The Essentials came from Schagticoke, New York, and cut two singles on their own Kandy label in 1969 and 1970. Members were:
Jason Wheeler – lead guitar Steve Wheeler – rhythm guitar Jeff Wheeler – bass guitar Fred “Squeekey” Stay – drums
Jeff Wheeler recalled to Max Waller:
Our ages were 13, 15, 17 and 17 at the time. We played Friday and Saturday nights and threw in a wedding now and then with the old standards on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Even went to Atlantic City and Raleigh, NC. cuz we won a few Battle Of The Bands – the Tea Berry song contest too (we didn’t win that tho). We made 2 45s in 1968. Never made a million but we sold 1000 records for $1 apiece after spending $500 to do it! It was fun.
The Essentials recorded at Vibra-Sound Studio in Schenectady for both their singles. The first was Kandy 101 from 1969. “Oklahoma Blues” has some falsetto vocals about a minute in, but really gets going after the guitar break, with a funky rhythm and chanting. Fred Stay and Steve Wheeler wrote “Oklahoma Blues”. Steve Wheeler wrote “Baby You Get to Me”, which I haven’t heard yet.
Their second 45, on Kandy 82042 from 1970, had two originals by Squeeky Stay. “Sunshine Baby” is light pop. I prefer “Freedom”, which starts out with wah-wah guitar over drumming and doesn’t let up for three minutes. It’s a styrene 45 and hard to find in fine shape.
Robert Barry Music published all four songs.
Squeeky Stay and Mark Galeo made another single recorded at Vibra-Sound, “Slippin’ Away” / “Mrs. Jones” on Jinhea 100.
Max Waller added, “in 2002 Jeff resided in Poestenskill, NY; Steve was in New Jersey; Jason was reported to be in Texas; and Squeeky Stay had stayed in Schaghticoke.”
Fred Stay, Jr. also played drums with a group called the World of Darkness, that back Alan Burn on two songs “Gotham City” and “See Susie Run”, released on Tuesday Records. “See Susie Run” was also on the flip of “Information (Help Me Please)” by Alan on Tuesday Records TR-1 / Tuesday Records TR-SSR.
The other members of the World of Darkness were David L. Ferretti guitar, Paul Orloski rhythm guitar, John Zullo (or John Sciuto) on bass, and Sandi La Barge on organ.
Thank you to Max Waller for help with this article.
Joe Mendelson (Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals)
Mike McKenna (Guitar)
Pat Little (Drums)
Timothy Leary (Bass)
Denny Gerrard (Bass)
Tony Nolasco (Drums)
Mike Harrison (Bass)
Frank ”Zeke” Sheppard (Harmonica, Bass, Vocals)
Ted Purdy (Bass, Guitar, Vocals)
Larry Leishman (Guitar, Vocals)
Bob Adams (Harmonica)
Following a brief spell in The Ugly Ducklings, former Luke & The Apostles guitarist Mike McKenna (b. 15 April 1946, Toronto, Canada) put an ad in a local paper (around May 1968) searching for blues enthusiasts interested in forming a band.
Local singer Joe Mendelson (b. Birrel Josef Mendelson, 30 July 1944, Toronto, Canada) answered his ad, and together they formed the basis of this musically interesting group.
A very short-lived line up formed with former Luke & The Apostles drummer Pat Little (b. 10 March 1947, North Bay, Ontario, Canada) and bass player Timothy Leary (not the more famous US namesake) but it never got passed rehearsals.
Soon afterwards, former Paupers member Denny Gerrard signed up alongside drummer Tony Nolasco (b. 9 July 1950, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada), who had spent a year with The Spasstiks and was only 16 years old when he arrived in Toronto.
The quartet began advertising its talents in mid-June and recorded a demonstration tape over a few days in early September, which was subsequently issued as a “legal bootleg” by manager John Irvine, who had the legal title to the tapes but released it without the band’s approval. This line -up also became residents at Toronto’s Night Owl.
Following several early live performances, Gerrard left the group in early October (subsequently rejoining The Paupers briefly) and ex-Grant Smith and The Power bass player Mike Harrison (b. 1 November 1948, Brampton, Ontario, Canada) was recruited in his place.
This line-up opened for John Lee Hooker at the Rockpile before moving to London, England in December.
Mendelson and McKenna arrived on 10 December, Harrison on 15 December and Nolasco on 26 December.
The band built up a steady following on London’s blues circuit and also played some dates on the continent, including the ‘Flight to Lowlands Paradise 2’ concert, in Utrecht, The Netherlands on 27/28 December alongside Pink Floyd, where the Canadian band was reputedly the only group to receive a standing ovation. (Nolasco had only arrived in England on 26 December!)
During their stay in London, McKenna Mendelson Mainline won a recording deal with Liberty Records and in April and May 1969 recorded the album Stink, generally considered to be the band’s best work, at Trident Studios in London’s Soho district.
By the time it was released in July the musicians were back in Toronto, where they were greeted as returning heroes.
The single, ‘Better Watch Out’ reached #47 on the Canadian RPM chart and the album sold very well.
However, despite the LP’s success, the group’s career was about to grind to a halt.
On 23 November 1969, Mendelson guested with Whiskey Howl at Toronto’s Night Owl, which was a precursor of things to come; he left abruptly [late] the following month for a solo career.
During the early part of 1970 McKenna found time to record with a revamped Luke & The Apostles and the group was put on hold.
Mendelson however, decided to reform the band in March 1970, recruiting former Franklin Sheppard & The Good Sheppards singer Zeke Sheppard on bass alongside Nolasco.
The group, now named simply “Mainline”, was invited to play at the Scarborough Fair Festival in the summer, and Mendelson decided to ask McKenna to join the band for the one show.
The concert was a great success and McKenna was invited to rejoin full-time. The new line-up embarked on a tour of Australia in 1971 as opening act for Frijid Pink.
During this period the band scored another hit with the single ‘Get Down To’, from the 1971 GRT LP Mainline: Canada Our Home & Native Land. The single hit #45 in April 1972.
In late 1971, bassist Ted Purdy replaced Sheppard and appeared on the 1972 GRT album The Mainline Bump & Grind Revue. This version of Mainline dissolved in late 1972.
In March 1973, a new entity formed, “King Biscuit Boy Meets Mainline”, with Richard “King Biscuit Boy” on vocals and harmonica, Mike McKenna on guitar and vocals, Mike Harrison on bass, and Tony Nolasco on drums. In May, former Rhinoceros/Blackstone guitarist Larry Leishman was added on guitar and vocals.
“King Biscuit Boy Meets Mainline” was booked for an Australian tour, but Richard Newell’s fear of flying prevented his participation.
In June 1973, Joe Mendelson replaced Newell for the Australian tour, so the Stink album quartet of McKenna, Mendelson, Harrison, and Nolasco was reunited (with Larry Leishman added) for the first time since December 1969.
After the Australian tour, the Biscuit Meets Mainline band reassembled for several months, but dissolved later in the year. Contrary to legend, this band never recorded or released any material.
On 31 December 1973, the quartet of McKenna, Mendelson, Harrison, and Nolasco presented “The Mainline Bump & Grind Revue” at Toronto’s Victory Burlesque Theatre. The show was broadcast the same evening on TV Ontario.
In 1974, Mendelson decided to reform the band. McKenna and Nolasco agreed, but Harrison opted out, and female bassist Leslie Soldat was recruited. This line-up, most notable for opening for Rush at Toronto’s Massey Hall, dissolved in less than a year.
In 1975, McKenna and Mendelson recorded No Substitute for Taurus Records. Produced by Mendelson and Adam Mitchell, the LP included an assortment of players including Ted Purdy on bass and Jørn Anderson on drums. The album didn’t sell; soon after McKenna and Mendelson went on to pursue separate careers.
Mendelson resumed his solo career while McKenna had brief spells with The Guess Who and The Downchild Blues Band.
In 1997, McKenna and Gerrard formed Slidewinder and recorded an LP for the Pacemaker label.
A new line up of the band was formed in late-April 1999 featuring Mike McKenna (guitar, vocals), Tony Nolaso (drums, lead vocals), Mike Harrison (bass, vocals), Ted Purdy (guitar, vocals) and Bob Adams (harp).
The band recorded a CD, Last Show @ The Elmo for Bullseye in November 2001. The CD release party was at Toronto’s Hard Rock Café in December 2002.
LP Canada, Our Home And Native Land (GRT 9230-1011) 1971
LP The Mainline Bump And Grind Revue – Live At The Victory Theatre (GRT 9230-1015) 1972
45 Get Down To/Pedalictus Rag (GRT 1233-22) 1972
45 Games of Love/O Canada (GRT 1233-32) 1972
45 Sometimes/Do My Walkin’ (Taurus 005) 1975
LP No Substitute (Taurus TR103) 1975
Advertised gigs
5-10 August 1968 – The Night Owl, Toronto
16-17 August 1968 – The Night Owl, Toronto
24-25 August 1968 – El Patio, Toronto
31 August 1968 – The Night Owl, Toronto
5-8 September 1968 – El Patio, Toronto
6 October 1968 – Massey Hall, Toronto with The Fugs and Transfusion (Gerrard’s final show as Toronto Telegram’s 19 October issue reports he’s back with The Paupers)
22-27 October 1968 – El Patio, Toronto (Harrison’s debut)
2 November 1968 – Grande Ballroom, Detroit, US with Jeff Beck, Toad and Joyful Wisdom
14-16 November 1968 – The Flick, Toronto
17 November 1968 – Rock Pile, Toronto with The Leigh Ashford Group
18-20 November 1968 – The Night Owl, Toronto
22 November 1968 – The Night Owl, Toronto
23 November 1968 – Rock Pile, Toronto with John Lee Hooker
30 November 1968 – Rock Pile, Toronto with Transfusion
1 December 1968 – Rock Pile, Toronto (“Going to England party”)
8 December 1968 – Rock Pile, Toronto with Buddy Guy (probably last show for leaving for UK)
27-28 December 1968 – Flight to Lowlands Paradise II, Margrietel Jaarbeus, Utrecht, The Netherlands
26 January 1969 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham, England (debut UK gig)
8 February 1969 – Van Dike, Plymouth, Devon
This is noted in Jonathan Hill’s book ‘Van Dike – The Life & Times of a Plymouth Club 1968-1972’
19 February 1969 – Speakeasy, central London
20 February 1969 – South Parade Pier, Southsea, Hants, England with The Pretty Things and The Deviants
20 February 1969 – Concorde Club, Bassett Hotel, Southampton, Hants
27 February 1969 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire, England with Family (needs confirmation)
1 March 1969 – Van Dike, Plymouth, Devon
This is noted in Jonathan Hill’s book ‘Van Dike – The Life & Times of a Plymouth Club 1968-1972’. The group replaced Led Zeppelin who were due to play
6 March 1969 – Concorde Club, Bassett Hotel, Southampton, Hants
8 March 1969 – Bay Hotel, Sunderland, England
16 March 1969 – Mad Gin Mill, Angel, Godalming, Surrey, England with Six Bob Cheep
22 March 1969 – Kimbells Club, Southsea, Hants, England
26 March 1969 – Rambling Jack’s Blues Club, the Railway Hotel, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts, England
28 March 1969 – Mothers, Erdington, West Midlands, England
30 March 1969 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham, England
According to Melody Maker, the group played at the Mistrale Club in Beckenham Junction, south London before 19 April.
7 April 1969 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, London
11 April 1969 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset
21 April 1969 – Quaintways, Chester, Cheshire with Van Der Graaf Generator, Peter & The Alphabet, The State Express and Wall City Jazzmen
23 April 1969 – Toby Jug, Tolworth, Surrey, England
24 April 1969 – Concorde Club, Bassett Hotel, Southampton, Hants
25 April 1969 – Blues Loft, Nags Head, High Wycombe, Bucks, England
27 April 1969 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London with White Trash, Third Ear and many others
1 May 1969 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire, England with Caravan
9 May 1969 – Blues Loft, Nags Head, High Wycombe, Bucks, England
18 May 1969 – Mad Gin Mill, Angel, Godalming, Surrey, England with Six Bob Cheep
22 May 1969 – Concorde Club, Bassett Hotel, Southampton, Hants
23 May 1969 – The Lyceum, Strand, central London with The Soft Machine, Harvey Matusow’s Jews Harp Band, Mighty Baby and Procol Harum,
29 May 1969 – The Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Howlin’ Wolf and The John Dummer Blues Band
12 July 1969 – Rock Pile, Toronto (probably the band’s first show after returning from the UK)
21-24 August 1969 – Rock Pile, Toronto
26 August 1969 – Glenbriar, Waterloo, Ontario
29 August 1969 – Huron Park, Mississauga, Ontario
9-14 September 1969 – Electric Circus, Toronto
19 September 1969 – St Gabe’s, Willowdale, Ontario
20 September 1969 – Barrie Rock Festival, Barrie Central Auditorium, Barrie, Ontario with Teegarden and Vanwinkle, Leigh Ashford, Neon Rose and Milestone
1 November 1969 – The Hawk’s Nest, Toronto
8 November 1969 – Scorpio Youth Concert, North York Centennial Centre, Toronto with Manchild, East West Project, Buckstone Hardware and Life and Creation
28 November 1969 – The Workshop at Seneca College, Toronto
30 November 1969 – The Hawk’s Nest, Toronto
30 November 1969 – The Night Owl, Toronto
13 December 1969 – Cedabrae Collegiate, Toronto
23 December 1969 – Kiwanis Club, Hamilton, Ontario
31 December 1969 – Grande Ballroom, Detroit, US (without Mendelson) Advertised but didn’t happen
3 January 1970 – Le Hibou, Ottawa (without Mendelson) Advertised but didn’t happen
4 January 1970 – Notre Dame Hall, Ottawa with Whiskey Howl and Brimful (without Mendelson) Advertised but didn’t happen
6 January 1970 – St Gabe’s, Willowdale, Ontario
7 February 1970 – Our Lady of Fatima Hall, Toronto (without Mendelson)
Advertised gigs (As Mainline)
3 April 1970 – Dunbarton High, Toronto
11 April 1970 – Hawk’s Nest, Toronto
24 April 1970 – Electric Circus, Toronto
15 May 1970 – St Gabe’s, Willowdale, Ontario
30 May 1970 – Electric Circus, Toronto (McKenna rejoins after this show)
6 June 1970 – Scarboro Fair, Scarborough, Ontario, with Richie Havens, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Lighthouse, Edward Bear, Fludd and others
4 July 1970 – Memorial Gardens, Toronto with The Guess Who, Manchild and Balazar
17 July 1970 – Jubilee Auditorium, Oshawa, Ontario
18 July 1970 – Hidden Valley, Hunstville, Ontario
14 August 1970 – Jubilee Auditorium, Oshawa, Ontario
22 August 1970 – Le Hibou, Ottawa (as McKenna Mendelson Mainline)
I don’t think this tour of Australia and New Zealand happened. They toured in 1971 and then again in 1973
2 September 1970 – Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
3 September 1970 – Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
4 September 1970 – Brisbane, Australia
5 September 1970 – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
9 September 1970 – Perth, Western Australia, Australia
11 September 1970 – Wellington, New Zealand
12 September 1970 – Auckland, New Zealand
3 October 1970 – Runnymede Secondary School, Toronto
24 October 1970 – St Gabe’s, Willowdale, Ontario
1 November 1970 – York Masonic Temple, Toronto with Mudflat (advertised but didn’t happen)
19 November 1970 – U of T Convocation Hall, Toronto with Jason
26 December 1970 – Markham United Church, Markham, Ontario
29 December 1970 – Huron Heights High School, Toronto with Jason
Huge thanks to Mike Harrison for his help with this entry. Thanks also to Mike McKenna and Tony Nolasco.
