Formed sometime in 1962/1963 in the Tolworth area in Surrey, The Outsiders included guitarist Mick Wayne (b. 7 October 1943, Hammersmith, west London; d. 26 June 1995, Michigan, USA), who subsequently played with The Hullabaloos, The Bunch of Fives (with Viv Prince) and The Tickle. Wayne formed Junior’s Eyes in early 1968 and later appeared on David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.
Collins (b. 22 November 1944, London) and Wayne had met at Kingston School of Art after Wayne had attended Wimbledon Grammar School. Tim Easton (b. 26 August 1943, Tolworth, Surrey) was the original drummer.
Apparently, the band split for a while at Christmas in 1963.
Mick Brill (b. 21 June 1945, Tolworth, Surrey) joined the group in April 1964 after he left The Classics, taking over from McIlldowie. Horton (b. 14 November 1945; d. 25 September 2023) left the same month to join The Original Topics.
Dutch Mills (real name: Nigel Reevely Mills) was close friends with Eric Clapton and had started out with The Dustbowl Refugees.
He adds that Jimmy Page was always around and convinced him to join Bedford band The Authentics sometime in 1964 with whom he recorded a cover of Jackie DeShannon’s “I Don’t Wanna Be Without You”, which was shelved. The Authentics were regulars at the Marquee.
Mills moved to Canada in 1966/1967 and worked with folk singer Vicky Taylor and later Jesse Winchester and Willie Dunn before moving back to the UK in 1990.
With Mills gone, The Outsiders recorded a lone 45 for Decca Records – “Keep On Doing It” c/w “Songs We Sang Last Summer”, which was released on 20 August 1965. Both sides were written by session player Jimmy Page with Mick Wayne. Page also produced the sessions for the single.
Photo may be subject to copyright
Brill says The Outsiders started doing sessions for Immediate Records in 1965, which is where he and Collins met singer Doug Gibbons, a singer from Shepherd’s Bush. Gibbons subsequently changed his name to Thane Russal.
Interestingly, Doug Gibbons and The Outsiders were billed to play at the Top Twenty in Bridgwater, Somerset on 5 July 1965.
To clear up one confusion, Mick Wayne was from the Kingston upon Thames area not Hull as is often falsely reported. Brill says that when Wayne joined The Hullabaloos he had to dye his hair blond.
Thanks to David Else for the photo
Together with new drummer Pete Huish and new guitarist Bob Johnson, Thane Russal, Mick Brill and Alan Collins recorded “Security” as Thane Russall & Three.
Brill adds that when the single was released, it was rumoured that Jimmy Page had played on the recording to try and drum up some interest in the single’s release.
However, he explains that it was Bob Johnson. The solo on the recording was achieved by Huish hitting the neck of Johnson’s guitar with a drumstick.
Johnson, who joined in 1966 after Wayne had moved on to The Hullabaloos, departed when Thane Russal & Three landed a contract to travel to Italy in June 1966 and later joined Steeleye Span.
The remaining members added Martin Fisher from local band The Cavedwellers and decamped to Rome. You can read about the band’s career in Italy here at this excellent site.
A massive thank you to Mick Brill and Alan Collins for providing background notes and band photo. Thanks also to Dutch Mills for further information.
Thanks to David Else for helping with some of the research and providing additional material.
Photo: Terry Gore. The band outside the Greenford Hotel
Ian Stalker (lead vocals)
John Gater (lead guitar)
Terry Gore (bass/vocals)
Terry Toothill (keyboards/vocals)
John Warwick (drums)
After The Trekkers split up in early 1965, Terry Gore, Terry Toothill and John Warwick stuck together and formed The Cast.
Photo: Harrow Weekly Post. Photo may be subject to copyright
According to the Harrow Weekly Post, the group played at Acre Hall in Northwood, Middlesex on 9 April 1965.
The Evening Tribune lists the band playing at the Co-op Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire on 1 October 1965.
