The Band

The Countdowns are somewhat of an Australian phenomenon.  To their credit, they have played alongside Australian epic performers such as the great Johnny O'Keefe, John Farnham, Leapie Lee, Billy Thorpe, The Delltones, the Bee Gees and the Easybeats to name a few.  They have also performed with other national stars including Little Pattie, Lonnie Lee, Tony Worsley, Ronnie Burns, Bobby and Laurie, Russell Morris, Brendan Walmsley and Gina Jeffreys.

Many bachelors and spinsters have danced the night away bopping to the beat of The Countdowns, whose musical repertoire ranges from the 50s through to the present day.  Band members often hear from younger fans of how their own parents first met at one of The Countdowns' gigs.

The group kicked off in 1966 when they were invited to play at a neighbour's 21st birthday party.  Foundation member, Owen Ray still fronts the band today and little did he know way back then that a gig at a birthday party would launch them into a successful career and virtual 'legendary' status in the Australian entertainment industry.

The original line-up for The Countdowns included local butcher Len Richardson on drums and Toowoomba business icon Barry Bernoth on bass, along with guitarist Owen Ray and horn player Denis Hutchinson.  Today, prominent fruit and vegetable vendor Bevan Betros is on drums, painter Richard Whatson is on bass and Chris Hartley is on keyboards.

Enquiries can be directed to Owen Ray on 07 46326799 or visit internationalmusic.com.au.

  Band Members

	Bevan Betros, drummer and vocalist with The Countdowns, started playing in bands in 1967, playing all styles of music. He joined The Countdowns in 1981, adding another dimension to the powerful harmonies and diversity of the band's repertoire. Bevan taught drums to many students during the 1970s, many of whom have gone onto highly successful music careers. He has played with support acts for John Farnham, Billy Thorpe, and The Delltones, to name a few, and backed many artists including Little Pattie, Lisa Edwards, Gina Jefferies and Tony Worsley. Bevan has also played percussion in amateur stage performances such as The Boyfriend, The Mikado and Godspell.
	Chris Hartley has been playing professionally for 20 years.  He has toured with many artists including James Blundell, Adam Brand, Brendan Schick, The Eagles Experience, and international acts such as Johnny Tillotson. Chris also played with Swanee recently, opening the concert for the legendary Deep Purple and Status Quo at the Brisbane Convention centre.  He has also worked with guitar legend Phil Emmanuel and  played on his DVD recorded in Bendigo. Playing with the likes of Phil Emmanuel and James Blundell secured a contract with  Yamaha Music of Australia where Chris is one of their demonstrators of hi-tech gear. His main instrument is Hammond organ though.  When Chris is not touring he works in his recording studio "Rock The House Productions" recording other artists and jingles for television and radio.
	Richard Whatson began playing the bass guitar and singing at an early age. He was a member of well-known New Zealand pop groups in the 60s, 70s including The Chapta’ which produced 2 albums and 3 hit singles. He has supported numerous international artists like the Beach Boys, The Animals, The Hollies, Dinah Lee and Ricky May to name a few. Richard ventured to Australia in 1977 and became a sought-after session singer and member of a session band which included Wendy Stapleton and Linda George and sang in various bands and gigs right up the east coast of Australia. Richard joined the Countdowns in 1993 and continues to enjoy his music and singing with the band to this day.
	Owen Ray, singer and guitarist, formed the core group that became The Countdowns in 1965. Owen loves playing and performing classic rock, modern country and classic modern hits. He still does solo gigs and enjoys entertaining people. He collects vintage guitars and musical instruments and is the owner of International Music, one of Australia's largest retail musical instrument stores located in Toowoomba Queensland.

Testimonials

A trip down memory lane — that's what took Robyn and myself back to the last Countdowns' reunion (in 1996). We had a great night and it was great to see faces from the past amongst the huge crowd, some of whom had travelled far. We loved the jiving competition. Support artists and prizes were great also and the Countdowns....what can I say about a band still as popular after spanning over three decades. We are really looking foward to the next reunion.

Trevor Nahrung
CEO, Roberts Men's Wear
Toowoomba

Being an avid fan of the fabulous Countdowns for over 30 years I went along to their 1996 anniversary concert with high expectations for a great night of good old fashioned rock n roll. Believe me, I was not disappointed!! These guys are true rock n roll legends. Their renditions of songs by the Eagles, Billy Joel, Elton John and Roy Orbison, just to name a few, left me with no doubt in my mind that Toowoomba's premier rock n roll band, The Countdowns, are indeed a world class act.

Bob Tait
Former Senior Development Officer
Foundation Office
University of Southern Queensland