The Barry Leinbach Mentor & Life Coach Award

Barry Leinbach

“Bert Emery gradually backed away from Showboat and mom took over. She booked shows. In the early 1970s is when she officially took over. In the early 1980s, they refurbished the stage and rebuilt the dressing rooms. She became known as the ‘Captain of the Kits Showboat.’ She still runs it to this day.”

Barry Leinbach was also in the band when I joined and an old friend. Barry’s mom Bea, ran the Kitsilano Showboat, a summer amateur performance event at Kitsilano Beach. These days Barry has taken over from his mom and can be seen at least four nights a week in the summers announcing the performers and running the Showboat.

“How did you meet Arthur Delamont?”

“Probably like many young guys our age, we met him through our mothers. One day, when I came home from school, my mother said, “Come on, we are going for a little ride.” We ended up at Arthur Delamont’s place. He lived up at Thirteenth and Alma. He pretty much thrust a horn in my hand and said, “You’re a trumpet player.”

There were four of us on a riser in his basement. We just sat there and blew noise through these instruments. He treated us all the same, no matter what our musical ability. Years later, I was blowing pretty good trumpet and he still had the same discipline. He never lost his patience with me. I really marveled at that. By that time, he had amassed quite a musical history, yet he was still interested in us little upstarts, the individual. Then, after school, we would go over to his house probably about twice a week for our lesson. I would have been in grade six, so I would have been around eleven years old in maybe 1961 or 1962. Finally one day he says, “Don’t come here anymore, go to General Gordon School.” I was playing pretty good noise by then. Of all the years I went, I am hard-pressed to think of a time when he wasn’t there. His dedication was amazing. The only night he left was the night his wife died. Somebody came and talked to him. He didn’t say anything to us. He just got up and left. I played in his junior band for quite a while. In those days, he put on a concert every year at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. His junior band would play first. There were only about twenty of us ‘very amateurish kids,’ up on this stage in front of this huge audience. We would play three or four tunes and then be ushered off and the big band would come on stage but he made us feel just as important as the rest. I remember because we had to sell tickets. It was hard to sell the tickets to our aunts and uncles because they always asked, “How many pieces are you playing?” If we were only playing three or four pieces out of a two-hour concert, they weren’t always that interested.

Then one night at junior band rehearsal I heard the command: “You’re staying!”

I was really nervous because my mother used to always come and pick me up. Then I saw her standing in the back, so she knew. That was just before the 1962 trip. I wasn’t good enough to go but I remember them calling out the names of those going on the trip. There was no real surprise. I think a part of me kept saying, “Not me, not me, not me!” I was very young. Not ready for a world trip. There was a lot of nervousness that night. For me, it meant a holiday from band practice on Mondays and Thursdays. Right up until the time he left, we practiced with the band at Connaught Park.

On the 1966 trip, when we flew to England and arrived in Woolwich, a suburb of London, he said, “Everyone get out your instruments. We are going to have a practice.”

In his mind, we hadn’t played for twenty-four hours. We practiced in the basement. Everyone was tired. I think the guys all thought the trip was going to be like a holiday. To Delamont it was, “We’re going to the band competition in Kerkrade, Holland so you better practice.” That’s when we all realized that we would be practicing once or twice a day but it didn’t matter, we all settled in. That’s how I met him.”

“Do you have any stories or anecdotes from the early days?”

“My family was a very strong family. When I was in the band, my mother was the President of the Women’s Auxiliary. There was a real group of people around the band who did a lot of work. I remember getting my uniform. I was driven over to a house near Granville and Fourteenth and I went up into the attic and I received my uniform. I was pretty proud. It meant that I was in the band.”

“Tell me about the trumpet?”

1966 Kits Band Tour ~ Arriving in London

1966 The gang of ‘66 upon arrival in London looking tired and weary after the long flight from Canada. Mike Gregg above carrying Mr. Ds suits, Trevor Smith directly above our great alto sax player, Pat Powell with the brush cut in the front row our amazing flute player, Ambassador in the making Keith Christie next to Mr. D, Jimmy Pattison Jr on Mr. Ds other side, Mary Pattison at the far right with the dark hair and Mrs Kiernan outr other chaperone. A great bunch!

