Tyler Redway
THE Barn Palais and its owner Dale Cleves OAM will sit alongside some of the greatest names in music as they are both inducted into the SA Music Hall of Fame.
The nominations mark the first time the SA Music Hall of Fame has welcomed a regional venue and a local who had done a great service to the music industry.
Opening in 1937, The Barn saw 1000 people from the South East and Victoria flock to its doors on opening night.
Today, Mr Cleves has picked up from where his father Frank, the venue’s previous owner, left off in 1960 and has expanded The Barn which eventually became the largest licensed venue in the state before the Adelaide Convention Centre was built.
Originally stemming from his father’s band at the age of 16, Mr Cleves said The Barn had constantly been a source of live music after the Second World War up until the “Saturday night dance craze” ended in the late 80s.
He also said The Barn was now one of the oldest venues in existence as others had continued to close their doors.
“Most of the city venues in the early days like the Palais Royale and the Windsor Ballroom are all gone,” Mr Cleves said.
“There are still live shows with the Lee Kernaghans of the world still coming through and there are always bits and pieces but the old regular Saturday Night dance is a thing of the past everywhere now.”
Although he had many memorable moments, one particular fond memory was The Seekers performing at the venue in 1962.
Adelaide Music Collective (AMC) director said the nominations were the result of a person or place who previously had a significant national impact in the music industry.
He said one reason for Mr Cleves’ nomination came from his retail industry of Dale Cleves music, which Mr Morena said serviced many musicians who had gone to do “bigger things”.
Mr Morena added it was also due to how he created the Generations in Jazz program and his family’s extensive expansion interstate.
“It was his first achievement because he provided a service which then goes on to provide services for musicians who have come to Mount Gambier,” he said.
“Then there is also his input in establishing Generations in Jazz in Mount Gambier and then thirdly, it was his family company which has now expanded to include Winston’s and Billy Hyde through his son and provide great services to musicians out of Adelaide as well as Mount Gambier and Warrnambool.”
Mr Morena said The Barn Palais’ induction was mainly to expand AMC’s footprint for venues outside of Adelaide which contributed to the music industry.
“It’s no longer a venue and we realise that but we are inducting what it was and what it represented for a lot of famous people and bands who came through Mount Gambier in the 70s and 80s,” he said.
On August 27, Mr Morena said he would attend an invitation only event at The Barn Palais to congratulate Mr Cleves and the venue.
Mr Cleves said the celebration would be a chance to reunite with musicians who had not performed at The Barn for more than 40 years.