Thanks to Cole Mathieson for the Concorde Club, Southampton gigs at the Bassett Hotel.
Kensington Market produced perhaps the most gentle, lyrical rock music to figure on the Toronto music scene during the 1960s.
Fusing folk, classical and jazz elements with attractive melodic phrasings, and anecdotal lyrics, Kensington Market (named after a street market in the city’s west side) was formed initially to promote the song writing talents of English-born Keith McKie (b. 20 November 1947, St Albans).
McKie’s musical abilities first came to prominence after his family had emigrated to Sault Ste. Marie in northwest Ontario in 1953 when he began singing in local church choirs. Learning the guitar in his teens, he formed his first band, The Shades, with fellow guitarist Bobby Yukich.
When The Shades broke up, McKie and Yukich next pieced together The Vendettas with three members of rival group, Ronnie Lee and the Five Sharps – sax player John Derbyshire, drummer Bob Yeomans and bass player Alfred Johns, who soon made way for Alex Darou (b. 6 January 1943, Sault Ste. Marie), a former student at the Oscar Peterson School in Toronto.
Several years older than the others, Darou had recently come off the road with a jazz trio helmed by Geordie MacDonald, later drummer with Neil Young’s short-lived group Four To Go. Darou’s intellect and musical abilities had a profound influence on the rest of the band and Keith McKie in particular.
“Alex taught us a lot about feels and jazz and kinda got us really aware of time,” says McKie about his future Kensington Market band mate.
In the summer of 1965, The Vendettas accepted an invitation to audition for singer Ronnie Hawkins, who’d been passed the group’s tapes by Mary Jane Punch, a female fan studying in Toronto.
The promise of a deal with the singer’s Hawk Records never materialised but the band did get to play some dates on the local bar circuit.
By this point, John Derbyshire had made way for Toronto University music graduate, Scott Cushnie. An accomplished pianist, Cushnie ended up playing with Aerosmith’s road band during the 1970s.
Towards the end of the year, Bob Yeomans also moved on to join The A-Men, and was replaced by a 15-year-old drummer from Thunder Bay named Ted Sherrill.
Returning to Toronto the following spring, the band gigged regularly at Boris’ Red Gas Room and during June 1966 recorded two McKie-Yukich songs: ‘Hurt’ c/w ‘You Don’t Care Now’ for a prospective single.
For some reason, however, the single never materialised, prompting Alex Darou’s departure for New York to work with David Clayton-Thomas.
The group never really recovered from losing its inspirational bass player, and although Wayne Cardinal from Satan and The D-Men came to the rescue, McKie’s thoughts turned towards forging a new musical path, one where he could promote his increasingly introspective and anecdotal songs.
Such an opportunity arose in the spring of 1967 when aspiring rock manager Bernie Finkelstein approached McKie and offered to build a group around him.
Finkelstein was on the look out to launch a new, progressive band after selling his interests in The Paupers to Bob Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman. In fact, it had been Paupers’ guitarist and lead singer, Adam Mitchell, who’d first told him about Keith McKie and encouraged him to check out the talented singer/songwriter.
“At one point I was living with Steve Gervais, who was later a successful actor, in a station wagon and he wanted to be my manager,” says McKie.
“But it seemed like Bernie was the better deal. In retrospect, and in spite of the fact that Bernie was really good, I probably should have stayed with the guy I was with at the time because it would have been more fun in the long run and more organic. Bernie had a lot of experience and that was probably a smart move to make if you were being a business person.”
First on the list for the new band was Gene Martynec (b. 28 March 1947, Coburg, West Germany), a brilliant guitarist with a Polish/Ukrainian background, who’d recently quit local folk/rock band, Bobby Kris & The Imperials after two singles for Columbia Records.
As McKie explains, it was Finkelstein’s decision to link the two musicians together.
“I wasn’t totally sure about Gene at first,” admits McKie. “But he was nice guy and a good player and so we started playing a bit and started to gel.”
“I heard Keith playing a couple of tunes in the back seat of a car one night and really liked what he was playing, so we started from there,” recalls Martynec.
Searching for like-minded souls, McKie’s former band mate Ted Sherrill pointed him in the direction of Jimmy Watson (b. 23 August 1950, Belfast, Northern Ireland), a self-taught drummer and a dab hand at the sitar. It also didn’t hurt that the young Irishman happened to be Van Morrison’s cousin!
“Jimmy was just this young kid and when I first saw him, well, I thought how can this person play, he’s so young?” says Martynec.
Despite these initially concerns, Watson soon proved his worth and they began searching for a bass player to complete the band.
The musicians ended up trying out several players before McKie turned to former Vendetta Alex Darou. Having located a number for his friend in New York, McKie remembers Darou needing little persuasion. “He thought, ‘Bernie Finkelstein’, now I am interested.”
In a city renowned for its gritty R&B and blues, the group’s music tread a far more delicate path, closer in sound perhaps to early Jefferson Airplane or the Incredible String Band.
Finding an appropriate name that captured this diverse and eclectic blend of musical styles prompted the group to call itself after a popular street market in the city’s west end because store owners “sell everything and we wanted to do everything”.
Kensington Market did indeed seem quite fitting and after settling on the name, the band retreated to an old waterfront warehouse to practise for six weeks.
Emerging with an intricate and sophisticated sound, the band launched its new musical vision on the public at the Night Owl on Avenue Road on 4 June 1967.
Writing in the Toronto Star, Sid Adilman reported that the group was “the brightest and most inventive band ever grouped together in Toronto”.
Another witness to the early group’s live performances was journalist Peter Goddard who caught the band at Boris’ Red Gas Room a few weeks later (possibly 17 June when they were billed as The Kensington Market Band).
Reviewing the show for the city’s Globe and Mail, Goddard commented: “Unlike many West Coast-orientated groups the Market’s primary concern is with music and not its supposed mind-expanding after-effects.”
Such accolades were well deserved and in July Finkelstein negotiated a deal with the local Stone label, which resulted in four recordings, all Keith McKie compositions.
The fruits of these sessions were soon made public when the band’s debut single, ‘Mr John’ c/w ‘Kensington Market’ was issued as a single in September 1967. Though the recording quality isn’t great, the single has a certain charm and perhaps it was this that propelled ‘Mr John’ into the lower rungs of the national RPM chart.
Within a matter of months, a second single, coupling the more rock orientated ‘Bobby’s Birthday’ with the original (fast) version of ‘I Would Be The One’ was issued to capitalise on ‘Mr John’s’ success.
Like its predecessor, the two tracks reveal a rare glimpse of the early line up’s raw energy and dynamic live sound. The public, however, wasn’t impressed and the single died a quick death.
It didn’t really matter as by then the group had developed a fuller sound with the addition of a fifth member, former Luke & The Apostles lead singer Luke Gibson (b. 5 October 1946, Toronto).
“We were always looking around for someone extra,” explains McKie.
“We wanted another singer preferably because we wanted to get harmony. Gene and I had written some tunes that could do with a lot more harmony and Luke being such a great singer was out there. I think Bernie approached him.”
When Finkelstein approached Luke Gibson to join the Market in early August, the singer had literally played one of his final shows with the Apostles, a performance at the O’Keefe Centre, opening for visiting US acts, The Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead. Gibson’s bluesier, soulful voice gave The Kensington Market an earthier sound and complemented McKie’s vocals perfectly.
A week after Gibson’s arrival, the band composed, arranged and recorded eight tracks for the soundtrack for Don Owen’s highly acclaimed Canadian Film Board movie, The Ernie Game.
“Don Owen made a trilogy, Nobody Wave Goodbye, Donna and Gail and The Ernie Game,” says McKie.
“I forget which one was the middle one, but the most popular one was Nobody Wave Goodbye. Leonard Cohen was actually in the one we did, he played in the movie.”
“We were in Montreal at Expo ‘67 in the National Film Board,” adds Martynec.
“We were there I guess for a week and it was like going for a job. We’d get up in the morning and go and work and we’d get out of there fairly late.”
Among the songs Kensington Market contributed to the soundtrack are McKie’s ‘Colouring Book Eyes’ and ‘The Ernie Game’. “We wrote ‘The Ernie Game’ in our hotel room at the Hotel Des Artistes and then we did it the next day.”
Around this time, the group also performed at the seventh annual Mariposa Folk Festival in a watershed year in which electric instruments were featured for the first time. Alex Darou and Jimmy Watson found time around the group’s increasingly busy schedule to play on Ian and Sylvia Tyson’s latest single, ‘Candy Girl’.
While ‘Mr John’ had proved a minor hit, the group’s fortunes were about to change.
Shortly after the group had appeared in the centre-fold of the popular MacLean’s magazine, the band members participated in a jam session with former Gordon Lightfoot guitarist, David Rea.
Impressed by the group’s sophisticated sound (McKie admits that Rea nearly became a member), Rea brought the band to the attention of US producer Felix Pappalardi, whose musical resume included Cream and The Youngbloods.
Pappalardi flew up to Toronto to check the group out and immediately offered a two-record deal with Warner Brothers.
“We were playing Le Hibou in Ottawa [most likely 29-30 September] and they came and signed the papers there,” remembers McKie.
Flying down to New York in February 1968, the group played a series of shows at the Bitter End, running from 14-19 February. Over the next five-weeks, the group recorded its debut album at Century Studio, abetted by Felix Pappalardi in the producer’s chair, to the tune of $30,000.
“It was our first introduction to a major studio,” says Martynec. “I wish I had bought my amplifier from Toronto because I couldn’t get a reasonable sound out of the amps that we rented, at least to play with comfortably, not enough distortion.”
Back in Toronto, the band resumed its regular gig at Boris’, with occasion forays to clubs like the Static Journey and El Patio. In early summer, the band headed west and played a show in McKie and Darou’s hometown, Sault St Marie at the city’s Memorial Arena on 5 July.
A few weeks later, on 21 July, the group got the opportunity to support Jefferson Airplane for a show at McMaster University in Hamilton alongside the obscure Bittergarden.
Reviewing the show for the Toronto Daily Star the following week, Stephen Dewar reported that he’d never heard the Market sound better instrumentally.
During this hectic period of gigging, the group’s debut single for Warner Brothers, the slower version of ‘I Would Be The One’, was released in a picture sleeve and peaked at #18 on Toronto’s CHUM chart on 22 July.
That same month, Kensington Market’s debut album, Avenue Road, was unveiled at Warner Brothers’ annual convention in Honolulu and contained a slew of musical gems.
Australian journalist Ritchie Yorke was moved enough to call it “probably the finest album ever cut by a Canadian group” in the Globe and Mail while the Canadian Hit Parader commented, “Pappalardi’s masterful orchestrations; the Market’s soft, melodic sound; and anecdotic lyrics mark it as one of the finest albums of this year.”
With its shifting time signatures, sitar, horn and bell embellishments and vivid lyrical imagery, Avenue Road was a mini-psychedelic masterpiece.
McKie credits the influence of Bulgarian folk music for shaping the band’s musical styles and particularly the band’s harmonies.
“When we sang together, there was a kind of ecstasy to it. A nice blend would happen.”
As Gibson readily admits, some of the songs were inspired by the band’s experimentation with drugs. One of the first songs he ever wrote, ‘Speaking of Dreams’, is about an acid trip.
“I liked ‘Speaking of Dreams’ because I was ecstatic to sing the harmony on that,” says McKie. “Singing with Luke was like Simon and Garfunkel. It was like a soft blanket or cloud.”
“Luke had some great tunes and some interesting guitar concepts,” continues McKie. “Luke was a real feel guy. I am really surprised that he was never a big, huge international star because when I first came to Toronto, The Rogues and Luke & The Apostles were the two absolutely best bands I had ever seen.”
