THE FAIR SECT

New Zealand / Active throughout the sixties, disbanded in 1972.

Personnel:
FAYE REID (guitar, bass, vocals)
NORMA STACEY (drums, vocals)
VAL TAPENE (bass, vocals)
LINDA WILLIAMS (guitar, vocals)
YVONNE GRAY (guitar)
IAN MACINTOSH (drums)
PAT REWAI (vocals)
GAY ARO (drums)
JENNY PARKINSON (vocals)
MARY BRADFIELD (vocals)
JUNE LITTEN (keyboards)
KAY WOLFGRAM (vocals)

This was Auckland's most successful all-female group. It was launched when Norma Stacey and Val Tapene placed a newspaper advert seeking other girls who wanted to play in an all-girl group. When Faye Reid and Linda Williams responded the band was born.

When Tapene left she was replaced by Yvonne Gray, a guitarist with Reid switching to bass. Stacey was the vocalist and played the drums standing up (which was common in groups of this era). When she wanted to front the band Ian MacIntosh was recruited as a specialist drummer. At this time they were known as Fair Sect Plus One.

By 1968, MacIntosh and Stacey left to be replaced by Rewai and Aro, who was replaced by Jenny Parkinson, who in turn gave way to a sixteen year old singing sensation called Mary Bradfield.

Of their four singles their unusual rework of I Love How You Love Me, which utilised bagpipes as the lead instrument, did the best.

After becoming a popular live attraction in the late sixties in Auckland, they headed for Australia in 1970, basing themselves in Melbourne and eventually, after lots of hard work, securing a residency at the Federal Hotel. In 1971, they headed for Canada, finally disbanding in 1972.

Faye Reid went on to appear in a number of all girl bands, but ended up as a university lecturer in Sydney. Aro was in some of these bands, too, before setting up in business in Sydney. Norma Stacey had a number of her own bands, too. Rewai and Parkinson both enjoyed solo careers and Mary Bradfield became a sought-after session singer.