John Hendrickson blows new life into spirit of Adelaide dance hall era with the Bay Big Band at Glenelg from mid 1980s
John Hendrickson (front row, third from left, on saxophone), as director with Brian Lunniss, with the Bay Big Band playing at the Victory Ball in Glenelg Town Hall in 1995. Also pictured are – Back row, on trumpets: Ron Greer, Ross Smith, Allen Duffield. Centre row, on trombones: Peter Hansen, Ray McLellan. On drums: Brian Lunniss. On bass: Colin Kay. On piano: Frank Buller. Front row, on saxophones, with Hendrickson: John Broomhead, Charlie Clarke, Ian Drinkwater, Maurice LeDoueff. On vocals: Cintra Amos, Allan Lynch.
Image courtesy Sue Craig, a daughter of John Hendrickson
John Hendrickson led a revival of Adelaide’s great big band era with the Bay Big Band from the mid 1980s.
Hendrickson, an alto saxophonist who also played clarinet, was among the many graduates of the 1930s Adelaide College of Music and its spinoffs including the 200-strong Adelaide Drum and Fife Band and the Adelaide Boys Military Band, “the largest of its kind in the world” – all started and promoted by Jack Becker.
During World War II, Hendrickson served in Borneo and in Darwin, where he was a member of the Six Dominoes Concert Party, attached to the 9th Division. He also was featured on Australia’s Amateur Hour on radio in 1942. After the war, Hendrickson returned to his work at Myer stores as a ticket writer and eventually started his own business: Port Displays. In his music and business, Hendickson always had strong support from his wife Phil (nee Smith). They had met when she was a singer with Sandercocks trio, playing at western suburbs dances run by Bubba Manuels.
In 1951, Hendrickson played with Alf Holyoak’s Band that was a local support act, along with with Bruce Gray’s All Star Jazzmen and vocalist John Gredula with the Alex Holyoak Sextet, for the drummer star Gene Krupa's trio at the Thebarton Town Hall.
For the rest of the 1950s, Hendrickson joined Frank Buller’s Big Band in the upstairs ballroom at Glenelg Town Hall, with packed houses for dances every Wednesday and Saturday nights. The band also played at Windsor Hall on North Terrace every Friday night. Both dances were run by Aubrey Hall.
The advent of rock music dimmed Adelaide’s big band era in the late 1950s but Hendrickson kept its spirit alive. Combining it with his membership and president (in 1974-75) of Woodville South Rotary Club, Hendrickson staged fundraising concerts in his family’s Grange home backyard from 1968, drawing on the big band heyday with up to 40 “old musos with an average age of 60”. The concerts later moved to the backyard tennis court of another Rotarian, Dr Patrick Martin.
At the 1970 backyard concert, the lineup was – on saxophones: John Hendickson, Maurice Le Doeff, Ray Matson, Chick Forth, John "The General" Broomhead, Charlie Clarke and Ian “Splash” Drinkwater. Trumpets: Don Fleming, Allen "Al Pal" Duffield and John Hansen. Trombones: Peter Hansen, Ian Fiddian, Ray McLennan. Drums: Doug Corry, Brian "Cuss" Lunniss, David Milne. Piano: Ray Hawkins, Jack Black, Noel O’Connell. Guitars: Max Rugless, John Malpas, John Hall. Bass; Allan Duff, Ron Ackfield. Vocal: Walter Coulter. In 1974, a Back to the Palais fundraiser for Woodville South Rotary Club again featured musicians who had played at venues such as the Palais Royal, Embassy, Palladium and Glenelg Town Hall.
Glenelg Town Hall became the venue for Hendrickson putting together players, including most from Frank Buller's Big Band, in the 15-piece Bay Big Band, playing for mayoral balls and dances from the mid 1980s. This continued until Saturday, July 3, 1999, when Glenelg Town Hall hosted its last dance before being converted to an interpretative centre.
With Hendrickson as director and promoter, the Bay Big Band (with an eight-piece Little Bay Big Band) played for two decades at venues including the Festival Theatre, Hyatt Regency, the Hilton International, British Working Man's Club at Wingfield, Northern Jazz and Swing Club and the Glenelg Jazz Festival.
Besides playing Glen Miller favourites on Waymouth Street, Adelaide city, outside the Union Hotel on Anzac Day, the Bay Big Band was prominent during the 1995 celebrations of the 50th year since the end of World War II. It played at victory balls at the Fantasia Ballroom in Findon and Glenelg Town Hall, and performed at the Australia Remembers VP Day concert in the park, organised by Stage Door Canteen.
Complementing Hendickson's love of film (he set up his own home Sunset Sinema for monthly film nights), he led the Bay Big Band at regular full-house fundraiser appearmces at the Capri Theatre in Goodwood, combining with theatre organists like Chris McPhee. Both John and Phil Hendickson also worked as volunteers for the Capri Theatre.