Rock and Roll Spinach

Rock and Roll Spinach - shown outside The Christchurch Town Hall
Doug Petrie (Drums), "Moose" Lang (Congas), Maurice "Moz" Sammons (Lead Guitar) — "Moose" was not an member of the group
Original members of the group were, Gary Sammons (Bass Guitar), Neville Claughton (Keyboards), Maurice Sammons (Lead Guitar) and Doug Petrie (Drums) - subsequently Dave Whiting (Rhythm Guitar), Ross Nicol (Bass Guitar) and Don Gutry (Drums) joined the group.

Ross Nicol states in his Bandology   "We had a regular gig at the Black Horse Pub on Lincoln Road, which I believe (relying on memory) was on a Saturday night.  I can tell you this venue did not have a strict dress code and some of the patrons left a bit to be desired but I was pleased to be playing again.  It wasn't long before Doug Petrie decided to leave and we got a new drummer Don Gutry.  We carried on at the Black Horse until an opportunity arose at the Blenheim Road Motor Inn and we moved to play there, much better surroundings and good crowds.  I'm pretty sure we played Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so I really enjoyed the extra work.  When I left Invercargill I had set myself some goals and among them was 1 to get into a good band and 2 to get on TV.  Well, I had already ticked the first box - a 2nd Television Channel was starting and they wanted bands to play - the show was Norman  Maurice had been in serious discussion with the producers and it was decided he would dress in diving gear - flippers, face mask and snorkel, and sing A White Sport Coat, with us (Spinach) backing him.  I've got no idea how you could make a connection between diving and a white jacket but I think all they wanted was whacky, so that was my first TV appearance — 2nd box ticked."