When The Scimitars split in late 1965, Phil Hearn was invited to join another Bexleyheath area group, The James Set with the above line-up.
During 1966, Ian Mingham replaced the original drummer and keyboard player Derek Johnson succeeded Richard Holdaway. The band shortened their name to The James and played regularly in the local area with some gigs further afield.
Sometime around 1968, Phil Hearn left to form a group called Isis and later played with Fat Daughter.
Hailing from the Bexleyheath area in southeast London, Phil Hearn and Del Coverley had started out in 1963 with school band, The Millionaires alongside guitarists Ron Cochrane and Stuart Robinson.
One of Hearn’s friends, Mike Inkster was looking for a bass player and drummer to replace outgoing members and invited Hearn and Coverley to join.
According to Hearn, the group mainly played youth clubs and social gatherings in Bexleyheath and the surrounding areas. However, they did play the famous 2 I’s coffee bar in Compton Street, Soho before they split up in late 1965.
Best-known lineup of the Downbeats: Marty Ford, Dave Gaston, John Bowman, Don Sailing, Gary Bolen, and Lann Gaston
The Downbeats came from Wichita, Kansas, and released one single “1-2-3” / “Trying to Get Through” on Kanwic HFCS-137 in early 1968
The Downbeats were active from 1964 until 1970, with the horns added in 1966. Members were:
Gary Bolen – lead guitar and lead vocals Marty Ford – bass Don Sailing – organ John Bowman – drums Dave Gaston – sax Lanny Gaston – trumpet
Gary Bolen and Marty Ford composed “Trying to Get Through”. It’s a stomping soul performance, with a steady beat, funky rhythm guitar and bursts of horns. A scratched copy is audible on youtube:
Early lineup of the Downbeats, from left: Marty Ford, Jim Holmes, John Bowman, Gary Bolen, and Barry Sigars
Early members included guitarist Barry Sigars, vocalist Jim Holmes, John Clampitt on organ and Mike Brittain on bass. Later members included Wayne Avery, Mike Musick and Gary Heitz
Rob McKnight managed the band, and co-produced the single with Don Clyne.
The Downbeats with their 1937 Cadillac La Salle hearseThe Downbeats in the Beacon, February 14, 1968
While looking into the Kanwic label, I found the news feature on the band above, Downbeats Pick Up Pace by Cathy Henkel, from the Wichita Beacon of February 14, 1968:
Working at High Fidelity Recording, Inc., the band has done radio jingles, and acted as a studio band for other singers.
For more info on Kanwic, an item from the Wichita Eagle & Beacon Magazine on December 12, 1965:
A Wichita recording firm, High Fidelity Recording, Inc, at 445 N. Oliver, has issued its first album under the Kanwic label…
High Fidelity has been in operation for about a year. It is owned and operated by Raymond Creely and Jim Strattan, both natives of Wichita.
The company, which has issued previous recordings under other labels, makes its own tapes and handles promotion and distribution for its recording artists. The pressing of the albums and jacket production is done by other companies. There are no pressing firms in this part of the country.
First photo of the Downbeats after Don Sailing joined: Marty Ford, Don Sailing, Mike Brittain, John Bowman, and Gary Bolen
In July, 2022, Don Sailing wrote to me with an update, and sent photos of the group:
We weren’t able to make any other recordings, but I remember making several commercial jingles … one really good one for Uhlik Music.
In 1999, after almost thirty years after we disbanded, we had a wonderful reunion at Marty Ford’s place in Lampe, Missouri. To have all six of us “brothers” together again was surreal!
After a great weekend of playing music again, and thinking we were getting “old” at around 50 years of age, we made the decision to get the band back together. After many months of rehearsals and hard work in Missouri and Wichita, we booked a two night debut show at Ahoys in Kimberling City, Missouri in August of 2000. It was an unbelievably awesome gig!
After a few more gigs in Missouri, we all decided we had reached a pinnacle that few old bands are blessed to experience, and we decided to hang it up.
