User:Gimmewatugot

Ray Burgess (Entertainer)

Born in Oakleigh Victoria on 26th October 1951 Raymond Peter Burgess was the first child of Audrey and George. Audrey was a dressmaker and George a carpenter and they lived in the home they built in suburban Clayton. Three other children followed, Gregory, Kerryn and Elizabeth. Ray attended Clayton South primary school and showed an interest in music from a young age, listening intently to the radio and spending hours with his Crystal Set a very primitive small radio. A show and tell performance of Elvis Presley's "Wooden Heart" in Grade 4 at age 8 is where the music began. A further performance at a Scout Group of Hermans Hermits "I'm Into Something Good" and the fire had been lit. Attending Clayton Technical School Ray formed the first of a number of bands with local mates including Robert Jones, Dennis Wood, Garry Briggs and Peter Cook, and played at socials, Youth Club dances and private functions. The set lists covered most of the Top 40 hits from The Beatles, Bee Gees, Rolling Stones and even Led Zeppelin. The boys were rockin' especially in the family garage when the police visited regularly with complaints about the noise.