THEY had colourful names: the Plainsmen, from Townhead; the Voodoos, from Paisley; the Frank Lines, from Hillington, the Ministry of Beat, from Bearsden; the Meteors, from Airdrie, and, from Paisley, the Interns.
The one thing these groups had in common was that they were eager to win a Scottish Beat Group contest organised by Caley Productions and sponsored by the Evening Times. The venue was Paisley ice rink. It was May, 1964.
For the eventual winning group there was the prospect of a tour of America, with guaranteed earnings of £100.
The Beatles had caused a huge stir just three months earlier when they arrived in the States for the first time. The Rolling Stones were about to launch their first American tour, with their manager promising that the tour would earn them a six-figure dollar sum. America must have seemed to many like the promised land.
The Ministry of Beat won their heat on May 26, seeing off the Meteors and the Interns. The following night, it was the turn of the Madhatters, from Bellahouston, the Cleavers (formerly the Headhunters_, from Paisley, and Billy and the Four Just Men, from the Gorbals.
The Madhatters (main image, by John Mackay) went for bow-ties and fetching headwear; the Cleavers (above, also by Mackay) settled for smart waistcoats and collars and ties. The three bands run through their repertoire but in the end the judges plumped for Billy and the Four Just Men: singer Billy Hooper, drummer Eddie Carruthers, lead guitarist Robert Malcolm, rhythm guitarist Ron Murdoch and bass guitarist Don Fowler.
Subsequent heats saw victories for the Sabres, the Escorts and the Rustlers. On June 18 the Sabres supported the top Liverpool act, the Merseybeats, who played the venue in front of 3,000 screaming fans.
Read more: Herald Diary
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