Stereotones
Line-Up:
Graeme Bartlett (Lead
Guitar)
Ian Lowe (Rhythm
Guitar)
Rick Laird (Double
Bass)
Bruce King (Drums)
Glyn Tucker (Vocals)
Mike Dolan (Vocals)
Kevin Paul (Saxophone)
The Stereotones were an Auckland band who were only around for a short time. They formed to play around Auckland's dance halls over the Christmas period of 1959.
When the movie "The Hound Of The Baskervilles" was launched in New Zealand, Graeme Bartlett wrote an instrumental that the group played live before each performance of the movie. The song was released as a single on Prestige in 1960 and was called "The Hound Steps Out" and was backed with "Vendetta", co-written with Ian Lowe.
The Stereotones also provided backings for Vince Callaher recordings as well as backing him live. Vince was an Auckland pop vocalist, originally from England and recorded on Prestige and La Gloria during 1959 and 1960.
After the Stereotones, Glyn Tucker and Ian Lowe formed a new band called Ian Lowe and the Tornadoes. Tucker also called himself Glyn Conway and became a member of the Embers and the Gremlins. He later set up Mandrill Recording Studios.
Graeme Bartlett went on to a more famous career as Gray Bartlett. He and Bruce King also played in the Senators with Clyde Scott. King was well respected as one of the countries best known session drummers. He also became a member of the Embers and the Mike Perjanik Band. Mike Dolan formed the Convairs, an Auckland folk trio who had many singles from 1962 to 1966. Rick Laird went to the US to play jazz and in the seventies he was playing bass for the Mahavishnu Orchestra, later ending up in the UK, recording with Brian Auger.