Vance Lendich

On Sunday Morning I was at home looking on Facebook when I saw the news about the passing of Brisbane musician Vance Lendich which was posted by his daughters and I was sad to hear that as I only saw him at St Andrews War Memorial Hospital in February the week the drummer of the Planets Rob Richards passed away which we spoke for a few minutes little did I know that it would be the last time I would see him. I first met Vance 10 years ago at the Riverside Ballroom in New Farm on Sunday March 25th 2012 at the Old Rockers Get Together which they would get Brisbane groups from the 50's, 60's and 70's perform as te was one of the organisers until 2013 even though he played the following year on Sunday May 18th 2014 and I saw Vance an few more times at St Andrews in the last few years with his wife Toni who passed away on September 26th this year which in August 2019 he dropped records off for me which I appreciated that. Vance was born June 14th 1941 in North Queensland and had learnt piano from an very young age mainly from the Catholic Nuns.His father had played guitar, piano and saxophone and his uncle olayed guitar. He moved to Brisbane in 1952 and went to Brisbane State High School. Played with the Red Caps which he sat in with them 4 or 5 times and included future Planets bandmates Len Austin and Mike Casey in 1958 and played with the Tremors in 1960 and did an stint with the Trojans for 18 months which they ran their own dances at the Darra RSL and had 2 saxophone players, bass, 2 guitars, drums and an singer. He had auditioned for the Planets when they were starting out in early 1959. Then he went to Sydney for 6 months which he worked with Paul Wayne and the Embers and went back to Brisbane which he worked with Nat Kipner American born Australian songwriter and producer on Channel 7 including Theater Royal and Swinging School and in 1963 joined the top Brisbane rock and Roll group The Planets replacing original founding member and bass player John Reid who went on to form the Pacifics which he was with the Planets for 2 years as they played at TC's, Bird Land , City Hall, the Gold Coast,Toowoomba and Teen City as well as the QTQ 9 music show Teen Beat hosted by Geoff Atkinson an disc jockey from 4BC. The Planets ended in 1965 and formed the Sounds of Seven with fellow Planets bandmates Stev Neale, Len Austin and Keith Johnson which they played at the Cloudland Ballroom, Ipswich at the Palais and Wonderland and the Gold Coast and were the houseband on the Channel 7 music Show the In Show hosted by Paul Charlton as well as the Channel 0 (now 10) music show Countdown (Not the Molly Meldrum One) and also was the support act for American group Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass when they played at the Festival Hall in Brisbane April 1st 1967. The Sounds of Seven had an single out on the Sunshine label and the album Music Of The Cloudland Ballroom/Norwood Ballroom. Vance left the band after an couple of years and continued playing music for many more years including the Rock and Roll Reunions in Brisbane as well as having his own studio Doughouse Studio and also up until Covid Vance played at the Plainlands Hotel in Plainlands every Sunday. His daughter Karen went to Coorparoo High School with my oldest brother Danny and his posts and comments on the Brisbane Rock and Roll 50's and 60's music scene group on Facebook were impressive and amazing which he said about people and musicians he worked with over the years as well as his knowledge about the Brisbane music scene of the era was amazing and impressive. It is sad that Vance has passed away which it's an sad loss for his family and an sad loss to Brisbane music but his part in the history of Brisbane music will be remembered. I am glad to have met him as well as being friends on Facebook and he was an very nice man as well as being humble too.