The Bushwhackers (band)

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The Bushwhackers
Seven of the eight Bushwhackers in 1955, from the rear cover of their 1957 "Australian Bush Songs" EP. L-R: Chris Kempster, guitar; John Meredith, accordion; Alex Hood, bones; Harry Kay, harmonica; Alan Scott, tin whistle; John Barrie, tea chest bass; Cec Grivas (in place of Brian Loughlin), lagerphone. Brian Loughlin (obscured) was seated behind Kempster; his left leg (with carpet slipper) is just visible in this photograph.
Background information
Origin	Australia
Genres	Australian folk
Instrument(s)	button accordion, lagerphone, tea chest bass, guitar, tin whistle, bones
Years active	1952–1957
Labels	Wattle Records
Past members	John Meredith, Jack Barrie, Brian Loughlin, Chris Kempster, Harry Kay, Alex Hood, Cecil Grivas, Alan Scott

The Bushwhackers, initially named "The Heathcote Bushwhackers", Australia's first "revival" bush band were arguably the catalyst for Australia's folk revival of the 1950s; prior to that revival, similar bush bands, utilizing a mixture of commercially available and sometimes home-made instruments, had performed a social function in rural areas since the late 19th century.^[1] The Bushwhackers performed from 1952 to 1957, when founder John Meredith disbanded the group and its members dispersed into other activities. (An unrelated group with a similar sounding name, "The Bushwackers", formed in Victoria, Australia in 1971 and continues to the present day). Over its relatively brief existence, the group evolved from an initial novelty act to one with a more serious mission of presenting and promoting to Australia its neglected bush song heritage, and laid the foundation for similar groups to follow through the 1960s and to the present. Its members also operated⁠—at least initially⁠—from a Marxist / Australian Communist Party ideology, attempting to embody the struggle of the working class against the ruling classes, although this may have been less than obvious to their audiences under the guise of popular entertainment.