MISTER BUS

Lead Vocals: Viv Ritchie

Guitar: Richard Willie Styles

Guitar: Pete Sear ()Rob Page

Bass: John Wallis ()Lindsay Flaxmer ()Phil Selby

Drums: Andy Harrison ()Ian Clarke ()Derek Townsend ()

unplaced musicians: Ian Wigg, Dennis Woodcock, Mick Tidd, Mick Smith, Simon ??, Richard Townsend, Dave Smith, Pat Rudge, Paul Meek, Chris Gray

[header picture] LtoR - Harrison, Wallis, Styles, Ritchie, Sear

Started with the name Dritt given to the band by one of its girlfriends and meant rubbish [unconfirmed]

"From the very start in 1973 it was only a duo. Richard (Willie) Styles (me) and Alan Kindleysides both on acoustic guitars playing a few pubs in the Cambridge area. Alan had been living in that area before returning to Norfolk. The name we used at the very start was Dritt. This was suggested by my Norwegian wife and actually meant st in her native tongue ! Very apt ! I had recently returned from living and working in Norway. On returning to UK I started work in the service dept of Lotus cars. That is where I met and recruited Viv Ritchie (vocals) Andy Harrison (drums) and John Wallis (bass). That was when we became Fifth Gear Travelin Band. At that time the Lotus Plus 2 and Europa were very early examples of cars with a fifth gear. Hence the name. Some of our earliest gigs were at Mulbarton worlds end ( nobody came ! ) and Wrenningham village hall ( everyone sat on old bus seats from old Spratts of Wrenningham busses !). There were a few people at that one..... But not many. That would have been 1974 ish. The band then recruited a few different guitar players. Finishing up with Ian Wigg who was also a handy keyboard player. The name changed once again. This time to Rusty Duck. This was in 1976. A few more personnel changes on lead guitar saw Rodney Page replace Ian Wigg for a while. Then (the late) Peter Sear joined. An excellent lead player on his Green and black John Birch. That was the period that Mister Buss was adopted as the band name and continued for 40 plus years. There were numerous personnel changes over that long period. Viv was the longest standing member continuing on vocals right up to the last gig in 2016. The bass player for the last 14 or so years was ex pro bassist Phil Chapman ( Ex resident bass player at the talk in London). I left the band in 1981 and returned in 2004 for the final 12 years. In that time we regularly played most of the Golden Years concerts at the UEA LCR. Some great times to look back on. So I was there at the start and the finish." RS 18/12/2020

Fifth Gear Travelling Band / Dritt <> Rusty Duck / Merlin