By Luke Voogt
Australia is “very much like home” for pop legend Dolores ’Dee Dee’ Kenniebrew, an original member of ’60s supergroup The Crystals.
“The country’s so open and vast and we have a lot of similarities,” she told the Indy on Monday.
Brisbane reminded her of Florida, while Melbourne was like New York, Kenniebrew said.
“There’s one part of Melbourne I call 42nd Street because it reminds me so much of Manhattan.”
Kenniebrew first toured Australia 1964 with the original Crystals, returned with the Commodores in the ’80s and was last here in 2015.
She started performing straight out of high school in 1961 and has toured ever since – apart from two years off after the birth of her daughter.
Kenniebrew still hits the stage with the same vigour but takes longer to adjust to new time zones, she said.
“When you’re young it would probably take a day or so to recover,” the 73-year-old said.
She spoke to other Indy shortly after hopping out of bed about 11am following a show in Newcastle the night before.
“I’m beginning to drag – we’ve been running around quite a bit.
“Finally, for the first time today, I’m catching up on my sleep.”
The Crystals performed in a time of social revolution when issues like civil rights were forefront.
“We were too busy working on the road to get involved in all that,” Kenniebrew said.
But she remembered performing for a segregated audience at a town in Georgia.
“One side was for the whites and one side was for the blacks. It was just the most ridiculous thing I’d ever seen.”
But often their music united crowds, Kenniebrew said.
“It’s what will unite us to other galaxies.
“Thank god every audience has been great. People get out there to have a good time and they do.”
Kenniebrew is the one remaining original member in The Crystals latest line-up touring Australia.
“One by one the originals dropped off,” she said.
“When you’ve got mums and they’ve babies at home they’ve got to be there.”
But Kenniebrew was able to stay on the road thanks to her nanny.
Kenniebrew’s daughter was now a professor at George Washington University and spoke five languages, she said.
The Crystals will perform its greatest hits like He’s a Rebel, Da Doo Ron Ron and Then He Kissed Me when they come to Geelong Performing Arts Centre this Thursday.
“Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re 15 or 16 again,” Kenniebrew said.
Joining Kenniebrew will be her mate from the ’60s, Chris Montez, who just toured Europe.
“I’ve been so busy it’s ridiculous,” 75-year-old Montez said.
“If anything I’ve got more vigour on stage. The more you perform the more you learn.”
Montez was an iconic singer in the ’60s but this tour with The Crystals was his first time in Australia.
“I wish I had come here sooner,” he said.
“If I had come earlier I probably would have stayed.”