Photo: Evening Tribune. Photo may be subject to copyright
The band signed with the Bob Druce Agency and played in the circuit of clubs that the agency ran, most notably the Glenlyn Ballroom in Forest Hill and the Goldhawk Social Club in Shepherd’s Bush where on one occasion, the band opened for The Who on 3 December 1965. The Cast also played here on 31 December 1965.
Photo: Melody Maker. Photo may be subject to copyright
During 1967, the band changed name to Tangerine Peel.
Many thanks to Terry Gore for providing the information. If you can add to this, please leave a comment below
South East London Mercury, September 1966. Photo may be subject to copyright
The Classics in 1964. Photo: Malcolm Penn. Left to right: Len Neldrett, Malcolm Penn (front), Nicky Graham, Dave Atkey and Mick Brill
Drummer Eddie Patterson says that he played regularly with this band from September 1961 through to April 1962.
According to an advert publicising the Grand Final of The Surbiton Borough News’ Rock & Rhythm Group Competition, which was held at Surbiton Assembly Rooms on 27 April 1962 (see below), The Classics line-up at the time comprised:
Headley Leate (lead vocals)
Dave Atkey (lead guitar)
John Kent (rhythm guitar)
Keith Sutton (bass)
Ken Bright (sax)
Eddie Patterson (drums)
Eddie Patterson (b. 16 April 1942, Epsom, Surrey) says that The Classics came joint second with The Presidents with 249 points, with The Electrons winning the competition with 262 points.
Thanks to Malcolm Penn from The Electrons for the photo
After the competition, Patterson left to join The Presidents, with whom he remained until July 1965. He then toured with The End briefly before hanging up his drumsticks and taking up a permanent job in December of that year. He says that Keith Sutton also played with Del Grant & The Roamers.
In 1963, The Classics (with a revised formation) entered the competition for a second time, billed as Dave Curtis & The Classics. John Kent and Keith Bright were still members.
However, in February 1964, Dave Atkey, who appears to have been the only member to remain throughout the band’s entire career, assumed lead vocal duties and put together an entirely new version, comprising:
Dave Atkey (vocals)
Len Neldrett (lead guitar)
Nicky Graham (organ)
Mick Brill (bass)
Malcolm Penn (drums)
Photo: Mick Brill. The Classics in 1964
Len Neldrett and Mick Brill (b. 21 June 1945, Tolworth, Surrey) joined from The Gremlins and Nicky Graham (b. January 1945, Durban, South Africa; 3 February 2024) and Malcolm Penn came in from Dene Lincoln & The Topics.
Neldrett remembers that the new line-up’s debut performance was in Guildford, Surrey, opening for Tommy Bruce. When the curtain opened, he recalls original members John Kent and Keith Bright were there and hadn’t been told that Atkey had formed a new version!
However, the new formation was short-lived and in April 1964, Mick Brill departed to join The Outsiders.
With Dave Atkey resuming bass duties, the remaining members brought in sax players John Horton (b. 14 November 1945, Surbiton, Surrey; d. 25 September 2023) from The Outsiders and Bernie Greenwood and became The Original Topics.
In November 1964, the musicians were joined by singer Dickie Pride (b. 21 October 1941, Thornton Heath, Surrey; d. 26 March 1969).
A huge thanks to Malcolm Penn, Eddie Patterson and Mick Brill for providing the background notes and photos for The Classics.
Formed by pupils from Surbiton County Grammar in Surrey in 1961, The Gremlins were an instrumentals band that played Shadows and Ventures’ covers.
Mick Brill (b. 21 June 1945, Tolworth, Surrey) says that the group didn’t have a singer, but an advert publicising the Grand Final of The Surbiton Borough News’ Rock & Rhythm Group Competition lists Dave Burton as the band’s vocalist (see below).
The competition, which was won by rival band The Electrons, was held at Surbiton Assembly Rooms on 27 April 1962 and also featured The Classics.
