BIO. Bernie & Red
are currently based in Vancouver BC Canada, although they didn't start out
there. Liverpool in England was the birthplace for both Bernie & Red,
& they met there during the beginnings of the Mersey Beat era. And yes,
they did see The Beatles, countless times at The Cavern & various other
venues. Both come from musical families, Bernie's parents sang with a
local dance band in the 40's & Red's Dad was a vocalist with the army band
during his years in the service. Her Mum was a pianist, & Red has fond
memories of family parties when Mum played the piano & Dad sang all the
latest Bing Crosby & Al Jolson songs. But even though they came from such
musical backgrounds Bernie & Red did not even consider a musical or
entertainment career until they arrived in Canada. They married in 1965 &
by the early 70's had 2 young children & were still living in Liverpool.
It was at this time that they started to consider a move to Canada, which they
finally did in 1973.
Bernie had a very good friend from his schooldays, Ray Soden, who had moved
to Canada about 5 years before, & it is really due to Ray & his wife
Diane that the Bernie & Red "act" evolved. Ray & Di invited
the newcomers to stay with them while they got on their feet, & as this
was just before Christmas, they were all invited to a number of parties. We
should point out at this stage that Bernie had been playing guitar for his own
amusement for a number of years, & he & Red did have several songs
that they performed at family parties etc. Ray insisted that they take the
guitar to each party & thus the Bernie & Red show began. They found
themselves in such demand that within a year they were performing
professionally, & shortly after that began to make a living solely from
their musical endeavors.
Since those early days BERNIE & RED have performed all over the world
on land & sea, (a lot of it sea). They have performed on cruise ships in
Alaska, Mexico, Panama, The Caribbean, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong &
Singapore, & their land tours have taken them to virtually every state
& province in North America.