Syd Shine Keeps Right On.........

Syd Shine today (pic by Ann Hennessy)

 

He is one of the last surviving bandleaders of Ireland’s Big Band Era, and during his lifetime of 93 years, he also became one of the country’s biggest known showband legends.

Syd was born in July 1920, and the year before that, his father Martin built Hillside House in Bower View, Athlone which became the family home. 

Syd had three brothers and one sister, and all are dead except one brother.  His eldest brother was Frank who was a businessman, and second brother was Billy who was a doctor in Lancashire.  His youngest brother Noel is still alive and retired in Florida.  He was a Chemical Engineer with Gulf Oil (now Chevron).  Syd’s late beloved sister, Clare, was married to Leo Faller from Athlone, Ireland.

Syd, who was an accomplished pianist, in Athlone, was a leading tenor in St. Peter’s and Paul’s Church Choir from when the church opened in 1937 and for many years afterwards. 

In 1934, Martin Shine built the Crescent shop, in Athlone and extended it out bit by bit, until it became a very prestigious ballroom.  The Crescent Ballroom in Athlone was legendary throughout the forties, fifties and sixties, as one of Ireland’s best-loved dance spots.

“First my father built the shop, and then he built the first part of the ballroom, then the stairs and then the supper room,” said Syd.

Syd Shine himself was the bandleader of the resident Crescent Big Band, either with a quintet or a sextet or the thirteen piece.  Syd and his family continued to run the Crescent shop in the daytime and the ballroom at night.

“We put the best of everything into the Crescent, because we knew it was the people of the town’s ballroom and I’m glad we didn’t spare expense,” said Syd.

Syd started his own band the ‘Crescent Swingtet’ in the late 1930’s. In the years that followed, Syd, who was bandleader in all his various groups, also played at many countrywide venues, as well as at the Crescent.

One of the many highlights of those years was the Trinity College Ball.  Syd’s Orchestra played the college’s first ball in the 1950’s and then went on to play four more for the college in the Edmund Bourke Hall, over the next four years.  This gained the orchestra many accolades throughout the length and breath of Ireland.

“We were very lucky as a group because in Athlone there was a constant supply of sax, trombone and other brass players.  They came mostly from the Army Band, who were top class musicians, with tremendous experience,” said Syd.

The demise of the Big Band era happened in the early 60’s with the coming of the Showbands, so in 1963 Syd set up a five piece group called Syd and the Saints. The group was recorded by Peter Sullivan, the man who turned down ‘The Beatles’.

‘The Saints Showband’ in 1967 recorded a song written by Mary Flynn, entitled ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’, a song which gained the band international media publicity when the song was denounced by the powers of the time, leading to its banning by RTE Radio. The song told of the Irish farmers fight against the government of the day and highlighted their campaign of marching, sitting on the steps of government buildings and blocking roads.

The British tabloids followed the story with interest and it helped build up the Saints following in England. During the Saints visit to the US in 1967, ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’ got numerous airplays on the famous ‘Dorothy Hayden Radio Show’ in New York.

"It’s sad that they wouldn’t play us in Ireland, yet we were on every night for months on American radio," says Syd today about the ‘Broken Hearted Farmer’ story. 

Later Syd changed the format of his group to an eight piece band entitled - ‘The Saints Showband’. The original line up for this group were: Syd Shine on organ, Joe Flynn on vocals and bass, Frank Somers on drums, Pete Keighery on lead guitar and vocals, Finbar O’Keefe on rhythm guitar and vocals, Liam Meade on trombone, Frankie McDonald on trumpet and Brian Sullivan on lead vocals and tenor saxophone.

Syd and ‘The Saints Showband’ were very successful and played in dancehalls all over Ireland. The showband also had a following in Scotland, England and Wales, where they travelled regularly over their five year period. They travelled to America in May 1967, to such success, that they were asked back later that same year.  They played in New York venues such as The Red Mill in the Bronx, the Jaegar House on Lexington Avenue and the Ambassador in Flushing. 

Syd successfully circumnavigated the other aspect of his life around his music, and that of course was his love of the River Shannon.

It was in 1957; (while he was still leading his Big Band Orchestra) that Syd bought ‘The Fox’ barge.  However the Fox wasn’t his first home on the water, because in 1942, Syd bought his first barge which like the Fox was also a 60 ft. boat.

It was known as the ‘Chang-Sha’ – a Chinese name, meaning ‘River House’.

Syd has made many national television and radio appearances over the years including a popular appearance on the top-rated ‘Showband Show’ in 1965, and over the past two decades he made appearances on ‘Live at 3’ and ‘Open House’.  He also has the distinction of having performed three times on ‘The Late Late Show’.

Although Syd is modest about his life and his career, he is a most popular and well-received man in Athlone town. 

“I have to say when I go up the town, about 20 people would come up to me to talk, and sure it’s great, and lovely to hear them talk about the old days of the Crescent,” says Syd.

“I enjoyed the Showband Era very much, but my favourite time was the Big Band era of the 40’s and 50’s.”

Syd foresaw the demise of the Showband era at the end of the 1960’s, so he bought the land near Brick Island in 1968, and built a harbour, and the Jolly Mariner nitespot, and ran the venue for about five years.

In July 2001, Syd gained a special honour at Aras an Uactarain from President Mary McAleese for his contribution to the Irish showband scene in the1960’s.

He will always be known as the Syd of the Crescent Orchestra and of Athlone’s own showband – Syd and the Saints!