Masters Apprentices

When instrumental group The Mustangs decided they needed a singer to keep up with the changing times in pop music, they recruited Jim Keays and the Masters Apprentices were born. Apart from Keays, the original line-up included guitarist Mick Bower, who was the writer of their early hits, and Brian Vaughton on drums. Rick Morrison played lead guitar and the bassist was Gavin Webb. The group would practice in John Street Adelaide behind the Kings Head Hotel which was owned by the Vaughton family. Their first show was at the Pennington Hostel on 15 February 1966 and they regularly played the Beat Basement in Rundle Street, the Octagon at Elizabeth, Big Daddy's, the Cage Club and 20 Plus Club. As well they travelled to country areas such as Murray Bridge, Yorketown and Whyalla.

Line-up changes saw other Adelaide musicians join. These included guitarist Peter Tilbrook formerly of the Bent Beaks and drummer Steve Hopgood from The Others.

The Masters had many hit songs: Undecided, Buried and dead, But one day, Living in a child's dream and recorded other classics such as Wars or hands of time, Hot gully wind and Poor boy. They played to large crowds throughout Australia, inspiring riots and press controversy.

On page 47 of his book His master's voice singer Jim Keays explains the reaction of fans shortly after their first single Undecided reached the Top 10:
At some gigs girls would scream and try to reach us on stage, crowds would surge forward and there was general mayhem. Of course I'd seen it happen to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones but now it was starting to happen to us, and quite frequently too...The fan club rapidly grew to unmanageable proportions and Graham [Graham Longley the group's manager] was flat out coping with it all. It was snowballing and nothing could stop it.

In 2001 Graham Longley, manager of the group from 1965 to 1967, donated his personal archive of Masters Apprentices items to the State Library of South Australia.