Some of the songs on the album dated from earlier times, such as McKie’s ‘Coming Home Soon’, which was first performed by the Vendettas and was written in a hotel in Winnipeg when the band first met guitarist Lenny Breau.
McKie hit a prolific writing streak during this time. Against better judgment, many of his songs, some of which he professes were among his finest, were either never recorded or were never finished – fascinating titles like ‘Cobweb Room’, ‘Butterfly Mind’, ‘Rubber Socks’, ‘The Time of Man’ and ‘Ring On Good Times’.
Luke Gibson’s compelling ‘Suspension’ was another popular live number that was never recorded.
“‘Suspension’ and ‘Ring On Good Times’ were our set closers,” says McKie. “When we did those, it meant the set was ending because they were the most exciting tunes.”
On 27 July, Stephen Dewar reviewed Avenue Road in the Toronto Daily Star and compared the band’s sound to the old Lovin’ Spoonful.
“It’s an ambitious album, too,” he noted. “‘Aunt Violet’s Knee’, the best song on the album, comes complete with a 17-piece orchestra that [Felix] Pappalardi hand-picked in New York. I think he might be right when he says its [sic] only a taste of what the Market’s Keith McKie can write.”
Dewar saves particular credit for guitarist Gene Martynec, who “has as much technical skill as any rock guitarist needs, and he’s got a fine sense of music and rhythm. He wrote two of the songs I like on the album (‘Phoebe’ and ‘Presenting Myself Lightly’) and he seems to have provided most of the inspiration for the arrangements.” (Ed: Martynec calls “Presenting Myself Lightly” his Ringo Starr imitation piece and says that “Phoebe” was built around some techniques he was learning on classical guitar.)
The writer finishes off his review by telling the record buying public: “Just so you don’t get the wrong idea: This is the best recording by a Canadian group I’ve heard. I think the Market are going to make it really big. The tunes are good, the lyrics are usually good. The whole thing is tastefully electric.
“I don’t think the Market has completely sorted out where it’s at yet – they’re getting better all the time. Pappalardi really called it right when he recorded Cream. He dropped The Youngbloods, but he has faith in The Kensington Market. I think he’s right.”
Journalist Ritchie Yorke was equally impressed, after sneaking a preview listen of the album. Writing in the Pop Scene section (most likely in the Globe and Mail), he noted: Avenue Road, as a total entity, is subtle, uncluttered and almost poetical. The production and arrangement work is magnificent.
“But this album is not overwhelming. It has sexual sublety [sic], unlike the almost uncouth provocation of a Hendrix. Yet it is compelling and intense. And it is always lush, reminiscent of a soft green crop in spring, gently blowing in a light wind.”
On 18 August, Kensington Market had appeared at the “Time Being” show at the Canadian National Exhibition before heading off for a US tour, which began with five nights at the Bitter End in New York, kicking off on 29 August.
A few days later, on 2 September, McKie’s ‘I Would Be The One’, reached #59 on the national RPM chart.
That same month, Variety magazine in the States reviewed the album.
“Kensington Market is a new Canadian group which is hoping to do for Canada what the Beatles did for Britain. This combo has an excellent sound and the material in the kick off stanza contains some standout numbers.” The magazine picks out ‘I Would Be The One’, ‘Speaking of Dreams’, ‘Coming Home Soon’, ‘Looking Glass’, ‘Beatrice’ and ‘Colour Her Sunshine’ as highlights.
“The music of Kensington Market is pleasant. And, oh, so civilised! You’ll hear no toilets flushing on this record! Also no raunchy blues, no electronic dissonance, no lyrics praising drugs and rebellion,” noted hip West Coast magazine, Rolling Stone later that year, in a review by David Butcher.
“‘I Would Be The One’ is an example of what might be called Granada-Rock,” he writes. “All the ingredients are present: the bull-fight trumpets, the flamenco guitar solo, the bravado vocal with the mawkish lyrics – all held together with a driving rhythm section. Oddly enough, it works well.”
Butcher saves special praise for Martynec’s guitar playing on the album.
“As an accompanist, he is superb. He always seems to play just the right line, the most appropriate figure. His playing is crisp, but never detracts from the vocal or the arrangement. Very few pop guitarists display this degree of taste and restraint.”
“Most guitarists in Toronto used to imitate Robbie Robertson,” says Martynec. “He had a technique where he used two picks on his fingers but he also used a plectrum. You can get some sort of rolling folk thing.”
Interestingly, Butcher argues that the weakest aspect of Avenue Road is the song lyrics. At best, there are some very good teenage songs, simple and lightweight, he says. The worse are bland or banal, or both. Even so, he recognises that “Keith McKie, who wrote most of the album’s material has a genuine and impressive poetic talent.”
Perhaps surprisingly, McKie admits that he was disappointed when the album came out.
“For some reason, I reacted very badly about it. It was so smooth compared to what I thought of the band. I remember at the time, thinking, ‘it’s not tangy enough’. At one point when we were doing the second album, I didn’t want to work with Felix anymore. I am probably the most challenged musically and I definitely don’t know what I want but I know ‘this isn’t it’. I wanted it edgier.”
During the first week of September, the band traveled down to San Francisco for a show at the Fillmore West on 7 September with The Steve Miller Band and Chuck Berry, which as far as Martynec is concerned, marked the beginning of the end.
McKie agrees: “We started playing and we were all playing five different songs. It was like one of those great rock ‘n’ roll band fiascos. They must have thought we were amateurs. It’s like Felix said afterwards, ‘what happened?’ I think in a way it kind of demoralised the band and I don’t think we ever recovered from it personally.”
Kensington Market next headed down to Los Angeles, sharing the bill with Spooky Tooth at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood on 12-15 September.
“We played there and people were out dancing, which normally people never danced to our music at home because it was quite unusual,” says Martynec.
“We weren’t a very danceable band. We played this one tune that we normally finished a set with and it had one of those tacky speed up things at the end we looked down and the crowd was trying to keep up and at the end they were waving their fists at us.”
“Everybody was on pills and I can remember we didn’t have a really good time,” remembers McKie.
“I had a bit of an attitude about the States when I was there. We got stopped by the police in L.A. It was just their attitude towards everybody.”
From Los Angeles, the band flew up to Chicago to complete the US tour. Kicking off with a show at the city’s Kinetic Playground, the band then played some suburban gigs with The Young Rascals and Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band before heading home.
Back in Toronto, the group headlined a two-night stand at the Rock Pile on 11-12 October, supported by The Apple Pie Motherhood Band.
Local journalist Loren Chudy caught the group on the first night and came away largely disappointed. While the writer acknowledged that part of the blame lay with the concert’s planners, who turned the volume so high that Kensington Market’s “amplified equipment sounded off-balance, distorted and fuzzy”, he noted that the group “still needs work, definition, before it lives up to is potential.”
The Toronto Telegram’s Peter Goddard, caught up with the band members that same week and wrote a long article for the newspaper’s After Four section, published on Saturday 12 October. In the piece, he asks Gene Martynec whether the band’s recent US tour was a success.
“Well, I think because this was our first one, we never got completely used to it,” replied the band’s lead guitarist. “You know, it was a little lonely, a little tiring. Often we would have a day or two in some strange city just to walk around to do nothing.
“All of us found it difficult to write on tour, and it wasn’t until we got back that anything started to come.”
As Martynec points out, the group was already planning material for a second album and that it had learnt a lot from recording its debut in terms of overall sound.
“Our experience in the studio made us much more aware of time,” he added. “What people hear on stage will be pretty much like what will go on record.”
The review lists a number of recent compositions such as McKie and Martynec’s Beatleseque “Side I Am” and “Ow-ning Man”, which would turn up the following year on the group’s second album. Interestingly, it also lists “Fable Eleven” another composition that would ultimately be left in the can.
After playing the second night at the Rock Pile, Kensington Market headed across the border to play a show at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit on 18 October with The MC5 and Pacific Gas and Electric. Two more dates followed with only Pacific Gas and Electric sharing the billing.
As 1968 drew to a close, the expected sales of Avenue Road were not forthcoming. Part of the reason was that Warner Brothers had reportedly taken issue with the cover, a picture of the band huddled together in a fierce snowstorm and had done little to promote the record, despite its great potential. Work continued on a follow up with Pappalardi once again in the producer’s chair.
Started at Yorkville’s Eastern Sound Studios that winter and mixed at the Henry Hudson building in New York, Aardark is in many ways, the group’s strongest collection and contains such gems as Martynec and Pappalardi’s ‘Help Me’, McKie’s ‘Half Closed Eyes’ and ‘Think About The Times’, and the aforementioned ‘Side I Am’.
More experimental and progressive than its predecessor, several tracks feature new recruit Toronto University music student and Intersystems member, John Mills-Cockell (b. 19 May 1946, Toronto) who adds the unearthly sounds of his Moog synthesizer to the group’s heady brew.
“The idea of using a sequencer that was like in its day very unusual and the way he used it,” says Martynec. “I think John played a big role in that recording, more than people realise.”
Looking back, McKie feels that Aardvark was a step forward musically.
Once again, McKie dipped into the past for some of the songs, notably ‘Think About The Times’, which he’d first performed with The Vendettas.
Of his more recent compositions, the singer explains that ‘Have You Come To See?’ (co-written with Martynec) was written on the way to California in September 1968 while under the influence of mescaline.
Listening to some of the tracks, there is a noticeable Beatles feel and McKie admits that the superb ‘If It Is Love’ was influenced by that band’s White Album, in particular Lennon’s ‘Cry Baby Cry’.
To coincide with the album’s release in early 1969, Warner Brothers issued the rare single, ‘Witches Stone’, which was a slightly different version from the one that appeared on the album under the guise of the ‘Ow-ning Man’, backed by ‘Side I Am’.
Despite the promising second album, Kensington Market began to unravel in the spring of 1969.
“I think my problem with the Market was too much too soon too fast,” says McKie.
“Creatively, things were starting to break down. There was no real creative direction. One of the problems we started having was, I was writing tunes that I think didn’t really fit the format of where we were headed. In a sense, the Market would have been really wise to just take a sabbatical at one point. But in pop music if you take a two-week sabbatical, you’re gone.”
McKie says the first blow came when Bernie Finkelstein left as manager.
“It was [Bernie’s] drive that kept the group going in many ways. He started it in a way. In a way, he should have been a band member. He had a better idea of where to go with things. The band had a musical vision but we didn’t really have a vision that put the music into its perspective within that vision. When he left the band, it was kind of ‘that was it’. The driving force had gone.”
Others quickly followed Finkelstein out of the door. Jimmy Watson was first to bow out, and reportedly later suffered from a major breakdown. John Mills-Cockell and Gene Martynec dropped out soon afterwards.
“I think Gene wanted to get on to bigger and better things,” remembers McKie. “He was pretty progressive and was studying all the time and I think production was sort of what was coming up for him anyway.”
“After our second album, I just got a distinct feeling that it wasn’t going anywhere,” says Martynec.
“Jimmy was having a hard time. We were in limbo, so I decided that was the time to leave and I went to study.
“I ended up doing composition, orchestration and electronic music because I was always fascinated by the mechanics of whatever music had to offer,” continues the band’s lead guitarist on his post-Kensington Market career.
Martynec subsequently worked extensively with Bruce Cockburn, producing and playing on all of the singer/songwriter’s albums up to the mid-1970s. Throughout this period, he also worked as a studio guitarist and producer for a variety of artists.
The biggest blow for McKie, however, was when his old friend Alex Darou left.
“I remember being really pissed off with Alex,” says McKie. “I was particularly close to him because of the Sault St Marie connection.”
Sadly, the band’s inspiration bass player died in tragic circumstances in the early 1970s.
“He became a real recluse,” explains Martynec. “Eventually, he just locked himself in a room and people we knew would throw some money under the door because we knew he wasn’t doing anything. I think he caught Hepatitis and just passed away.”
Stripped down to a duo, Gibson and McKie carried on with The Kensington Market name, headling a show at Toronto’s Rock Pile on 17 May with Edward Bear and then returning the following week to provide support for visiting US act Grand Funk Railroad on 25 May alongside local bands, Milkwood and Leather.
The following month, the duo played at the Toronto Pop Festival, held at Varsity Arena with UK group, Man, former Blood, Sweat & Tears front man, Al Kooper, The Band and several other acts. The venture, however, was short-lived and a few weeks later, the pair had gone their separate ways.
After playing a one-off date with The Rock Show of The Yeomen on 5 December, Luke Gibson revived his former band Luke & The Apostles for a lone single, the superb “You Make Me High” for Bernie Finkelstein’s True North label.
Turning down an offer to become lead singer with US band, Seatrain, he embarked on a solo career in 1ate 1970 and recorded two albums for True North, including the excellent Another Perfect Day. He currently lives in Toronto and still performs.
As for Keith McKie, the singer/songwriter made an appearance on an album by former A Passing Fancy member Jay Telfer, which was never released, before retiring from the music business to spend time building boats.
In 1977, he returned to the limelight with the short-lived Village, formed with former Maple Oak guitarist Stan Endersby and bass player Bruce Palmer from Buffalo Springfield fame. When that folded, he went solo and in 1981 released a lone solo album, Rumors at the Newsstand on the small Quantum label.
Over the years, McKie and Gibson have participated in a few Kensington Market reunions. The first get together was for the Toronto Rock Revival show, held at the Warehouse on 2 May 1999 and also featuring the Ugly Ducklings among others.
In 2007, McKie and Gibson reunited with Gene Martynec to play at a summer festival in Toronto to celebrate 40 years since the “Summer of Love”. The show was a resounding success and has been captured for a DVD release.
All that is left now is a comprehensive CD release, pulling together all of the band’s material for Warner Brothers but including the rare Stone singles.