Sadly, only four of us remain today. We lost Marty Ford about nine years ago, and we lost Lanny about five years ago. The four of us remaining have all been married to our first wives, and we all have grown kids and growing grandkids!
Downbeats reunion, from left: Gary Bolen, Lanny Gaston, Dave Gaston, Marty Ford, Don Sailing and John Bowman.
The Rain, from left: Owen Evans, Jim Bond, Ron Hall and Steve Croucher
Rain was a quartet from Osage City, Kansas. The members were:
Steve Croucher – lead guitar and vocals Owen Evans – keyboards and vocals Ron Hall – bass Jim Bond – drums and vocals
In August 1967 they traveled about a half hour southwest to Emporia to cut a record in the basement of 15 year old engineer Tom Webb.
“Love Me and Be Glad” is a great soulful number with lead vocals by Owen Evans and Steve Croucher. “Little Boy Blue” is a gentle song sung by Steve Croucher. Both are originals by the group.
The single was released on Webb Records No. 5667A, with dead wax L-270-1/2.
From right to left: Steve Croucher with headphones, Tom Webb “fingering the control panel”, Jim Bond seated next to him, Owen Evans, Bill James and Ron Hall.
Amazingly one of their recording sessions was documented by the Emporia Gazette on Thursday August 31, 1967:
Young Emporians Doing Record Business
Webb Records, named for the senior partner, Tom Webb. Fifteen years old. A student at Roosevelt Junior High School … Tom has been playing around with tape recording as a hobby for about a year…
Headquarters for him and for Webb Records is the basement of his family’s home…
…the truly impressive sight lines fully half of one wall. It is a large handmade electronics control panel, sporting built-in tape recorder, gauges, flashing lights, tone controls and several trays of toggle switches. On one side of the control panel is a work table, buried beneath an avalanche of printed order forms, contracts and information sheets … On either side of the whole squat huge speakers.
Tom’s partner in Webb Records is Bill James … Bill keeps a sharp eye on the company finances while Tom wears the earphones and flips toggles at the control panel…
Here recently a rock-and-roll band from Osage City came to set up its equipment for a recording session.
The band goes by the moniker, “The Rain.” All four members are young, in their teens, not unusual for today’s rock combos. “The Rain,” however, is no ordinary back-yard garage band … Last spring, when they still went under the name, “The Imperials,” they carried off top honors from a marathon “battle of the bands” held in Topeka. Just before their last recording session with Tom Webb, they had completed their first extended tour, a three-week trip that included Garden City, Pratt, Hutchinson, Dighton and a thrust on up into Nebraska.
Although Tom has done recording work with a number of young bands – the “Red Dogs” from Lawrence, the “Ides of March” from Kansas City, the “Coachmen” from Oklahoma City, the “Intruders and the “Esquires” in Emporia, for example, he has spent most of the summer concentrating on “The Rain.”
“Love Me and Be Glad”
The hit record that has been Webb Records’ main claim to fame so far was cut by “The Rain.” The 45-rpm disc features a big beat song called “Love Me and Be Glad,” with “Little Boy Blue” on the flip side. The record has been plugged on several radio stations … in Topeka, Osage City and Emporia. Tom has a list of 16 stations he has been working with.
The manager and lead guitarist for “The Rain” is Steve Croucher, a quiet, reserved chap who even wears his brown hair short. Even more reticent is the bass guitarist, Ron Hall. Owen Evans, the heavy-set, long-locked organist, pounds out chords and beams all over … The fourth band member … is Jim Bond, a short mop-topped extrovert who lays into his drums like they were going out of style. Owen, Steve and Jim handle most of the vocal roles.
The system Tom and Bill have set up is simple and efficient. Occasionally Tom moves his recording equipment to the band, as he did with the “Red Dogs” (their organ was too large to squeeze into the Webb basement)…
When the jam session finally chruns out a good tape, Tom takes it to Audio House in Lawrence. There the tape is used as a master to cut a record on a metal disc covered with acetate. Up to 25 copies are made this way, Tom says, but because acetate records are expensive – $4 each – larger quantities are pressed.
