1961 to 2008

 After having played 2nd flute in Holywood Flute band, it was suggested by one of the guys in the band that I should "take up" the Sax. So when I was in London on holiday with my English relations, my Mum took me to Boosey & Hawks in Oxford Street.There I bought my first Sax. It was a secondhand  "La Fayette" Tenor.    Back in Belfast I went for lessons to Billy McFaddens in Harrybrook Street.This man could read and write music like an author can read & write books. When I was 16 a guy called to my house and asked me to join a band!  His name was Alan Jones( the Manager). The Band became THE OCEANS SHOWBAND and was the first of many Bands and Groups that I have performed with.   At the age of 18 in 1964 I went to Croydon , London, and played with a 6 piece Blues/Pop group. London was swinging in the Sixties and was the place to be.  I met my German wife there, and at 19 I was married & we returned to Belfast. Where I joined THE CASCADES. In 1966 our son was born. in 1972 we emigrated to Germany where I have played with many Bands. Since calling one of the Bands a "SHOWBAND" (where we did do some comedy etc. like the Irish Showbands) a lot of bands here now call themselves "Showbands" (  they don't do any "Show" - but it sounds good 'cause it's English!). I did some studio work with a few bands  on about 6 or 7  records, - playing - Sax, Flute, penny whistle, Blues Harp etc. I hope you enjoy the following...........AND before you start pulling a face,  I apologize for the poor quality on a lot of the  recordings ..Some of my tapes were well worn before I got them onto CDs.

 http://www.irishshowbands.net/heads_magee.htm

 http://www.iangallagher.com/oceans.html

Above:- The Original  Oceans Showband. Formed in 1961 by Manager Alan Jones . L.to R. Crockett, Victor, Billy, Kenny, Spud & Wee Harry(kneeling) Photo taken at Sydenham. - In the very beginning we were doing 1 hour breaks for the "great" Witnesses Showband.

ABOVE:-  At the Tonic cinema every Saturday morning In Bangor (n.Ireland) there would be several Bands performing on the stage in front of the curtains of the big screen.

 http://www.irish-showbands.com/Bands/oceans.htm

                                               The photo above was taken at "Sammy Houstons" Belfast.

In 1962 the above line up changed, when  the Oceans went to Birmingham for a few months playing the Irish Club.                                                

The Oceans Showband line up  -  L. to R. back row:-    Ivan Johnston - Victor Mawhinney - Albert Craig - Elisabeth (Paula) Jamison - (Wee) Harry Whitley - Robert(Crockett)Magee -  Front row:-  L.to R.:-     Alan Aston - Leslie Brook - Joe Reid.

       A piece from The Belfast " Newsletter"  11th January 1964...(thank's to Lynne Hamilton (Miami Showbands greatest fan))

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 1964. The Boardwalkers played the clubs  around & about London.We played the afternoon "matinee"  at   Hammersmith Palais.    For the teenagers the  "Swingin' Sixties" were great years. ....From left to right Alan Irvine - Robert Magee (Sax) - Mike Lamb (Git)) then... ?... ( old brain cells again) - Dave Harris (Perc)  & Max Spinks (Vocals).            Below is a a recording of "Cocain" by them  just before I joined them. Mike was playing one of them there metal Guitars.

ABOVE:-..Mikes Band   - Mike on Stevens left ...                                          Before my friend Mike Lamb passed away, he recorded quite few numbers..

BELOW:- Steven - Mikes Son , who sings "Heartbeat"  (Great voice)

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 1966. I returned to Belfast and in 1967 joined the Cascades Showband.L.to R. Billy, Kenny, Harry, Eddie, Victor, Crockett & the Bass player still hasn't turned up!!!

 http://www.iangallagher.com/Cascades.html

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 The first  Band I played with in Germany    .  "Jeff Set"  .   They played Rock-Jazz, music that I couldn't get my head 'round, but at least it was getting me out of the house!!    A few years later I played with the Drummer & Guitarist in"Rosa Rot".

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1973   -    Me, busking at The Hannover Trade Fair.

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 This band I joined  in 1977  wanted a new name. So what better than The Oceans. We played at a gig where there were a lot of british . Some woman was trying to chat to the guitarist who didn't speak English, so he called me over. The woman was from Belfast and remembered the Oceans ( and me)!        (I'd had a bad car accident in 75 which took me out of the scene for a couple of years between 75-77)

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Cabrio  1980 -82......I'm not quite sure - it may have been 1984 !!!!!!!!!  (Well! wait 'til you git old!!)  line up -L to R           Klaus( git/voc.) - Rainer 1,(drums) - me - Martina (voc) - Rainer 2 (bass) & Franz (key/voc) who never turned up for the shoot! (see below, he's the one to the left of the handsom guy with the hat)

Above:-

This was taken about 4am - 1st January in the hotel room just after the  gig. Great New Years gig -  2 bands and a disco in three different salons. 

 Music Express  .........This was probably  earlier than the  Cabrio band above! (1980 -82) Who cares - nobody's looking anyway, except me ............I probably won't be able to find this site again anyway what with the oul grey cells slowly dying off !  L to R Franz (key/Voc.) Bobby (me) (ten./alt.Saxs./flute/bls.harp), Heribert (drums),Klaus(Bass/R.git.voc.) Mannie (keys & procurer of the on-stage alcoholic beverages- as you can see by the way he holds his hand!).

