Steve Neale

Last week Brisbane rock and roll lost an well known music figure with the passing of keyboard player Steve Neale who was from the Brisbane groups the Planets and the Sounds of Seven. Steve had played in the Brisbane Rock group the Hucklebucks which would feature Planets members Brian Gagen, Johnny Pal, John Reid and Bobby Rich(Richards)and joined the Planets not long after they were formed in 1959 which he would be with them for the next 6 years as he would be there till the end in 1965 and throughout those years played at Cloudland, the Gold Coast, Railway Institute, Sandgate, Festival Hall, Ahepa Hall from 1961-62, City Hall every Tuesday nights from 1962 until 1963, Birdland which they leased the building from the council and started October 26th 1962 until the very last gig there December 20th 1963, TC's from May-December 1963 as they were first Brisbane rock group to play there and again for a time in 1965, Teen City from January 3rd 1964 until March 13th 1965 and many others around Queensland. They were the first Brisbane rock group to be on the bill on the Lee Gordon show which they were the support act for American singer Fabian October 15th 1959 as my Mum Cath was at that show and they appeared on the music shows like the Hi Fi Club on QTQ 9, Don't Knock The Rock and Saturday Date as well as Bandstand and were the resident band on the QTQ 9 show Teen Beat which was hosted by 4BC Disc Jockey Geoff Atkinson which was on from 1962-64 and also did the audio at 4BC studios. They worked with the big names of Australian music including Lonnie Lee, Johnny Chester, Lucky Starr, Warren Williams, The De Kroo Brothers, Bryan Davies, Dig Richards, The Delltones and many others as well as local singers including Sherry Wheeler, Mandy Sheridan, Sandy Ainsworth, Bobby Dean and future music icons Billy Thorpe, Tony Worsley, The Bee Gees and Ross D Wylie. The Planets ended in 1965 and the Sounds of Seven was formed with Steve and other Planets members Vance Lendich, Len Austin and Keith Johnson which Steve lasted for a time. Steve did record producing for the Sunshine label and he produced Tony Worsley, Marcie Jones, The Escorts, Julian Jones, Bill and Boyd and The Puple Hearts and Mike Furber and he worked at Her Majesty's Theater in the city on Queen Street and before that PMG during the Planets and also for 2 decades worked in the Whitsundays working for Fantasea Adventure Crusing which he got an award in 2012 for his contribution to tourism. He made appearances at the rock and roll reunions which at one of them I met Steve at the Riverside Ballroom on Sunday March 27th 2011 which I got an autograph and photos as well as speaking with him about Billy Thorpe and the other Planets members and it was on the same day that I met fellow Planets member Brian Gagen. Steve was at the Riverside Ballroom on Sunday April 7th 2013 for the rock and roll reunion which I saw him but didn't get a chance to talk with him that day. I am glad to have met Steve and his passing is an sad loss to his family as well as the Brisbane music scene which his part in the history of rock and roll in Brisbane be remembered.