Colin Young – lead vocals
Oscar Knight – lead guitar
Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel – bass
Ken Cumberbatch – keyboards
Tony Bauman – saxophone
Denis Overton – saxophone
Conrad Isidore – drums
London-based West Indian soul outfit, Joe E Young & The Toniks recorded a superb, ultra-rare, and highly collectable, LP called Soul Buster! for Vicki Wickham’s small Toast label during 1968 before splintering when singer Colin Young joined British chart toppers The Foundations, subsequently singing lead on the UK #2 hit, “Build Me Up A Buttercup” and UK #8 hit, “In The Bad Bad Old Days (Before You Loved Me)”.
The band’s career is shrouded in mystery and very little is known about its tangled history, not to mention its origins. What we do know, however, is that Colin Young was born in Barbados on 12 September 1944 (although some sources suggest the United States) and first came to London for a holiday with his father in the mid-Sixties (possibly in late 1965).
It seems likely that the original Toniks were formed around the Stoke Newington area as that was a hotbed for musicians from the Caribbean, who had moved to London.
Colin Young formed the group with guitarist Oscar Knight; sax player Anthony Barman (aka Bauman); bass player Sam Southwell; and drummer John Seally.
However, at some point in late 1966/early 1967 Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel took over from Sam Southwell; Conrad Isidore replaced John Seally; and keyboard player Ken Cumberbatch and second sax player Denis Overton joined. Samuel and Cumberbatch knew sax player Anthony Bauman from The Blue-Ace-Unit.
Antigua-born London-raised Calvin Samuel’s first notable musical outfit appears to have been The Blue-Ace-Unit, formed around early 1965 by future Bob Marley sideman, Junior Marvin, who at the time used the name Junior Kerr. Apparently, it was Kerr who coined Samuel’s nickname ‘Fuzzy’ after the musician used a fuzz box on his bass. Samuel replaced the original bass player in The Blue-Ace-Unit around the same time that Ken Cumberbatch joined Kerr’s group on keyboards.
In mid-1966, Samuel briefly joined The Rick ‘N’ Beckers before hooking up with another Antigua immigrant, guitarist Wendell Richardson, who’d grown up in Tottenham after moving to the UK at the age of 11. This may (or may not) be the same band that Richardson refers to on his website as The Four Aces, who could also have been The Blue-Ace-Unit (aka Blue Aces) after Junior Kerr joined Herbie Goins & The Night-timers.
When that group folded, Samuel reunited with Cumberbatch in the new version of The Toniks. Also on-board were Dominica-born Conrad Isidore, who had previously played with The Grenades and The Links.
Around the same time, a second sax player, Denis Overton also joined. Overton is most likely the same South African-born musician who had previously played with John O’Hara & His New Playboys during 1965-1966 and then briefly worked with Liverpool band, The Roadrunners.
Incidentally, Samuel was also close friends with The Equals and apparently Eddy Grant used Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel as a session bass player on many of The Equals’ recordings. Grant would later produce and pen material for Samuel’s post-Toniks band, The Sundae Times.
Billed as either The Toniks or The Tonicks, the sextet quickly found work gigging across the north London club scene in venues that catered for the city’s burgeoning West Indian population.
The New All-Star Club near Liverpool Street railway station became a favourite haunt. The Toniks also became regulars at Count Suckle’s Cue Club in Paddington and the Roaring 20’s in Carnaby Street, Soho.
According to Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band guitarist Pete Gage, who would work with the band in late 1967, it was Colin Young’s manager Ken Edwards, who owned the Cue Club who renamed the singer Joe E Young.
Some of the gigs below (particularly the early ones) didn’t list Joe E Young, but Colin Young was there from start to finish.
British music magazine, Melody Maker, lists the following gigs for the band (unless otherwise noted). Some of the earlier gigs from 1966 were probably by the original formation.