Many thanks to Keith McKie for putting me up in Toronto and being the perfect host. Thanks also to Gene Martynec, who gave up an evening in London to reminisce about the group. Thanks to Luke Gibson, Stan Endersby and Carny Corbett.
Earl Kennett was born in 1912 in Augusta, Kansas. He attended the Kansas State Institute for the Blind and the Horner-Kansas City Conservatory of Music.
He established some reputation as a touring pianist in the 1940s, including at the Blue Note at 56 West Madison in Chicago, the Rainbow Room in Oklahoma City, and the Casablanca Supper Club at 101 May Avenue in, I believe, Oklahoma City.
On March 1, 1945 Down Beat published a review:
Jazz Concert Given in Minneapolis
From 3 to 5 Sunday afternoon, February 11, Doc Evans conducted the first in a series of jazz concerts held in station WCCO’s auditorium studio.
… on piano was Earl Kennett, a solo fixture at the Casablanca …
… Song Of The Wanderer, the final tune, developed into an all-out jam-session … Pianist Kennett drew a tremendous, spontaneous ovation from the audience with his three sensational choruses on this closing number.
In the 1960s he sometimes played with the Original Berkshireland Jazz Band in Williamstown, MA. I have not yet found any recordings with Earl prior to his own album Musical Themes of Composure: Earl Kennett’s Original Piano Improvisations of Restful Music from circa 1967.
Though blind, he received training in audio recording. A 1957 LP on ABC-Paramount, Vinnie Burke’s String Jazz Quartet credits Earl Kennett as recording engineer.
I believe his first studio was located at 115 West 49th Street, New York City. In January 1958, he moved the studio to rented space in Carnegie Hall. The May 1959 issue of Broadcast Engineering had a three page feature on Earl with detailed information about the studio construction materials made by the Johns-Manville company, with a console built by Fred C. Roberts.
Facing Earl are saw-tooth-shaped Imperial Transitone movable walls for accurate sound reflection. Next to the piano not in use is an even-finish movable wall, also for sound reflection, and a sound-absorbing perforated Transite acoustical panel. The floor is covered with quiet-under-foot Terraflex vinyl asbestos tile and the ceiling with Permacoustic, a sound-absorbing fissured acoustical tile.
In early 1964 Earl moved his studio for a brief time to Mountain View Road in Nevis, a small town near Bard College in Tivoli.
In 1965, Earl and his wife bought Sunnyside farm in Kinderhook, New York, about 20 miles southeast of Albany. Earl converted an old dairy barn on the property into a recording studio, substituting egg cartons for the pricey asbestos baffles.
The first recording from his studio I can find is the Kynds single “So If Someone Sends You Flowers Babe” / “Find Me Gone”. Pressed through RCA in September, 1966, there is no indication of where it was recorded on the labels, but drummer Jerry Porreca recalled making the single at Kennett’s studio.
On January 8, 1967, a group called Love Minus Zero did a session at the studio and sent a photo to Earl. The group came from Albany, and I may have their recordings on an unlabeled lacquer acetate. It’s difficult to make out the names of the group – but luckily I found a lineup in Al Quaglieri’s The Old Band Chronicle #4, a list of Capital District bands compiled in 1990.
Love Minus Zero were:
Gary Siegel – vocals Eberhard Kobryn – guitar Fred Everhart – bass Frank Herec – drums
I believe Everhard Kobryn passed away in 2012. Later lineups added Jack Reilly on organ, replaced by Mark Rabinow. Eventually Fred Everhart was the only original member of the group, with Steve Fuld on guitar, Gary Gardner on vocals, and Stanley ? on drums.
In 1967, Kennett engineered Nick Brignola’s first LP, This Is It! on Priam P-101M. Musicians were Nick Brignola, Reese Markewich, Glen Moore and Dick Berk, A&R by William Rezey, photography by Bob Mitchell.
Another single I can confirm was recorded at Kennett is Riccardo and the 4 Most “There’s a Reason” (written and sung by Bill White) / “Bare Footin'” (featuring Ricardo Wright) Foremost Records U4KM-0937.
The Jelly Bean Bandits made their first demo at Kennett Sound Studio, never released to my knowledge. Mike Raab wrote:
The Goodtimes had done some recording there and when we decided to lay down tracks Dave Kennedy suggested Earl’s place … We really didn’t know what we wanted to do or could do. We cut two demo songs: “Poor Precious Dreams” an original song that ushered us into the psychedelic music era; and “Hard, Hard Year” a beautiful b-side from The Hollies that we managed to brutalize.
I have found an acetate of this early version of “Poor Precious Dreams”. The duration is about thirty seconds longer than the version on their Mainstream album.
In 1967 Earl Kennett began offering pressing services through Decca’s plant in Gloversville. Some releases have “Kennett” at the bottom of the labels, but all have a distinctive four-digit release number, beginning with “00”.
There were at least twenty-three 45 rpm singles and one LP released through Kennett’s studio with this numbering system. The last release I can find dates to 1973.
In addition, I know of a number of unreleased lacquer acetates by the Cleaners, the Chain Reactions, and others:
If you or someone you know recorded at Kennett, please contact me.
Discography of Kennett Sound Studio (possibly incomplete):
Kleener Style Records 0011 – The Cleaners – “Dust” / “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me”
Sunnyside Records 0012 – Musical Themes of Composure: Earl Kennett’s Original Piano Improvisations of Restful Music (12″ album)
0013 – ?
Sunny-Side Records 0014 – Psychedelic Sound – “Sorry Baby = Goodbye” / “Stars Cease To Shine” produced by M. Rizzi. Tina was the drummer for the band, and (I believe) one of the vocalists.
0015 – ?
Charter Records 0016 – The East Coast Clique – “Dust” / “Last Stop (Everybody’s Getting Off)”
0017 – Those Two Plus – “I’ll Be There” / “It’s Rainin’ (Where I’m Bound)” (both by Alex Rotter, arranged by “Those Two”) Kennett Sound, 1969
0018 – The Villagers – “Wishes and Memories” / “Cry On” (Chuck Petit)
J.D.S. 0019 – Jim DeSorbo and the Country Casuals – “For Crying Out Loud” (Music, lyrics, vocal – Rusty Howard) / “I’ve Had All I Can Take from You” copyright ’69 BMI
The Gallery 0020 – The Gallery / Peter Dean – “Forever Sunshine” (Sal Costanzo) / “Our Man Jack” (Edward Duggan), Kennett Sound, Mlester Pub. BMI. The Gallery – label name or group?
0021 – ?
S Bar S Records 0022 – Slim Skellett & the Slim Skellett Trio – “Ghost Riders in the Sky” / “Wanderers of the Wasteland” (Brad Husson guitar, banjo; Bob Skellett bass)
S Bar S Records 0023 – Slim Skellett & the Slim Skellett Trio – “Strawberry Roan” / “Billy Richardson’s Last Ride” (Brad Husson guitar, banjo; Bob Skellett bass)
King Town 0024 – Coming Generation – “Tell Me Now” (Jim Du Bois) / “This Troubled Life” (Ed Barnhart) copyright ’69
0025 – ? 0026 – ?
Third Wave 0027 – Morning After – “I Don’t Need You Today” / “Dream” (Tate, Talbott, Kearney) Copyright 70 Dyad Music BMI, Prod. by Lance Naylor, group from Lake Latrine area
0028 – ? 0029 – ? 0030 – ? 0031 – ? 0032 – ?
Casino 0033 – The Coachmen – “Green Green Grass of Home” / “Hang Up Your Rock and Roll Shoes” Produced by Kennett AND QUINN
Ranch Bar Records 0034 – Billy D. Hunter with the Santa Fe Riders – “I Still Belong to You” (Grace Hamilton, Billy D. Hunter) / “Will You Remember Me” (Gorden Bainbridge, Billy D. Hunter) – Waterford, NY
Drift 0035 – Denny and the Drifters – “Mountain of Love” (Harold Dorman) / “It’s Only Make Believe” (Twitty – Nance)
Ranch Bar Records OO36 – April Starr the Bluebirds and Chorus – “Lonely Heart” / “At the End of the Bar” (Del Monday) – arranged by M. Leddick’ produced by T. Carbonare, R. Hastings, B. Herold, D. Smith, and D. Oliver, from Crescent, NY.
Drift 0037 – Denny and the Drifters – “Broken Hearted Dreamer” (Ted Craver and Denny Haughney) / “Why Do I Love You” (Kenny White, Paul Desroches) produced by Kennett
Reeb 0038 – The Fownds – “Rosalin” (Sal Gambino) / “Comin On Strong” (Donald Moore) (1971)
0039 – ? 0040 – ?
Mojo 0041 – Exit 19 – “Angel of the Morning” / “To Be Alone” (written by Joe Cashara who also did lead vocal) produced by Lanse Dowdell, 1972
Quellthom 0042 – Bob Thomas – “It’s Just Not Fair” / “I’m Walkin’” / “Hello Mary Lou” (1973)
Parker 0043 – Country Express – “Trying to Quit” / “Ode to a $164 Plane Ticket” (both songs by D.B. Boucher, vocal by Frenchie La Shay) 1970
Reeb 0044 – The Founds – “Wheels” / “Remember” – vocal by Roy Jackson, both songs by Donald Moore, 1973
Ranch Bar 0045 – Jimmy DeSorbo and the Country Casual’s – “Listen to the Mocking Bird” / “Let the Rest of the World Go By” (Dolly McIntyre – producer)
King Records 0046 – Tommy Gene with the Kings of Country – “Somewhere U.S.A.” (words by Carol Curtis, music by Tommy Gene) / Tommy Gene and Don Horne – “Me Too” (accompanied by Alice Horn, words by Don Horne). A-side has 1968 copyright while B-side has 1973 copyright.
——————
Any help with additional releases, photos or memories of the Kennett Sound Studio would be appreciated.
The Gallery (formerly the Gayblades) included Sal Costanzo (organ), Peter Dean (drums, vocals), Holly Gregg, John Dean, Bob Dean, and Robbie Howard, though I am not sure exactly who played on their single “Forever Sunshine”.
Note: there was a Kennett Sound Studios operating out of Kennett, Missouri recording mostly country music, 1,100 miles away and unrelated to this studio.
This little known soul act was active from around spring 1967 through to the end of 1969 and had an extremely fluid line-up with tonnes of musicians coming and going.
I’d be grateful for any further personnel in the comments below as well as stories and notable gigs.
Judging by adverts in the music press, it looks like US Flattop first worked with the band The Soul System in 1966. When he left to form this new group, his former outfit became Ivan St Claire & The Soul System.
Flattop’s new band was billed as both The Cat Soul Packet and The Cat Road Show, but mainly the latter.
An early mention in Melody Maker from April 1967 reveals the group was initially a 14-piece act but on another UK tour in August that year, there were 12 members. A show in September 1969 lists only nine members.
As well as starring singer US Flattop, the band also featured several guest singers over the years, as well as dancers, including Lorna and Lesley in late 1967, Jacqui and Sue in summer 1968 and Leroy and Jacqui in late 1968.
Thanks to South African tenor sax player Mike Fauré, I’ve been able to piece together the group’s line up for mid-September to early November 1967.
Fauré kept a diary and very generously shared the tour dates and band photos shown here.
When he joined the band in mid-September 1967, the group comprised the following musicians:
US Flattop – Lead vocals
Richard Henry – Lead vocals
Keith Bleasby – Spokesperson and percussion
Fred D’Albert – Guitar
Ted Fraser – Keyboards
Alan “James” Rowell – Bass
Dave Coxhill – Baritone sax
Mike Fauré – Tenor sax
Carl Griffiths – Tenor sax
Jon Lee – Trumpet
Tony Knight – Drums/Vocals
Jacqui – Dancer
Mike Fauré says that he joined the band in time to play his first gig at the OVC Club in Earl’s Court.
Fred D’Albert, Tony Knight, Alan Rowell and Dave Coxhill all joined in September after Tony Knight’s Chessmen split up.
Jamaican Carl Griffiths had previously played with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds and Prince Buster & The Bees.
American Richard Henry, who hailed from Detroit, had first played with The Zig Zag Band when he came to England and then joined Timebox.
During 1967, he also led Tales of the City whose band opened for The Cat Soul Show in late August 1967 at the California Ballroom (see advert and gig listing below).
It is possible Keith Bleasby, Ted Fraser and Jon Lee had worked with the band on earlier tours in 1967.
After the 4 November date below, Mike Fauré joined the Paris-based Eddie Lee Mattison Soul Revue. He returned to South Africa in 1968 and briefly worked with The Square Set and Freedom’s Children before moving to the US where he continues to perform.
I believe that Carl Griffiths may have rejoined The Bees, which changed name to The Pyramids. However, he may have remained with The Cat Soul Packet longer.
Richard Henry later recorded some solo material.
Fred D’Albert and Tony Knight stuck together in The Magicians. D’Albert later played with Sweetwater Canal.
Alan Rowell joined The Simon Raverne Trio during 1968 while Dave Coxhill joined Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound around February 1968. He later reunited with Carl Griffiths in Manfred Mann Chapter 3.
