Steve
Bonar ~ Guitar, Vocals
Terry
Coan ~ Keyboards, Vocals
Earl
Davies ~ Guitar
Gene
Gillott ~ Saxophone
Vic
Goodmurphy ~ Drums
Gene McCormick ~ Manager
Earl
Davies
Terry
Coan (d: 26 June 2013)
Our manager at the time billed us as two bands. As the Mysterians, we dressed up in long monk-type robes with pointed hoods to cover our faces. The Viscounts would play the first set and then disappear and then reappear as the Mysterians. Also some of us would switch instruments to throw off the audiance.The Mysterians (aka: The Viscounts): A little story about the short lived Mysterians. We almost got caught one nite when some other rival band members caught on. We had to make a quick get away down a fire escape as the audiance then discovered the hoax and were going to do the band in! I think we only played 3 gigs as the Mysterians.
Terry Coan, March 2003
The Viscounts were formed circa 1958 by Terry Coan, Gene Gillott, Steve Bonar, and Earl Davies. The name "Viscounts" is credited to Earl Davies (Guitar). We were a weekend garage band that played rhythm and blues based rock and roll. We played all the local clubs, high schools, and community centres around the lower mainland until 1967.Terry Coan, December 2002
We were practicing at a small hall (Hendry Hall) in North Vancouver one weekend when a white Caddilac convertable pulled up ouside and one Gene McCormick introduced himself and offered to manage us. It was like something out of a dime store novel. "Small group gets discovered!" That is when we started to get some real "money jobs" - I think it was $10 each per gig. For a while the whole group lived together so we could practice (and party) without having to leave home.The Mysterians also had one other novelty: we would turn all the lights off and had a black light (untroviolet) lamp that would be the only source of illumination. There was some element of the robes that would glow but the real reason was to hide the fact that the "second group"
was really the Viscounts.I still stay in touch with Terry Coan, Bruce Neilson and Steve Bonar. Also had an occasion to talk with Bob Hodgson a while back. I have not played much since the Viscounts except for a couple of "sit ins"...still, there is always that chance of getting together with some of the guys for one last stand.
Gene Gillott, December 2004