Selected gigs:
7 September 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London
11 September 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with The Pilgrims
2 October 1966 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent (Folkestone, Hythe & District Herald)
5 October 1966 – Zebra Club, W1, central London
8 October 1966 – Club West Indies, Stonebridge Park, northwest London
9 October 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 November 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London
17 November 1966 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
3 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
9 December 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
17 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
25 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
26 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with The Sugar Simone Show
8 January 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
27 January 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London with Inez and Charlie Foxx
28 January 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
28 January 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Dave Berry & The Crusiers and The Crestas (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
28 January 1967 – Chalk Farm, north London with The Vaudeville Band, The Soft Machine and The Hectic Poets (Billed as the band only)
3 February 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder) (Billed as The Tonics)
4 February 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (Poster) (Billed as The Tonicks featuring Joey Young)
5 February 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Joey Young & The Tonicks Band)
11 February 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
11 February 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 February 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 February 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
19 February 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
24 February 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
25 February 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
25 February 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
4 March 1967 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Aldershot News)
4 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
5 March 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder) (Billed as The Tonics)
5 March 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
7 March 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Poster)
10 March 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder) (Billed as The Tonics)
16 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
18 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
23 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
23 March 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
24 March 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
25 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
27 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
30 March 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with The Drifters, The Senate and Jimmy Cliff (Evening Sentinel)
31 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
7 April 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with Les Fleur De Lys (Evening Sentinel)
8 April 1967 – Bluesville, St Thomas’ Hall, Brentwood, Essex (Essex Chronicle)
9 April 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
9 April 1967 – Flamingo, Soho, central London
15 April 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Tribe (Folkestone, Hythe & District Herald)
16 April 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
21 April 1967 – Mr McCoys, Middlesbrough (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette) Billed as The Tonicks
29 April 1967 – Tabernacle, Stockport, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
14 May 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
21 May 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
22 May 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
29 May 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with Nyla Rose
2 June 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
2 June 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 June 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Kinsmen (Cambridgeshire Times) (Billed as the band only)
17 June 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Billed as John Lee Hooker & The Tonicks)
24 June 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with The Toys (Billed as the band only)
22 July 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Disc & Music Echo)
The Nite Owl gig may not have happened as it took place during the period that the band played at Snoopys in Palma, Majorca which was from around late June to late August 1967.
9 September 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
9 September 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
15 September 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
23 September 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with Soul Concern (North Norfolk News)
24 September 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
28 September 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
13 October 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as The Tonicks Band)
From late October-mid-November 1967, Melody Maker reports that Joe E Young & The Toniks were resident band at the New All-Star Club but did not say if this was every night. In early November, Ruby James & The Stax were also residents.
20 October 1967 – Rendevous Club, Margate, Kent with The Coloured Raisins (East Kent Times & Mail)
21 October 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as The Tonicks with Joey Young)
21 October 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
22 October 1967 – Kettering Working Men’s Club, Kettering, Northamptonshire with Lloyd Alexander Blues Band (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
27 October 1967 – Railway Hotel, Wealdstone, Harrow, northwest London
28 October 1967 – Leeds International Club, Leeds, West Yorkshire
31 October 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, Slough, Berkshire
3 November 1967 – Deers Leap, Penhill, Wiltshire (possibly Swindon Advertiser)
4 November 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Vogues (East Kent Times & Mail)
Sometime around early-to-mid November 1967, Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel departed to form The Sundae Times with guitarist Wendell Richardson. The Sundae Times later landed a record deal with President Records thanks to their friendship with Eddy Grant. Conrad Isidore also participated but continued to play with Joe E Young & The Toniks simultaneously.
Ken Cumberbatch left around the same time and moved into session work, including working with Junior Marvin. Oscar Knight also departed at the same time.
Trinidad and Tobago-born siblings Kelvin Bullen (lead guitar) and Hugh Bullen (bass), who had started out with Reading, Berkshire band, The Soul Trinity, took Knight and Samuel’s places. Richard London came in from south London bands The Heads and The Stax for Ken Cumberbatch.