24 ~ Kerkrade, Holland

“When I started, I was playing one of Delamont’s trumpets. He had about six or seven. I guess he felt, if I was blowing one of his trumpets when I came, I wasn’t practicing at home. One day he had a conversation with my mom. The next thing I know is I have a shiny silver trumpet in my hand. He says, “Here, blow this!” Everybody seemed to nod approvingly of what I was doing. When it was time to leave, I took the shiny trumpet with me. But I said, “Why?” My mom said, “I just bought it for you.” I wish that I knew how much she paid for it. It was a King trumpet. I did some research on it recently and it was made in 1916. I still have it. I got it in 1963. Occasionally he would wear a trumpet out and he would move on to a new trumpet. Then his old trumpet would become available to the boys in the band. I am the only one that I know of who got one but I am sure over the years, others did as well. When you shined it up, boy was it pretty! It was kind of rare in those days to have a silver trumpet.

Just before the 1966 trip, I got a new trumpet for the trip. I still play it every so often. I played it a couple of years ago at Showboat when we played the Lost Chord. It sure brought back a lot of memories. All those times we played in Europe. It was a very touching moment.”

“What do you recall about the 1966 trip?”

“I remember Kerkrade, Holland. It was kind of a long day. I think the whole band was kind of numb to what was going on. I remember waiting to go on. I don’t think we were really nervous we were just all paying close attention to what was being said by Mr. D. Nobody wanted to step out of line. We were told to go out and sit down and open our music, which was already out. It was all very professional. When we had all sat down, we heard a little bell go ‘ding.’ The adjudicators sat away in the back of the room. We couldn’t really see them. We played a hymn to warm up. It was eerily quiet. We got applause for the hymn. The test piece we had played at every concert over the previous four weeks. It wasn’t toe-tapping music. The audiences always looked rather oddly when we played it but it was meant to test the band with tempo changes and key changes. When we had finished, I remember thinking, “It sounded pretty good!” Nobody made a mistake. There was another ‘ding’ and we all got up and left the stage. I think that there were two test pieces. We went and sat down. Later when we were back in the hall, they announced the winners. We came second in the concert. There was some booing because some people, I guess, thought we should have gotten first place. Then, when they announced the winner, there was more booing!

The next day, we went into the marching competition. I always wound up standing next to Mr. D. We marched around a track. I remember the judges walking through the rows, making sure everyone was playing. When we were walking to the bus, we heard that we had come first. I thought it was ironic because we were not really a marching band. I guess that we were the best-sounding group that could march. I remember practicing our marching at General Gordon School before we left, back and forth, back and forth, getting the lines straight. We marched a lot before the competition. I remember in England, in some small town, marching around a blind curve, with rolling green hills all around, and here comes this thirty-nine-piece band, marching and playing,

Kerkrade, Holland

1966 Kerkrade Music Festival, Holland

coming down a country road with nobody around, except for two people, who came out of nowhere. They just stood and watched us march past and down the road. We literally played at the drop of a hat. That was his way of ‘keeping us tight.’ We practiced on the bus one day, every opportunity! You always made sure that you were never too far from your instrument.”

“Do you remember marching along the banks of the Rhine River in Cologne, Germany?”

“Oh yes, we marched a long way. I remember when the big American bands came out and performed their big showy numbers. They were all American, USA, apple pie bands, with the majorettes out in front. I remember the audience laughing at them. They didn’t go over that well in Kerkrade.”

“I remember the 1966 trip was a lot tenser than the 1968 trip and it was because of going to the Kerkrade music festival.”

“Yes, it would be. Paris was lots of fun. I remember in Paris we were marching along and Delamont came across this plaza with about one hundred chairs, sitting, not being used. He says,“This is a good place to play a concert.” So, we took thirty-nine chairs, for the band to sit on and got our instruments out. We had played about two numbers, when a gentleman came over to Arthur and said,“I’m sorry but you have to pay for those chairs.”By this time there were a pretty fair number of people sitting listening to the concert but Delamont, true to his fashion had no intention of paying for the chairs and promptly ended the concert and we packed up and marched away.

