Arthur Bowley
Arthur Bowley (1913-2006), Marshall Mount, NSW, provided details of some of the Australian tunes in this archive, collected by the Illawarra Folk Club.
Since 1934 the Bowley family has provided music for the Marshall Mount dances. In 1938 Arthur Bowley purchased his first accordion and had one week to learn how to play it for a dance held the following Saturday. Arthur's parents taught him the correct tempo for traditional old time dancing and Arthur maintained it throughout his 68 years of playing for the dances at Marshall Mount. Other members of the Bowley family played too, with roles being handed down through the generations; from Arthur's father Wilfred, to Arthur and his brother Jack, his cousin Vivian Wright, Arthur's children Colin, Betty, Kevin and Judy and his grandchildren David and Wendy Johnston.
The Marshall Mount Merry Makers formed in 1953; the band had a repertoire of around 475 tunes of which 32 were Arthur's own composition. The band played at 66 different halls from Sydney to Nowra, Queanbeyan and the Southern Highlands. Different players have come and gone but Mr Arthur Bowley was there at the beginning in the 1930s and right up until 2002; wielding the piano accordion, pumping out the music for the dances.
See the article on the Marshall Mount Dance from "Discover Shellharbour" that discusses Arthur's involvement.
Listen to Arthur Bowley in this video from UOW: Marshall Mount Merry Makers part 1
See also: "The Tunes of Arthur Bowley", compiled by Dave De Santi, Pioneer Performer Series, Carrawobbity Press, 1991, available from Payhip - David De Santi.