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1982 -ROSAROT ( Shocking pink) L. to R. (rear) - Heinz Radau(git), Uwe Peterson(bass), Hennes Brummer (drums), Robert Magee(Saxes) Gunther Peterson (keys),  (front) Margitta Winkelbauer (voc) and Ollie (Sax).......We recorded about 20 songs over a period of 3 weeks, which were sort of German "New Wave" songs. RCA chose 2 for the A & B side.We made a video for the A side. I think RCA just needed something that they could write off against tax..............

Below are some more songs out of the  tracks we recorded .......... 

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Solitaire was made up from muscians who I'd played with in previous bands.  L to R :- Heinz (git.) played in "Jeff Set" and formed "Rosarot".(he also composed the songs we recorded on RCA label). Dirk (trumpet) was a late addition to "Music EXpress". Karsten (percussion) also "Music Express".  The guy to the right of the hansom guy with the sun glasses is Franz(Keys/Voc.) and Hansi (bass/git. voc.) also played with "Music Express".

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In between everything I did several studio recordings with other musicians ........I played Tenor Sax on "Baby Ich bin nur ein girl"(Baby I'm just a Girl) ..............and  on "Nur einTraum"(Just a Dream) I played Flute  and Blues Harp.(Sorry again about the Quality)

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2003 - Thought I'd try my hand at writing  some more songs and send them off to some record firms. SO I recorded 5 songs out of about 50 that I wrote.  (I was hoping that the record firm would have an artist on their books that would like at least one of my songs.)  The 5  I chose were aimed at the German "Carnival Season" which starts at 11.11 am on 11th of the 11th every year and ends on Shrove Tuesday.(nearly anything goes in the Carnival time- if you happen to be wearing a tie on one certain day , the females of our species are allowed to cut it off!) 

 EMI sent me a reply to say - " keep trying and keep us up to date on further recordings" - (do they know how old I am?)  and Columbia at least were honest in a round about sort of way to tell me that it was rubbish!   Ah well! that was that then.............With a voice like mine I don't stand a chance anyway ...............

Don't Buy Me Socks  CD:- Guitar - Reinhart Potchinski, Synths' & Rythm - Mattias Duddek, Sax's & Vocal Bobby Magee (Crockett) 

Below are a 3 tracks that you can quickly pause when you've had enough...............

 http://www.carnaval.com/germany/

The following songs...........

 Messin' about with my wee  "TASCAM"  recorder I recorded a few more of my songs   very VERY ROUGHLY  - as you'll of course hear.........................Out of Tune - Out of Sync.   All instruments "murdered" by meself!        AND! I DIDN'T HAVE ONE DROP OF BUSHMILLS ALL DURING THE RECORDINGS ................ maybe just two or three.   AND! All the mistakes were not done on purpose!!

I only realized after listening to "Jesus found me pickin' flowers" that  I had used the melody  of "whiskey in the jar" .....ah well!

Belfast Blues:- I was probably feeling a wee bit homesick when I wrote this!

O'Caseys Bar :-    The wife (Brigitte) & me  were invited to this bar for a special funcion, so I wrote a few words which I put to music!

and the rest of them  were due to drinkin' too much water! (in the whiskey)

 2008  I was contacted  through a Showband site by Alan Jones  (The Oceans Showband Manager). Later in the year I visited him and his wife Muriel. 

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Above, reunion after 40 odd years.  Alan Jones And Victor Mawhinney  the longest serving member of THE OCEANS SHOWBAND (from beginning to end) met up in 2008. Victor is performing solo now'a'days,playing & singing country music.

Victor contacted me through the Irish Showband site  after 45 years , I still have to meet up with him.

 Other showband websites :-        ::::::http://www.irishshowbandalbum.com:::: http://www.irishshowbands.net/index_show.htm                                                                    http://www.themiamishowband.com/

   http://www.irish-showbands.com/        http://www.iangallagher.com/        http://tomeking.yolasite.com/     http://www.jivenaires.com/

                                                   http://www.aftershock-the-band.com/irishshowbandsandgroups.html  

To the guys that I know of who have passed away over the years may they all rest in peace:-   Billy Johnston, singer, who made the girls scream when he was on stage and who dropped me from his arms when he was trying to burst my boobs (balloons) in our version of Hey Hey Paula. - Wee Harry Whitley,Great guitar player, and my best friend in the early 60s'(it was rare to see him without his instrument - I think he slept with his beloved guitar). - Mike Lamb,Another great guitarist,an artist, wittness to my marriage,a friend and a nice human being. - Mannie Baumeister from Hamburg, Keyboarder and Schnaps drinker and a great musician.- Ollie , a great saxophonist with Rosarot who died young a few years after we recorded. BillySkelly  The Cascades(Belfast) Bandleader,Keyboarder & Vocalist who returned home from U.S.A. to be with his family in Bangor,Co. Down(May 2014).

                                                        In memory of our son Robert Magee Junior who died aged 19 in 1986.