One of the boys got very sick in Southend-on-sea. One of the chaperones went out and bought a bottle of Dettol. We all had to line up at the urinal on the fairground and gargle with this Dettol. It was pretty powerful!”

“Do you remember the Kursaal Ballroom?”

“Oh yes, we marched in the Carnival Parade. It was very long, as I recall. The Carnival Queens came over to where we were staying. One of them tried to blow my trumpet. We were all having a lot of fun until the chaperones decided that maybe we were having a little too much fun and ushered them away.

The parade was very long and it stopped every so often and we sat down on the curb. In our youth hostel in Cologne, Germany, the proprietor didn’t like us. He would play his music really loud in the mornings and then run through the youth hostel screaming, “Get up, get up!” I think that we only stayed there for two nights. It took me years to find out what the piece it was that he played each morning but I finally did. It was called El Silencia (In Silence). It was a beautiful trumpet piece that sounded a lot like the Lost Chord.”

“Do you recall Dartmouth?”

“Oh sure I remember Dartmouth. We stayed in a youth center on cots. One night we lifted one of the boys up and put him and his cot out on the street.”

“Do you remember Arthur on the trip?”

“Yes, he was always there for us. One day we had to move him and the chaperones to a new hotel. We carried his luggage. After we had finished, he turned around and gave us each a tip. He never showed any stress over Kerkrade. He loved to wear his uniforms. To me, he always was the same age from the day that I met him until his funeral in 1982. He never seemed to get old to me. I think he was just there for the boys. I played in his UBC pep band right up to the end. He never got paid for playing at UBC.”

“When you came back from the 1966 trip, what did you do?”

“I went to Vancouver City College and got a diploma in computer studies that was when computers were just starting out. I remember talking to someone who said to me,

“If you don’t apply at BC Hydro, I am going to kick your butt all around the block.”

I went down to Hydro and applied and thirty-three years later, I took early retirement. We went through so many generations of computers, from the main frame to the cumbersome personal computers, to the very fancy personal computers, to Blackberries. They used to say that computer technology doubles every ten years. Then, in the nineties, it changed to doubling every six months and then, in the mid ’90s, to every week. After that, we just stopped saying anything. It got to the point if you could think of it, it was probably obsolete.”

“You have been involved with computer technology for thirty-three years?”

“Yes, in various ways, either teaching computer courses or running teams that fixed computers. I moved around from department to department.”

“When did you get involved with Showboat?”

“I think it was before I was born!”

“Conscripted were you?”

“Yes, Showboat was always there. My mom volunteered

my services before I was born.

Before I was around my parents lived up at fifty-seventh and Fraser Street. Then they moved to Kitsilano in 1948. I think that my mom got involved back then. Mom was always community-minded. She believed that if you were going to get involved in something, you needed to get involved with the organizing as well.

Bert Emery went to Victoria in the early days before Showboat was built. He saw a stage set up in the inner harbor which was something similar to what he had envisioned for Kitsilano. He was the unofficial Mayor of Kitsilano. He owned a pharmacy. He put together a team that constructed a platform near the pool. Because it was the depression, he got all these entertainers who had daytime jobs, to come down and perform for free. At least they would be able to continue to ply their craft. Showboat became a venue for amateur and semi-professional entertainment. There was nowhere else in Vancouver that they could perform for free. That was about 1937. Showboat still holds the same philosophy, a place where amateur entertainers can perform before an audience.

Mom is the consummate volunteer. She has volunteered for ‘Meals on Wheels.’ She helped start that in Vancouver. She was also involved in the ‘Lady Vancouver Club,’ the Heritage Club’ and on and on and on. Getting back to Showboat, volunteers are always hard to find for venues like Showboat. She wound up taking on more and more responsibility. Bert Emery gradually backed away and she took over. She booked shows. In the early 1970s, she officially took over. In the early 1980s, they re-did the stage and rebuilt the dressing rooms. She became known as the ‘Captain of the Kits Showboat.’ She still runs it to this day.

