My music icon dad feared for life after killers' chilling question before murdering pals in vile ambush that broke him

The Irish Sun

4 days ago

THE son of Dickie Rock told how his famous father feared for his life after loyalist killers taunted bandmates before shooting them down in a hail of bullets by asking: 'Which one of you is Dickie Rock?"
Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the
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Dickie Rock was left terrified after his bandmates were killed
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Dickie Rock's son Jason said the evil attack impacted his dad greatly
Credit: Paul Sharp - Commissioned by The Sun Dublin
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Dickie had quit the group a few years before the horror
Lead singer Fran O'Toole from Bray, Co
Bass guitarist Stephen Travers and saxophone and keyboard player Des Lee were injured but survived.
In a new
Contacted by the Irish Sun, Dickie's son Jason revealed the ominous question had left his dad terrified.
Dickie, who had quit the group to front his own band two and a half years before the horror, feared he would be next to be targeted by the murderers as he toured
"There was somebody (standing guard) outside our house for years after, and my dad had protection everywhere he went.
'I remember aged ten, coming out of arrivals at
"We had protection everywhere we went.'
But the murder of his bandmates — who had been on their way home after a show at The Castle Ballroom, Banbridge, Co
'A LEGEND' RTE star leads tearful funeral tributes to late Dickie Rock
Jason said: 'My mother would get very upset every time Dad left us to do a gig up north. But my dad's attitude was, 'F*** them. They're not stopping me.'
'But the one thing dad insisted on whenever he played up north was he wouldn't have the national anthem played at his gigs.
"Whether it was the Amhran na bhFiann or God Save The Queen. Dad said, 'No way. We are not going to do anything political here. I'm here to entertain you and to send you home sweating.''
Jason said his father remained haunted by the murders of his bandmates right up to his death, last December, aged 88.
STAR BROKEN
Jason told us: 'I saw it break dad down in the final years.
'What bothered my dad the most, was that he had recruited some of the guys in the Miami, and that's why they were there that night.
'It really impacted him massively. Dad was the sort of person who would take things in and internalise the sadness and it sat heavy on his mind right to the end.
'The brutal murder of his friends was a very hard thing to get his head around.'
'VERY LUCKY TO HAVE ESCAPED'
Stephen Travers, who was shot in the attack but survived, told The Irish Sun: 'Dickie was very lucky to have escaped the attack and I know he was devastated because he was such a good friend to Brian and Des.
"Bands come and go, but the important legacy of the Miami Showband is we brought
"Some of them even got married to one another'.
'My mother would get very upset every time Dad left us to do a gig up north. But my dad's attitude was, 'F*** them. They're not stopping me.'"
Jason Rock
Saxophonist Des, who was hit with shrapnel and almost burned to death, revealed what inspired the name of his new memoir, which was penned with LMFM presenter Ken Murray.
He said that when the group were stopped by the fake army patrol at Buskhill, they had been asked to stand out on the road while their bus was searched.
But Des returned to the van to show the
SAXOPHONE SAVIOUR
Moments later a bomb the terrorists were trying to plant on their bus went off prematurely.
Des said: 'I was blown up and thrown into the field below. But if I had been standing where I was originally, I would have been blown to smithereens so my saxophone saved my life.'
'It really impacted him massively. Dad was the sort of person who would take things in and internalise the sadness and it sat heavy on his mind right to the end."
Jason Rock
He later moved to
UVF terrorists Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, who planted the bomb, were killed instantly.
Two serving members of the UDR were eventually convicted for their part in the attack.
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Three band members were killed in the Miami Showband massacre
Credit: 3
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The 50th anniversary of the massacre takes place this week
Credit: Pacemaker Press
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The Miami Showband were a popular group in the 60s and 70s
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A new tell-all book reveals life behind the scenes of the Miami Showband massacre