Jigsaw

Jigsaw were an Australian country pop band, composed of Jon Calderwood on lead guitar, Eddie Chappell on drums, Ron Gilbee on rhythm guitar and Dennis Tucker on bass guitar. Over the course of their career, the band released Australian top ten singles, "Yellow River" (1970) and "How Do You Do" (1972). They also served as the backing band for Australian singer-songwriter Johnny Chester throughout the early 1970s. History Jigsaw were formed in May 1968 in Melbourne by Ray Eames on lead guitar (ex-Tony Worsley and the Fabulous Blue Jays, Rockhouse), Alan "Ollie" Fenton on drums (ex-Phantoms, Rockhouse), Ron Gilbee on rhythm guitar and Dennis Tucker on bass guitar (both ex-Merv Benton and the Tamlas, the Rondells/Impala). When the Tamlas disbanded in 1967, band mates Gilbee and Tucker decided to form a Shadows-inspired tribute band. They recruited their friend Eames and his Rockhouse band mate Fenton. The name, Jigsaw, is from a 1967 Shadows album. After playing Melbourne's pub circuit, in July 1968, Jigsaw joined an Australian Government sponsored tour of South Vietnam to entertain Australian and American troops. Also on that tour were Yvonne Barrett, Pat Carroll, Johnny Chester and compere-comedian Jack Perry. While backing Chester during the Vietnam tour Jigsaw members agreed to work together with the country pop singer upon return to Melbourne. Fenton had previously worked for Chester when he was a member of Phantom, Chester's earlier backing band. Jigsaw also performed and released material on their own, they were signed to Ron Tudor's new label, Fable Records. Fenton died in a work place accident in ca. 1969 and was replaced by Eddie Chappell on drums, while Jon Calderwood took over on lead guitar from Eames soon after.