Brian Cadd - Early Years

Early Years

Cadd was raised in Perth, Western Australia and was a child prodigy: winning a TV talent quest when 12 and offered his first professional job as a pianist for a children's TV program. His family relocated to Tasmania and then Melbourne, where Cadd became involved in jazz music of the early 1960s, playing with the Beale Street Jazz Band and The Castaways. He was also widely renowned for his zany hats. By 1965 The Castaways became The Jackson Kings playing R&B, with Cadd on piano and Ronnie Charles on vocals they recorded two singles "Watch Your Step" and "Watermelon Man" by April 1966.