Rib Ticklers Story (1970-1983)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
As far as we can tell, the Rib Ticklers got their start in May of
1970 in Dublin. They were advertised for a gig in the Clare Manor
Hotel in Coolock in a cabaret show that featured singing stars Sonny
Knowles and Joe Cuddy and "introducing the Rib Ticklers." In their
early days they were usually advertised as part of a "cabaret show"
which would feature several acts on the one bill...a staple of the
hotel entertainment scene in and around Dublin at the time. They
were often advertised as "Ireland's greatest mime act."
There were always questions about
who was actually "in" the group. They were described in an article
in 1971 as
a "duo" featuring Jerry Daly and Tommy
Duffy, "both from Cork." In 1973 we found a report that described
them as one Cork man (Jerry Daly) and two from Dublin (Tommy Duffy
and Tony McDonnell). The reality was that Jerry and Tommy were the
"on stage" face of the trio, while Tony handled the tape tracks
(they were miming the songs) and managing the props the boys used in
their act. This explains why some photos below only picture the
group as a duo while others are as a trio.
The early 1970's were a period
when the cabaret scene "exploded" in Ireland. Not only were large
singing lounges being built across the country, but an entire
generation of former showband stars who were seen as "growing old"
by young ballroom dancers, found an appreciative audience in the
lounges which were now getting as numerous as the ballrooms. Many
former showband stars were also attracted by the idea that having a
career in show business didn't have to mean trekking from one end of
the country to the other on a nightly basis, as there were dozens of
venues around Dublin alone which could be played regularly with only
occasional trips into the countryside.
The Rib Ticklers were somewhat
unique as they were one of a new breed of "comedy acts" that were
finding favour with older audiences that frequently the lounges.
They didn't sing, or tell jokes, but were purely a comedy team.
Because they didn't sing, we don't think they ever recorded a
record, which wouldn't have made any sense as their act depended on
them "acting" to spliced together audio tapes.
As the cabaret scene spread across
the nation, so too did the reputation and popularity of the group
and they were soon appearing everywhere in Ireland, no longer
tethered to a Dublin-based cabaret scene. The band was managed by
"Jerry Daly Promotions" who in the mid 1970's teamed up with Tommy
Hayden for a time forming the Hayden-Daly partnership. Unlike most
of the band on the scene back then, they were in charge of their own
destiny.
For the rest of the 1970s and into
the early 1980s, the band continued to do well but would eventually
called it quits in 1983, when a surprisingly large number of bands
also packed it in as well. The major reason for this mass exodus was
the rise of the disco in Ireland. Many of the singing lounges, which
had been built 10-15 years earlier began to convert into dicos,
installing things like lighting, house PA systems and more intimate
booth seating, which prohibited the enjoyment of any "live"
entertainment. Stages were replaced by permanent DJ booths and live
entertainment was lost.
The Rib Ticklers played their
final gig in the Hitchin' Post in Leixlip in August, 1983.
More to come.....
click on thumbnails for full image
