Bob Bertles

A self-taught musician, Bertles in the late 1950s and early 60s was a member of the developing modern jazz scene that grew out of venues like the Mocambo in Newtown and the El Rocco Jazz Cellar in Sydney's Kings Cross.[1]

Active in clubs, on TV, as a session musician and on the pop-rock scene, he toured with Johnny O'Keefe.[2]

In 1967 Bertles temporarily joined Sydney-based rock-soul band Max Merritt & The Meteors.[1] Only weeks after joining, Bertles, Merritt and drummer Stewie Speer narrowly escaped death after their van collided head-on with a truck on the way to a country dance; all three were seriously injured and Bertles was left with a permanent limp.[3] In 1974, after the group split, Bertles joined Ian Carr's Nucleus.[2]

In more recent years Bertles has toured Europe extensively, joined the orchestra for the Australian production of the stage musical Chicago, where he met his future wife, theatre performer Nancye Hayes.[2]

In addition to regular concerts, festivals, session work, and touring, Bertles' recent projects include recording and live performances with Sydney's renowned Ten Part Invention.[2]