Colin Young – lead vocals
Kelvin Bullen – lead guitar
Hugh Bullen – bass
Richard London – keyboards
Tony Bauman – saxophone
Denis Overton – saxophone
Conrad Isidore – drums
Sometime in November, Joe E Young & The Toniks landed a recording deal with Vicki Wickham’s Toast label. Paired with former Ram Jam Band guitarist Pete Gage as an arranger, the band started to record material for an LP with producer Tommy Scott, which appears to have been cut over several sessions, starting in late 1967 and culminating with a final session in mid-1968.
According to Gage, it was Vicki Wickham (Dusty Springfield’s manager) who approached him via Rik Gunnell to arrange and produce Joe E Young & The Toniks. Gage believes that session players, which possibly included keyboard player Tim Hinkley and guitarist Ivan Zagni, who’d previously played with Mike Patto in The Chicago Blues Line and worked with his girlfriend Elkie Brooks in early 1968, may have been employed on some tracks. He also thinks that Colin Young’s friend Jimmy Chambers and Trinidad-born singer Ebony Keyes may have contributed vocals to the sessions.
Two of the earliest tracks to be recorded were two Pete Gage songs, co-written with Ebony Keyes (aka Kenrick Pitt), “Lifetime of Lovin’” c/w “Flower In My Hand”. Paired as a single, the tracks were issued on Toast in January 1968 but did not chart. Incidentally, the single also saw a South African release on the Continental label.
Selected gigs:
23 November 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
8 December 1967 – Burton Constable Stately Home, Hull, Humberside with The Amboy Dukes, Ferris Wheel, Roger Bloom’s Hammer, Gospel Garden and The Mandrakes (Hull Daily Mail)
9 December 1967 – Enfield Technical College, Enfield, north London with Ten Years After (Poster)
9 December 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
10 December 1967 – Ram Jam Club, Brixton, south London
11 December 1967 – Hull University Union at the Skyline Ballroom, Hull, Humberside with The Moody Blues and The Gods (Hull Daily Mail)
16 December 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Rubber Band (North Norfolk News)
23 December 1967 – Royal Lido, Central Beach, North Wales (needs source)
24 December 1967 – Sunday club, Addlestone, Surrey with Art Movement (Woking Herald)
25 December 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London with Ronnie Jones, Owen Grey, The Youth and Herbie Goins
26 December 1967 – Shelimar Club, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
30 December 1967 – Israeli Student Association, West Hampstead, north London
30 December 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London
31 December 1967 – “Big C”, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hampshire
31 December 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
6 January 1968 – Dorothy Ballroom, Cambridge with The Reformation and The Apricot Jazz Band (Cambridge News)
13 January 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
21 January 1968 – Alvaston Hall Hotel, Middlewich Road, Nantwich, Cheshire (Northwich Chronicle)
3 February 1968 – Cosmo, Carlisle, Cumbria with The Gallavanters (Cumberland News)
4 February 1968 – Cosmo, Carlisle, Cumbria with Freddie Mack and The Mack Sound (Cumberland News)
9 February 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Page, east London with James and Bobby Purify
10 February 1968 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear with Hylton Ks (http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
24 February 1968 – Tinned Chicken Club, Castleford, West Yorkshire with Max Bear & The Chicago Setback (Sheffield Star)
2 March 1968 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, London (Harrow Weekly Post)
2 March 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
8 March 1968 – Drill Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire (Stratford upon Avon Herald)
15 March 1968 – Camberwell Rag Ball, Camberwell, southeast London with George Bean & The Runners and The James Stewart Dance Band (South East London Mercury)
24 March 1968 – Downbeat Club, the Swan, Maldon, Essex (Essex Chronicle)
30 March 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
31 March 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London with Count Suckle Sound System (Billed as Tonicks Band)
2 April 1968 – Ready Steady Go Club, Pier Pavilion, Felixstowe, Suffolk with Tony Jackson & The Vibrations (Ipswich Evening Star)
5 April 1968 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
12 April 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
20 April 1968 – Princes Theatre & Ballroom, Yeovil, Somerset with Satan’s Chase and The Pandas (Western Gazette)
21 April 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
22-25 April 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London with Count Suckle Sound System
25 April 1968 – James Finegan Hall, Eston, Teesside with The Engine and Chelfont Line (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
26 April 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
30 April 1968 – Falcon Hotel, Eltham, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
Soon after Joe E Young & The Toniks participated in a tour supporting American soul legend Aretha Franklin. Also on the bill were Johnnie Walker, Robert Knight and Lucas with The Mike Cotton Sound. One of the highlights was a show at what later became the Hammersmith Odeon in May 1968.