Thanks to Malcolm Penn for the photo
In February 1964, Neldrett and Brill both departed to join a new version of The Classics.
Many thanks to Mick Brill and Len Neldrett for the information on the band and thanks to Mick Brill for the group photo.
Formed in the Tolworth, Surbiton and Chessington area of Surrey in August 1962, Dene Lincoln & The Topics morphed out of earlier band The Electrons, who had included Tony Humprhys, Nicky Graham and Malcolm Penn.
Humphrys, however, didn’t stay long and Ricky Ball took over the bass in January 1963.
The musicians continued to gig locally until February 1964 before splitting at which point Graham and Penn joined a new version of local rivals The Classics.
Graham would later play with The End and Tucky Buzzard while Penn worked with The Sidewinders and Moon’s Train.
Many thanks to Malcolm Penn for providing the background notes and band photo.
Found this gig for the band:
23 February 1963 – Jazz Cellar, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey (Surrey Comet)
Thanks to Malcolm Penn for the photo. The Electrons with Nicky Graham (bottom right) line up
Tony Humphrys aka Tony Lane (vocals)
Baz Hewson (lead guitar)
Malcolm Penn (drums)
Mike Morley (bass)
Pete Moseley (rhythm guitar through to December 1960)
+
Nicky Graham (rhythm guitar from January 1961)
Formed in May 1960 by musicians from the Tolworth, Surbiton and Chessington area in Surrey, The Electrons evolved out of the ashes of The Grumbling Men, who were formed in March 1959 and had included singer Tony Humphrys, drummer Malcolm Penn, bass player Mike Morley, and rhythm guitarist Pete Moseley.
With the exception of Mike Morley and Pete Moseley, all were pupils at Surbiton County Grammar.
Photos of the original band. Thanks to Miles Moseley
The Grumbling Men featured another guitarist called Keith who was replaced by Baz Hewson when the group became The Electrons.
Nicky Graham, who took over from Moseley on rhythm guitar in January 1961, was a student at Surbiton Grammar School (and later Kingston School of Art) and had recently arrived from Durban, South Africa where he was born in January 1945.
Malcolm Penn says that The Electrons never got to play at Tolworth Toby Jug as they predated its band nights. (Ed. Originally a jazz venue, the Toby Jug did briefly operate as a club for R&B in early 1964 but its owners soon stopped putting rock bands on. It reopened in early March 1968 and became a significant music venue in the area.)
Penn recalls that the band venue in the early 1960s was Kingston Coronation Hall. The hall housed a swimming pool, which was boarded over and turned into a dance venue.
He adds that all the big traditional jazz and dance bands performed there, including Ted Heath, Johnny Dankworth, Eric Delaney, Chris Barber and Kenny Ball. The Electrons, together with a few other local bands, did warm up and interval spots.
Penn remembers The Electrons also played at the Jazz Cellar in Kingston, which was run by Hugh O’Donnell, the Swan in Mill Street, Kingston, the Foresters Hall in Epsom, the Organ Inn on the Ewell Road and Surbiton Assembly Rooms.
In April 1962, The Electrons made the Grand Final of The Surbiton Borough News’ Rock & Rhythm Group Competition, which was held at Surbiton Assembly Rooms on 27 April. Up against local bands, The Gremlins and The Classics, The Electrons won the competition.
Interestingly, over the next few years, members of The Electrons would join up with players from both The Gremlins and The Classics to form a new version The Classics in February 1964.
In August 1962, Malcolm Penn, Nicky Graham and Tony Humphrys recruited Jim Turner (stage name Dene Lincoln) on vocals and Pete Cottage from the Streatham area in southwest London to form a new group called Dene Lincoln & The Topics.
In later years Penn would work with Moon’s Train while Graham played with The End and Tucky Buzzard. Graham died on 3 February 2024.
A huge thanks to Malcolm Penn for providing the background notes and photos for The Electrons.
