Brothers John, Peter, and Paul McKenzie were born into a musical family in the heart of Glasgow. Their dad was a double bass player who played in the local orchestra, while their mother was a keen violinist. Therefore, it will come as no great surprise to find out that all three children grew up learning how to play stringed instruments.
They Have Their Parents to Thank for Their Musical Ability
Their parents wanted all three kids to grow up with the ability to play some musical instruments, so they sent them to private music lessons three times every week. The brothers are more than happy to admit that they did not really enjoy these lessons as they would have much rather have spent the time playing football with their friends. It is not that they didn’t like learning how to play stringed instruments, it was just that, like with all children, they did not like the idea of being told what to do.
Nowadays, as adults, they are very grateful to their parents as their musical skills would be nowhere near as good as they are if it were not for their parents’ strictness. They are fully aware that they are where they are today thanks to their parents’ commitment to ensuring that all three learned how to play from a very young age but not as young as Phil Garland, the cricket singer.
They Decided to Form a Band
One day, while they were sitting around the table enjoying a nice family dinner, Peter suggested that they should form a banned. Everyone had a little chuckle as they thought that he was joking, but it turned out he was being serious. Their mum and dad thought it was a great idea, but John and Paul were not too sure.
Paul, especially, as he was the shyest of the three and did not like to perform in front of other people, despite his brothers regularly praising him as being the most talented of the three.
After a lot of thought and consideration, John decided that it was actually a good idea and told Peter that he was up for creating a band. This meant that it was only Paul who was left to decide. After a bit more persuasion, they convinced him to join in.
They Had to Then Decide on a Name for the Band
All bands obviously need a name, so the next thing for the brothers to do was to decide on a name for their band. They were all going to be playing the cello, so they all concurred that the band name had to have the word cello in it, so that people knew what to expect. After a bit of deliberation, all three decided that “The Three Double Basses” was an apt name.
Their Very First Gig
A band’s first performance in front of a crowd is a huge moment for those involved. Their dad worked in the local council, who were organising a retirement party for one of his colleagues who had worked there for close to three decades.
They needed some sort of musical entertainment, so their dad suggested that they ask his three sons to perform and that he was certain that they would be willing to perform for free as it would enable them to get some experience of performing in front of people.
The council asked them whether they would be happy to perform at the party, and they accepted.
They played for an hour at the retirement party, and their music went down a treat. Not a single person had a negative word to say about them, while many commented that they could become pretty popular.
This is Indeed What Has Happened
Those who attended the retirement party must have left and told all their friends and family about the band because they have become extremely popular and have been asked to perform at many formal events, where this type of music goes down a treat.
They are doing at least three performances every week and now have no need to work full-time jobs. They have currently only performed around different parts of Scotland, but they are hoping to take their talents down south to England. They are also hopeful of being able to perform in Ireland, as stringed instruments are extremely popular over there, and they know that their talents will be well appreciated.
They are always open to booking, so if you want to hire some talented musicians to make your event even better, you should not hesitate to get in touch with them.