Proof of this was on hand for everyone to see yesterday when Lonnie Lee and his band the Leemen played to 400 fans at Maitland City Hall.

What was extraordinary was it was the same place the group played in Maitland when they made history in 1959.

It was at the band’s first performance in Maitland that the actions of excited fans, who broke chairs during that event, brought down the wrath of Maitland City Council.

So much so that council banned rock ‘n’ roll in Maitland – and that ban lasted for two full years.

The ban made national headlines and it enraged music fans.

But the wheel has turned full circle now. The band was back in town this week on what was their fourth annual visit.

And from their very first notes, the effect on fans was mesmerising. Several folk were blinking back tears.

“We all have our memories,” Judy Wallace, of Gillieston Heights, said.

“Lonnie Lee never seems to get any older and he always keeps us seniors feeling young. We remember those goods times because the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s will never die.”

Lonnie Lee said he was delighted to be back in Maitland where his band was always warmly welcomed.

“It is quite amazing to be back playing to some of the very people who were here in Maitland City Hall at our very first performance,” he said. 

“It’s 2015 now and we were here in 1959 when some of the kids went wild and smashed seats,” he said.

“It is an honour to be back here again, playing to some of those wild kids.”

And the mayor of Maitland showed just how dramatically times have changed.

“Welcome to Maitland – I am a very strong fan of Lonnie Lee,” Cr Peter Blackmore said. “This is a fabulous event, and it will continue on.”

Read the story here