HOME | THE BANDS | THE VENUES | ROCK AND RHYTHM CONTEST | FORUM
 
     
 
 

Dobleaires

 
 
 

Years active:

Late 50s-70s

 
 

Location:

St Ives

 
 

Band Members:

Bill Humphries (Lead Vocals)
Kit Minnis (Bass)
Richard Steves (Guitar)
Basil Williams (Drums)
Bill Hancock (Tenor)

later
Rex Richard (Guitar)

 
     
 

A vocal harmony group that started life as a group of friends singing on Doble's Wall on St Ives seafront. Visitors used to stop by and listen, and after a while Bill suggested they could become a proper group and give it a go.

They needed a name and Kit suggested something to do with the wall where they regularly sang, so they became the Dobleairs. Kit started making contacts and getting the group bookings. They started off performing at the Palais De Danse in the town, singing songs during the intervals. As their popularity grew they sono had engagements 5 nights a week.

Richard would leave the group fairly early on, to be replaced by Rex Richards. By this stage they were regularly playing the local country clubs and British Legions, as well as St Ives Rugby Club.

They would enter the West of England talent contest in the early 60s. The event was now flooded with teens beat groups, and they thought they didn't stand a chance against the new bands. They peformed 'Island of Dreams' and 'Walk Away' and won. They were so popular that they performed an encore, which was unheard of at the time. They finals took place in Minehead and although they were popular they lost out in the final to a talking dog!

The group continued to grow in popularity and during a show at the St Ives Guildhall they were spotted by Wilfred Pickles who then invited them to perform with him, and later sings on TV with him. They performed on the 6.5 Special and the Jimmy Young Show, amongst many others. In 1960 they were filmed live at the St Ives Guildhall for BBC Tv's 'Seaside Sing Song'

They performed all across Cornwall, as well as Plymouth and Bristol and were regularly performing five days a week. They shared the bill with many of the biggest names of the day. They sang the hits of the day in a voal harmony style, not unlike The Bachelors.

They almost had their big break. They were offered the opportunity to audition for Hughie Green at the Bristol Hippodrome. Hughie was looking for a group, only one, and this might be there chance to break into the national market. They headed off in their van but by the time they hit Bodmin Moor the snow was so bad that they had to turn around and go back to St Ives, missing out on their chance to perform for Hughie. They learnt that the other group auditioning that day were The Bachelors, who were succesful and of course went on to considerable fame and fortune!

They did get the chance to record, inthe late 60s/early 70s. They entered a studio in Falmouth and laid down a few songs with the hope of releasing an LP. However it's unclear whether this was ever pressed, and it certainly recieved little or no distrubution.

The group lasted around 15 years together.

 
 

 

 
 

Links to other bands:

 

 
     
Did you play in this band? If so please get in touch!
 
 
     

 

HOME | THE BANDS | THE VENUES | ROCK AND RHYTHM CONTEST | FORUM