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Anniversary time for Peter Maxwell
Peter arrived in Durban for the first time on September 29, 1958 and for the next 38 years he has returned. Sometimes on consecutive years, sometimes with a few years in between, but always he returns to his favourite city,
He has toured throughout Africa many times, but he is assured of a very special welcome in Durban: "It is my second home," he says.
He opened at the EDWARD HOTEL on October 1, 1958 expecting to stay a month - two at the most. The following February he celebrated 100 consecutive performances and in the May released his first record "Olay" which was recorded live in Durban during the season.
He was back again on September 25, 1959 for a special "Night of the Year" at the Causerie with Bill Williams and Bob Austin from the USA and then spent six months in the country, going on to Bulawayo, Salisbury and Nairobi and back to London.
His third season at the Edward's Hansom Cab started in December 1960 and was to last five months. Then he was off to Johannesburg, Swaziland, the Eastern Cape and his first visit to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).
His fourth visit to SA followed attendance at the International Festival in Las Vegas and in that year he was back at the EDWARD accompanied by the Trio Pepe.
Before setting sail for his fifth visit (on Boxing Day 1964) he appeared at the Liverpool Philharmonic for the famous Variety Club of Great Britain and in London at the Embassy and Blue Angel . This was to be his most arduous South African tour of all. He covered 56,OOOkm by road, 14,400 by air and 800km by sea which must have been a record for a one-man show at that time.
1965 was spent in England, 1966 in Australia and Hong Kong and in December of that year Peter returned for the sixth time. By the beginning of January 1967 he was back at his favourite hotel.
Thanks to more globe-trotting, he didn't return to Durban until 1973 but he has been back for every one of the 20 years since and now proudly states that he is not only entertaining old friends, but the children and grandchildren of those friends. In some families there is a Maxwell tradition and when January comes round again, they're off for their annual dose of songs and ditties, laughter, political comment and piano magic.
Perhaps like you, they wouldn't miss it for the world.

My Africa!
It was all a big mistake. He'd never heard of Durban but having been in Singapore during the war, he knew he would love the sun, so he agreed to come to Africa. That decision would change the course of his life.
Africa became his second home. It got "into his blood". He would return again and again.
On September 29, 1958 Peter set foot in South Africa and his love affair with the continent has been constant for 38 years. He started going to countries north of the Limpopo River when he realized it was foolish to fly over them and not to stop enroute to do shows.
He went first to Rhodesia in May 1960 and Kenya the following month where he appeared at the Equator Club. The night-c1ubbers loved him and took him to their hearts and into their homes. Women fell for him and men enjoyed his humour and razor-sharp wit. He amused his audience with ballads, a fund of funny stories, and fine piano playing for two, three or four hours.
He lived like a king in the best hotels from Nairobi in the North to Cape Town in the South. He played his piano for governor generals and ambassadors and met presidents and prime ministers.
It was in Nairobi that he first met country singer Roger Whittaker and in London, Australian funny man, Rolf Harris.
Peter later met Roger again in London in the office of his agent, Pauline Marks. She was the sister of Joe Collins, also a theatrical agent for more than 60 years. Joe is probably better known as the father of film star Joan Collins and her highly successful sister, author Jackie Collins. Collins put many on the road to stardom including comedian Dave King and singer Dorothy Squires who was, at one time more famous than her then husband Roger Moore who went on to be the most famous of the Bonds.
Pauline Marks was Peter Maxwell's agent for 13 year, and she secured his first engagement in what was then Rhodesia, in conjunction with the then South African Agency, Don Hughes.