I have found the following gigs from Melody Maker (unless otherwise noted) and would welcome any additions:
20 May 1967 – Iron Curtain Club, Small Heath, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Cats Soul Packet with US Flattop
15 June 1967 – Public Hall, Epping, Essex
16 June 1967 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts
17 June 1967 – Iron Curtain Club, Small Heath, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as The Cat with US Flattop
18 June 1967 – Blue Room, Edmonton, north London
22 July 1967 – Iron Curtain Club, Small Heath, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as The Cat with US Flattop
29 July 1967 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Daily Mercury)
4 August 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London Billed as Flat Top and The Cat Band
5 August 1967 – Tin Hat, Kettering, Northamptonshire (Dave Clemo research) Billed as The Cat with USA Flattop
12 August 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Zany Woodruff Operation, Katch 22 and Ray Bones (Lincolnshire Guardian) Billed as The Cat with US singer Flattop
25 August 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Beds with Richard Henry’s Tales of The City
21 September 1967 – OVC Club, Earl’s Court, west London (Mike Fauré’s diary)
23 September 1967 – College of Further Education, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Mike Fauré’s diary)
26 September 1967 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Mike Fauré’s diary)
28 October 1967 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall (Mike Fauré’s diary)
3 November 1967 – Town Hall, Selkirk, Scotland (Mike Fauré’s diary)
4 November 1967 – Hotel, Galashiels, Scotland (Mike Fauré’s diary)
14 November 1967 – Industrial Club, Norwich, Norfolk (Eastern Evening News) Billed as Cat Soul Package with US Flat Top
18 November 1967 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Lunar 2 and The Late and Granny’s Intentions (Spalding Guardian) Billed as The New Cat Soul Packet
24 November 1967 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon (Herald Express)
10 December 1967 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Chatham, Kent (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
16 December 1967 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Vibrations (Nantwich Chronicle)
16 December 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester with The Vibrations (Lancashire Evening Post) Billed as Cat Soul Package
26 December 1967 – Industrial Club, Norwich, Norfolk (Eastern Evening News) Billed as Cat Soul Package with US Flat Top
Fred D’Albert remembers that trumpet player Pat Higgs worked with the group. Higgs had previously played with Bluesology (with a young Elton John), Hamilton & The Hamilton Movement and Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
6 January 1968 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Tremeloes, Legay and Ray Bones (Lincolnshire Standard) Billed as T.H.E Cat Soul Package with Flattop
7 January 1968 – Co-op Hall, Warrington, Cheshire (Runcorn Guardian)
21 January 1968 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post) Says US Flattop and Richard Henry
2 February 1968 – Riverside Club, Chertsey, Surrey (Woking Herald) Billed as The Cat Soul Show with US Flatop
10 February 1968 – Big C, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News) Billed as The Cat Soul Show featuring Ricky, Henry, Flattop
12 February 1968 – Belfry, Wishaw, near Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands with The Monopoly (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as US Flat Top & The Cat Soul Packet
24 February 1968 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon (Herald Express) Billed as Cat Soul Show
25 February 1968 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
26 February 1968 – British Legion Hall, Slough, Berkshire (Windsor & Eton Express)
1 March 1968 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
15 March 1968 – Rendevous Club, Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent (East Kent Times & Mail)
2 May 1968 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with JJ Jackson (Evening Sentinel)
15 June 1968 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Herald)
22 June 1968 – La Bamba, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
28 June 1968 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts
29 June 1968 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon (Herald Express)
6 July 1968 – Alex Disco Club, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Western Gazette) Billed as The Cat Road Show with US Flattop
30 August 1968 – City Hall, St Albans, Herts with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Pakka Jax Billed as Cat Road Show
31 August 1968 – Middle Earth, Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon With US Flatop
2 September 1968 – Richmond Athletic Ground, Richmond, west London
7 September 1968 – Tin Hat, Kettering, Northamptonshire with Taste) (Dave Clemo research) Billed as The Cat Roadshow with US Flattop
14 September 1968 – Glastonbury Town Hall, Glastonbury with Stormy (Central Somerset Gazette/Western Gazette) Billed as The Cat Road Show featuring US Flattop
26 September 1968 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Devon with The Provokers (Cornish Guardian)
12 October 1968 – Union Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post) Billed as Cat Road Show
26 October 1968 – Alex Disco, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Salisbury Journal/Western Gazette) Billed as The Cat Road Show starring US Flattop
10 November 1968 – Beat Discotheque Club, Co-Op Hall, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian) Billed as The Cat Show featuring US Flat-Top
15 November 1968 – Newmarket Discotheque, Bridgwater, Somerset (Bridgwater Mercury)
16 November 1968 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with Katch 22 (Warrington Guardian) Billed as The Cat Road Show
18 November 1968 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian) Billed as The Cat Road Show
14 December 1968 – Tin Hat, Kettering, Northamptonshire ) (Dave Clemo research) Billed as The Cat Roadshow featuring US Flattop
24 December 1968 – Flamingo, Redruth, Cornwall with The Rick ‘N’ Beckers and Ray Williams & The Grenades (West Briton & Cornwall Advertiser)
26 December 1968 – Alex Disco Club, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Western Gazette) Billed as T.H.E Cat Road Show with US Flattop
31 December 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (Woking Herald) Billed as The Cat Road Show starring US Flatop
Nick Ronai (trombone) and Brian Spibey (trumpet) played with The Cat Soul Packet after their band The Fulson Stillwell Band broke up. They didn’t stay long and soon formed Swegas.
25 January 1969 – Imperial College, South Kensington, southwest London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Cat Road Show featuring US Flattop
14 February 1969 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London
21 February 1969 – Pavilion, St Albans, Herts
22 February 1969 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with White Rabbit (Warrington Guardian) Billed as the Cat Road Show
1 March 1969 – Savoy, Catford, southeast London
15 March 1969 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
22 March 1969 – Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Duster Bennett and Elijah & The Goat (Lincolnshire Standard)
2 May 1969 – The Crown, Marlow, Bucks (Melody Maker) Billed as US Flattop and The Cat Road Show
10 May 1969 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Uxbridge Weekly Post)
8 June 1969 – Railway, Wealdstone, northwest London
18 July 1969 – The Crown, Marlow, Bucks (Bucks Free Press) Billed as US Flattop Soul Show
27 October 1969 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Huge thanks to Mike Fauré for the use of his photos.
a href=”https://garagehangover.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ShepherdTangent45AreWeAlone.jpg”>Shepherd came from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and cut this one great hard-rock single, “Are We Alone” / “I Never Heard a Thing” around May of 1971.
Members were:
Mike Clifton – guitar, vocal Jay Peterson – keyboards Mark Lillis – bass Jeff Hilgert – drums
“Are We Alone” is an original composed by the entire band. Mike Clifton wrote “I Never Heard a Thing”. Ten Platt Music BMI published both songs.
Produced by Scott Sound Studios for Tangent Records, and released on Tangent TT 106, a Division of Scott Productions, Inc., Eau Claire. The Shepherd single was one of five or six singles on Tangent, including Cross Town Traffique, the Zig-Zags, Dallas Cord and the D.J.s.
According to an online source, Mike Clifton, Mark Lillis and Jeff Hilgert would go on to Dynamite Duck and Snowblind, among others. I don’t believe those bands recorded.
Mark Lillis and Jeff Hilgert had been in the Burlington Express (not the Topeka, KS group). Jay Peterson would be in Bacon Fat with Hilgert and Lillis, and Dynamite Duck.
Any more information or photos of the band would be appreciated.
The Cleaners came from Schenectady, New York, releasing two singles in 1966 and 1967.
Members included Larry Parks (listed in songwriting credits as Larry Podrazik), Bob Ives (Robert Iovinella), Bob Sands and Jay Camp.
The Cleaners’ first single was the super-soulful “How I Feel” b/w “If You Want Me” (described on the label as Rock-Jazz), both originals by Podrazik and Iovinella. A comment below mentions booking manager George DeVito recording the songs in his home studio. However, I have a 8″ laquer acetate of both songs from Earl Kennett’s studio. The sound of the bass, and the echo of the hand claps on “If You Want Me” suggests Earl’s studio rather than a home recording.
It was issued on Knight Records KN 3, of Bellevue Station, Schenectady, with a State Music Productions credit; the ZTSP 122826/7 codes indicate a Columbia custom issue, a styrene 45.
Podrazik and Iovinella copyrighted the songs in April and May of 1966, along with another original, “Just Until the End of Time” that was not released but would remain part of their live set.
In July of 1967 Podrazik and Iovinella registered another original song, “Dust”. The Cleaners cut it at Kennett Sound Studio in Kinderhook, NY, along with a cover of “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me”, released on their own Kleener Style Records 0011.
These were among the earliest singles issued out of Earl Kennett’s studio, which would go on to record and release over twenty 45s into the 1970s.
Not long after, the East Coast Clique recorded “Dust” backed with another Podrazik/Iovinella original, “Last Stop (Everybody’s Getting Off)”, both with NemSong publishing. Released as Charter Records 0016, the Kennett Sound credit at the bottom indicates the studio, as does the 00 prefix on the release number 0016. The production on this version is fuller, with the drums more prominent and danceable.
A Schenectady news clipping about the East Coast Clique mentions a single on the “Cleaner Style” label, so the Clique were a continuation of the Cleaners with a new band name, and some different members. Larry Parks and Bob Ives had been in the Cleaners, and the East Coast Clique’s other members included Sal Cannavo, Kent Brust and John Malik.
The article states:
One of the group’s songs, “Just Until the End of Time,” arranged by Bob Ives, leader, and Larry Parks, will be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the performance.
Now appearing at the Bavarian Lodge in Hudson, the East Coast Clique … record on the Cleaner Style label and have appeared on Hank Brown’s Twistorama over WKTV, channel 2.
There is an 12″ acetate from Kennett Sound Studio of three songs by the East Coast Clique: a later version of “How I Feel”, “Last Stop (Everybody’s Getting Off)” and “Just Until the End of Time”. The second song was issued as the B-side to their single on Charter Records, “Dust” but I am not sure if this is the same version.
Podrazik and Iovinella registered two additional songs in 1968: “Captain Miller’s Flying Circus”, and “Sleepy Boy” (this last one shows Earl Kennett contributing to the music arrangement).
In January 1969, they registered “Baby, I Won’t Be Lonely”, which exists on a Kennett demo acetate as by the Cleaners, so it may have been considered for release.
Later copyrights include “I’m So Happy” (October 1969, with words by Brummer).
Al Quaglieri wrote a profile of Bob Iovinella for the March 8-14, 1990 issue of Metroland. He describes how Iovinella and Larry Parks had a five-year publishing contract by Nat Weiss, but only two songs saw publication in that time.
In 1970, Larry Parks had a solo composition “Pay Day” (using the name Adam Parks) recorded by Sha Na Na.
Starting in 1980, Iovinella and Parks would work together again as partners in Hendi-Parksives Productions.
Thank you to Brian Kirschenbaum for scans of the East Coast Clique 45 and the Cleaners acetate. Thank you to Bobby Iovinella for the photo at top and to Mikael for the news clipping.
This historically important Birmingham group is best known for featuring future Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and bass player Dave Pegg, who went onto Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull among others.
The Way of Life #1 (June 1966-September 1966)
Reg Jones – lead vocals, harmonica Chris Jones – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals Mick ‘Sprike’ Hopkins – lead guitar, vocals Tony Clarkson – bass, vocals John Bonham – drums, vocals
Singer Reg Jones had started out as front man with local outfit, The Counts while his younger sibling Chris played guitar with The Chantelles in the early 1960s. Reg Jones later joined his brother in The Chantelles.
In 1963, Chris Jones joined future The Way of Life member Danny King’s band, Danny King & The Jesters, which also featured bass player Chris ‘Ace’ Kefford, who went on to The Move and drummer Barry Smith (aka Barry St John), who joined The Way of Life in 1968.
In 1965, the Jones siblings reunited in The Chucks. However, after nearly 18 months together, The Chucks split up after returning from West Germany in April 1966.
The siblings next decided to form a new band. They had already asked lead guitarist Mick ‘Sprike’ Hopkins and bass player Tony Clarkson to join.
Hopkins was something of a local legend, having previously worked with Gerry Levene & The Avengers (with Roy Wood and Graeme Edge), The Diplomats and The Nicky James Movement among others.
Clarkson also had an impressive, local pedigree; he’d worked with Guitars Incorporated, The Wild Cherries and The Nicky James Movement (where he met Hopkins). He’d also briefly played with drummer Bugsy Eastwood in a short-lived outfit called The Hooties that became The Exception in late 1966.
One Sunday (either 12 or 19 June but the latter is more likely), the quartet auditioned about 20 drummers at the Club Cedar where the new outfit had a gig that night.
John Bonham, who’d worked with Clarkson and Hopkins in The Nicky James Movement, turned up and landed the job.
Bonham had worked with a number of West Midlands bands during the early-mid 1960s, including Terry Webb & The Spiders, The Blue Star Trio, The Senators and Steve Brett & The Mavericks before signing up with The Nicky James Movement in late 1965 (where he met Clarkson and Hopkins). Bonham then briefly gigged with Pat Wayne & The Beachcombers before turning up at the Club Cedar for the audition.
The Way of Life was augmented for its first few gigs by Nicky James on second lead vocals but he did not stay long.
Notable gigs
19 June 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham, West Midlands (debut)
21 June 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands
24 June 1966 – Sydenham Pub, Sydenham, West Midlands
25 June 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
1 July 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
8 July 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
9 July 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Falling Leaves
14 July 1966 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
15 July 1966 – Sydenham Pub, Sydenham, West Midlands
16 July 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
23 July 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Times
28 July 1966 – Bel Air Club, Castle Bromwich, West Midlands
29 July 1966 – Sydenham, West Midlands
30 July 1966 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
2 August 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands
5 August 1966 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with Little People
12 August 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
20 August 1966 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with Long Stack Humphries
22 August 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
10 September 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Outer Limits
17 September 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Uglys
21 September 1966 – Mackadown, Kitts Green, West Midlands with The Modernairs
23 September 1966 – Bolero Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands
24 September 1966 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
The Way of Life #2 (September 1966-January 1967)
Reg Jones – lead vocals, harmonica Chris Jones – lead guitar Mick ‘Sprike’ Hopkins – lead guitar, vocals Tony Clarkson – bass, vocals Malc Poole – drums
John Bonham was sacked for playing too loudly and his friend Malc Poole, who’d worked with the Jones brothers in The Chucks from January-April 1966, took his place behind the drum kit. Poole has also played with The Incas and The Seed during 1966.
