Showband Heroes 7: Dushy “Gene” Chetty
Episode 7 features Dushy ‘Gene’ Chetty, lead singer with ‘Gene and The Gents’, who came to Dublin in the early Sixties as a student but was so smitten by the sound of the Showbands and by the hysteria they created that he gave up his studies to join the band at the invitation of its legendary guitarist, Henry McCullough. As ‘Gene’, Dushy was an instant sensation in the ballrooms and concert venues throughout the island of Ireland. The band shared top billing with iconic British groups like The Tremeloes and The Move, among others, until the so-called ‘Troubles’ erupted and reminded Gene too much of the life he had left back in South Africa just six years before. As a result, he decided to quit the band and resume his studies. This is his story.