Showband Heroes Ep 7: Dushy 'Gene' Chetty

Showband Heroes - ‘Remembering when we danced together’

Episode 7 features Dushy 'Gene' Chetty, lead singer with 'Gene and The Gents' who came to Dublin in the early Sixties as a student but was so smitten by the sound of the Showbands and by the hysteria they created that he gave up his studies to join the band at the invitation of its legendary guitarist, Henry McCullough. As 'Gene', Dushy was an instant sensation in the ballrooms and concert venues throughout the island of Ireland. The band shared top billing with iconic British groups like The Tremeloes and The Move, among others, until the so-called 'Troubles' erupted and reminded Gene too much of the life he had left back in South Africa just six years before. As a result, he decided to quit the band and resume his studies. This is his story.

In 2020, TaRP recorded a number of online events in its limited series, ‘Music - A Bridge over Troubled Waters’. The response left the producers in no doubt that music could re-connect, reawaken and re-invigorate the common, cross-community bond that endured even through our darkest days. For that series, musicians were drawn mainly from the folk/acoustic genre but, this time, the focus is on the Showbands who entertained mixed audiences from the early Sixties through to the late Seventies; many of whom still attract large audiences to dancehalls and concerts. Ironically, Showbands remained the unsung heroes of their time but, now, their priceless legacy is finally being acknowledged and honoured.

Produced and presented by Stephen Travers
Online Producer: Tracy Dempsey
Executive Producer: Eugene Reavey
Co-Executive Producer: Joe Campbell

‘Showband Heroes’ is a Truth and Reconciliation Platform project, recorded via The Miami Showband Peace Centre Online, and supported by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. For more information about Truth and Reconciliation Platform please visit www.tarp.global

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Видео Showband Heroes Ep 7: Dushy 'Gene' Chetty канала The Miami Showband Peace Centre