Masters Apprentices | Artist
The Masters Apprentices were an Australian rock band formed 1965 in Adelaide South Australia by Jim Keays (lead vocal), Mick Bower (guitar), Rick Morrison (guitar), Gavin Webb (bass) and Brian Vaughton (drums). They started life as The Mustangs playing surf rock, but after seeing The Beatles perform in Adelaide in 1964, changed their sound to a blues/beat style. The band underwent various personnel changes and settled on the classic lineup of Keays (vocals), Colin Burgess (drums), Doug Ford (guitar) and Glenn Wheatley (bass, vocals). Having outgrown the Australian music scene and scored a contract with EMI, the band sailed off to the UK in 1970, to record at Abbey Road studios. Despite such bright prospects the band only lasted two more years, breaking up in 1972 due to ongoing contractual fights and mismanagement which saw them shuttle between Australia and the UK several times, and never really capitalise on the success of their recordings. Their popular Australian singles "Undecided", "Living in a Child's Dream", "5:10 Man", "Think About Tomorrow Today", "Turn Up Your Radio" and "Because I Love You", chart the changes of their musical style from garage/beat, through pop/psych, to heavy psych, over the course of their career. Masters Apprentices released four studio albums and a live album with the classic lineup, plus one reunion album in 1988. Standouts include The Master's Apprentices ('67), the classic Choice Cuts ('71), Nickelodeon (live) ('71) and A Toast to Panama Red ('72). Also the 1981 compilation Hands of Time (1966-72) is an excellent set of their early work. The band launched the career of bass guitarist Glen Wheatley who later became a music industry entrepreneur and an artist talent manager for both Little River Band and John Farnham. Jim Keays continued a solo career, including playing the role of 'The Lover' in the Australian version of The Who's rock opera Tommy, fronting the band Southern Cross, and forming a duo with ex-Zoot member Daryl Cotton. The group was notable in the Australian context in that they played mainly originals. One of their hits, "Undecided" (1967), was revived by Silverchair in 1997, and their well known song "Because I Love You" has been revived many times. Swedish progressive metal band Opeth named the track "Master's Apprentices" on their 2002 album Deliverance in honour of the band, Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt being a fan of the band.
Artist Website: mastersapprentices.com
Featured Albums: Masters Apprentices
Related Artists: Jim Keays, The Missing Links, AC/DC, Master's Apprentices
Video Clips: Living in a Child's Dream, Undecided, Death of a King
