Biography
The Australian duo occasionally known by that country’s name consists of identical twins Tom and Ted Legarde, the latter born 15 March 1931 in Mackay, Queensland; Tom preceded his brother into the world by half an hour. Youngest of nine siblings, the pair grew up on the family farm and mastered expert horsemanship. At fifteen they departed with a well-worn guitar, shaped by cowboy movies and the discs of Wilf Carter. They found work on Queensland’s largest cattle station, participated in drives and rodeo contests, and first performed vocally at a Victoria rodeo when prize money eluded them and hunger prevailed. After joining Buddy Williams’ traveling rodeo and circus they became, at seventeen, Australia’s youngest professional rodeo riders, yet soon favored singing over the physical toll and devoted themselves to it. Their initial recordings appeared on Rodeo in 1950, followed by multiple singles on Regal Zonophone between 1952 and 1957. In 1954 they accompanied boyhood hero Hopalong Cassidy, William Boyd, on an Australian tour. Seeking wider success they sailed for America in 1957, playing Canadian dates before hosting a Los Angeles television series. From 1958 to 1963 they settled in Nashville, issued singles on Dot Records and Liberty Records, and performed on the Grand Ole Opry, introducing their own composition “Cooee Call.” Returning home they briefly staged a country revue in a Paddington, Sydney theater, cut albums for Columbia Records, and hosted two local country programs. In 1965 they re-entered the United States, came under the management of “Colonel” Tom Parker, appeared in Las Vegas, and made a guest appearance on the television series Star Trek. They recorded for many labels; in 1978, billed as the Le Gardes, they scored a minor hit with their cover of the 1956 Bing Crosby–Grace Kelly success “True Love” on Raindrop, followed later that year by another modest chart entry, “I Can Almost Touch The Feeling,” on 4 Star. As the Legarde Twins they placed “Daddy’s Making Records In Nashville” on the country charts in 1980 via Invitation 101. Inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Tamworth Country Festival in 1987, they also launched the Boomerang label during the eighties and performed several times in Britain, including at the Wembley Festival. Their final U.S. country-chart appearance came in 1988 when “Crocodile Man From Walk-About-Creek” reached number 92. Throughout the nineties they operated their own theater near Nashville’s Music Row.
Albums
