New Orleans-based R&B singer and guitarist Alvin Robinson first toured Britain in spring 1966 after he was brought over by promoter Roy Tempest for a nationwide tour with fellow New Orleans stars, female vocal trio, The Dixie Cups.
It isn’t clear who the backing band was on this tour so we’d welcome further information from readers in the comments section at the end.
This isn’t a complete gig list for this tour
Tour dates:
23 April 1966 – New All-Star Club, Artillery Passage, Bishopsgate, east London with The Dixie Cups (Melody Maker)
26 April 1966 – Zambezi, Hounslow, west London with The Dixie Cups (Melody Maker)
30 April 1966 – Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex with The Dixie Cups and The Night People (Brighton Evening Argus/Melody Maker)
30 April 1966 – Cue Club all-nighter, Paddington, west London with The Dixie Cups (Melody Maker)
4 May 1966 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London with The Dixie Cups (Melody Maker)
7 May 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester with The Dixie Cups and Steampacket (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Rod Stewart had left Steampacket by this point but they could have been the backing band
An article in the Bournemouth Evening Echo notes that local group The Bunch participated in a nationwide tour with Lee Dorsey, Edwin Starr, Ike & Tina Turner and Alvin Robinson in October 1966.
None of the gigs listed below tally with the tour dates printed in the newspaper (see above image), however, other than the Leicester gig below on 21 October so it’s possible that The Bunch backed Alvin Robinson at this show.
According to Bryan Stevens, bass player with Bognor-Regis group, The Noblemen, who had previously backed The Vibrations on a Roy Tempest Agency tour in September 1966, The Noblemen backed Alvin Robinson on this second tour in 1966. He confirms that the band backed Edwin Starr at Granby Halls on 21 October and thought that another Tempest agency group, The Senate, might have backed Alvin Robinson, but it is possible that it was in fact The Bunch.
The rest of The Noblemen comprised Jimmy Marsh (lead vocals); Martin Barre (lead guitar/saxophone); Mick Ketley (keyboards/vocals); Chris Rodger (saxophone/trumpet); and Malcolm Tomlinson (drums). To confuse matters, The Noblemen changed name to (The) Motivation in early November 1966 while backing Robinson.
However, The Noblemen didn’t support Robinson on all of the dates below. Pip Williams, lead guitarist with west London band, The Sovereigns, says they backed Robinson on some of these tour dates and points to a photo of Robinson playing his guitar on stage. This is most likely the Whisky A Go Go in Wardour Street, a venue that Ketley says The Noblemen didn’t play.
Originally from Hillingdon, west London, The Sovereigns comprised Roy St John-Foster (vocals); Pip Williams (lead guitar); Mich Tomich (bass); Freddie Tillyer (sax); and Keith Franklin (drums).
After the Club Cedar gigs in Birmingham in early November, The Noblemen also started backing The Coasters on another Roy Tempest organised nationwide tour, so it’s likely that the Robinson shows from that point onwards featured different backing bands, although The Noblemen may have played the odd gig. We’d like to hear from anyone who can provide more information.
This isn’t a complete gig list for this tour
Tour dates:
21 October 1966 – Granby Halls, Leicester with Ike & Tina Turner Show, The Ikettes, Kings of Rhythm, Edwin Starr (with The Noblemen) and Family (Leicester Mercury) Backed by The Senate (or The Bunch)
22 October 1966 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire Echo/Gloucester Citizen) Most likely backed by The Noblemen
22 October 1966 – Cue Club, Praed Street, Paddington, west London (Melody Maker) Most likely backed by The Noblemen
23 October 1966 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire with The Ziggy Turner Combo (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette) Most likely backed by The Noblemen
23 October 1966 (most likely date) – Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Malcolm Tomlinson’s recollections) Backed by The Noblemen
24 October 1966 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Most likely backed by The Sovereigns, according to guitarist Pip Williams
25 October 1966 – Location, Woolwich, southeast London (Melody Maker) Possibly backed by The Noblemen
28 October 1966 – Dungeon, Nottingham with The Noblemen (Nottingham Evening Post) Backed by The Noblemen. Nottingham Evening Post reviewed this show in the 4 November (page 14) issue and said the backing group was The Motivation (aka The Noblemen)
29 October 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Noblemen, Alan Bown Set, John McCoy’s Crawdaddies and Listen (Lincolnshire Standard) Backed by The Noblemen
29 October 1966 – Burlesque, Leicester (Leicester Mercury) Most likely backed by The Noblemen
30 October 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle).
31 October 1966 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Most likely backed by The Sovereigns, according to guitarist Pip Williams
1-2 November 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with The Motivations (Birmingham Evening Mail) Backed by The Motivations (formerly The Noblemen)
5 November 1966 – Northwich Memorial Hall, Northwich, Cheshire with Pinkerton’s Colours (Chester Chronicle) The Noblemen/Motivation were playing with The Coasters on this date so probably another backing band
5 November 1966 – Majestic, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) The Noblemen/Motivation were working with The Coasters on this date so probably another backing band
5 November 1966 – Cavern, Liverpool with Herbie Goins & The Night-timers, Johnny Breeze & The Atlantics, The Sect, The Herb Set, The First Lites and The Interns (Liverpool Echo) This was probably another backing band and not The Noblemen/Motivation
We’d like to hear from anyone who can provide more information in the comments section below