Tucan - Bio

Pam & Les

"Tucan" are Pam and Les Gully, an Australian musical entertainment duo based in the Hunter Valley, NSW. They are both rated as excellent vocalists in a variety of styles evidencing their love of many kinds of music from rock to country, jazz to pop. The act is essentially a compact dance band with a show.
It's not just like someone singing songs with a personal karaoke. Les and Pam grew up in the world of live bands and love to play games and have a fun chat with the audience.
Then there's Les' guitar playing and Pam's funky harmonica to put style on the electronic accompaniment.

Repertoire:

Have a look: Click here to see the repertoire page sorted by artist (There's also a page arranged by 'Style').
Over 800 of the most popular songs of the 20th century (and some from this millennium) provide a wealth of possibilities. Though the core of the repertoire is 60's/70's/80's party, Tucan are equally at home with swing and latin standards, classic rock or real country music and some modern classics. Sorry, no Rap though.

You can dance the twist, pogo or macarena as easily as line dance, rhumba or waltz, or just sit and enjoy the show. From the Beatles to AC/DC to Greenday or Patsy Cline to Janis Joplin to Nora Jones, Les and Pam just sing songs that suit their capabilities and are popular to listen or dance to.
Audience requests often drive the repertoire. "The audience often knows best what songs we ought to learn, and we listen", says Pam. "We just need to be capable of performing them well." When asked that often baffling question, "What sort of music do you play?", Les will usually reply, "Songs you know the words to!". And you probably do.

History:

Pam & Les grew up in the vibrant late 60's / 70's proto rock scene of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Though physically apart, these twin souls lived an almost parallel teenhood - they were both excellent but reluctant scholars, they didn't easily fit in "the gang", they had strong artistic leanings and they discovered "natural" musical talent in families where performing music was a joy.
So..... they joined a then minority that is maybe too common these days - their rock'n'roll won out over their schoolwork - and they made it a life, together.
Pam was born and bred in Bellbird near Cessnock and her beloved Pokolbin vineyards and the couple have made it their home.
Les, although a 50's migrant from the UK who grew up in Toronto by Lake Macquarie, feels he should be considered a Bellbird local now, after 12 years as a resident - if you disregard about seven years on cruise ships of course.
Music has taken Pam and Les around town, around the state, around the country and the world. They were both in 70's/80's rock bands that did the Newcastle and Sydney circuits and travelled the east coast and nationally. Les was in Armageddon, Troupadores and Ward 10 and Pam was with Stash.
Later they were together in Pandemonium and The Orphans. Pam also toured Australia as backing vocalist with 'Swanee'.
In the mid-80's, between jaunts on P&O cruise ships, their bands were resident at Fanny's up to 4 nights a week and had a turnover of musicians that should qualify them as a Newcastle music school.
They then downsized to a duo format as "Pam & Les" and relocated to London, where working in the UK and Europe for 4 years provided a new view and some education. "It's funny", says Les, "People have different cultures and languages but rock and roll is a common one. The ex-pat Aussies in London taught us the value of our local music. The Irish made us learn country music. The Austrians love all-sorts... AC/DC, John Denver, Trini Lopez.... Apres-ski is a great melting pot. Then there's Americans."

Returning in 1991, they re-established at home as The Gonzo Twins and did the whole local shebang of gigs. In the mid-90's, travel beckoned again, this time in the form of full-time contracts with P&O and Princess cruises. This saw them do about 7 years in the 90's and 00's somewhere between here and the west coast of the USA as "Tucan", a name considered by cruise directors more suitable than "The Gonzo Twins".
This experience added other dimensions to the "Tucan" style - from cruise ship lounge standards to "Island Night" conga parties.
Diverse audiences and venues have developed in Pam & Les a style that finds the common ground in most any audience and a vast repertoire to suit. Pam in particular also likes to have chat with the patrons, mostly hilarious.
Settled at home again in the valley, Pam & Les are applying these fun skills to the entertainment pleasure of their favourite place of all - here.

Tucan between songs on the R3 in Tahiti, 2001

The "Royal" Tucan

Tucan?

Why the name "Tucan"? ......Les relates, "A famous cruise director wouldn't use 'The Gonzo Twins' - 'too clownish'" he said. He thought it was a joke. Using the name 'Pam and Les' didn't feel right with people we'd never met before, so I came up with Tucan, another one of those word plays on 'Two of...'.
The Tucan (or Toucan) is a noisy, colourful parrot, the star of the Central American jungle - somehow appropriate for an entertaining cover band. In England they nicknamed us `Foster's and Four-Ex'." "We just say, 'We're four short of a six-pack', Pam quips.

Anyway - helping you have a good time is their idea of a great lifestyle!

As the spokesperson of a leading vineyard function venue said recently, "We've had them all here over the years and we've decided you're the only ones who know how to party!" Enough said.