Gordon Henry "Snowy" Fleet (16 August 1939 – 18 February 2025) was an English-born Australian drummer, best known as the drummer with The Easybeats between 1964 and 1967.[1]

Early life

Fleet was born in Liverpool, England on 16 August 1939.[2][3] He was a builders apprentice in England before moving to Australia sometime before 1964.[4] Before emigrating, he had married his wife, Maureen (who he remained married to until his death), and had a daughter in 1962.[5]

The Easybeats

Further information: The Easybeats

In the early stages of his career, when Fleet was still in Liverpool, he played drums in many Liverpool bands and sometimes shared the stage with The Beatles.[4] Before he moved to Australia, he played in The Nomads, a band that then became The Mojos.[6][7]

In 1964, now living in Australia, he met the members of The Easybeats on a train ride, and met up with them at the Villawood Migrant Hostel, where the members were staying.[5] Due to him being a lot older, he originally took on a more managerial role before becoming their drummer. He was nicknamed "Snowy" by the band due to his jet black hair (a common trait in Australian humour that someone is nicknamed based on the opposite of one of their features).[5] Fleet is claimed to be the member who named the band "The Easybeats".[5]

The group consisted of Gordon (now performing as "Snowy"), Stevie Wright (vocals/originally from Leeds, England), George Young (guitar/from Glasgow, Scotland), Harry Vanda (guitar), and Dick Diamonde (bass, both from the Netherlands).[4]

The band relocated from Australia to London in early 1966. There, they recorded their biggest selling hit "Friday on My Mind" in September that same year. Reaching number six on the British charts, it officially made the group an internationally successful band.[8]

Fleet was born in 1939, several years before the next eldest member Harry Vanda (born 1946[9]), but when the band went famous, his birthyear was moved back five years to 1945 to make him seem younger.[5]

Fleet left the Easybeats in the spring of 1967, as he was unhappy at the amount of time he had to spend away from his wife and young children, and was replaced by Tony Cahill.[4] A reunion took place in 1986, with the original members.[4]

Fleet, with the group, was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005.[10] He, Wright, and Vanda attended the ceremony.[4]

In 2017, it was announced that the Easybeats were the subjects of a two-part miniseries that would air on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In the show, Snowy was portrayed by Arthur McBain.[8]

Personal life and death

In his later life, Fleet became a successful builder in Perth, Western Australia, and ran a rehearsal studio in Jandakot, Western Australia.[11] He worked at his family's construction company, which he would eventually run until his death.[11] In 2005, Fleet and his son Adam renovated a 1800s house at 59 Hampton Road in Fremantle, where Adam lived for a while, that features Snowy's signature in the limestone.[12][13]

Fleet was the only member of the Easybeats to attend the funeral of frontman Stevie Wright in January 2016. Fleet died on 18 February 2025, at the age of 85.[14] He was married for more than 60 years to Maureen,[5] and they had three children. Owing to Fleet's death, Vanda is the last surviving member of The Easybeats.[4][8][15]

Discography

Main article: The Easybeats discography

Studio albums

References

  1. ^ "Milesago – Groups & Solo Artists – The Easybeats". www.milesago.com. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  2. ^ "Sizzled and burned... the baby-faced superstar who took his Aussie hits to the world". The Daily Telegraph. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Gordon H. Fleet". FreeBMD. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Drummer in legendary Aussie rock band dies". The West Australian. 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  5. ^ a b c d e f rockportraits (2014-09-28). "The Easybeats". rockportraits. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  6. ^ "The Mojos". The Strange Brew. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  7. ^ "The Mojos' gigs 1963-1969 | Garage Hangover". garagehangover.com. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  8. ^ a b c Cashmere, Paul (2025-02-20). "Snowy Fleet of The Easybeats Has Died At Age 79". Noise11.com. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  9. ^ scheme=AGLSTERMS.AglsAgent; corporateName=National Archives of Australia; address=Queen Victoria Terrace, Parkes, ACT 2600; contact=+61 2 6212 3600. "RecordSearch - National Archives of Australia". recordsearch.naa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2025-02-18. Retrieved 2025-02-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "ARIA Hall Of Fame". www.aria.com.au. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  11. ^ a b Fricke, David (1986-09-11). "The Easybeats: Where Are They Now?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  12. ^ "Historic Fremantle Home With Rock 'N' Roll Relic - realestate.com.au". www.realestate.com.au. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  13. ^ "The Hampton Road Angel". Journeygirl. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  14. ^ Stickman 'Snowy' key to Easybeats' historic success
  15. ^ Varvaris, Mary. "The Easybeats' Gordon "Snowy" Fleet Passes Away, Aged 79". The Music. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowy_Fleet
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