POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Physical Description

Glass negative, quarter plate, Jim Davidson and his band being met at Central Railway Station, Sydney, by Eric Sheldon, Tom Lennon, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, April 1934 Jim Davidson and his band being met at Central Railway Station, Sydney, New South Wales, by Eric Sheldon editor of "The Australian Music Maker and Dance Band News". Eric Sheldon is second from the right shaking hands with Jim Davidson. The photograph was published in "The Australian Music Maker and Dance Band News", 1 May 1934, vol. 2 no. 12, p 11. The caption read: 'Jimmy Davidson and his band being greeted on their arrival at the Sydney station by the Editor of the "Music Maker."' Tom Lennon was the official photographer for the magazine. In his autobiography 'A Showman's Story: the Memoirs of Jim Davidson' on page 31 Davidson mentions at around this time his band comprised Ray Tarrant as first trumpet, Jimmy Gussey second trumpet, Dudley Cantrell trombone, and Tommy Stevenson on second trombone and guitar. Other members of the band were Frank McLoughlin on first alto saxophone, Peter Cantrell third alto saxophone, Chic Donovan second tenor saxophone, Orm Wills on bass and Gordon Rawlinson on piano. Davidson was on drums and percussion. Negative is missing its lower right corner. Jazz historian Jack Mitchell has been able to identify a number of musicians in the photograph apart from Jim Davidson and Eric Sheldon: Jim Gussey third from left, Pete Cantrell fourth from left, probably Ray Tarrant fifth from left, Gordon Rawlinson sixth from left, Dud Cantrell behind Davidson and Sheldon who are shaking hands, and Orm Wills on far right.