Gary James' Interview With Clive Harding Of
Four Jacks And A Jill
They are the only South African group to crack the Billboard Hot 100 with three songs all written and produced in South Africa. And the firsts don't end there. They were the first South African band to received a Gold Record, the first to have three records in the Top Ten at the same time, the first to successfully tour the U.S. and Australia, the first to star in their own feature movie and the first to give an equal amount of their royalties to six different charities. In 1969 they were voted the third most popular band in Malaysia after The Beatles and The Monkees, followed by The Rolling Stones. Since restarting the group in the year 2000 they've released thirty-one CDs. By the end of 2009 they had released thirty-three CDs. By 2003 they had received twenty Gold Records and six Platinum Records. The group we are talking about is Four Jacks And A Jill. Bassist Clive Harding fills us in about the group.
Q - Clive, where did this name Four Jacks And A Jill come from?
A - We were playing in a nightclub called the Lotus Garden when our agent brought a hotel owner to hear us. He had just finished building a classy new hotel. The hotel's restaurant was called the Collette. Very up-market and not suitable for a long-haired, black leather clad band. He said if we changed our name and image we would get the gig. I agreed as I was tired of the long hair and by that time most bands had long hair. We were no longer unique. Later our agent was sitting with an American comedian, Jimmy Casanova. Our agent asked him to suggest a name. Jimmy asked what the band comprised of and was told four guys and a girl. Jimmy suggested Four Bees And A Honey and Four Jacks And A Jill. Jimmy went on to say there was an American band in the 1930s of that name, but it no longer existed. So, we chose it.
Q - You originally had the name The Nevadas. Where did that name come from? Was it inspired by Las Vegas?
A - No. I had joined a band called The Atoms, but I didn't like the name. I was reading a Zane Gray novel and the Sierra Nevadas was mentioned. I liked the name Nevada.
Q - In 1964, was it Four Jacks And A Jill that was the first group in South Africa to wear long hair?
A - No. We were called The Zombies when we changed from The Nevadas to The Zombies and grew our hair long.
Q - What was the reaction to the long hair?
A - It caused a lot of interest. We were accused of being gay, but generally the kids liked it. We were different!
Q - Where did you perform, clubs?
A - Yes. Clubs mainly, but we first toured the country doing a live concert which was where we learned stage craft, not just playing music, but entertaining.
Q - Did you open for any famous groups?
A - Yes, but you probably would not know many of them, perhaps Peter And Gordon from the U.K and Lucille Star from Canada.
Q - Did The Zombies from England contact you and issue a cease and desist order?
A - No. I doubt if they knew we existed.
Q - How many groups were there in South Africa playing Rock 'n' Roll in 1964?
A - I don't know the exact number, but there were many. A few hundred at least.
Q - Did you cover this song "Timothy" by The Buoys that was such a hit in the U.S.?
A - No, Our "Timothy" was a local composition.
Q - What label were Four Jacks And A Jill on?
A - RCA Victor.
Q - Were you the first South African group to sign a million dollar recording contract?
A - No. The contract was with a local management/production company called A And R Management. I eventually bought out the contract and took over the management myself.
Q - You toured the U.S. and Australia in what year?
A - We started in the U.S. in 1968 and then toured all over the world, the U.S., Canada, Germany, Holland, Spain, Australia, England, Paraguay, Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namiba and many others.
Q - In what capacity? Headliners? Support act? Part of a package tour?
A - We did all of them, but mostly headlining, which we still do today.
Q - What was this feature film you were in?
A - We were in quite a few, but Sell A Million we starred in.
Q - Was it like A Hard Day's Night?
A - No. It was an adventure/comedy/musical with some action.
Q - Was there concert footage?
A - We performed some songs on it live, but also background.
Q - You were acting in this film then?
A - We were, yes.
Q - While the group is waiting for this pandemic to end, what are you doing with your time?
A - We recorded "Master Jack" separately and put the various tracks together and was part of a program called Lockdown Legends. I also have an upliftment/job creation project called the Phahama Project. Check it out at www.phahamproject.co.za
Official Website: www.4JacksAndaJill.co.za/
© Gary James. All rights reserved.
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