The Valentines
Perth group The Valentines formed in Perth in mid-1966, bringing
together members of three leading local beat groups: Bon Scott and
Wyn Milson were from The Spektors, Vince Lovegrove, Ted Ward and
John Cooksey from The Winztons, and Warwick Findlay from top West
Australian band Ray Hoff & The Off Beats.
A major drawcard was the double-vocal attack of dynamic
frontmen Bon Scott and Vince Lovegrove, and within a few weeks of
their live debut they were packing in crowds.
The group moved to Melbourne in 1967, and for a brief period,
they became one of the most popular bands in Australia.
Although they started out as an energetic soul/R&B band,
they are best known for their affiliation with the bubblegum pop
phenomenon of 1968-1970. But there was a wild side to the
band which was evident in their live performances, and their
off-stage carousing (in 1969 they became the first Australian
group to be arrested for possession of marijuana).
The Valentines called it a day in August 1970.
Bon Scott went on to achieve international success with AC/DC
while Vince Lovegrove went on to work as a journalist, television
reporter (on the Australian Nine Network's A Current Affair)
and as the manager of Divinyls.
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