ONE OF THE GREATEST UNTOLD STORIES
SHOWBIZ HUSTLERS
A TRUE LIFE STORY OF LeGARDE TWINS - TOM and TED
FROM SHEER POVERTY TO DREAMTIME THAT BEGAN IN THE BUSH LANDS OF AUSTRALIA

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From the bush lands of Australia to the Hallowed halls of Hollywood. The LeGarde Twins, Ted and Tom have followed their dream for over 70 years and are still entertaining audiences with the same enthusiasm and energy that got them to where they are today. "Being raised in the bush lands of Australis in the 1930's and 1940's was a rough and hard life", Ted and Tom LeGarde recollected. "We didn't think about it back then, because that's how life was. You have to live the hard life to understand it. But we also made a picture in our minds of the kind of life we wanted to lead, and it became a beacon that has guided us on our long journey in show business....so grab the reins and ride over one million miles with us from the bush lands of Australia across seven continents, through twenty-three countries and forty-five of the fifty states in America...".

Time takes away so much it seems but it cannot take away that one special thing. Follow your heart you'll be living a dream.

The popular Australian duo, referred to as The LeGarde Twins, comprises identical twins Tom (the eldest by 30 minutes) and Ted Legarde (b. 15 March 1931, Mackay, Queensland, Australia), the youngest members of a family of nine. They were raised on the family sugar cane farm, at the age of 7 their mother took them to their first movie about Hopalong Cassidy and from that moment wanted nothing but to be singing cowboys. While working on the farm both became expert horsemen. At the age of 15, clutching an old guitar and influenced by cowboy films and the recordings of Buddy Williams, they left home. They worked on Queensland’s largest cattle ranch, took part in cattle drives and rode in rodeos, and they began singing at a Victoria rodeo, when they failed to win any prize money but needed to eat. They joined Buddy Williams’ touring rodeo and circus and, at the age of 17, became Australia’s youngest professional rodeo riders. They soon found singing to be less painful than rodeo work and concentrated on it. In 1950, they made their first recordings for Rodeo, but between 1952 and 1957, they had several single releases on Regal Zonophone Records.

In 1954, The LeGarde Twins, Ted and Tom toured Australia with their boyhood idol. Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd), but in 1957, they decided to seek success in America. They first played shows in Canada but later hosted their own television series in Los Angeles. Between 1958 and 1963, they relocated to Nashville, where they recorded singles for Dot Records and Liberty Records and made appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, debuting with their own song, ‘Cooee Call’. They returned to Australia, where they briefly ran a country show from a Paddington, Sydney theatre, recorded albums for EMI Records and compèred two local country shows. In 1965, they returned to the USA where, under ‘ Colonel’ Tom Parker’s management, they worked in Las Vegas and even appeared in television’s Star Trek. They recorded for numerous labels and in 1978, as The Le Gardes, they achieved a minor hit with ‘True Love’ (a cover of the 1956 Bing Crosby /Grace Kelly pop hit) on Raindrop. A further minor hit came in 1978, with ‘I Can Almost Touch The Feeling’ on 4 Star. In 1980, as The Legarde Twins, they achieved a minor hit, ‘Daddy’s Making Records In Nashville’, for Invitation 101.

In 1987, The LeGarde Twins, Ted and Tom were awarded Hall Of Fame status at Australia’s prestigious Tamworth Country Festival and during the 80s, they launched their own Boomerang label and made several appearances in the UK, including at the Wembley Festival. Their last US country chart entry reached number 92, ‘Crocodile Man From Walk-About-Creek’, in 1988. During the 90s, they have operated their own theatre near Nashville’s Music Row. In the early 2013 they attended CMC's Rocks The Hunter Music Festival where they received their life time achievement award. A few months later they began working on their book, "Showbiz Hustlers." The LeGarde Twins are still performing today, cracking their whips and astounding audiences of all ages.

"We hope and pray that our book falls into the hands of our fellow strugglers and dreamers to give them unfailing encouragement to pursue their hopes and dreams".

The LeGarde Twins' Notable Television Credits include:

1957-1958 "Double Time" Hosts
1957-1958 "The LeGarde Show" Hosts
1958 "The Groucho Marx Show" Special Guests
1960 "Hollywood Jamboree" Special Guests
1961-1962 "Revue '61" Special Guests - Australia
1964 "Studio A" Hosts - Australia
1964 "Marty Robbins Show" Special Guests
1967 "Donald O'Connor Show" Special Guests
1968 "Star Trek" TV Series Special Guests
1968 "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch" Special Guests
1968 "Mike Douglas Show" Special Guests
1968-1969 "Swinging Country" Special Guests
1968 "Daniel Boone" Special Guests - "Ballad of the Sidewinder"
1973 ""Mills Brothers TV Special" Special Guests
1973 "Merv Griffin Show" Special Guests
1973 "Laugh-In" Special Guests - 4 Episodes
1977 "The Gong Show" Special Guests
1987-1988 "Nashville Now" Special Guests
1988 "Crook And Chase" Special Guests
1992 "Dan Miller and Company" Special Guests
2011-2013 "Country Style" Hosts FOXTEL

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