The Invaders When one thinks of the music of the 60s and 70s, one of the first bands that comes to mind is The Invaders. They were pioneers in establishing that home–grown talent could be successful and compete with the best in the world. Although they started out primarily as an instrumental band they broadened their repertoire to include vocals. The band was formed in 1962 in their home town Uitenhage. The founding members were John Burke (on bass), Errol Gobey (rhythm guitar, vocals), Desmond Solomon (lead guitar), Vernal Solomon (drums) and Ike Dolley (vocals). This line-up lasted for about a year before the Solomon brothers left to form another band. John Burke the recruited Joe Moses (lead guitar) and Dave Burke (drums) to join Errol Gobey and himself as part of the new Invaders. The group soon made a name for themselves in their home town, and as their popularity increased they started doing gigs in nearby Port Elizabeth and some of the outlying towns. In 1965 they self-financed their first recording of I’ll Try Again backed by June. The few copies that they pressed were sold out in a very short time. June has since become a classic and is still one of their most popular songs. The Invaders reputation spread as they began touring more areas stretching through both the Eastern and Western Cape gaining a huge fan base. This brought them to the attention of Trutone Records who offered them a five year recording contract. The first single they recorded was a studio version of June which earned them their first gold record. A number of singles followed including Shockwave, Ice Cream & Suckers and Thoko. Their first album was Two Sides of The Invaders and was followed by the very successful Shockwave in 1967. The band’s popularity increased as they toured the country including all the big cities like Johannesburg and Durban, as well as Namibia and Swaziland. Their records also sold well, most of which were produced by Art Heatlie and Grahame Beggs. While touring Johannesburg the band heard a singer Lionel Petersen who was performing with a group called The Miracles. They were impressed with him and asked him to join the group as a lead vocalist. This expanded supergroup decide to try to break into overseas markets. In 1970 they toured England, Germany and Holland with limited success, and then returned to South Africa. On their return Errol Gobey decided to leave the band and was replaced by Rodger (Spewy) Pillay (organ, keyboards). The group’s last hit recording another hit with the Grahame Beggs produced There’s a Light There’s a Way. In 1971 the group disbanded. In 1976 a “New” Invaders group was formed consisting of John Burke’s brothers, Gregory (rhythm, lead guitar), Colin (bass) and Clement Burke (keyboards), together with Joe Moses and David Burke. The group had limited success, before they too disbanded. A final album under the name of The Invaders was released by EMI under the title The Return Of The Invaders. It featured Errol Gobey, Joe Moses,and the Burke brothers, Dave, Clement and Colin. However, the magic was lost and the album failed to impress the record-buying public. It’s more than 50 years since The Invaders first appeared on the scene. Their influence is still relevant today . From small beginnings they rose to be a beacon for many South African artists. Their fans are still loyal and younger generations have grown to like their music too. A few CDs have been released and these are gaining a new group of appreciators of talent and good music. To see photos of, and to listen to music by The Invaders Link to Invaders Website