Thanks also to John Warburg for more information
Brian Dullaway’s 21st birthday party, 1964. The Electrons play at New Addington, Surrey. Copyright: Brian Dullaway
Bass player Tony Charman (at the time Tony Webb) left Carl Douglas in late 1968 when he got married on 14 September.
However, during 1969, he returned to the music scene and played with a south London group whose name he cannot recall. As the two images here reveal, the band was a five piece but Tony can’t remember any of the musicians’ names.
If anyone can help provide more information, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Photo may be subject to copyright: The Summer Set (aka Top Ten All Stars) in Hamburg in 1966. Clockwise from bottom: Rocky Browne, Vic Gillam, Mart Jenner, Dave Green and Les Humphries
Les Humphries – keyboards/vocals
Mart Jenner – lead guitar/vocals
Dave Green – bass/vocals
Vic Gillam – saxophone
Brian ‘Rocky’ Browne – drums
Harmony pop/rock band The Summer Set had its roots in south coast beat groups, The Javelins, Count Downe & The Zeros and Peter & The Headlines.
Jenner, Green and Gillam had been there from the outset and were joined by former Royal Marine musician Humphries in The Headlines.
Renamed The Summer Set, they auditioned for Marquee boss Harold Pendleton and were signed to Marquee Artists Agency, playing at the Marquee and making 12 appearances.
According to Dave Green’s book The Wonder Years: a rock ‘n’ rollercoaster, the club booked them into a weekend at the Golf Drout in Paris around late October/early November 1965, shortly after which their original drummer departed.
Around mid-November, Brian ‘Rocky’ Browne came on-board from Norfolk outfit, Boz & The Boz People, another regular at the Marquee. While with that band, he played alongside soon-to-be Small Faces keyboard player Ian McLagan.
The Marquee Artists Agency also booked The Summer Set into popular clubs like the Cromwellian in South Kensington, where they played regularly in late 1965 through to mid-1966. They also began to play the university circuit.
21 October 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Graham Bond Organisation (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
5 November 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with David Bowie & The Lower Third (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Image may be subject to copyright
12 November 1965 – King George’s Hall, Esher, Surrey with The Beat System (Surrey Comet)
Brian ‘Rocky’ Browne joined around now
Image may be subject to copyright
19 November 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with David Bowie & The Lower Third (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live/Melody Maker)
Image may be subject to copyright
20 November 1965 – Silver Blades, Streatham, southwest London (Beckenham & Penge Advertiser/Norwood News)
25 November 1965 – ABC Regal Cambridge, Cambridge with Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez and Charlie Foxx, Paul and Barry Ryan, The Scaffold and The Mark Leeman Five (Cambridge News)
26 November 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
27 November 1965 – Granada East Ham, East Ham, east London with Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Scaffold and The Mark Leeman Five (Southend Standard)
29 November 1965 – Northampton ABC, Northampton with Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Scaffold and Mark Leeman Five (Northampton Chronicle)
2 December 1965 – Granada, Bedford with Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Scaffold and The Mark Leeman Five (Boyfriend magazine)
3 December 1965 – Colston Hall, Bristol with Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Scaffold and The Mark Leeman Five (Boyfriend magazine)
4 December 1965 – ABC Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon with Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Scaffold and The Mark Leeman Five (Boyfriend magazine)
5 December 1965 – ABC Exeter, Exeter, Devon with Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Scaffold and The Mark Leeman Five (Boyfriend magazine)
In December, The Summer Set made their first visit to West Germany and played at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg where they were extremely popular. The group would return on multiple occasions.
While there, the band recorded two LPs’ worth of material as the Top Ten All Stars and backed singer Isabella Bond.
They also recorded a 45, a cover tune “Pim Pim Pim” backed by Les Humphries and Vic Gillam’s “Hey Daddy”, which was released in January 1966, by which point they were back in Hamburg for a second visit to the Top Ten Club.
3 March 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
4 March 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
10 March 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
18 March 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
22 March 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Small Faces (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
25 March 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Around April, The Summer Set returned to Hamburg to play at the Top Ten Club for a third time.
