This is the start of a short timeline covering the career of The Flowerpot Men, famous for the UK hit “Let’s Go To San Francisco”.
I’d like to thank Miguel Terol for helping to piece together the following timeline. I would welcome any input from anyone who can add or correct information below. The following sources were also very useful:
http://forgottenbands.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/next-band_5259.html
http://www.nicksimper.com/nicks_story3.htm#Chap15
Neil Landon – lead vocals
Pete Nelson – lead vocals
Tony Burrows – lead vocals
Robin Shaw – lead vocals
Neil Landon and Pete Nelson replace John Carter and Ken Lewis who sang on the single, ‘Let’s Go To San Francisco’.
+ Ged Peck – lead guitar (ex-Billie Davis & Quality)
+ Nick Simper – bass (ex-Billie Davis & Quality)
+ Billy Davidson – keyboards (ex-Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound)
+ Carlo Little – drums (ex-Billie Davis & Quality)
Notable gigs (most sourced from Melody Maker):
22 September 1967 – Broken Wheel, Retford (Derbyshire Times/Retford Times)
29 September 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire
Tour with Traffic, Tomorrow, Art, The Mindbenders and Vanilla Fudge:
1 October 1967 – Mr Smiths, Manchester
4 October 1967 – Finsbury Park Astoria, Finsbury Park, London
6 October 1967 – Rugby Benn Memorial Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire
6 October 1967 – ABC, Chesterfield, Derbyshire
7 October 1967 – City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne
8 October 1967 – Empire, Liverpool
10 October 1967 – ABC Croydon, Surrey
11 October 1967 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham
12 October 1967 – Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset (Western Gazette)
13 October 1967 – Colston Hall, Bristol
14 October 1967 – Gaumont, Wolverhampton
15 October 1967 – De Montfort Hall, Leicester
17 October 1967 – Gaumont, Ipswich, Suffolk
25 October 1967 – King’s Hall, Derby (needs confirmation)
28 October 1967 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley
4 November 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire
14 November 1967 – King’s Hall, Derby (needs confirmation)
15 November 1967 – Locarno, Stevenage
19 November 1967 – Saville Theatre, London with The Bee Gees and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
20 November 1967 – Stokley S&S Club
25 November 1967 – German TV Beat Club (most likely broadcast date)
NME announces in its 18 November issue that The Flowerpot Men have formed a four-piece backing group called The Sundial. The magazine reports that the group performs at the following venues:
November – Flowerpot Club, Birmingham (Saturday)
26 November 1967 – Week’s cabaret split between Latino, South Shields and Wetherall’s, Sunderland
The following gigs are from Melody Maker:
8 December 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable
9 December 1967 – Nottingham University
12 December 1967 – Keele University
16 December 1967 – St George Ballroom, Hinckley
23 December 1967 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with Sun Dial and Sound Society
30 December 1967 – German TV Beat Club
18 January 1968 – Whitcombe Club, Brockworth, Gloucestershire with Paper Blitz Tissue
Billy Davidson is ill and various keyboard players fill in, possibly John Carroll
+ Jon Lord – keyboards (ex-Artwoods)
3 February 1968 – California Ballroom, Dunstable
24 February 1968: Nick Simper and Jon Lord leave for Roundabout on this date
+ Tex Makins – bass
+ John Carroll – keyboards
24-30 March 1968 – La Dolce Vita, Birmingham
Early May 1968:
Tex Makins and John Carroll both leave. Carroll goes to Germany to play club in Essen for three months. Makins will reunite with Peck and Little shortly
+ Gordon Haskell – bass (ex-Fleur De Lyes)
12 May 1968 – NME awards (one of Haskell’s first shows)
12 May 1968 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, London
18 May 1968 – California Ballroom, Dunstable with O’Hara’s Playboys
Circa mid-July 1968:
Gordon Haskell leaves to join Cupid’s Inspiration
+ Tex Makins returns
11 July 1968 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with Bystanders and Sam’s Brothers Band
Circa late July/early August 1968:
Ged Peck, Tex Makins and Carlo Little join David Garrick’s band in Switzerland
+ Mick Stewart – lead guitar (ex-James Royal Set)
Also another drummer and bass player
6-10 August 1968 – Excel, Middlesbrough
17 August 1968 – Baston Community Association, The Marquee, Baston Playing Fields, Baston, Norfolk with The Iveys and Muffin Bank
Circa late August 1968:
+ Carlo Little rejoins on drums after David Garrick show
30 September 1968 – Club Cavendish, Birmingham (play for a week?)
Circa early October 1968:
Mick Stewart leaves to rejoin James Royal Set. The bass player leaves too
+ Robin Box – lead guitar
+ Ricky Wolff – keyboards, flute and sax
+ Tony Hall – saxophone
+ Gordon Haskell – bass rejoins from Cupid’s Inspiration
8 March 1969 – Grand Hall, Kilmarnock, Scotland with Ambrose Slade
22 June 1969 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
Many thanks to John Carroll and Gordon Haskell for providing information
GARAGE HANGOVER WOULD WELCOME ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW
The Flowerpot Club gig in Birmingham was on 18th November 1967
Found some information from Melody Maker which probably changes the timeline above. Gordon Haskell joined Cupid’s Inspiration in mid-October 1968.
DEAR NICK!! MAYBE WE CAN SEE WHEN BILL DAVIDSON LEFT THR FLOWERPOT MEN AND WHEN JON LORD JOINED?
IF WE READ JERRY BLOOM BOOK BLACK KNIGHT p. 98 we can see the story from Nick Simper memories and Jon Lord plays with the band thie gig – 8 December 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable. Yes ROCK FAMILY TREES book said Jon joining January 1968. Or maybe we can understand when The Flowerpot Men goes to Germany – Munich – Blow-Up club with Jon Lord in line-up???
How long was Ricky Wolff in the backing band before replacing Neil Landon as a vocalist? Did Neil leave when Fat Mattress was formed in October? Or did he wait until recording began in December? They made their live debut on 24 Feb 1969, so I assume he left before that. Earliest promo photo featuring Ricky as vocalist that I’ve seen is dated April 1969 (The same month Fat Mattress went on tour with Hendrix).
Gigs of the Flower Pot Men
In either 1967 or 1968, The FlowerPot Men were playing their hit
Lets go to SanFrancisco at The National Jazz, Pop, Blues festival. I was there both years, but cannot remember which year as both festivals were hold at a speedway ground, Windsor and Sunburry. They were not on the official program on either of this festivals. Can anybody feel me in with the right year?