Martin Barre (lead guitar, flute)
Mick Ketley (keyboards, lead vocals)
Bryan Stevens (bass)
Malcolm Tomlinson (drums, flute, lead vocals) 

1968

August After backing visiting US soul acts as The Noblemen (July-November 1966); working as stax/soul band, The Motivation (November 1966-August 1967); and Mod/psych outfit The Penny Peep Show/Penny Peeps (August 1967-August 1968), the group changes its name to Gethsemane to reflect the burgeoning British blues scene. Soon after, the band’s singer Denny Alexander drops out and keyboard player Mike Ketley and drummer Malcolm Tomlinson assume joint lead vocals.

(11) Barre attends the 8th National Jazz and Blues Festival at Kempton Park, Sunbury, Surrey and catches Jethro Tull, who really impress him. He will audition for the band on a couple of occasions later in the year.

(24) Gethsemane Soul Band play at the Royal Lido in Prestatyn, Wales with The Informers.

(25) Working as a quartet, the band plays one of its first shows as Gethsemane at Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, west London. The band gets an early copy of The Band’s Music From The Big Pink, which is a major influence on Gethesmane’s members. Tomlinson will handle lead vocals on covers of “The Weight” and “Chest Fever”.

(28) Gethsemane play at Eel Pie Island with The Nice and this is the most plausible date.

(31) Billed as Gethsemanie, the band opens the Van Dike Club in Plymouth, Devon with Jethro Tull.

September (9) Geth Semane play at the Aurora Hotel in Gillingham, Kent.

(14) Billed as Geth Semane, the band makes an appearance at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London on a star-studded bill that also includes The Scaffold, David Bowie and Junior’s Eyes. DJ John Peel, who is allegedly a huge fan, records the band’s set and plays it on his radio show the following week.

(18) Gethsemane are hired to participate in a studio session with guitarist Jeff Beck (which most likely takes place on this date) but the session does not go well and is aborted.

(22) Billed as Geth And Semane, the quartet play at the Linden Sports Club in Bournemouth, Dorset.

(28) Gethsemane play at the Stage Club in Oxford.

October (5) Gethsemane support Fleetwood Mac at the Links, Boreham Wood, Hertfordshire.

(7) Billed as Gethsemaney, the quartet appear at Samantha’s in the  Langland Bay Hotel in Swansea, South Wales with The Liquid Umbrella.

(16) Billed as Geth Semane, they replace The Keef Hartley Band at Rambling Jack’s Blues Club at the Railway Hotel in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts.

(21) They appear at the Blue Horizon club in the Nag’s Head in Battersea, southwest London.

(23) Billed as Geth Semane, they open for Alan Bown at Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, Middlesex.

(28) Malcolm Tomlinson is hired to back Elton John on a BBC radio session at Agolin Hall. Joined by bass player Boots Slade and guitarist Caleb Quaye, the band records “Lady Samantha”, “Across The Havens” and “Skyline Pigeon”. The three songs are played on BBC radio’s Stuart Henry Show the following week.

November Gethsemane pique the interest of Bee Gees producer Robert Stigwood, who signs them to Dick James Music. The plan is to record an album and the band cuts a version of Elton John’s “Lady Samantha”. They also cut a version of Jack McDuff’s “Grease Monkey” but it is shelved after the album sessions are brought to a close following a disagreement over direction with Stigwood. Incidentally, Alan Gorey from flat mates Hopscotch plays bass and sings on one of the recordings.

(6) Billed as Geth Semane, they return to the Railway Hotel in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts for a show supported by White Mule.

(8) Gethsemane appear at the Industrial Club in Norwich. The advert says that the group has played the Marquee and the Middle Earth in Covent Garden

(11) Billed as Geth Semane, the band appear at the Staffordshire Yeoman, Stafford, Staffordshire

(13) The quartet plays at the Thing-A-Me-Jig in Reading, Berkshire.

(14) Billed as Gethsemany, the band appears at the Club Lafayatte in Wolverhampton, West Midlands with Barmy Barry.

(15) Gethsemane support Jethro Tull at the Hornsey Wood Tavern in Finsbury Park, London. Guitarist Martin Barre will audition unsuccessfully for the guitar spot in Jethro Tull shortly afterwards.

(26) Gethsemane appear at the Crown Hotel, Birmingham with The Redhouse Blues Band.

December (12) Gethsemane open for Pink Floyd at the Dundee College of Art in Dundee, Scotland.

(20) Westminster & Pimlico News‘ 20 December issue reports that Gethsemane have played at the Pheasantry on Kings Road recently. Around this time, the band plays its final show at a college in Brook Green, Hammersmith, having already decided to split up. Terry Ellis from Island Records attends the show and tries in vain to sign the band, but no one is interested. Ellis suggests that Barre audition for the lead guitar spot in Jethro Tull. Stevens sells his bass and uses the money to help finance his studies. He returns to college and later becomes a surveyor. Stevens currently lives in Chiswick. Ketley switches from keyboards to bass and reunites with Tomlinson’s predecessor Bernie Smith in the Southcoast band The Concords. He later becomes senior director at Yamaha Kemble Music UK Limited.

(24) Barre joins Jethro Tull after successfully auditioning a second time. His former band mate Malcolm Tomlinson allegedly also tries out on guitar as does his friend Louis McKelvey, who returned from Canada in July 1968 after playing in Influence. Barre and Tomlinson have visited McKelvey at his Colville Square home near Portobello Market.

(30) Barre makes his debut with Jethro Tull at the Winter Gardens in Penzance, Cornwall.

1969

January After reuniting with Louis McKelvey, who had worked with Tomlinson in the early 1960s Ealing band, Jeff Curtis & The Flames, the drummer leaves the UK with McKelvey and moves to Toronto where they form Milkwood. The band appears at the famous Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival show in September 1969 and record an unreleased LP for Polydor with Jerry Ragavoy producing. Tomlinson will go on to appear on recordings by Jay Telfer, Life, JFC Heartbeat, Rick James & The Stone City Band and Bearfoot among others before issuing two solo albums for A&M in 1977 and 1979 – Coming Outta Nowhere and Rock ‘N’ Roll Hermit. He later sings with The Cameo Blues Band but dies in April 2016.

Sources:
The Day Before Yesterday – Rock, Rythmn and Jazz in the Bishop’s Stortford area from 1957-1969 by Steve Ingless, Scila Productions, 1999.
Flying Colours by Greg Russo, Crossfire Publications, 2009.
The South Coast Beat Scene of the 1960s by Mike Read, Woodfield Publishing, 2001.

Many thanks to Bryan Stevens, Mick Ketley, Malcolm Tomlinson, Denny Alexander, Louis McKelvey, Greg Russo and Rosemary White.

Disclaimer: Concert adverts have been sourced from a number of music magazines and regional newspapers listed below. They have been reproduced fairly for research purposes and are not to be copied for any other use.

Live dates sourced from a number of sources including: Melody Maker, Western Evening Herald, Oxford Mail, Wrexham Leader. See other newspapers sources in the comments below.

Copyright © Nick Warburton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, without prior permission from the author. I have tried to ensure the accuracy of this article but I appreciate that there are likely to be errors and omissions. I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who can provide any additions or corrections. Email: Warchive@aol.com