21 May 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
9 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Tony Rivers & The Castaways (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Image may be subject to copyright
12 June 1966 – Mr McCoys, Middlesbrough with Wynder K Frog (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
Image may be subject to copyright
18 June 1966 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with The Shamed (Evening Sentinel)
24 June 1966 – Coronation Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent with Justin Hayward Group and The Sonics (Herne Bay Press)
1 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Wishful Thinking (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
6 July 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
9 July 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
14 July 1966 – Pier Ballroom, Hastings, East Sussex (Fabulous 208)
15 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Majority (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
18 July 1966 – Royal Pier Ballroom, Aberystwyth, Wales (Fabulous 208)
21 July 1966 – Thorngate Ballroom, Gosport, Hampshire (Portsmouth News) Replaced by Bluesology
Around now, the band record their debut 45, a cover of Brian Wilson’s “Farmer’s Daughter” backed by Humphries and Gillam’s “What are You Gonna do?” for Columbia Records, which was subsequently released on 28 October 1966.
24 July 1966 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Sullivan James Band (North Norfolk News) This may have been cancelled
Image may be subject to copyright
28 July 1966 – Adam & Eve, Southampton, Hants (Southern Evening Echo) This may have been cancelled
According to Green’s book The Wonder Years: a rock ‘n’ rollercoaster the musicians decided to dispense with Les Humphries without his knowledge and hired two new musicians to play at the upcoming festival in Windsor, which proved to be a disaster.
30 July 1966 – 8th National Jazz & Blues Festival, Windsor, Berkshire with The Who, The Yardbirds, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Chris Barber, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Gary Farr & The T-Bones, Louis Nelson, The Move, Kid Martyn, Alex Welsh and Julian Covey & The Machine (Reading Evening Post)
On 31 July, the musicians (minus Humphries who’d taken a week’s holiday as he had been told the group had no bookings), headed back to Hamburg and started to play at the Top Ten Club. They also recorded a third LP, which was never released.
However, at the end of the week, Humphries, who’d discovered what had happened, told EMI that the group had split up and assumed ownership of the name, turned up at the Top Ten Club and told them he was the legal owner of The Summer Set name.
With no possibility of continuing with the name, the musicians all returned to England.
Photo may be subject to copright: Left to right: Dave Brien, Rocky Browne, Alan Spriggs, Les Humphries and Mick Jarvis
Humphries, who’d retained Brian ‘Rocky’ Browne, put together a new version of The Summer Set with:
Alan Spriggs – lead vocals
Les Humphries – keyboards/vocals
Mick Jarvis – lead guitar/vocals
Dave Brien – bass
Brian ‘Rocky’ Browne – drums
15 September 1966 – Thorngate Ballroom, Gosport, Hampshire (Portsmouth News)
Image may be subject to copyright
23 September 1966 – Royal Pier, Pavilion, Southampton, Hampshire with The Embers (Southern Evening Echo)
The band returned to Hamburg to play the Top Ten Club around October 1966.
5 November 1966 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire with The Jimmy Brown Sound and John McCoy’s Crawdaddies (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
18 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
25 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Sands (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
23 December 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds (David Else’s research)
Image may be subject to copyright
26 December 1966 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Ram Jam Band and The Eyes of Blonde (Lynn News)
Image may be subject to copyright
27 December 1966 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (Woking Herald)
In February 1967, The Summer Set performed in Hamburg at the Top Ten Club.
Image may be subject to copyright
4 March 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Fancy Bred (East Kent Times & Mail)
14 March 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with Neat Change (Poster)
Image may be subject to copyright
24 March 1967 – Glenlyn Ballroom, Forest Hill, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
26 March 1967 – Cromer Olympia, Cromer, Norfolk (North Norfolk News)
1 April 1967 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with The Technique and The Reflections (Warrington Guardian)
2 April 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
9 April 1967 – Dereham Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The South Side Move (North Norfolk News)
Image may be subject to copyright
25 May 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
28 May 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
Sometime in 1967, the group recorded the unreleased acetate “Listen The World is Crying” at Regent Sound, London.
