Miami 2009

On Friday November 20th 2009 showband history was made at The Silver Springs Hotel in Cork when Dickie Rock and The Miami Showband reunited after thirty-six years. The catalyst for this momentous reunion is the bravery of a young woman who has been paralysed. They say God works in wondrous ways and in accommodating this reunion, He appears to have pulled out all the stops! This was a concert not to be missed, as the very best of Cork’s showband talent including Pat Lynch, Declan Ryan, Terry McCarthy (Dixies), Edward James and DJ Ted Dunne made guest appearances and rolled back the years for a genuine glimpse of the halcyon days of Ireland’s showbands.

In 1973 Dickie Rock and The Miami Showband parted company. Some observers said it was inevitable as “the times they were a changing”. Dickie concentrated on a successful career in cabaret; singing popular big ballad classics as only he can. The Miami Showband, fronted by the dynamic young singer/songwriter Fran O’Toole, transformed itself comfortably into a modern pop group destined for international greatness. However, just two years later, history now records that tragedy struck the young band and cut short the lives of three Miami members, Tony Geraghty, Brian McCoy and Fran O’Toole.

To mark the thirtieth anniversary of the tragedy in 2005, at Vicar Street in Dublin, the surviving members, Des Lee, Stephen Travers and Ray Miller reformed The Miami Showband for what was described by the late great impresario Jim Aiken as “The Greatest Showband Concert Ever Staged.”