Witnesses Showband Feature (1963-69 and 1971-78)

Photo Gallery - Band Lineups - Discography - Audio samples - Where Are They Now?

The Story

Editor's note: Every care has been taken to present only factual information in this story based on newspaper articles and photographic archives. If you can add anything or correct info in this story, please email us and let us know.

Like several bands of the showband era, (Sands, Times and others) the Witnesses Showband from Belfast owe their start to a different band, The Dave Glover Showband. In January, 1963, six members of Dave's band left and joined with two others to form a new band, the Witnesses. The line-up was (from Dave Glover): Gerry Rice (sax), Andy Wilson (trombone), Harry Mitchell (piano), Alex Burns (guitar), Trixie Hamilton (bass) and Joe Clarke (vocals). Joining the boys were George Mullen trumpet) and Walter Maitland (drums). When Harry Mitchell left the band (we think in early 1964) he was replaced  by Italian born vocalist, Tony Morelli. Harry would join the resident band in Bill Fuller's San Francisco Ballroom.  

Throughout the early 1960's the band grew its reputation playing all over both the North and South. For instance, an article in the Munster Express newspaper's Dancing Diary column reported on May 24th, 1963 that, "Sunday night dancing continued in the Atlantic Ballroom last weekend with the latest sensation from  the North, The Witnesses. The critical local dancers were loud in their praise of this northern showband and the opinion of many was that the Witnesses were definitely in the top class section and were on the same parallel as our own Royal Showband." High praise for the visitors from the North.

On June 7th, 1963 the Witnesses had the "honor" of playing support to International singing star, Jim Reeves, on his tour of Ireland in the Pavesi Ballroom in Donegal. During 1964, the band undertook what was described as a "12,000 mile, six week tour of the United States...playing in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and San Francisco" with the claim that they7 were the first "Belfast outfit" ever to tour America (see below).

In March, 1965, the band released its first single, "Take Good Care of Her" (which featured Tony Morelli) with the B-side, "Every Time You Cross my Mind" (which featured Joe Clarke). Although not a chart hit, they joined a growing number of bands that had released records since 1962, just three years earlier. That year they would release two more singles: "Nobody's Child" and "The Haunted House", neither of which sold in great quantities, but helped confirm their status as one of the top twenty bands in the country.

In 1966, the band would release two records, "The Jarvey was a Leprechaun," and "Love Is No Excuse." The last reference we can find for the band in the Irish Newspapers Archive was in November, 1966 and then they just disappeared. Because they were based in Belfast, the archive only has editions of the paper after 1976, so we cannot find any references to them earlier than that. We think the band may have emigrated to Canada at the end of 1966, although we have no information to back up that assertion.

The band also had a new line-up in 1968, adding future Broadway star Colm Wilkinson on vocals, Sammy Kelso on drums and Jim McDermott on sax. This line-up of the band undertook a North American tour which included New York, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas inn 1969.  

It was during this tour that the band was playing at the Paradise Island Hotel in the Bahamas when they famously met Elvis Presley and his new wife, Priscilla who were on their honeymoon. We found the following account of "The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain's" Facebook page: "Belfast's Witnesses Showband were probably the only Irish showband to welcome Elvis Presley to their show! The King and his entourage, including his wife Priscilla attended their Christmas Show at The Paradise Island Hotel in The Bahamas in 1969, took a bow when introduced to the audience by bandleader and compere Harry 'Trixie' Hamilton and later told the lads that he had enjoyed the show. He bought drinks for the band and joined them onstage, though he did not sing." As far as we know, the band broke up in Canada at the end of 1969            

In May, 1971, an article in Spotlight announced the reforming of the Witnesses. The band had left Ireland and done various tours in other parts of the world, but apparently broke up in Canada in 1968. Most of the members of the band returned to the cabaret scene in Belfast. The new reformed lineup included original band members and was: Joe "Boots" Clarke (trombone), Sammy Kelso (drums) and Jim McDermott (sax), along with Ronnie Hawthorne (keyboards) and Wilson Dunlop (bass). 

We did find an advert (just the one) from 1978 for Tony Morelli and the Witness Showband playing the Harp Lounge in Belfast. The lineup back then was Tony (guitar and vocals), George Mullen (trumpet), Gerry Rice (sax), Mike Arkins (drums), Joe "Boots" Clarke (vocals) and Ned McCrudden (keyboards).  

More to come....

Photo Gallery

click on thumbnails for full image

Discography

Singles

Take Good Care of Her (Tony Morelli) / Each Time You Cross My Mind (Joe Clarke)
Emerald Records - MD 1010 - March, 1965
Nobody's Child / Two Little Orphans (Tony Morelli)
Emerald Records - MD 1011 - July, 1965
The Haunted House (Joe Clarke) / I Spell Love Y-O-U
Emerald Records - MD 1016 - September, 1965
The Jarvey Was A Leprechaun / Johnny McEldoo
Emerald Records - MD 1026 - 1966
Love Is No Excuse / What I Done
Emerald Records - MD 1052 - 1966
Remember Me (I'm The One) / Nobody's Child
Emerald Records - MD 1082 - August, 1967

Audio Clips

Coming Soon

Where Are They Now?  

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