Jacko Kevans

Jacko Kevans (1942-2005), provided details of and collected some of the Australian tunes in this archive.

Jacko Kevans played, fiddle, button boxes and piano accordion. He was a skilled and gifted musician whose musicianship was highly regarded. A search of the Jacko Kevans collection in the National Library of Australia will find some 300 references, to items collected by Kevans or to interviews and recordings of Kevans.

The National Library of Australia holds aural recordings of interviews conducted with Jack (Jacko) Kevans. He was interviewed by

• Kev Carmody in March 2004, [1]. Jacko Kevans, folk musician, explains the origins of Australian traditional dance music; the influence of early cultures on Australian music; popular dances of the time; people being suspicious of him collecting music. he then speaks about the internment of German people during the Wars; his early days in Canberra; his first accordion; why immigrants were brought to Canberra; class divisions; mouth organ bands; Percy Spouse; the combinations of instruments in different bands; the recent "revival bush bands"; the composition of a 1890's bush band & house parties; explains the concertina and the accordion; the heritage of the piano accordion; the instruments used in urban areas; Brass bands; Lionel O'Keefe; the 'Larrikin's' tour of the Pacific Islands; Colin Dryden; the first bands he played in; his early interest in bush music; his father writing poetry and singing; the first National Folk Festival; Bob McGuiness; Ian Drinon; the formation of the 'Monaro Boys'; performers and types of music at the first National; the political dimension contained in music; Jim Fingleton; the formation of the 'Wild Colonial Boys' and their LP. Kevans talks about playing in the Ned Kelly film with Mick Jagger; coaching Mick Jagger to sing the 'Wild Colonial Boy'; the 'Bushwackers'; the reason why bush music was recorded so fast; his recollection of hearing 'Moreton Bay' at a campfire; the cost of sudden recognition and fame; Harry Robertson; the loss of history being a loss of culture; the White Australia Policy; class differences and the Masters & Servants Act; Australian lyrics being put to Old World tunes; Frank McNamara; the corruption of the word Kangaroo; the Didgeredoo; two hundred and fifty Indigenous languages in Australia; Simon McDonald's version of 'Moreton Bay'; the parallels between convict songs & the African American slave songs; the background to Capt. Logan's death; the first cedar cutters being slain; Tench's diary sees justification for their deaths; Capt. Cook's observations being enlightened; the Indigenous inhabitants; Kev Carmody talks about relatives who lived near Blackbutt in 1920's & 30's; the Kilcoy Massacre near Benarkin & Blackbutt; the Timms family; why folk music is important; Kev speaks of Jackie Howe's son and the name of his property and getting a job at the Thulungra 32 stand shearing shed in the 1960's.
• Chris Sullivanin December 1981, [2]
• Chris Sullivan in August 2000, [3], [4]

Related Tunes

You can search for tunes referring to Jacko Kevans.