Up to Listeners
After the records are cut, Audio House ships them to Tom, who then makes the rounds of radio stations, leaving a free record at each station…
Once the song goes out on the air, Tom’s fortunes rest with the listeners. If they like the song, they will go downtown to their friendly local record store – where they will be told the disc is not stocked … The retail dealer then contacts the distributor, who in turn contacts Tom. Webb Records then ships the disc directly from Tom’s basement…
“I sure would like to get my own cutting machine,” Tom remarks, adding with a crestfallen expression, “but they cost around $40,000 … But say, if I had my own equipment, I could turn out records for only about two cents each.”
Circa early 1969, the Kanwic label out of Wichita would release a single by Rain, “I’m Free” / “London” on Kanwic HFCS-151. Publishing was by Doree, Johnny & Bill Music.
I believe this may be an entirely different band. The two songwriters, Larry Ulin and Mike Carney, were not in the Rain who recorded on Webb. Also, the sound is much different on “I’m Free”, featuring driving lead guitar without the organ and sweetness of the earlier single.
Wichita is about 100 miles from Emporia, and further from Osage City, though it was not unusual for bands to travel long distances to record.
As for Webb Records, in 1968 Tom Webb would produce a single by Friar Tuck & the Monks on Webb 5668, featuring an original song “Escape” (by Ron Bowell) with a slowed-down cover of “Help”, vocals by Ron Bowell and Rich France. I don’t know if Tom Webb and Bill James continued in music after that.
Brian Balcombe (lead guitar) replaced by Brian Brockie
Steve Stills (bass)
Geoff Rich (keyboards)
Jim Caley (alto sax)
Keith Fidge (tenor sax)
Mick Henley (baritone sax)
John Wilkins (drums)
The Honey Band began life in 1965 as Lo Limit, a successful semi-pro band based in Northfleet in Kent, fronted by singer Norman Warren from Aveley in Essex.
Some band members wanted to break free from the constraints of local pub work and drafted in some like-minded personnel to achieve their ambition.
In early 1967, the renegade section of Lo Limit comprising Geoff Rich (keys), Steve Stills (bass), Keith Fidge (tenor) and Brian Balcombe (guitar) and led by the aforementioned ‘Whizzy’ Warren recruited drummer John Wilkins from Peckham; female vocalist Maggie Yorke from Newcastle; and the multi-talented Mick Henley, who, at that time, had just completed his degree at the Army’s music academy, Kneller Hall, Twickenham.
The newly created Honey Band recorded a couple of unreleased singles, but it was their live performances that were attracting attention with great reviews. However, they were still seeking a bigger live sound and this goal was accomplished when alto sax player Jim Caley was ‘poached’ from local competitors Beathoven’s Soul Band.
A short time later, lead guitarist Brian Balcombe decided that a full-time music career was not for him and Brian Brockie, also a Beathoven’s Soul band man, was invited to replace him.
Following a series of intensive rehearsals in the ballroom of the now demolished Darenth Park Hospital, the band hit the road to play a hectic schedule of gigs between June ‘67 and February ‘68 across the UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Holland.
Part of the Scottish tour, June-July 1967
After a tour of northern Scotland, the band began to make occasional appearances at renowned London venues, including the Flamingo in Soho, the Ram Jam in Brixton and Billy Walker’s Uppercut in Forest Gate.
Much of this work was due to the influence of the band’s American manager Bill Berry, an ex-Radio England DJ, who also arranged for the musicians to support headline chart acts, including The Nice, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, as well as US soul star Madeline Bell; the group performed as her backing band on two theatre shows after just one hastily arranged rehearsal. Madeline went on to form chart toppers Blue Mink.
