Betty McQuade - 1966 - Betty McQuade Sings

Midnight Bus/Summer Love/Blue Train/Tongue Tied


  Scottish-born Betty McQuade migrated to Australia with her family at the age of eight. The family settled in Brisbane, and in 1960 McQuade relocated to Melbourne where she joined The Thunderbirds as replacement for Judy Cannon. Unlike other female singers of the day, such as Noeleen Batley (dubbed `Australia's Little Miss Sweetheart'), Judy Stone and Patsy Ann Noble, who were distinctly middle-of-the-road pop, McQuade developed a tough R&B style in the manner of Wanda Jackson. She went on to cover a couple of Jackson's songs, notably `Tongue Tied' and `You Make Me Mad'.

After working with The Thunderbirds for a year, McQuade signed to the Astor label and issued her debut single, a cover of John D. Loudermilk's `Midnight Bus'/`Tongue Tied', which reached #6 in Melbourne during December 1961. McQuade cut two more singles, Loudermilk's `Blue Train'/ `Summer Love' (January 1962) and `Doggie in the Window'/`Have You Ever Been Lonely?', before she joined another popular Melbourne group, The Premiers. With backing provided by The Premiers, McQuade recorded her fourth single, Jo Ann Campbell's `Bobby, Bobby, Bobby'/`You Make Me Mad'. It was her final single for Astor, and after making regular appearances on television pop show The Go!! Show, McQuade signed to the Go!! label. 

    Her two singles for Go!! were reissues of `Midnight Bus'/`Tongue Tied' (September 1965) and `Blue Train'/`Summer Love' (March 1966), plus the EP Betty McQuade Sings. McQuade issued one final single `Dum Dum'/`Beauty is Just Skin Deep', for the W&G label (1967) before slipping from view. In 1981 the Raven label issued the six-track McQuade EP Midnight Bus. During the mid-1980s she began appearing in a series of rock'n'roll revival concerts such as The Happy Days of Rock'n'Roll in Melbourne. In late 1996, the Canetoad label issued a compilation Girls! Girls! Girls! (Australian Female Performers of the Sixties: Volume 1), which included McQuade's `Midnight Bus', `Tongue Tied', `Blue Train' and `Bobby Bobby Bobby'. Other singers featured were Judy Cannon, Noeleen Batley, Yvonne Barrett, Carolyn Young, The Taylor Sisters, Vicki Forrest, Lee Sellers, Pam Oakley, Del Juliana, The Field Twins and Joy Lemmon.

Betty McQuade - 1981 - Let's Meet

Midnight Bus/Blue Train/Beauty Is Just Skin Deep/Tongue Tied/You Make Me Mad/Bobby Bobby Bobby



 Betty McQuade is best remembered for her bluesy rendition of 'Midnight Bus' which reached No. 6 on the music charts in Melbourne in 1961. Born Elizabeth (Betty) Rankin McQuade in Paisley, Scotland on 26 August 1941, Betty's family migrated to Australia and settled in Brisbane when Betty was eight years old. As a teen she appeared in many talent contests and performed in various clubs and music venues around Brisbane including Festival Hall where she supported Johnny O'Keefe and Col Joye in 1956. In 1960 Betty moved to Melbourne in the hope of advancing her singing career and quickly found success as the new lead singer of The Thunderbirds replacing Judy Cannon. In 1961 Betty was signed to Astor Records as part of the company's new policy of signing and promoting local artists. The runaway success of 'Midnight Bus' led to television appearances on 'Six O'Clock Rock', Teen Scene', 'In Melbourne Tonight' and 'The Go!! Show' and in 1962 she joined The Premiers who provided backing vocals for her fourth and last single with the Astor label, 'Bobby, Bobby, Bobby'.

In 1965 Betty was signed by the Go!! label which re-released 'Midnight Bus' and Betty's 2nd single, 'Blue Train'. In 1966 Betty McQuade returned to Queensland where she continued to perform in local clubs. During the 1980s, a resurgence of interest in the first wave of Australian rock 'n' roll saw Betty performing at many rock 'n' roll reunion tours and concerts performing with The Thunderbirds, The Premiers and the Allstars. She continued to be a dynamic live perfomer well into the 2000s and was much admired by the music community until her death on 26 December 2011.