Documentary · Music

Whoopee Blues

Brothers Mic and Jim Conway have been making music together since their school days, when they formed the Jellybean Jug Band, which later morphed into the wildly popular Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band. In the early 1970s, Captain Matchbox became a phenomenon, delighting audiences with lively performances of Fats Waller classics like My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes and quirky originals such as Wangaratta Wahine and Fernando’s Hideaway. Mic’s passion for vaudeville and creating instruments from anything at hand has driven his work across countless bands over the last 40 years, blending performance, circus, and humour. Jim, a blues purist, found his voice in Captain Matchbox as a harmonica player, becoming one of Australia’s foremost blues harp players.