Monaco Showband (1964
- 1970?)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
The first mention of the Monaco Showband we can find is an advert in
the Irish Independent newspaper on September 18th, 1964
saying the band would be taking bookings from "October onwards."
Based on the records in newspaper archives, it took the band quite a
while to get off the ground as their were far more adverts trying to
get the band bookings than for gigs they were playing for several
months. The lead singer was Beatrice Reid, the 21-year-old sister of
Eileen (the lead singer with the Cadets Showband.) The band was
managed by Pat McLoughlin, a former bandleader himself.
The original lineup was: Beatrice
Reid (vocals), Fred Byrne (guitar), Paul Keogh (guitar), John Hines
(bass), Pat Black (trumpet), "Maxie" Liam McCann (sax), and Kevin
Slattery (drums). It would be the summer of 1965 before the band
really got going well and by then they were playing and and down the
country and doing very well.
We think that around the end of
1966, Beatrice left the band and for a while was replaced by Sandie
Jones, who was still at school and was only with the band for a
while. She would eventually turn professional when she joined the
Royal Earls around 1968.
For the next few years, the band
did well as a middle of the road showband, although we can find no
record of them releasing a record.
In 1968, their advert said the
band featured "John and Spin Around" as well as announcing a change
in management to T.P. Gray of Santry, Co. Dublin.
It appears that by 1970, the band
was no longer on the road as we can find no mention of them playing
gigs after this time.
More to come.....
click on thumbnails for full image
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Beatrice Reid:
Unknown, please email us if you have any info about the
band. |
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Fred (or Fran) Byrne: Unknown,
please email us if you have any info about the band. |
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John Hines: Unknown,
please email us if you have any info about the band. |
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Kevin Slattery:
Unknown, please email us if you have any info about the
band. |
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Paul Keogh:
Unknown, please email us if you have any info about the
band. |
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Liam McCann: Unknown,
please email us if you have any info about the band. |
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Pat Black: Unknown,
please email us if you have any info about the band. |
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Sandie Jones - RIP:
Sandie would go on to join the Royal Earls for four years
and then onto the Dixies in 1971 before starting her career
as a solo artist following her success in the Irish National
Song Contest. After leaving the Dixies, Sandie formed her
own band, The Boyfriends. She later had the Jones Gang in
the late seventies and into the early 80's and continued to
enjoy a solo career until the dance scene ended. Sandie
moved to the United States and she was featured on a 2012 TV
special on the 1972 song contest. Sandie sadly passed away
on September 19th, 2019. |