4 May 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
10 May 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
17 June 1968 – Barn Club, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
22 June 1968 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Soul Mates (Cambridgeshire Times)
22 June 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London
6-7 July 1968 – Cosmo, Carlisle, Cumbria (Cumberland News)
14 July 1968 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
20 July 1968 – Club LaBamba, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Kent & Sussex Courier)
27 July 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Magic Roundabout (East Kent Times & Mail)
27 July 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Joey Young & The Tonicks Band)
17 August 1968 – Nags Head, Motown Club, Wollaston, Northamptonshire (Northamptsonshire Evening Telegraph)
18 August 1968 – Railway Hotel, Wealdstone, northwest London
Melody Maker lists some gigs under the name The New Toniks, which may or may not be the same band. The ‘new’ prefix suggests that a new formation was put together and this writer would welcome any further information.
Selected gigs (New Toniks):
22 August 1968 – White Hart, London
23-25 August 1968 – Scotland
25-26 August 1968 – Manchester
27-28 August 1968 – Recording
According to Melody Maker, Colin Young joined The Foundations in late September and made his debut at Aberdeen University on 4 October 1968. By this point, Conrad Isidore had already jumped ship to commit to The Sundae Times full-time. With the band splitting, the Bullen siblings ended up joining Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers.
With the album ready to release, Toast quickly shipped a second single in November 1968, pairing the soul classic, “Sixty Minutes of Your Love” with Lennon & McCartney’s “Good Day Sunshine”.
Around the same time, the label also belatedly issued the Soul Buster! LP, highlights of which include one of the best covers of Darrell Banks’ “Open The Door To Your Heart”. Sadly, it was all too little, too late. With few copies pressed and scant promotion, the LP slipped out unnoticed. In subsequent years, however, it became a highly prized collector’s item, not least due to the band’s personnel and individual members’ post-Toniks career.
In a final, last gasp, Toast paired “Good Day Sunshine” with the year old “Lifetime of Lovin’” for a final single, issued on 31 January 1969, but it also failed to dent the charts.
Besides Colin Young’s chart success with The Foundations, Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel and Conrad Isidore also went on to greater things.
During his time with The Sundae Times, Isidore also played and recorded with Alan Marshall’s band One, who released a rare eponymous LP for Fontana. After a stint with Manfred Mann Chapter 3 during 1970, he became a noted session player, working with the likes of Joe Cocker, Linda Lewis, Terry Reid, Vinegar Joe and Eddy Grant to name a few. He also later played with Junior Marvin in his band Hanson and with Hummingbird.
Samuel appeared on Stephen Stills’ first two solo albums, thanks to his connections with Conrad Isidore, who landed the gig after Stephen Stills caught the drummer playing at the Speakeasy in March 1970.
The bass player was hired for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, appearing on the single, “Ohio” and subsequently worked in Stephen Stills’s Manassas before also finding work as a session player, including with Graham Nash, Rita Coolidge and Taj Mahal. Samuel later wrote and recorded songs with Marianne Faithfull and Stevie Winwood and worked with The Alvin Lee Band and Tumbling Dice with Mick Taylor and Nicky Hopkins. In 1999, he self-released two CDs, This Train Still Runs and Love Don’t Taste Like Chicken.
Latter day member Kelvin Bullen went on to work with Swiss rock band, Toad, while his brother Hugh found success with the highly revered British funk band, Gonzalez after a spell in Italy with Herbie Goins. Hugh Bullen also cut an Italian solo LP, Feeling, in 1978.
Colin Young meanwhile went solo and recorded for Pye Records. He later joined UK group Mercy, Mercy who had a hit with “It Must Be Heaven” in the 1980s. Since then he has participated in various Foundations reunions.
Many thanks to Pete Gage for his recollections. I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone who can add or correct any of the information here.
