Earl Lloyd (Tich) Bray

b. 22 December 1924, Geelong, Vic.

d. 1988 Brisbane, Qld.

reeds/flute/band leader/composer/arranger/radio broadcaster

Began tinkering on piano at five, joined the Mitcham State School Fife Band in 1933, and then took formal tuition on a flute given him by a relative after Bray won a talent quest. In the army he switched back to piano and following discharge, bought piano and drums, hoping to start a dance band. Moved to Mordialloc where he met the Barnards and became a founder member of  Len's band until it broke up in 1955 in Brisbane , where Bray settled. Worked at the Story Bridge Hotel with Rae "Skippy" Humphreys until late 1957, and following a period of casual caberet work, replaced Vern Thompson as leader of the Cloudland Ballroom Band in 1960. He also formed his Mainstreamers,  including at various times Lloyd Adamson, Stan Walker, Alan Arthy, ErrolClyde, Neil Wilkinson, Bill Boone, John Bosak. Left Cloudland after refusing to accommodate pop, and apart from occasional work such as with the Varsity Five and a two-year period at teh National Hotel with Robin McCulloch, gradually withdrew from performance. The Australian Jazz Convention ion Brisbane in 1976 rekindled his interest and he returned to jazz at the Adventurers' Club in October 1977. He sat in with Ken Herron at the Melbourne Hotel and worked with Mileham Hayes at the Cellar Club before working briefly with the Caxton Street Band in early 1981. In October he shifted to the Vintage Jazz and Blues Band with whom he played [until his death in 1988]. In 1984 he began teaching music for the state Education Department.

Bruce Johnson, The Oxford Companion to Australian Jazz, (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1987) 109.

Tich with the Vintage Jazz and Blues Band at their club Jabbo's 1982.
Listen to Tich's "One for us" recorded in 1982 with the Vintage Jazz and Blues Band and see the chord chart here.

See Tich with the Dave Dallwitz Sydney Big Band at Bondi Beach at the Esso Jazz Summit in 1986.  Dave Dallwitz - piano, Greg Englert - lead trumpet, Cliff Reese - 2nd trumpet, John Roberts - 3rd trumpet, Doc Willis - trombone, Tich Bray - clarinet, Trevor Rippingale - alto sax, Paul Furniss - alto sax, John McCarthy - tenor sax, Paul Baker - banjo, John Bates - sousaphone, Bryan Kelly - drums.

From the mid 1980s Tich had a regular radio show on 4MBS FM Brisbane. He also spent several months in Buenos Aires playing jazz with Argentinian musicians shortly before his death in 1988.

Other links:

• The Jazzin' clarinet of Tich Bray: Tich Bray, clarinet with the bands of Alex Frame, Barry Gordon
• Tich Bray interviewed by Andrew Bisset for the History of jazz in Australia collection, National Library of Australia.
• Len Barnard and his Jazz Band.  78 Parlophone Record.
  Bob Barnard (trumpet), Len Barnard (drums), Frank Traynor (tropmbone), Tich Bray (clarinet), Bill Frederickson (tuba), Peter Cleaver (banjo), Greg Clarke (piano).
• The Caxton Street Jazz Band 30th Birthday Party.
• A Potted History of the Caxton Street Jazz Band 
• Tich on clarinet with the Dave Dallwitz Sydney Big Band performing Dave Dallwitz' "Castlemaine Rag."
• Tich with the Vintage Jazz and Blues Band, Australian Jazz Convention Toowoomba 1982.

If you have any archival information on Tich Bray (photographs, videos, press clippings, articles, recordings, ... ) that you'd like to see included on this website, please contact us: email qja@live.com.au or phone 0400 743 128.