When your mother is so involved, it is really hard not to get involved yourself. Do this, do that! I started working in the sound room and eventually became the secretary of the organization. And now I am the MC, about 90% of the time, ‘Mr. Showboat!’ I enjoy it because it keeps my skills sharp.”

“You do it very well!”

“Thank you.”

“I was impressed by the way you worked the crowd and got everyone involved.”

“People come down to Showboat to be entertained and to look at the view and the pool. There is so much there. If the program wasn’t what you expected, then you can look at the mountains or watch the people swim in the pool. There is always something going on.

I like people. I always like doing the ‘Bill Hughes’ thing, going out into the audience and talking to people. ‘Bill Hughes’ was on the radio. He used to go on the Greyhound buses and would say, “Today on the Greyhound bus we have....”

I always found that interesting as a kid. So, I go out and get people to raise their hands, if they are from out of town and sort of interview them. I just try to keep the people entertained. The performers are good so you don’t want it to die during intermission. Then, in my private life, I do a lot of presentations across Canada and the US.”

“How did you get involved in giving presentations?”

“Just because you retire, doesn’t mean you quit. Immediately when you retire, you become an expert on what you used to do. People say, “If you are retired now, then you must be an expert on computers.”

I found myself sought after by different groups to do ‘customer service training,’ ‘help desk training’ and so on. That’s how it started but now I have moved out of the IT environment and just into motivating people on whatever. I find that doing these presentations, Showboat helps me keep those spontaneous skills sharp. My business, in turn, helps keep my enthusiasm alive for Showboat. The showboat is live. If you blow it, it’s there for everyone to see and hear.

I am able to go on Showboat and get the audience cranked up because of my motivational speaking. Showboat people are there to be entertained. They will participate. They will get up out of their seats; wiggle their butts and so on. Basically do whatever I ask them to do. I like getting the audience motivated. By the time the act gets on stage, the audience is ready to see what they are all about. It’s a lot of fun!”

“How often do you travel, doing presentations?”

“I am trying to balance things. I am trying to enjoy retirement and I am also trying to enjoy the presentations.

The idea was, it was a way that I could travel. I have been to Las Vegas a couple of times and Nashville a couple of times; Dallas, Texas a couple of times. It gives me a chance to go to places I might not normally go. In Nashville, I got to see the ‘Grand Ole Opry.’ In Dallas, I went to see the ‘grassy knoll’ from the Kennedy assassination. I saw ‘Graceland’ in Memphis.”

“You just travel in North America?”

“Yes, I have had offers to go to Europe but it is kind of a long jaunt.”

“How do you make the connections?”

“My connections are mostly word of mouth. People will have heard me speak and then call me to speak at their function. I may have a topic that they love. Nowadays, people want to learn something as well as be entertained, which is what I try to do. I am well known for having a lot of content in my presentations.”

“What was the most exciting place you have been?”

“The people in Nashville are extremely friendly. I have been there twice and both times the people were great. Vegas is very tourist-orientated. It is a faster pace. Nashville has the whole package.”

“Do you think traveling with the band got you interested in traveling?’

“I don’t know. I was pretty young when I went on a band trip to Europe in 1966. But I sometimes see museums or television programs and recognize places, we went on the trip. I guess that it helped me realize that there is an awful lot more out there than what I am aware of.”

“I always feel at home when I travel.”

“So do I, very quickly I fall into a regimen. I will always talk to people on the street, as well. I have been to Panama. You have to be smart about it all though.”

“Have you kept up your playing over the years?”

“No, I just play around the reunion concerts except, about three or four years ago, I was approached by the ‘Firefighter’s band’ and asked if I wanted to join. I have always had a very high regard for that band. Lots of ex-Kits boys in there.

It has been around since 1926. I went down and really enjoyed it. I noticed a lot of similarities between the Kits band and the Firefighter’s band, especially between members. Sit sharp, dress sharp, look sharp, and hold your horns sharp, that was all Delamont! You can look around the Firefighter’s band and see right away which ones were Kitsie boys. It became a habit for all of us. It is a very good band and there are some very good musicians in that band. They have a lot of fun. They take their music seriously but still have fun. Mostly active and retired firefighters with a few supplements when necessary.”

“How active are they?”