Image may be subject to copyright
4 June 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Melody Maker)
On 16 June 1967, Columbia released The Summer Set’s second 45, Les Humphries and Dave Brien’s “Overnight Changes” backed by Humphries’ “It’s a Dream”.
Image may be subject to copyright
25 June 1967 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
8 July 1967 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, central London (Evening Standard)
Image may be subject to copyright
29 July 1967 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands with The Stormsville Shakers (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Image may be subject to copyright
29 July 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
During September, the band play at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg with The Berkley Squares.
2 September 1967 – Star Palast, Kiel, West Germany with Paul Raven & The Boston International Showband and The Chimes of Freedom (Rolf Hannet’s research)
Image may be subject to copyright
9 September 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Episode Six (Thanet Times)
10 September 1967 – Rendezvous Club, Margate, Kent (Thanet Times)
During October, Fontana in Germany released the band’s cover of The Flower Pot Men’s “Let’s Go to San Francisco” backed by Les Humphries and Dave Brien’s “Cos It’s Over”.
Sometime in early 1968, Humphries left the band high and dry near Berlin and the remaining members returned home to the UK.
To read the band’s fascinating career in depth, this Strange Brew article offers an excellent account.
Motown legend Edwin Starr’s growing popularity in Britain encouraged promoter Roy Tempest to bring the singer back for a second British tour in 1968. It appears that for most of (if not all) the gigs, The State Express were hired to back the singer.
John Ogden has written extensively about this obscure band at his excellent site on the Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline.
Originally from the Midlands, Ogden lists the band’s personnel as John Crutchley (guitar), Jim Hickman (bass/vocals), Barry Fletcher (Hammond organ/vocals) and Johnny West (drums) plus two saxophone players.
It’s not clear how long the band had been around but there is a listing for The State Express for 21 May 1967 when they opened for The Troggs at the Starlite Ballroom in Greenford in west London (presuming this is the same outfit).
After working on this tour, The State Express apparently worked with other soul artists that Roy Tempest brought over and also gigged under their own name.
For example, the Buckinghamshire Examiner advertises The State Express playing at the Town Hall, High Wycombe on 28 September 1968 with The Wages of Sin, noting: “The Group that backed American singer Edwin Starr on his recent British tour 8-piece group includes gorgeous girl singers”.
Melody Maker has them also playing at the New Pink Flamingo in Wardour Street, Soho, central London on 6 September 1968.
I have found the following gigs for the Edwin Starr tour but I am sure others are missing.
I am pretty certain all of these are with The State Express but would welcome any comments from readers.
29 May 1968 – Hatchetts, Piccadilly, central London (Melody Maker)
30 May 1968 – Mistrale Club, Beckenham, south London with The Evolution (Melody Maker)
31 May 1968 – South Bank Jazz Club, Grimsby (Melody Maker)
1 June 1968 – Leicester University, Leicester (Melody Maker)
1 June 1968 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Melody Maker)
2 June 1968 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Chicken Shack (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
3 June 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Leeds, West Yorkshire with The Small Faces, Bill Haley & The Comets, The Fantastics, Gospel Garden, Clockwork Orange, The Herd, Alan Bown, The Amboy Dukes and Turquoise (Fabulous 208/Poster)
Formed in west London in early 1963 after Gore and Warwick had left The Fairlanes, The Trekkers were fronted by two singers and also included Jamaican sax player Johnny Crosby who was about 15 years older than the rest of the band and had played in and around the New York area before moving to the UK.
When the band broke up, Terry Gore, Terry Toothill and John Warwick stuck together and formed The Cast. They were all later in Tangerine Peel.
Photo: Terry Gore
Thanks to Terry Gore for the information. Please leave a comment below if you can add further information
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials
