TV Times magazine (Australia) September 29,1965

Swinging Folkies will meet at Dave’s Place

Some of Australia’s most talented folk singers as well as internationally-famous folk musicians will be featured in a new series.

Titled Dave’s Place, it will premiere on ABC-TV on Sunday, October 3, at 6 p.m.

In the first programme special guests will be Nina and Frederik who will sing three of their best–known songs.

The series is set in a tropical tea house in the Pacific and as guests watch the entertainment they are served by six exotic hostesses in glamourous costumes.

The swinging folk musicians are introduced by host, Dave Guard, a former member of the Kingston Trio, who joins his newly-formed group – Dave’s Group – in several numbers on each of the weekly shows.

Dave Guard who was brought up in Honolulu and later went to California, now lives at Whale Beach in Sydney.

It was while he was at the University of California studying for an economics degree that he teamed up with two other students from a neighbouring college and the Kingston Trio was formed.

Dave told TV Times that there were a number of reasons why he left the successful trio.

"Firstly, the three of us were seeing too much of each other. We had been together for quite a while and our personalities were so different it was inevitable that we would eventually clash.

"Secondly, we were beginning to run out of original ideas for our particular style of singing.

"And, finally, all the travelling and concerts were taking up too much of my time. I scarcely saw my family.

Same old songs

"I felt the group had gone as far as it could go and, frankly, it was driving me mad singing the same songs over and over again"

Dave decided to live in Australia when he was here on tour with the Trio.

"We were the first group that Harry Miller promoted in Australia and I liked the look of the place.

"I saw this house for sale and found that it would cost half as much as the same thing in California, and the position was unbeatable," he said.

He brought out his wife Gretchen – they have been married eight years – to have a look at the place and she liked what she saw.

So Mr. and Mrs. David Guard and their three children decided to make it their home.

Recently Dave has been working on a new idea for teaching music by means of colour instead of notes.

"The kids are picking it up very well and I’m happy with the results, but I haven’t finished working it all out yet," he said.

He also arranges and composes numbers for his Dave’s Place show.

In the opening show on October 3, his own group sings Nobody’s Fault But Mine, a charming song which Dave arranged himself.

Other guests on the first show are Kevin Butcher, a talented folk singer who sings Go Down Hannah and Brisbane Ladies, and The New Colonials, a young folk and blues group who sing a West African chant called Tina.

Another guest is Margret Roadknight, a six foot tall folk singer who sings The Frozen Logger.

Dave’s group closes the show with a rousing Chuck Berry composition about a teenage wedding in New Orleans.

ABC designer Bernard Hides designed the sets for Dave’s Place which is produced by ABC-TV in conjunction with Fremantle International Productions.

The series is directed by Robert Allnutt.

Published in TV TIMES, September 29^th, 1965, p.11

-- THANK YOU Ken Bradshaw
chronicler of Dave Guard's Australian works.

Last revised: February 23, 2006.