Entertaining at the Pennyfarthing

The Edward connection and the record collection

Peter doing what he does best – entertaining. His fans return faithfully every year to the Causerie in the EDWARD HOTEL to see, hear and laugh with him.
Peter's 21-year connection with The EDWARD HOTEL began on October, 1958 when he performed in Durban for the first time.
In those days he played in the old part of the hotel - virtually on the verandah (now demolished). It had many names for different entertainers, such as the Pennyfarthing when Peter Maxwell was at the piano, The Hansom Cab for Bill Williams and The Copper Pot for Lee Vincent. It was particularly famous for its Candlelight Theatre.
By 1961 the group to which the Edward, the Langham in Johannesburg and the Marine in Cape Town belonged had standardised on the name 'The Hansom Cab' for all their entertainment rooms.
General Manager of the hotel in those early days was David de Pinna, who later became the Managing Director of the Group, working with people like Fred Gottgens, who joined the Holiday Inn Group in the Cape, Sam Clark, who later bought the EDWARD with the current sole owner, Andres 'Twam' Davies. Another manager was Kai Hansen, who is still Managing Director of the Meikles Hotel in Harare.
The EDWARD HOTEL is now owned by the Karas Group and during 1995 had a R30,000,00 rebuild opening in April/May 1996.

David de Pinna has just retired from secretaryship of the Cavalry and Guards Club in London's Piccadilly. His son Michael has appeared in cabaret throughout South Africa. His late wife Nadia de Pinna used to sing with the Geraldo Orchestra in Britain under the stage name of Nadia Dore.
In the early 1960's Peter was elevated to the Causerie where guests dined and danced to the music of Eldon Hawkes. The following decade he first played in The Rose Room and then latterly at the New Causerie with his audience dining at the luxurious smorgasbord.

Click on thumbnails for larger image
The first people to ask Peter into their home were Pat and the late Gerry Scully. This friendship and scores of others have stood the test of time, Hilary Ralph (nee Beavitt) wrote the notes of his first LP entitled "Olay" (PMCJ 120039) released in 1959. His other records were "Mr Chatsby" (PMCJ 120039) in 1961 and 45rmps "Memories/-.Kleiner Kleiner Bird" and "Durban Town/Song of Africa". He wrote the last two songs as well as "I Know You're \Wonderful", "How Can I Tell Her I Care", "Walk with My Love" and "Love is a Funny Thing".
"Memories of My Africa" was written by Peter in 1977 aboard a plane en route to South Africa and recorded in Zimbabwe in 1979.
He also penned "A Bird Sings" which was recorded by Ronnie Ronalde, the whistling singer of the early 1950's. He recalls “To record this, Eddie Calvert, the man with the golden trumpet, and Max Diamond, then working witl1 Gabriel Music, had one line changed and it was the top song at the Radio City New Year for three years, I believe. But I never received a penny after signing the contract for a shilling."

He became a good pianist because his mother made him practice. Photographed at the keys on his first visit to Durban in 1958.

