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Laurie Dee and Beam
Laurie Dee (Vocals), Phil Whitehead (Guitar), Chris Whitehead (Drums), Don Mills (Keyboards) and Wally Dunn (Bass Guitar)
Beam was a Christchurch pop group, Originally formed in Christchurch as Beam Unity, the group changed its name to Beam whilst on the pub circuit, and make the move to the big smoke of Auckland. The original line-up featured Chris Whitehead (Drums), Phil Whitehead (Guitar), Wally Dunn (Bass Guitar), Don Mills (Keyboards) and when Laurie Dee (Vocals) joined they became Laurie Dee and Beam. The group was essentially a "pub" oriented top forty band, who spent most of their entire career on the road. Wally was replaced by Tony McMaster on bass and Harry Lyon joined on guitar, replacing Phil Whitehead (who went on to a short stint with Human Instinct), before joining Think. Touring the country was a different experience for Harry, and despite a lack of enthusiasm for the chosen music, it was an exciting lifestyle at first, but after about three months, Lyon joined the others in their boredom. In March 1975, Don Mills left to join Phil Whitehead in heavy metal band Think. Chris Whitehead called it a day, and the band was no more. Harry Lyon went on to join Hello Sailor.
During their time, Beam recorded three singles, the first of which was Bus Rider // We Can Work It Out (as Beam Unity in 1972), then Teach Me How To Fly // The Road (as Beam in 1973), Freedom // Harmony was the last (as Laurie Dee and Beam), in 1974. Laurie Dee's real name was Laurie Herdman, and his home town was Christchurch. He had released a solo single in 1975 called My Love and I // I Wanna Do It All, but is almost cerainly best remembered for his 1981 rendition of Wink Martindale's Deck Of Cards // The Biggest Parakeets In Town albeit with a rugby flavour. He recorded two albums, the first of which was his Greatest Hits in 1981. |
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