Jan de Zwaan

Jan de Zwaan

N.B. A limited edition of Giclée prints of this image is available, see Shop

Black Cat Circle L-R Dan Gillespie, Jan de Zwaan, Peter Miles, Lance Scott

N.B. A limited edition of Giclée prints is available of this image, see Shop

During the height of popularity of the 1960s folk music scene, wandering minstrel, guitarist and singer Jan de Zwaan occasionally appeared in Brisbane, playing a broad repertoire of folk songs from around the world.

During 1966, he formed a four-piece band called ‘Black Cat Circle’, which ventured into rhythm and blues territory. With Dan Gillespie (harp/vocals), Lance Scott (bass), and Peter Miles (drums), Jan played up a storm, becoming very popular at venues such as The Red Orb.

I shot these pictures while they were rehearsing at a tiny cottage which was down at river level, at the base of twenty-five metre sheer cliffs at Kangaroo Point. Getting down to the cottage was precarious going, getting back up was most arduous. I didn’t ask about how they shifted their instruments, particularly the drum kit!

By April 1967, the band had a new line-up composed of Jan (guitar/vocals), Terry Hannagan (guitar/vocals), Bob Dames, of Purple Hearts fame (bass), and Peter Miles (drums).