The Eldorado's

Circa:  1960’s

Home town:  Bulawayo Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

Members:

Ian Pearce – Lead guitar

Piet Strydom – Rhythm guitar

Viv Rose – Bass

Larry Codd – Keyboards

Mark Rhodes – Drums

The Eldorados

Most of the members of the band were Post Office employees at the time so their schedules probably had quite a lot in common!  The ELDORADOS were extremely well known and popular, making regular appearances on Rhodesia Television in programmes pitched at the youth audience.  They did regular gigs in surrounding towns such as Gwanda and Essexvale and made frequent appearances at venues such as Carlton Hotel and The Warnbrough, night club below “Mansions” of the same name.  The band also scored success when they won a Federal Rock Band Contest  in Salisbury in 1961 with Ian Pearce winning the vote for best lead guitarist and Viv, the best bassist, on show.  The band recorded an elpee (in Johannesburg) which was released on the Rhodesian market.

eldorados

PURE GOLD!

Amongst many fond memories, Viv Rose recalls an occasion in 1959 or 1960 when the band played the musical score, live, to a play called “Listen to the Wind”.  This was staged at the Bulawayo Theatre in Centenary Park.  The production was staged by a group of scholars who referred to their themselves as “The Young Questers”.  The band played from the backstage area, out of sight of the audience which led to various attendees remarking in the bar at the intervals that the backing music had definitely been recorded from Shadows’ records!  These notions were dispelled at the end of each performance when the band, quickly exchanging their gigging gear of jeans and ‘T’ shirts for suits (no self-respecting band appeared in jeans in those days!), would join the cast for an on-stage bow.  

OUT OF AFRICA

In 1962 the band had the distinction of playing the supporting session of a show which featured Chet Atkins, Jim Reeves and Floyd Cramer at the Trade Fair grounds in Bulawayo.

In 1964 Ian Pearce left the Post Office and joined the Railways where he was to lose an arm in an unfortunate shunting accident.  Today, he and Viv Rose Cape Town.  Larry Codd is in Johannesburg and, Mark Rhodes, Australia.  Sadly, Piet Strydom has joined the “great gig in the sky”. 

Discography

The band recorded an album (see above) which produced an EP (extended play single) which was released in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Spain.

1.  Album (SA) Cat no GALP 1247 Record label Gallotone (1963)

7178 Record label Decca

3.  EP (UK) Cat no DFE 8543 Record label Decca

4.  EP (Spain) Cat no SDGE 80025 Record label Decca

Here is "Fleetwood" From Their LP "Eldorado's" - Gallotone GALP 1274 (1963).

Enjoy