“Oh, they are very active. They play quite a bit. At least once a month, they are out playing somewhere. They are the unofficial band for the ‘City of Vancouver.’ With the Olympics coming up, they will be more involved than ever before. They play civic functions and parades;’ Point Grey Days,’ ‘New West Days’ and a lot of funerals as well I am afraid. They are a very tight group who look after their own. I have told them, “I am very proud to be a member of your organization.”

They understand when I am in town, I am available. If I am out of town, of course, I am not but I can regulate my schedule.”

“Tell me what the whole ‘Kits’ experience meant to you so many years later?”

“Being in the band taught me a lot of life skills. I think a lot of kids today are missing those skills, discipline, and courtesy. If a child nowadays says, “Thank you!”

That is more of an exception than a rule. However, in my

day, if you didn’t say thank you, you got smacked on the side of the head for not being polite. Even today, if I hold the door open for someone, it doesn’t even occur to me that I have an option. So, the lessons have stayed with me. It’s always been said, “No one in the band has ever turned out bad.” And that is true!”

“The guys have all gone on to have great careers, both in music and out of music.”

“The band sure influenced my life at the time. We got to travel. We got to see Europe. It was pretty incredible, fitting into the team, with lots of skills! One of the big things we learned was that there were consequences if you didn’t fulfill your obligations and that was an important thing for a sixteen-year-old to learn. If you missed a concert or a rehearsal, Arthur would be conducting a piece and as soon as he was done, he would say, “Where were you on Saturday?” Nothing got by him, so everyone showed up. There was discipline but there was also a lot of respect. There really was no option.”

“Who are the three people who have influenced your life the most?”

“People come and go in your life all the time. I think people come into your life for a reason and then they leave for a reason. My parents have always been a big influence on my life as has my family in general. My dad had a really strong sense of family. My aunts and uncles were like an extended family. They were not distant. They were very close. We saw them on a regular basis, at least once a month. They also had a high sense of morals. They taught me about the good side of life, and how to be respectful to people. My mom, as I said

RIGHT: Barry as the MC for the Firefighter’s band at Showboat.

BELOW: Barry as MC at Showboat with some of the dancers backstage in the dressing rooms.

is the consummate volunteer. She volunteered for so many organizations, that it encouraged me to volunteer as well. I belong to an organization to give back to it, so others can carry on.

Arthur Delamont was one of those who came and went in my life. He taught me about discipline, life skills, music, of course, consequences, he often pushed people to be better than they thought they could be. When he stood over me, from behind, I played a whole lot better. It made me want to please him and please myself. He taught me how to make the band look good. A lot of that kind of discipline does not exist anymore or not as much.”

“Were there any other influences?’

“A lot of people, who came into my life and then left, left a little jewel with me such as my grandmother, my brother, and my sister. Everyone has dropped me a little nugget. A little post note that said, “Remember this through your life.” What to look for in the future. I prefer to hang out with good people like people from the ‘vintage car club.’ Older people, whom I have met, have told me, “You need to keep active when you retire, not only physically but mentally.” There were lots of little influences along the way.”

“Do you think knowing Arthur, gave you respect for elderly people?”

“I have always had a lot of older people around me, both at Showboat and in my family. I have always had a healthy respect for people who have already been there and done it all. They are like walking encyclopedias.”

“I am sure it did for me. I have always had a great respect for older people.”

ABOVE: Barry with Mayor Sam Sullivan and the Vancouver Firefighter’s Band seated on stage.

“My grandmother used to tell me stories from her life. They were just amazing!”

“I never knew my grandparents.”

“Arthur also taught me, that it was okay to take chances, as in Montreal in 1967, when he marched us through the fairgrounds, without permission.”

“Do you remember Dave McKenzie?”

“Oh yes, I remember we were all riding around Paris in a bus when we first arrived, everyone except Dave. We just wanted to go to our accommodations but we didn’t have any accommodations. Dave was out looking for someplace for us to stay.

He worked his buns off for us on that trip. I really admired him for that!”

“Yes, he certainly did. He certainly did.”

ABOVE: Barry with his mother Bea ‘Captain Bea.’