In December 1966, The Way of Life signed with the Rik Gunnell Agency and recorded some tracks in London.
However, the following month John Bonham convinced the Jones brothers to re-employ him.
Poole subsequently joined The Hush (who shared the bill with The Way of Life at Tiles in London in mid-February 1967). Later, in 1968, the drummer replaced Cozy Powell in Youngblood.
The drummer moved down to London in 1969 and worked with a succession of outfits, including Warhorse and The Foundations. He later played with Rick Wakeman but died on 21 May 2015.
Notable gigs
30 September 1966 – Bell Hotel, Northfield, West Midlands (Poole’s debut)
4 November 1966 – County Arms, Blaby, Leicestershire with The Justin Brothers
5 November 1966 – Mews, Moseley, West Midlands with Locomotive
25 November 1966 – Midnight City, Digbeth, West Midlands with Elkie Brooks and The End
27 November 1966 – Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with New Station Road
2 December 1966 – Mad House, Friendship Hall, Erdington, West Midlands
3 December 1966 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Times
4 December 1966 – The County Arms, Blaby, Leicestershire
9 December 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands
10 December 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
11 December 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands
Mid December 1966 – the band opened a new club in Liege, Belgium (most likely the New Inn Club)
24 December 1966 – Bolero, Wednesbury, West Midlands with Thernays Fugitives
31 December 1966 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Quiet Five
4 January 1967 – Hereford Lounge, Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
5 January 1967 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands
7 January 1967 – Winter Gardens, Banbury, Warwickshire with The Methods
9 January 1967 – The Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with The Lemon Line
11 January 1967 – Heartbeat, Birmingham, West Midlands (possibly Mac Poole’s final gig)
There is a good article on The Way of Life in the Bedworth & Foleshill News, 13/1/1967, page 2
The Way of Life #3 (January-February 1967)
Reg Jones – lead vocals, harmonica Chris Jones – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals Mick ‘Sprike’ Hopkins – lead guitar, vocals Tony Clarkson – bass, vocals John Bonham – drums, vocals
Tony Clarkson’s younger brother had gone to school with Birmingham-born, Canadian-raised siblings, Ed and Brian Pilling, who had returned to the West Midlands from Toronto to form a group. Introduced to Clarkson, the trio decided to put together The Wages of Sin and lined up gigs in West Germany.
Clarkson enticed Mick Hopkins away from The Way of Life. John Bonham was also invited but decided to stay with the Jones brothers.
The Wages of Sin would become Yellow Rainbow and then Zeus, becoming Cat Stevens’s backing band. Clarkson would subsequently play with The World of Oz among others, while Hopkins would play with The Lemon Tree, Copperfield, The Idle Race, Fludd and Quartz among others.
Notable gigs
12 January 1967 – London gig (according to Birmingham Evening Mail)
13 January 1967 – Penthouse, Birmingham, West Midlands
16 January 1967 – Caravelle Club, Observation Lounge, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, West Midlands
20 January 1967 – Royal Oak, Hockley Heath, West Midlands
21 January 1967 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands
21 January 1967 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Nobles
26 January 1967 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
28 January 1967 – Penthouse, Birmingham, West Midlands with The Eight Feet 4
28 January 1967 – Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Confederates
29 January 1967 – Gotham City, Birmingham, West Midlands
30 January 1967 – Heartbeat, Birmingham, West Midlands
31 January 1967 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands
4 February 1967 – Le Carnaby Club, Leicester, Leicestershire
The Way of Life #4 (February-September 1967)
Reg Jones – lead vocals, harmonica Chris Jones – lead guitar Danny King – bass, lead vocals John Bonham – drums, vocals
Chris Jones assumed the lead guitar role and Danny King was brought in on bass and second lead vocals.
Danny King was a respected singer on the local scene and had led a succession of groups since the early 1960s starting with Danny King & The Dukes. After fronting Danny King & The Royals and Danny King & The Jesters (with Chris Jones), he formed Danny King & The Mayfair Set. During 1966, King left to sing with Locomotive.
Shortly after joining The Way of Life, the quartet traveled down to London and played the Bag O’Nails in Soho.
During the summer of 1967, The Way of Life, added Bugsy Eastwood from The Exception as a second drummer, but he did not stay long.
Notable gigs
18 February 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street central London with The Hush and The Question
25 February 1967 – The White Bicycle, Maple Ballroom, Northampton with Premier Slam Band
11 March 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Quiet Five and The Essex Five
13 March 1967 – The Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with Manchester’s Playboys (billed as The New Way of Life)
17 March 1967 – Graven Hill Theatre, Bicester with The Methods
25 March 1967 – The Mews, Moseley, West Midlands
5 April 1967 – Mackadown, Kitts Green, West Midlands with The Exception (billed as The New Way of Life with Danny King)
8 April 1967 – Ettingham Park Hotel, Alderminster, Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
The Express & Star advertised a gig with Idle Race, Sight and Sound and Chicago Hush, which related to Monday 17/4/67
25 April 1967 – Watersplash Night Club, Walsall Wood, West Midlands
20 May 1967 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
21 May 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Bearwood, West Midlands with The Gravy Train and The Fugitives
16 June 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands
17 June 1967 – Handsworth Plaza, Handsworth, West Midlands with The Kinks
19 June 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Bearwood, West Midlands
21 June 1967 – Hen & Chickens, Langley, West Midlands with The ‘N’ Betweens and Priority
5 July 1967 – Industrial Club, Norwich, Norfolk
22 July 1967 – Sydenham Discotheque Club, Small Heath, West Midlands
31 July 1967 – Holly Bush, Quinton, West Midlands
1 August 1967 – Bolero Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands
4 August 1967 – Ringway Club, Birmingham
4 August 1967 – Old Crown & Cushion, Perry Barr, West Midlands
5 August 1967 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
7 August 1967 – Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands
18 August 1967 – Caesar’s Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire with The Idle Race
19 August 1967 – Penthouse, Birmingham with Finders Keepers
21 August 1967 – Holly Bush, Quinton, West Midlands
26 August 1967 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands
30 August 1967 – Tyburn House, Erdington, West Midlands
2 September 1967 – Ringway Club, Birmingham
2 September 1967 – Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands
3 September 1967 – Frank Freeman Dancing Club, Kidderminster, Worcestershire with Small Change
5 September 1967 – Bolero Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands
9 September 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands
The Way of Life #5 (September-October 1967)
Reg Jones – lead vocals, harmonica Chris Jones – lead guitar Dave Pegg – bass, vocals John Bonham – drums, vocals (replaced briefly by Phil Brittle)
After Danny King left, Dave Pegg came in from The Exception, a band that had shared the stage with The Way of Life at least once earlier in the year.
Pegg had an impressive pedigree, having previously worked with The Trespassers, Dave & The Emeralds, The Crawdaddies and Roy Everett & The Blueshounds before backing Jimmy Cliff for a few months from November 1965-February 1966.
He then hooked up with The Uglys in mid-February 1966 before joining The Exception later that year.
Laurie Hornsby’s book Brum Rocked On!, notes that the new line up rehearsed at the Warstock pub.
Dave Pegg’s diary notes that the line-up’s first gig took place at the Swadley Youth Club. The bass player recalls that he played about 20 gigs with Bonham before the drummer left.
According Harry Barber’s book on The Band of Joy, drummer Phil Brittle took over briefly before leaving to join the fourth line up of The Band of Joy in late September. He only stayed a very short while however, before John Bonham took his place and met his future Led Zeppelin colleague, Robert Plant.
Notable gigs
15 September 1967 – Swadley Youth Club, Swadley, West Midlands (Dave Pegg’s debut)
17 September 1967 – Crown & Cushion, Perry Barr, West Midlands
18 September 1967 – Holly Bush, Quinton, West Midlands
23 September 1967 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
24 September 1967 – Ritz Ballroom, King’s Heath, West Midlands
25 September 1967 – Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands
28 September 1967 – Cofton Country Club, Rednal, West Midlands with The Rest
29 September 1967 – Bolero Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands
1 October 1967 – The Belfry, Wishaw, near Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands with The Light
5 October 1967 – Ringway, Birmingham
8 October 1967 – Ritz Ballroom, King’s Heath, West Midlands
9 October 1967 – Holly Bush, Quinton, West Midlands
14 October 1967 – Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands
16 October 1967 – Holly Bush, Quinton, West Midlands
18 October 1967 – BRS, Charles Russell Square, Erdington, West Midlands with Jo Jo Cook & The Rackets
21 October 1967 – Caesar’s Place, Mulberry Tree, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
23 October 1967 – Queen’s Head, Erdington, West Midlands (Dave Pegg’s final gig)
The Way of Life #6 (October 1967-circa January 1968)
Reg Jones – lead vocals, harmonica Chris Jones – lead guitar Jon Fox – lead guitar, vocals Danny King – bass, vocals John Panteney – (Pank) drums
Dave Pegg left in late October 1967 to join The Ian Campbell Folk Group and later found fame with Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull.
The Jones siblings brought back Danny King to replace Dave Pegg on bass and recruited Jon Fox on second lead guitar and vocals.
Fox had started out with his own outfit, Jon Fox & The Hunters in the early 1960s. He subsequently became a member of Johnny Neal & The Starliners before forming The Varsity Rag in 1967.
The Way of Life also found a new drummer, John Panteney, who had worked with The Chantelles (after the Jones siblings had moved on) in the mid-1960s. He then played with several other local acts before agreeing to join The Way of Life.
However, it was yet another short-lived version. By early 1968, Fox had moved on to form Cathedral while Panteney joined Paradox with future Magnum singer Bob Catley.
Notable gigs
28 October 1967 – The Woolpack, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Crew
7 November 1967 – Industrial Club, Norwich, Norfolk
21 November 1967 – Bolero, Wednesbury, West Midlands
27 November 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Bearwood, West Midlands with Lynda and The Blend
1 December 1967 – Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
2 December 1967 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
11 December 1967 – Holly Bush, Quinton, West Midlands
16 December 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with The Fading Colours
21 December 1967 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands with The Idle Race and The Fading Colours
4 January 1968 – Birdland, The Raven, Castle Bromwich, West Midlands with The Idle Race (Birmingham Evening Mail)
6 January 1968 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
12 January 1968 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
19 January 1968 – Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
28 January 1968 – Bolero, Wednesbury, West Midlands
29 January 1968 – Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
The Way of Life #7 (January-November 1968)
Reg Jones – lead vocals, harmonica Chris Jones – lead guitar Danny King – bass, lead vocals Barry Smith – drums
The Jones brothers rebuilt the group by bringing in drummer Barry Smith, who’d worked with them previously in The Chucks during 1965.
Smith had started out with former The Way of Life bass player/singer Danny King in his early 1960s band, Danny King & The Royals. Later on, he worked with Danny Burns & The Phantoms.
The final incarnation recorded some material for Polydor Records before splitting up in late 1968.
The Jones brothers continued to play live on the local scene. Reg Jones died in 2004 and Chris Jones passed away in March 2014.
Notable gigs
1 February 1968 – Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands with Danny King and The Jones Boys (Birmingham Evening Mail)
3 February 1968 – Casino, Leicester
3 February 1968 – Industrial Club, Norwich, Norfolk
17 February 1968 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with Traffic (Birmingham Evening Mail)
23 February 1968 – Chesterfield Club, Castle Bromwich, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
24 February 1968 – Staffs Volunteer, Bushbury, Wolverhampton, West Midlands
2 March 1968 – Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands
3 March 1968 – Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands
9 March 1968 – Crown and Cushion, Perry Barr, West Midlands with Capital Systems
17 March 1968 – Crown & Cushion, Birmingham with The Peeps
21 March 1968 – Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands
23 March 1968 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
25 March 1968 – Holly Bush, Quinton, West Midlands
27 March 1968 – Chesterfield Club, Castle Bromwich, West Midlands
31 March 1968 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
1 April 1968 – Bulls Head, Yardley, West Midlands
9 April 1968 – Chalet Country Club, Rednal, West Midlands with Fanny Flickers
13 April 1968 – Willenhall Baths Assembly Hall, Willenhall, West Midlands with Lovin’ Kind
18 April 1968 – Station Inn, Selly Oak, West Midlands
Sources: most of the West Midlands gigs were sourced from the Birmingham Evening Mail, which is an amazing resource for music journalists. Other magazine/newspaper sources included Melody Maker, Eastern Evening News, Express & Star, Coventry Evening Telegraph, Banbury Guardian, Stratford upon Avon Herald and Leicester Mercury.
Thanks to Dave Pegg and Mac Poole (who both shared dates from their diaries), Mick Hopkins, Tony Clarkson, Jon Fox, Harry Barber, Laurie Hornsby and John R Woodhouse, who runs the Brumbeat website.
Mick Bonham’s book John Bonham: The Powerhouse behind Led Zeppelin was another great resource.
Huge thanks to Jason Barnard who originally posted this article on the Strange Brew website. This is a significantly updated version.
December English-born, Canadian raised brothers, singer Ed Pilling (b. 13 January 1948, Kingstanding, Birmingham, England) and guitarist Brian Pilling (b. 26 December 1949, Kingstanding, Birmingham, England) return to their place of birth to form a rock group. Having first emigrated in 1957, the Pillings have moved back and forth between Birmingham and Toronto several times as the family finds it hard to settle.
