October 4, 2012
Baby boomers and rock’n’rollers will be able to relive the golden days of the ’50s and ’60s on Friday night when Cloudland comes to Kingaroy, courtesy of Sunshine Coast entertainers Lorraine and David Moyes.
Under the stage name of Julie Paris, Lorraine performed at Brisbane’s famous Cloudland Ballroom in 1964 alongside other well-known artists of the time such as Tony Worsley and Ross D. Wylie.
And like thousands of others, she and her husband were very sad to see the iconic ballroom demolished in 1982 to make way for high-rise apartments.
So much so that when they retired, Lorraine and David decided they wanted to focus on bringing the music of the 50s and 60s to the attention of people – especially baby boomers – who shared their fond memories of Cloudland and the culture that surrounded it.
“Many partners met at that wonderful dance hall,” Lorraine said. “It holds very special memories for many people all over south-east Queensland, even today.”
In 2009 the couple were instrumental in staging the very successful “Cloudland at Cleveland” dance on behalf of Redlands Council Of The Aging.
And just a few weeks ago they held “Cloudland in Maleny” – having moved there three years ago – for another sell-out event that saw guests travelling from as far away as Cooroy, Brisbane and all parts of the Sunshine Coast to dance the night away.
This Friday night, October 5, the South Burnett will get a chance to enjoy the same show when Lorraine and David perform at Kingaroy RSL.
They promise that guests will be able to relive the music that made their feet tap and hearts sing back in the 50s and 60s.
Their show covers rock & roll, pop and country rock classics that were all performed at the Cloudland Ballroom during its heyday, including songs from Elvis, the Hollies, the Beach Boys, Del Shannon, Little Richard, Connie Francis, Helen Shapiro, Sandie Shaw, Lulu and lots more.
Cloudland may be gone but – for one night at least – it won’t be forgotten.
