I have harboured an obsession with "That Sound" — the totally unique sound of Hank Marvin and The Shadows. Fortunately for those of us who love that sound, we are living in a technologically amazing age, in which we have sophisticated equipment and facilities at our command to replicate/emulate (..... according to Hoyle) — but unfortunately technology doesn't really make it any easier at all. The reality is that none of us will ever be able to deliver that music just the way Hank did and does, and so we must remain in the penumbra on the edge of the shadows. Following are some of my late '90s Shadows-style home-studio recordings, and a raft of other Detours related Sound and Video Clips. Please feel free to download and enjoy any or all of this material, and indeed please feel free to offer constructive comments/criticisms if you would care to do so — just click on one of the e-Mail icons below to e-Mail John Campbell. |
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Click on a MultiMedia icon for an extensive range of Johnny Campbell and The Detours SoundFiles and SoundClips as well as SoundFiles of early Shadows inspired recordings by John Campbell (circa 1999) in his home-studio - featuring many of The Shads' best-loved works. |
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 << Click on either Video Camera Icon for a selection of VideoClips by Johnny Campbell and The Detours >>  |
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The aim of this site is to present as broad a picture as is possible, of the times - and the many personalities who conspired to make this bygone era so unforgettable ..... | If you were around in the '60s and perhaps have historical information, photgraphs, or recordings to share, PLEASE click one of the e-Mail icons to e-Mail John Campbell |  |
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http://www.penumbra.co.nz — is John Campbell's Shadows collector site, and his tribute to the recorded music and times of Cliff Richard and The Shadows here in New Zealand ..... |
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https://www.rockhappenz.com — is the definitive database of Canterbury Rock. This site contains a huge amount of information and images covering the Rock Era from the late 1950s through to the early 1980s ...... |
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https://www.youtube.com/c/JCNZ1947 — is John Campbell's YouTube Channel. This site contains over 200 videos which feature Johnny Campbell and The Detours as well as other related acts from various events and concerts which have taken place in Christchurch and environs over the past 20 years plus ...... |
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