Following a successful audition at Kennington Granada in September ’67, the band were selected to become the live backing band for Pye recording artiste David Garrick whose previous supporting band had been the Iveys (later Badfinger). Garrick had a huge following in Europe, and in 2021 his 1966 hit “Mrs Applebee” weighed in at No 48 in the top 2,500 records in Holland between 1966 and 2000.
As a result, Maggie Yorke and Norman Warren quit and singer Gary Williams from east London stepped in.
However, the band was unable to sustain the level of work required to keep an ‘eight piece’ outfit fed and watered. Despite having forward scheduled gigs into the spring, after a succession of financial and logistical problems, the band split in March 1968.
Only guitarist Brian Brockie continued in the music industry professionally and joined The Button Hole Band (see their page on this site). He went on to play in a succession of bands and continues to do so at the start of 2022.
Thanks to Brian Brockie for providing all of the photos and the text for this article.
L to R: Top, Colin Pierce, Dave Shaw (on the stool), Colin Fox, Ray Harper. Left sitting down, Paul Dunn and Rod Pittam
Dave Shaw (lead vocals)
Colin Pierce (guitar)
Colin Fox (vocals, guitar)
Ray Harper (bass)
Rod Pittam (keyboards)
Paul Dunn (drums)
As Colin Fox recalls, “The formation of St John’s Wood started when two local Eastbourne groups, Spooks and 4-Bidden got together.
“I was in Spooks, and in 1966, the drummer, John Atkins, decided to join the RAF; the bass player Chris Putland decided to move to London and eventually became an accountant; and the guitarist, John Brooker, emigrated to New Zealand. That left singer Dave Shaw and me.
“4-Bidden were a four piece band whose lead guitarist wanted to leave, so they asked me to join. I said I would if Dave could also join as singer and they agreed.”
Fox adds that the band brought in a keyboard player and decided to change their name because there were now six musicians in the group.
“About that time there was a band called The Scots of St James, a nightclub in London by the same name. So, we thought, ‘What other parts of London are there?’ We came up with St John’s Wood.”
The guitarist notes that 1969 marked the 50th anniversary of the first flight across the Atlantic by Alcock and Brown and the band was approached by a guy who asked if they would be interested in recording a song called “Alcock and Brown”, which was written by Blakely and Howard.
“As they had had many top ten hits, we of course said yes,” says Fox. “We went into the studio and recorded the song. The first Saturday in May 1969, Simon Dee had a special programme commemorating the 50th year anniversary of the first flight. Blakely and Howard were there and wanted us to change our name to Balloon Busters. I found the whole thing embarrassing, the song and the name, but we went ahead and appeared on the Simon Dee show.”
After leaving the studio, the band reverted to the name St John’s Wood and on the Monday left for a three-week tour of Denmark.
The band’s first gig was at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. During August, the band held down a month-residency at the Carousel Club in Copenhagen, supporting by local Danish bands.
“The agent who sent us there told us there would be plenty of bookings waiting for us when we got back but unfortunately they never materialised and I left the band a couple of months afterwards.”
Fox says that he was approached by lead singer Tony Kenward from another local Eastbourne band called Road.
Road. Photo: Colin Fox
“I knew that Ray Harper was also dissatisfied with St John’s Wood having no work so I agreed if he could join as well.
“Over the next few years we changed our name to Lyzander and finally Performance. We became quite popular on the circuit for our four/five-part harmonies. In the following years, I did go out in a duo, a trio and also a band with four members. I retired to Spain in 2004, and played some bars and clubs in a duo, but that’s another story.”
Thanks to Colin Fox for information and photos about the band
The Souncations made only one single, a version of “Respect” with a fine original song “Exit” by Jerry Rojas on the B-side, released on Head 1001 in 1967.
“Exit” features organ dominating the melody, but there’s a fine guitar solo and t he vocalist drawls his lines something like Jagger.
Earl Slocom produced, and the address 844 Pilot Dr, Dallas may have been his home. Usually spelled Earl Slocomb, he had been bassist with the Big Beats, who had cut instrumentals for Columbia, Liberty and other labels going back to 1957.