Causerie Edward Hotel Durban 1990

Christmas Season for Peter's Show at the Edward
	December 14, 1993 saw the start of Peter Maxwell's 23rd season at the Karos EDWARD HOTEL, Durban and his 27th season in the city. This is certainly a record for the Edward, and probably a record for Durban.
	Peter is appearing again in the Victoria Room and, for the first time for many years, Christmas and The New Year.
	The EDWARD is now owned by The Karos Group of Hotels. It was previously owned by Andrew 'Twan' Davies. The Karos Group are now busy with a major restoration to regain the hotel's five-star status.
	The number 23 is quite significant for Peter Maxwell. When he was 23 years old he went to Singapore as an RAF sergeant which would lead to his first professional show as a pianist and a whole new career.
	Other people's 23rd year were possibly more spectacular, Jesse Owens, for example, broke four world records in 45 minutes at the Olympic Games, Bo Derek became the Sex Symbol of the World and Mozart composed his Coronation March.
1923 was a pretty interesting time - although Peter was not to arrive in the world for another four years. Noel Coward starred with Gertrude Lawrence in "London Calling" and musicals produced in London included "Love and Laughter", "The Cricket on the Hearth" and 'The Rose and the Ring".
In 1927 Peter was born in Woolston. Southampton, near Eastleigh but possibly more earth shattering things were that Al Jolson appeared in the world's first talking movie, "The Jazz Singer", English batsman Jack Hobbs scored his 100th century at cricket and in South Africa, Charles Evenden, former cartoonist of The Natal Mercury, founded the memorable Order of Tin Hats, the brotherhood of ex-servicemen.
But let us jump back to 1958 - September 29 to be exact - the first time that Peter Maxwell arrived in Durban.
He recalls: "I walked up the steps of the EDW ARD HOTEL to be greeted by the manager, David de Pinna, who later told me he thought I was far too thin (at 70kg) to last.
"I was introduced to The Pennyfarthing Room. It had been decorated with a genuine old farthing bicycle hanging on the wall. All I had was a large pile of music and four stories I could tell.
"My introduction to The EDWARD had been presaged by calling at the Langham Hotel Johannesburg, after arriving from London. Mr. Gelardi was at that time GM and director of the Edward Langham Group. They put me up for the night.
"I remember that at the end of the evening I was asked what I thought of the place and how I would do. I said that, quite frankly, since I only did 15/20 minute cabarets they might as well put me on the plane home to London!"
Had that happened he would probably have gone back into the Air Force and maybe ended up as an Air Marshall!
"That evening I was introduced to Bill Williams who had just arrived from his first successful Durban season to open in Johannesburg. Because we played so often in the same venues, I was to be mistaken for him for many years."
In the beginning, each room was named differently for each artist - Bill Williams at the Hansom Cab, Peter Maxwell at The Pennyfarthing, Lee Vincent at The Copper Pot. But by 1969 all the rooms in their various hotels - Durban, Cape Town or Johannesburg - were re-named The Hansom Cab.
Peter Maxwell retained his identity by calling himself "Pennyfarthing" but the likeness between Williams and himself often caused confusion. Both had served in the RAP in Singapore and both played in the Hansom Cab. Williams was, however 10 years older. Tony Snell, also ex-RAF at the Hansom Cab for one season. In the past 18 years Snell has owned a small island off Tortola on the British Virgin Islands and a restaurant called The Last Resort. Peter spent June 1993 there.
Anyway when he arrived in Durban for the first time, he opened to a week of about 30/60 people each night: "I used to play the piano for an hour, then sing a few songs, by which time I to go to the toilet. I would make a quick dash, afraid that people might leave if I was away too long and so the four hours went by”.
"Within four weeks Penny farthing was packed each night and I was on my way."
"I was also waking up with enormous headaches with a mouth like a parrot's cage. One morning at 11am I went into the Long Bar at the end of the Old EDWARD (now demolished). I asked the barman for brandy which I saw him pour. "Come one," I said "I don't want a double" to which he replied: "That's not a double, that's a normal tot."
Then I discovered that in South Africa in 1958 they were serving 22 tots from a bottle whereas in the UK, 33 tots was the measure!
"All of a sudden I had nearly quadrupled my intake and realised that if I carried on like that I had no chance of survival, so I got to asking for half tots."
And that is the explanation of how Peter can, at 68, do a two-hour show, calling "Cheers" - with outstretched pinkie - and give an impeccable performance. And on stage - at the theatre or opera house it's a dry evening until curtain down.
For 35 years he has been returning, sometimes on consecutive years, sometimes with a few years in between, but always he returns to his favourite city, Durban and to The Edward, which for the last eight years has been ably managed by Gerhard Patzer.
As he often tells his audience, he has sung it all over the world, publicising this little comer of Africa, but he has never been able to sell his song to the Durban Publicity authorities. This year the Durban Men's Choir, under Dr John Pauw, will sing a special arrangement by Milton Johnson of it, so let's hope it will be heard more widely.
The choir, which is probably the best known male voice choir in South Africa, is now 21 years old. It has sung in America and Europe, the last tour being to Austria, Germany and Switzerland in 1989. They have appeared on South African TV and are heard regularly - almost every month - on radio.

With David de Pinna - on his first anniversary in the Pennyfarthing