Frank Bourke
From Australian Traditional Music People
Jump to navigationJump to searchFrank Bourke (1923-1989), Binnaway, NSW, provided details of some of the Australian tunes in this archive.
Frank Bourke formed the White Rose Orchestra in 1936. It was led by Frank Bourke with his brother Patrick and John Matherson playing banjo & mandolin, Andy Pono on Saxophone, and Frank himself playing piano. The White Rose Orchestra era ended with the death of Frank Bourke in 1989.
The National Library of Australia holds aural recordings of interviews conducted with Frank Bourke.
He was interviewed by:
- John Meredith in October 1984 [1], where brothers Paddy and Frank speak about their father, Roger Bede Bourke, who was a shearer and know for his songs and singing,
- John Meredith in October 1987 [2], where Frank Bourke plays piano and sings his own compositions.
More detail is given in the book: "King of the dance hall: the story of fifty years of ballroom music with Frank Bourke and the White Rose Orchestra", by John Meredith, 1986.