Despite the Kendall Pub. credit I cannot find a registration of copyright on “Exit”.
The origin of the Souncations is unknown, but I can find two notices on a guitarist named Jerry Rojas from Corsicana, TX, about 60 miles south of Dallas.
Both concern Navarro Junior College talent shows. The first show on December 2, 1965 is described:
Carol Kennermore was featured twice – singing … “Summertime,” and dancing to the strains of “Malaguena.”
Jerry Rojas on guitar, Danny Espedal on organ, and Roger Ballew on bass accompanied her song. The shaggy-maned Rojas himself later belted out a rock tune.
The second on March 24, 1966 notes:
Jerry Rojas, accompanying himself on his electric guitar, dipped into modern jazz for vocalizations of “Run for Your Life,” “Tombstone Blues” and “Ballad of a Thin Man.”
But so far I have no confirmation this is the same Jerry Rojas, or that the group actually came from Corsicana.
Thank you to Michael Robinson for alerting me to the Audiodisc acetate of the single.
Our Gang made one single “Rapunzel” / “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” on ‘Round & ‘Round Records RR-4503.
The band probably came from Colorado Springs, or at least that was the base for ‘Round & ‘Round Records. Rick Fooshee wrote both songs.
Members included:
Rick Fooshee – vocals Alex Asbridge David Asbridge Greg Stepanic Mike Lawrence Ron Lewis
Gazette-Telegraph, April 1, 1967Charles A. Bennett started ‘Round & ‘Round Records, and released at least five singles in 1966 and 1967, including the Chasers “Believe Me” (by Frase, Myers, Rivera, Valdez) / “Rainy Duffy’s Blues” (Hoonoze), produced by Gene Towne.
I haven’t found any news articles on Our Gang or the Chasers, but Chuck Bennett’s ad & record business was profiled in 1967.
The Chasers included Dave Myers – vocals, John Rivera – guitar, Troy Valdez – bass, and Richard Frase – drums. They were from either Colorado Springs or Edgewater, and had two other singles, “Let Me Kiss away those Teardrops” / “Unchain My Heart” on Top Ten 2299, and “You Can’t Buy Love” / “I’m Sure” on CLW 45-6597.
Jolene Wood sent in this scan of an Edgewood Recording Studio acetate of the Korsairs of Tacoma Park, Maryland. The band covers “I Can Only Give You Everything” on one side and James Brown’s “I Don’t Mind” on the other. Another copy of this acetate sold for $790 in 2010.
Members included:
Mark Redd – lead vocals and keyboards Joe [surname?] – guitar Mark Fincham – drums
Mark played at the grand opening of the Kennedy Center Sept.8, 1971, perhaps on keyboard with his next band, Second Eagle or 2nd Eagle. Mark Ainsley Redd died in Marietta Ohio October 2019.
The Motion 1966. Left to right: Greg Peck, Martin Jarvis, Alex Macpherson and Kerry Watson
Martin Jarvis (lead vocals, guitar)
Greg Peck (vocals, guitar)
Kerry Watson (bass)
Alex Macpherson (drums)
This north London group started in 1964 as The Henchmen with Bernie Holloway on bass. Bernie was from Liverpool and had played with some well-known Liverpool groups pre The Beatles. He was replaced in early ‘65 by Kerry Watson and the same line up lasted until late 1967.
After the band split Kerry Watson went on to tour Germany with Jackie Edwards who wrote the hits ‘Keep on Running’ and ‘Somebody Help Me’ for The Spencer Davis Group. Kerry failed an audition for Cupids Inspiration but the manager of both these groups, who auditioned him, gave him the job with Jackie Edwards. Kerry died in 2014.
Martin Jarvis is still in the business as the UK’s foremost Tom Jones Tribute act. He worked in various bands over the years and did session work for a couple of record labels. He went to Las Vegas with Anthony Newley’s show. At Newley’s suggestion he started doing Tom Jones songs (Tom was the big hit in Vegas at the time). Martin has been doing them ever since.
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