Eldest brother, Ed Pilling, who returns to Kingstanding, Birmingham on his own in 1964 and stays with an aunt, witnesses the exploding rock scene in the Midlands and decides to take up drums.
Returning to Toronto in mid-1965, he spends a year playing in high school band, The Pretty Ones with brother Brian Pilling and bass player Greg Godovitz.
Determined to make it in their country of birth, the brothers return to England but Ed is forced to leave his drums behind due to the transportation costs.
Back in Birmingham, Ed Pilling reunites with an old school friend from Kingstanding, Ted Clarkson, whose older brother is rhythm guitarist Tony Clarkson (b. 15 July 1945, Kingstanding, Birmingham, England).
Clarkson has been active on the local scene since 1962 when he started playing rhythm guitar with Guitars Incorporated (aka The GIs). The following year he joins The Wild Cherries, whose singer is the late Nicky James.
After playing in several local groups, Clarkson joins James’s new group, The Nicky James Movement in January 1965 where he meets former Diplomats guitarist Mick “Sprike” Hopkins (b. 3 January 1946, Great Barr, Birmingham, England).
Hopkins’s first notable group is Gerry Levene & The Avengers, which features future Move guitarist Roy Wood and future Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge, and is signed to Decca Records. While Hopkins is a member, the group records enough material for an album (but it is never released) although Decca does issue a lone single, Dr Feelgood, backed by It’s Driving Me Wild (featuring only Levene).
In May 1964, however, Hopkins replaces Denny Laine in his group, The Diplomats when Laine forms The Moody Blues and they record some demos. As members of The Nicky James Movement, Clarkson and Hopkins appear on a lone single for Columbia Records – Stagger Lee backed by I’m Hurtin’ Inside, released in November 1965.
Clarkson leaves to play bass guitar in several local bands, including The Hooties, but reunites with Hopkins in June 1966 when the pair form a new group, The Way of Life with brothers, singer Reg Jones and guitarist Chris Jones, former members of The Chucks.
Another Nicky James Movement member, future Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham completes the line up and The Way of Life become a popular live attraction in Birmingham.
Around December 1966 Ted Clarkson brings the Pilling brothers round to the family home and, impressed by their charisma and musical abilities, Clarkson agrees to form a new band with them called The Wages of Sin.
1967
January Clarkson recommends his The Way of Life cohort Mick Hopkins as a lead guitarist. When Ed Pilling is unable to get hire purchase to buy a drum kit and decides to concentrate on lead vocals, Clarkson and Hopkins try and entice John Bonham to join the fledgling group but he prefers to stay with The Way of Life and will subsequently join Robert Plant in The Band of Joy in 1967.
Clarkson contacts drummer Jimmy Skidmore, who has been playing in local group, The Delmore Lee Sound with keyboard player Norman Haines. Skidmore agrees to join on drums when Haines leaves to take up an offer with Locomotive, whose line up, at one point, includes future Traffic member, Chris Wood.
FebruaryThe Wages of Sin sign to John Singer’s Agency and he lines the band up with a month’s worth of work in West Germany, playing at the Palleten club in Fulda, which is near an American army base. While there, the group records for the local Palleten label and cuts a version of Hey Joe (recently made famous by The Jimi Hendrix Experience) backed by a cover of Cream’s N.S.U. The single becomes a rare collector’s item and is only released in West Germany.
MarchBack in the West Midlands at the start of the month, The Wages of Sin begin to work around the local area, appearing regularly at top venues like the Morgue, the Carlton Club (aka Carlton Ballroom) and the Cedar Club.
(13)The group appears at the Hereford Lounge in the Bull’s Head in Yardley.
(16)The Wages of Sin perform at the Station Inn in Selly Oak.
(21) They play at the Carlton Club, Erdington.
(22) The Wages of Sin support John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with The Finders Keepers at Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton
(24) The band makes an appearance at the Selly Park Tavern in Selly Park.
(27-28) The Wages of Sin play two nights at the Hereford Lounge in the Bull’s Head, Yardley.
April (1) They open for London band, The Neat Change at the Carlton Club, Erdington.
(2) Travelling to nearby Coventry, they perform at the Sportsman’s Arms, Allesley.
(3) The Wages of Sin play at the Hereford Lounge in the Bull’s Head, Yardley.
(6) The group appears at the Station Inn, Selly Oak.
(11) They open for The Montanas at the Cedar Club, Birmingham.
(14)The musicians appear at the Bolero Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands
(17) The Wages of Sin open for Lulu and The Luvvers at the Cedar Club.
(24) The band appears at the Hereford Lounge in the Bull’s Head, Yardley.
(29) The group performs at the Bulls Head, Hanford, Staffordshire.
May (1) The Wages of Sin appear at the Bull’s Head in Hay Mills.
(4) The band plays at Station Inn in Selly Oak.
(7) The musicians appear the Carnaby Club in Coventry, West Midlands.
(12) The Wages of Sin perform at the Hereford Lounge at the Bull’s Head in Yardley.
(15) The group makes an appearance at the Holly Bush pub in Quinton. The same night singer/songwriter Cat Stevens performs at Birmingham’s Cedar Club and this may be the evening that he first hears about the group with whom he works with later in the year.
(20) The band appear at the Black Horse in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
(24) The Wages of Sin play at the Hen and Chickens in Langley, West Midlands with The Ugly’s.
(25) The next night, the band plays at the Station Inn in Selly Oak.
(27) The musicians appear at the Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with The Powerhouse.
(30) The Wages of Sin perform at the Bolero Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands.
June (3) They return for another show at the Station Inn in Selly Oak. The group is also billed to perform at the Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with The Powerhouse.
(5) The Wages of Sin perform at the Holly Bush pub in Quinton. Soon afterwards, The Wages of Sin return to Germany to play a second residency at the Palleten club in Fulda. The group begins to introduce more psychedelic material, including a cover of The Beatles’ Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
July (1) The band returns to the West Midlands and plays at the Station Inn in Selly Oak.
(5) The Wages of Sin appear at the Mackdown in Kitts Green with The Modernaires.
(7) They perform at the Hereford Lounge in the Bull’s Head, Yardley.
(10) The group appears at the Holly Bush pub in Quinton. Soon afterwards they start using the name Yellow Rainbow for some gigs because there is another band from Cambridge called The Wages of Sin.
(15) Billed as The Yellow Rainbow, the musicians appear at the Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands with The Uglys.
(16) Billed again as Yellow Rainbow, the band performs at the Beloro Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands.
(17) The Wages of Sin perform at the Regent Club in Langley Green with The Ugly’s and The Stax Movement.
(21) The musicians appear at the Hen and Chickens in Langley Green with The Wellington Kitch Jump Band.
(22) The Wages of Sin perform at Gotham City in the Crown and Cushion in Perry Barr with The Second Thoughts. On the same evening, they appear at the Elbow Room in Aston, West Midlands.
(25) The Wages of Sin play at the Bolero Club, Wednesbury, West Midlands.
(28) The group plays at the Bull’s Head in Yardley. Aware of the more progressive musical scene emerging and to avoid confusion with the other group called The Wages of Sin, they change their name Yellow Rainbow, which inspires Hopkins’s former Gerry Levene & The Avengers band mate, Roy Wood to write a song for The Move using the same title.
August (7) Yellow Rainbow play at the Holly Bush pub in Quinton, West Midlands.
(10) The band performs at the Queen’s Beat Club, Erdington, West Midlands.
(12) They appear at the Queen’s Beat Club in Erdington.
(14) The band plays at the Regent Club in Langley Green with The Montanas.
(18) Yellow Rainbow (still billed as The Wages of Sin) appear at the Penthouse in Birmingham with Strictly for The Birds.
(26)Billed as The Wages of Sin, they play at the the Co-op in the Rainbow Suite, Birmingham with The Age.
(28) Billed once again as Yellow Rainbow, they appear at the Boar’s Head in Perry Barr, West Midlands.
(30) Yellow Rainbow perform at the Hen and Chickens in Langley Green.
September (2)The Wages of Sin play at the Blackhorse, Kidderminster, Worcestershire (but not clear if it’s the same band).
(4) The band appears at the Holly Bush in Quinton.
(14)Yellow Rainbow make an appearance at the Queen’s Beat Club in Erdington.
(16)The group plays at the Station Inn in Selly Oak, West Midlands.
(25) Yellow Rainbow appear at the Boar’s Head in Birmingham.
(30) They play at the Bull’s Head in Yardley, West Midlands.
October (2) Yellow Rainbow play at the Holly Bush pub in Quinton. This may be the evening that Cat Stevens’s brother and manager David Gordon approaches the musicians and invites them to London to record and work as Cat Stevens’s backing band. Despite having a year’s worth of bookings in Birmingham, the group accepts and is put on a retainer. Before moving to London, Yellow Rainbow fufil a number of local bookings.
(3) The musicians perform at the Bolero in Wednesbury, West Midlands.
(7) They appear at the Swan in Yardley Green with Chances Avenue.
(8) One of the band’s final gigs in the West Midlands is at the Crown and Cushion in Perry Barr. Soon afterwards, Yellow Rainbow relocate to London where Cat Stevens renames them Zeus.
November (10) Zeus plays a solo set at Middle Earth with The Soft Machine and Sensory Armada. They spend the next few days rehearsing at the Marquee with Stevens in preparation for a forthcoming show in France.
(17-18) Backing Cat Stevens, Zeus performs at the Palais des Sports in Paris on a show that also features The Spencer Davis Group, The Soft Machine, Dantalion’s Chariot, Keith West and Tomorrow. The show is recorded and broadcast on French TV.
December Back in the UK, Stevens records and produces Zeus covering two of his compositions at Pye Studios, which are subsequently shelved.
(18)Zeus appears at the Marquee in London, opening for The Nice.
(31)Zeus sees in 1968 with a show at the New Bagatelle Club, Ettington Park Hotel, Alderminster, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
1968
January (20) Cat Stevens and Zeus appear at the Winter Gardens Weston-Super-Mare.
Within weeks, Stevens contracts TB and is forced to lay low while he recuperates.
Although the band is on a retainer, there is little work and in February the Pilling brothers decide to return to Toronto where they will subsequently form Fludd with former Pretty Ones bass player Greg Godovitz. Fludd record their debut album for Warner Brothers in August 1971 and will have several notable Canadian hits in the early 1970s, including Turned 21.
The Pilling brothers’ departure scuppers the band. Skidmore subsequently joins The Norman Haines Band while Clarkson responds to an advert in NME and becomes a member of The World of Oz, whose debut single is released on 14 August 1968.
The band records three popsike singles for Deram between 1968-1969, including the catchy The Muffin Man and an eponymous lone album. A fourth single appears in the Netherlands where The World of Oz is a popular attraction. When the group breaks up, Clarkson briefly becomes a roadie for The Moody Blues, working part of their 1971 world tour.
Hopkins, meanwhile, joins Birmingham group, The Lemon Tree in June 1968 and appears on their second Parlophone single It’s So Nice To Come Home, which is produced by Andy Fairweather-Low.
He then forms Copperfield who record two singles in 1969-1970. The first, Any Old Time, is for the Instant label and is produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, while the second, I’ll Hold Out My Hand, is for Parlophone. Kenny Jones of The Small Faces plays drums on Any Old Time.
In January 1971, Hopkins replaces Jeff Lynne in The Idle Race and appears on the group’s final single for Regal Zonophone, Dancing Flower, and a lone album, Time Is.
1971
December Hopkins answers a call from the Pilling brothers to fly to Toronto and join Fludd. He appears on one single, Get Up, Get Out and Move On, which reaches #34 on the Canadian charts, before returning home to Birmingham after six months to put together Barefoot, resident band at the Rum Runner in Birmingham.
Hopkins later finds a degree of fame with heavy rock band, Quartz. Hopkins later records in his own studio in Birmingham with friends from his 1960s group, Copperfield.
Fludd, meanwhile, enjoyed further Canadian hits with Cousin Mary and What An Animal among others before Brian Pilling succumbs to cancer on 28 June 1978, aged just 29.
The group later evolves into Saga. Ed appears with a new version of Fludd in Toronto on 30 April 2009 with Foot In Cold Water.
My personal thanks go to Ed Pilling, Mick Hopkins and Tony Clarkson for helping to pull the story together.
The live dates were taken from many different sources, including Melody Maker and The Birmingham Evening Mail, the Express & Star, the Evening Sentinel, Kidderminster Times and Stourport News and Coventry Evening Telegraph.
Thank you also to Vernon Joynson and his excellent book, The Tapestry of Delights and Laurie Hornsby’s Brum Rocked On!
After separating from The New Buffalo Springfield around late July 1969, drummer Dewey Martin signed a solo deal with Uni Records in October.
Shortly afterwards, he returned to the studio and, abetted by several session musicians (including guitar ace James Burton), he recorded a version of the country favourite “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” backed by his own composition “Ala-Bam”, as a prospective single.
Under the musical direction of Mike Zalk, his former group meanwhile changed its name to Blue Mountain Eagle and recorded an eponymous album for Atco Records under the direction of David Geffen. Listening to it, the record bears all the hallmarks of The Buffalo Springfield sound.
By the time Blue Mountain Eagle’s album finally appeared in the shops in May 1970, Martin had been busy working on his next project, which was a more straightforward country-rock affair.
The seeds of the new group, later to be called Medicine Ball, had been sown shortly after the release of his solo single “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” in October.
Credited to Dewey Martin, the single attracted little attention and even fewer sales, although this probably had something to do with the fact that only a handful of copies were pressed.
Undeterred, Martin set about piecing a new group together with 12-string guitarist John Noreen (b. 13 August 1950, Los Angeles, California), a former member of folk-rock band The Rose Garden – and best known for scoring a top 20 US hit in 1967 with “Next Plane to London”.
