The top Australian promoter in the late 50s was Lee Gordon. He was making a small fortune bringing in artists such as The Platters, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Day and Lloyd Price to Hobart. It was at such a show the Kravats made their first appearance. The show was called Australia vs America Battle. The Kravats coined their name by wearing kravats on stage as part of their uniform. The lineup at this time was guitarist Ray Woodruff, drummer Les Richardson, vocalist Norm Walker and bassist Clem Meehan who filled in for Richard ''Tich'' Millhouse who had broken his arm. After this city hall appearance there was a steady demand for the band at small dances and parties. Ray Woodruff would become lead singer after the departure of Norm Walker. Les Richardson left the group in 1962 and was replaced by Max Johns. In 1963 the Spook Club (a teenage dance at Moonah) opened and received great support. The Kravats became the resident group. Guitarist Noel Best would join the band before Melbourne W&G label came knocking.
Signing to Melbourne label W&G they had their first big hit in Hobart with the instrumental, ''Puppet Strings'' written by guitarist Noel Best that was released in 1964. Another instrumental record, ''Jindivick / Fred'', went Top 5 in Hobart in 1965. Both sides were written by Noel Best. Also in the same year, The Kravats took on the British Invasion and managed to keep The Beatles' ''Help'' from #1. The band were at the top of the 7HO radio chart with a cover of The Animals’ ''Baby Let Me Take You Home''. Lead singer Barry Woodruff remembers, “We went from three to #1 the week before ''Help!'' was released, then its pre-release sales got it to #1 in every other state except Tasmania,” he said. The Kravats stayed at #1 for three weeks then, before eventually being replaced by ''Help!''
The Kravats drew fans in their hundreds to their Saturday night residency at The Spook Club in Moonah and on Fridays at The Beachcomber, North Hobart’s San Carlo Hall. Ray Sawford, bass player with The Trolls back in the day, said "The Kravats were the most popular of the 25 or so bands at the time in Hobart, playing community halls across the city each week from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon". The Kravats released more singles on W&G Records and regularly toured the clubs there and in Sydney. In 1999 Canetoad released the compilation album 'The Kravats 5 Genuine Top 40 Tasmanian Hits!'. Guitarist Ray Woodruff died in 2004.
Members
Ray Woodruff (vocals / guitar), Les Richardson (drums), Norm Walker (vocals), Clem Meehan (bass), Richard ''Tich'' Millhouse (bass), John McCabe (drums), Barry Woodruff (vocals), Lyn Thomas (bass), John McCabe (drums) Noel Best (guitar), Max Johns (drums), Chris Norris (guitar)
SINGLES
''Puppet Strings (#96) / Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen'' 1964 W&G''Jindivik / Fred'' 1964 W&G
''Baby Let Me Take You Home (#81) / Bali Ha'i'' 1965 W&G
''It Must Be Jelly ('Cos Jam Don't Shake Like That) / Stavark'' 1965 W&G
''Well All Right (#100) / Come On Back'' 1966 W&G
''The Pain Is Here (#93) / We're Gonna Howl Tonight'' 1966 W&G
''That's What I Want / It's Unlikely'' 1967 W&G
EPs
'We The Kravats' 1965 W&G
References
http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/
http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/