Corrado Corolla was born in Italy on the 17th of March, 1942 in Canelli, Asti. In 1959, at age sixteen he arrived in Sydney with this father Eugenio, mother Carolina and brother Angelo on the ship Australia. Corrado`s older brother Sergio was living in Fairfield, NSW and the family stayed with him.
Sergio had been in Australia since 1954 and also travelled on the ship Australia. He worked for Melosi Small Goods during the day and at night he was a musician, playing the piano accordion.
Both Corrado and Eugenio got jobs at Melosi and worked along side Sergio. Corrado would later get a second job at Brescia furniture.
Sergio soon married and the family moved, though still in the local Fairfield area. Corrado then got another job for Milano Small Goods, and eventually he would branch out on his own.
Corrado, after watching his brother play the accordion, picked it up and taught himself to play. He then formed his own band and also began to play bass guitar, he was young and into the rock and roll scene. His band also had a lead singer, though Corrado didn’t sing.
In 1963 he was at an Italian picnic that was run by the Friulian Association. It was there that he met Marina Ghidella who was from Wollongong and three years later they married. They had their wedding reception at Luccarda`s reception centre, Tarrawanna.
Corrado moved to Wollongong and set up his own small goods business from his home garage called C & M Corolla, in Gregory Street. Whilst he was working on his small goods business he still played with his band in Sydney. Corrado would go to Sydney to play the bookings and come home at night. He continued to do this for a few years. Traveling to Sydney for the band was too much, so he decided to try and form a new band in Wollongong. It was now 1968.
Over at Warrawong, approx ten minutes south of Wollongong, was a local band called The Latin Beats, who had been playing together for 2 years. The Latin Beats were a four piece, group of young men, who played at the Warrawong community centre once a month. It was a gathering where people would come and meet, listen and dance to the music, enjoy the food and the company. Often the dances would be fundraisers for local groups etc. The Latin Beats consisted of a drummer, bass player, guitarist and a button accordion player.
Corrado came to practice with the group, downstairs in the guitarist’s mother`s house. Corrado had experience and could play a variety of music styles. He replaced the original accordion player and now the Latin Beats were ready for a change.
The Latin Beats no longer played at the community centre and started to play at local hotels and restaurants in and around Wollongong. Two restaurants in particular that they performed at were the Capri at Port Kembla, and the Frascati in Wollongong. The other thing that had changed was that Corrado began singing with the group.
In 1970 they were given a permanent gig at The Fraternity Club, Fairy Meadow. They would perform Thursday through to Sunday, with Wednesday being their rehearsal day.
Saturday nights at the Fraternity Club always drew a big crowd. The Fraternity had a large auditorium for dancing and the Latin Beats were a great dance band covering a range of styles. The Latin Beats also played at other social gatherings outside of the club, particularly cultural events. They often played at the San Giovanni Battista festival in Wollongong.
In 1972 a new member joined the group, Fred Marsh. Fred was a saxophonist/singer and he had show band experience. It added another dimension to the group. Fred had recently returned from Vietnam where he was entertaining the troops.
The Latin Beats seemed to be going from strength to strength. They played their usual gigs at the Fraternity Club and often played in other places too. Occasionally you would see them at the Marconi Club in Sydney, or maybe when they played for a wedding at Bruno`s Reception Centre in Tarrawanna.
In 1975 the band changed their name and were now known as Con and The Latin Beats. It seemed fitting because Con was so well known around the Fraternity Club and the local area as he was still working with his small goods business and he had many customers: suppling restaurants, cafes and other food outlets.
The Fraternity Club held wedding receptions on a Sunday night and the band was usually playing. They were incredibly busy playing music and the work just kept coming. Even Con`s brother Sergio, filled in for him on one occasion.
When Italian singer Nicola Di Bari came to Australia in the early 80`s, Con and The Latin Beats were his backing band. They played at five different venues. from NSW through to Victoria. Nicola Di Bari was a two time San Remo Festival Winner and an extremely popular singer/entertainer in Italy.
By 1980, Corrado sold his small goods business so he could focus more on his music, as he had opened a music store. The music store sold instruments such as guitars, drums and accordions as well as sheet music. Corrado and wife Marina went to Ancona, Italy, so they could obtain an import licence to sell accordions back in Australia at their store. Upstairs from his music store was Con`s Music School where he leased out the space to music teachers. By 1985 the music store had closed and Con and Marina rented out the shops that once occupied the store. The music school was still going upstairs.
They decided to open a delicatessen and once again went back to selling small goods wholesale. The wholesale side of the business picked up quickly and soon they were back supplying food outlets.
In 1993 Con and The Latin Beats became a six member group with the addition of a lead singer whose name was Margot. With a female in the group the dynamics had changed again and it gave the band even more depth.
FRED MARSH
I spoke with Fred Marsh and he spoke with such joy about his time with the band and the impact that they had in the area and for the Fraternity Club.
Fred spoke about the dance nights on Saturdays at The Fraternity Club. The auditorium would be packed and they could easily have up to 1000 people. Both men and women were well dressed for dancing and it was always a great night. The band was diverse in its music style, playing everything from Latin to Rock and Roll.
Nothing was more important than playing at the Fraternity Club. The band had a huge following and the dance nights became part of the fabric of the Fraternity Club, whether they played upstairs in the main auditorium or downstairs in the lounge.
We also spoke of some of the shows that they did and in particular when the Fraternity Club ran the Ballroom Dancing Latin Competition over a series of weeks. It was standing room only on Grand Final night. It was such a popular event that it ran for years and years.
SAM FOLINO
Another band member I spoke to was Sam Folino. Sam began playing with Con and The Latin Beats around 1984/1985. He was a bass guitar player. Sam recalls when he first met Corrado as a young teenager browsing through his music store. Sam was looking at the guitars and picked up one and began playing `tico tico`. Con, who was always so encouraging, got up and accompanied Sam on the keyboard. That was the start of their friendship. Sam eventually worked at Corrado`s music store alongside Corrado`s wife Marina. When the music store closed down Sam was running the Music School upstairs and was one of the guitar teachers as well. Con`s Music Drama School is still running to this day.
Sam mentioned how at first he used to watch the band playing at the Fraternity Club. Corrado was generous and often asked him to join in with the group and play. Sam initially played with the group for one year before returning to the group in 1989 until 1997 when the band had finished. For him, Corrado was an entertainer who touched people’s hearts. He also remembers how in the downstairs lounge on a Sunday night there would be hundreds of people dancing the night away, full of joy and having a great time. Never had he ever seen anything like it when everyone was in sync waltzing around the floor together. It really was special.
On the 4th of November, I997 at age 55, Corrado Corolla passed away. It was such a shock to the community. Without Con there was no band and they all stopped playing at The Fraternity Club. Nothing could fill the void. Con`s funeral was attended to by so many people. His effect on the community was immeasurable. His beloved accordion sounded no more.
When you think of Con and The Latin Beats, you immediately think of The Fraternity Club. Corrado was larger than life, always generous, jovial and well liked. The club has never been the same since.
The small goods business still carries on and is run very successfully by his sons, who began working in the business years before. Con is also survived by his wife Marina and their grandchildren.
Even though we have such fond memories of a wonderful time and so many of us remember dancing on more than one occasion to the music from Con and The Latin Beats, when Con passed away it was as if time stood still. The music stopped, the dancing stopped and the joy was no longer there!
( Images from the collections belonging to:
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