“I think Dewey and I got together through a mutual business partner, Charlie Greene of Greene and Stone,” recalls Noreen.
“They produced my band The Rose Garden and they also produced The Buffalo Springfield among many others.
“It was just myself on guitar and steel guitar, Dewey on drums and a bass player named Terry O’Malley. We would rehearse at my house in the San Fernando Valley. I remember making some recordings of the rehearsals to check our progress.
“Two of the songs I remember were ‘When The Telephone Rings’ and ‘Sittin’ Here Thinkin’. Anyway, it was decided to try another bass player, and we tried a few [but] I do not remember any names.”
Sometime in mid-December, Noreen bailed out. “I was going through a bad period in my life at that time. Uncle Sam was trying to send me off to Vietnam and I was a mess. My recollection of Dewey was that he was a good guy, he was funny and a good drummer.”
Starting from scratch, Martin ran into lead guitarist Billy Darnell in Nudie’s tailors around Christmas 1969 and asked him to form a new group with a guitarist and drummer who had recently come off the road with the late pianist Billy Preston. It wasn’t the first time the two had met.
Born in Michigan and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Darnell first bumped into Martin during a session break for Buffalo Springfield Again in late 1967.
Popping out to buy some drum sticks from a local music store, Martin noticed Darnell playing Stephen Stills’s “Go and Say Goodbye” on a guitar and the pair immediately struck up a rapport.
Though Martin subsequently invited Darnell back to the studios to watch Buffalo Springfield record, the pair wouldn’t meet again for another year, when Darnell found his band opening for New Buffalo Springfield on a couple of southern Californian dates.
Darnell’s previous musical accomplishments were modest – besides working with a Hollywood band called The Orphans and playing a couple of local dates with Albert King, his other notable achievement was doing session work for Dave Allen & The Arrows.
Nevertheless, Darnell would ultimately become Medicine Ball’s longest serving member and would continue to work with Martin, on and off, over the next three decades.
Within days of Darnell’s arrival, Martin decided to dispense with the drummer and guitarist and began looking around for fresh blood.
To fill the bass slot, Martin hired Terry Gregg (b. 18 March 1945, Port Angeles, Washington), formerly a member of Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts and also a recent try out for the Righteous Brothers’ support band.
Around the same time, Martin added singer/songwriter and guitarist Ray Chafin (b. 26 December 1940, Williamson, West Virginia), whose musical career had started in the early 1960s when he rubbed shoulders with the original Beatles while playing at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany.
From there he returned home and worked for Fraternity Records in Cincinnati before recording for the LHI and Tower labels and co-writing songs for singer Dobie Gray.
Chafin’s arrival coincided with the addition of singer/songwriter and keyboard player Peter Bradstreet (b. 12 April 1947, Oak Park, Illinois).
While Chafin’s involvement with Medicine Ball would prove to be brief, Bradstreet, like Darnell, became another Medicine Ball mainstay. He’d also later co-found the country-rock band Electric Range with Darnell in the early ’90s.
Raised in Chicago, Buffalo and Dayton, Bradstreet had previously recorded an unreleased album with folk artists John Alden, Sandy Roepken and Dave Garrison in New York for the Vanguard label before moving out to Los Angeles in late 1969.
“Ray Chafin introduced me to Dobie [Gray] and Terry Gregg, whom I joined for a Turnabouts session [and] also got us together with Dewey and Billy,” remembers Bradstreet.
With Darnell arranging material and former Rolling Stones engineer Dave Hassinger producing, Medicine Ball entered the studios in early 1970 to record Ray Chafin’s “The Devil & Me”.
“I remember Dewey loved the song, which initiated our meeting,” says Chafin. “It was that meeting which started my involvement with Medicine Ball [but] the whole experience was rocky from the beginning.”
While the strong material bode well for the group’s future, it soon became apparent that Medicine Ball was not going to be a democratic band; rather it was merely a vehicle for Dewey Martin’s solo career.
This realisation led Chafin to move on after the first session and the remaining members cut two more tracks – Dewey Martin’s “Indian Child” and Peter Bradstreet and John Alden’s “I Do Believe”.
With Bob Stamps added on guitar, the band played an unannounced set at a small local venue.
As Gregg fondly recalls: “The first and last live performance I did with Dewey was at a North Hollywood lounge, I can’t remember the name. Dewey knew the owner and set up a showcase appearance for the group to plug the album. Well, the band shows up and we’re ushered to a reserved table at the back of the club. They’ve got a cover band playing that was very good. Next, bottles of champagne show up at our table and we’re really lappin’ this stuff up!
“After the other band’s set, the owner gets up on stage and proceeds to tell the audience that he has a special treat for them that night and at the climax of his announcement says, ‘ladies and gentlemen, Dewey Martin and The Buffalo Springfield’.
“Dewey immediately gets up and heads for the stage and the rest of us sit and stare at each other. From there everything was a real struggle dealing with that announcement, plugging into amps we didn’t have time to really get to know or the time to adjust to us, and did three songs we had nailed pretty good in the studio, but they were studio arrangements not arranged for a live performance! Needless to say, we did the songs, the audience was pretty forgiving.”
Gregg says that soon after the gig, he got an invitation back in Seattle that he couldn’t refuse and left the band, followed by recent recruit Bob Stamps.
Martin soldiered on recruiting former Sir Douglas Quintet bass player Harvey Kagan (b. 18 April 1946, Texas) and ex-Blue Mountain Eagle/New Buffalo Springfield member Randy Fuller (b. 29 January 1944, Hobbs, New Mexico) on rhythm guitar and vocals.
“I had been working with The Sir Douglas Quintet and we had a lull between performances, recordings, tours, etc. and somehow, through mutual friends, I got to meet Dewey and Bobby Fuller’s brother, Randy,” remembers Kagan.
“We did a couple of early sessions with Dewey singing (his voice reminded me somewhat of Joe Cocker) and used a well known studio drummer, Hal Blaine, who I was excited to meet.
“I did not know why Dewey even wanted to use any other drummer because he was a very good drummer in his own right. He did play drums on the Medicine Ball album and threw together a bunch of musicians from different venues to try to capture the sound he wanted. Randy and I were the two Texas boys. He was a very nice person and always treated me like one of his best friends.”
As the recordings progressed, Martin began to take over production duties from Hassinger and the new line-up proceeded to cut two more tracks – Pete Bradstreet’s “Race Me On Down” (which the keyboard player says was written in about 20 minutes as Dewey had decided that the album wasn’t quite long enough!) and a cover of Buddy Holly’s “Maybe Baby”.
“It was my idea to do ‘Maybe Baby’ on the album and I wanted to sing it but Dewey did it,” says Fuller, who soon lost faith in the Medicine Ball project.
Some rare photos of Medicine Ball was taken up in Decker Canyon before further personnel changes ensued. “[Randy and I] did do a few gigs together around the L.A. area with Dewey, including some college campuses, but I ended up going back with the Quintet and Dewey continued with other replacements,” remembers Kagan.
With Randy Fuller also gone, Martin brought in session steel guitar ace Buddy Emmons and former Danny Cox bass player Stephen Lefever and continued with the sessions.
Around the same time, Billy Darnell also left Medicine Ball (albeit temporarily) following a dispute over his guitar solo on “Maybe Baby” – and Martin invited his former Buffalo Springfield cohort Bruce Palmer to record one of his own compositions, the raga “Recital Palmer”.
Darnell agreed to return to Medicine Ball on a session basis a few weeks later and contributed to the final sessions, which culminated in the recording of five tracks.
Amid all this activity, Martin received some much-needed exposure in the national music press when a Billboard article entitled “Dewey Martin As Innovative Producer” appeared discussing the fruits of the sessions.
In the review, published in July 1970, Martin revealed that he had been “using pan techniques in recording drums, steel guitar and strings”. The supposed advantage of using such effects was that an instrument could “move from one channel to another”.
However, despite the advances in the studio, the group was slowly imploding.
Following the final sessions, Peter Bradstreet dropped out (he subsequently reunited with Darnell in Doug Kershaw’s road band and the Atlantic Records’ band Starbuck) and a new short-lived line up featuring Martin and Darnell alongside bass player Tom Leavey (who Martin had first met at Peter Tork’s house) and singer/songwriter and pianist Charles Lamont, formerly a member of Alexander’s Timeless Bloozband came together.
The quartet were given a studio in Universal City to rehearse, but despite working on some interesting jazz-inspired material, the project quickly fell apart. It may well have been this line up that photographer Jim Britt captured while playing at a small club called Jason’s (see photographer’s details at the end).
While Martin struggled to keep Medicine Ball together, Uni released the group’s eponymous album, which attracted a positive write up in the August edition of Variety magazine. Other reviewers agreed.
Dick Hartsook, writing in the Texas newspaper, Abilene Reporter-News on 13 September noted that, “Dewey Martin & Medicine Ball should have a tremendous amount of excitement in the music world for a while. The group has one of those necessary winning combinations.”
The reviewer goes on to describe the record as good, heavy music with fresh lyrics.
“Dewey has one of the most dynamic voices I’ve heard in a while, and considering he’s the drummer for the group, that’s saying a lot,” beams Hartsook.
“Playing good drums takes a lot of concentration, and Dewey plays drums and sings at the same time, doing a lot with both.”
Indeed, although Dewey Martin & Medicine Ball has often been slighted, there is much to commend it.
With the exception of a few tracks, the album stands up surprisingly well and this is largely due to the group’s stellar performances and Martin’s careful choice of material.
As he had indicated in Billboard in July, Martin had selected all the songs for the album “looking first at the lyrics”, since the album was his first vehicle as a singer.
Among the highlights are covers of Jim Ford’s sprightly “Right Now Train” (aka “Love on the Brain”), two introspective Ron Davies songs – “Silent Song Thru’ The Land” and “Change”, and the excellent Bradstreet/Alden collaboration “I Do Believe”.
Incidentally, Bradstreet and Alden composed a number of songs during this period including, “Gone Under No Uncertain Terms”, apparently a reference to Darnell’s brief departure, which would be recorded some 25 years later with their group Electric Range.
Yet despite this positive review and the publicity surrounding the use of Martin’s composition “Indian Child” on the soundtrack to the film Angels Die Hard, Uni Records dropped the band shortly after the album’s release.
Sessions for an album with RCA culminated in five tracks, although only two emerged on a lone single – “Caress Me Pretty Music/There Must Be a Reason”, released in early 1971. While the single is credited to Dewey Martin & Medicine Ball, it features Martin backed by Elvis Presley’s band.
“After Medicine Ball, I went with RCA and got through five takes,” says Martin. “My producer got everyone of the people on the session from the Elvis big band and I sang it live.”
The single pretty much ended Martin’s recording career; after producing an album for Truk, entitled Truk Tracks, and appearing on a late ’70s Hoyt Axton record, he dropped out of music for the rest of the ’70s and became a car mechanic.
Martin did briefly reunite with Darnell and bass player Tom Leavey in the mid-’70s and worked with songwriter P F Sloan on a proposed album. The project however, failed to progress beyond the rehearsal stage.
During the mid-’80s, Martin did return to the drum stool reuniting with Bruce Palmer in the tribute group Buffalo Springfield Revisited in 1985. The band toured fairly extensively (an appearance at the Vietnam Veteran’s Benefit concert at the L.A. Forum in February 1986 being among the highlights) and recorded a version of Neil Young’s “Down To The Wire”, before Martin pulled out.
Reunited with Darnell, Martin worked with a short-lived band called Pink Slip. The group, which also included former Byrds bass player John York and ex-Crazy Horse guitarist Michael Curtis, gigged informally in the San Fernando area, but never recorded any material.
At the same time, Darnell, Martin and York made a demo with former Eagle Randy Meisner, which resulted in both Darnell and Martin being recruited in to Meisner’s band Open Secret. Led by ex-Firefall singer Rick Roberts, and also featuring Bray Ghiglia, Open Secret subsequently changed name to the Roberts-Meisner Band.
Darnell and Martin, however, soon lost interest and dropped out to form a new group with Michael Curtis and former Al Stewart bass player Robin Lamble, which went under the name Buffalo Springfield Again.
Not surprisingly, Martin’s latest project soon ran foul of the other original members, most notably Richie Furay, who took legal action to prevent him from using the name.
In 1993, Martin moved up to Canada and did several tours in Western Canada as Buffalo Springfield Revisited with Frank Wilks, his brother John on bass/vocals and Derek Atherton on lead guitar/vocals but retired from live work soon afterwards.
After that, he developed his own drum rim, a multi-level drum rim, which he planned to call the “Dewey Rim”. According to Martin, the noted drummer Jim Keltner tried out a proto-type and was going to give him an endorsement. Sadly it wasn’t to be. Dewey Martin died on 31 January 2009, aged 68.
Despite the quality of musicianship, Martin’s post-Buffalo Springfield work with The New Buffalo Springfield and Medicine Ball failed to capture the public’s imagination.
Nevertheless, The Medicine Ball album includes some first-rate material that, arguably, is comparable with the work produced by Martin’s erstwhile colleagues from The Buffalo Springfield. The album’s release on CD, including the non-album tracks, is long overdue.
Many thanks to the following for their generous help: Dewey Martin, Billy Darnell, Terry Gregg, Ray Chafin, Randy Fuller, Harvey Kagan, John Noreen, Peter Bradstreet, John Einarson, Carny Corbett, Trevor Brooke, Derek Atherton and David Peter Housden. The Electric Range website also proved invaluable.
Jim Britt has some excellent photos of Dewey Martin which readers can buy from this website. Some examples include:
I have tried to ensure that the article is as accurate as possible. However, I accept that there may be errors and omissions and would be interested to hear from anyone who can add material or correct any mistakes.
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