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.
Re Joe E Young & Toniks (Tonicks)
I have an early line up as – Colin Young, Anthony Barman ( must be Bauman), Oscar Knight, Sam Southwell & John Seally. I don’t know what instruments they played and can’t find where I got this info from.
I also have a press cutting (with photo) for “Joe E Young & The Tonicks latest release “Barefooting In Chinatown” from 67, but no label given and no trace of this anywhere else. It would appear to be an advert put in one of the music papers (MM or Record Mirror) by their management. How could I upload a copy of this for you ? I have a similar ad for “Lifetime Of Loving” which still spells the name Tonicks.
Pete Gage sent me some further info on Ebony Keyes, which I thought I would add for readers:
He was originally Kenrick Des Etages – from Trinidad living in Sydenham South London as a car mechanic. He changed his professional performing name to Ebony Keyes but still writing as Des Etages for Pye Records – later he changed again to Lee Vanderbilt – close friends with Jimmy Chambers – George Chandler – Tony Jackson (Paul Young’s backup singers). He crops up in the London session singer scene for several decades. Lee died last year I heard from a massive heart attack after doing his morning jog. RIP – a lovely guy – great great voice who loved me for getting him started in the business.
I’m sad to hear that Lee passed away. I went to play the Zoom club in Frankfurt, Germany with him when he was Ebony Keyes…the promoter thought he was a black piano player 🙂 The Senate were the other band on the bill…later to morph into The Average White Band. Lee was a lovely guy, very gentle and a sweet singer in the Sam Cooke style. RIP Kenrick Des Etages .
A bit more from Pete Gage on the LP sessions:
The LP I did was peppered with session muzos – Tim Hinkley definitely on keyboards – Ivan Zagni I think on one or too – I think Elkie [Brooks] got to sing on some of it – I think Tan Tan – Eddie Thornton took on some trumpet and maybe even Harry Becket did some flugel. I rather thought everybody got the credits but maybe – just maybe Vicki Wickham didn’t want non members of the band acknowledged. Other than CBS studios and my budget in meltdown… it was a stressful time. Shame because I really thought this was the record which would get them and I into the big time British Soul league
Yes, I did play on those sessions and I remember Eddie “Ton Ton” Thornton and the wonderful Harry Becket. Pete seems to think that Ivan Zagni played on the sessions but I don’t remember him being there. I don’t think we played on more than 4/5 tracks but Pete would know more about that. It was a quite stressful project for Pete who was getting flack from the members of the band over the use of session players and pressure from the record label over the cost. Under the circumstances I think he did a great job. I’m sure Elkie and Le Vanderbilt did some backing vocals.
Hello Nick I dont get it brother Hugh and myself did and played the recordings of LP Soul Bustin ! Funny that Pete Gage doesn’t remember or make any mention ( why else are we on the cover ) unfortunately brother Hugh passed away last November . Please get the facts right cheers Kelvin.
Hi there
Really sorry to hear about your brother. I think Pete is saying that some of the tracks were recorded with session players; not all of the LP. Some of the tracks were cut before you and your brother joined, judging by the dates.
Eddie Thornton’s nick name is Tan Tan not Ton Ton !
Found a missing gig for the band, which I think is 20 April 1967. The gig took place at the Skyline Ballroom, Hull (Hull Daily Mail). Others on the bill were The Goodtime Loosers, The Dawnbreakers, The Family and The Mandrakes
Colin Young recorded an interesting LP and single for Trend in 1971, the LP being issued maybe only in Italy. The other members were Steve Bingham, Roger Cawkwell, Laurie Jellyman, Graham Preskett and Jean Roussell
a couple more gigs from 68 –
11/05/68 – Finsbury Park Astoria with Aretha Franklin, Robert Knight & the Knight Brothers, Lucas & the Mike Cotton Sound
13/05/68 – Purley Orchid with Robert Knight & the Knight Brothers
I saw both gigs, but can’t remember if the Tonicks were backing Robert Knight or not ! Knight had the original US hit with Everlasting Love (Love Affair)
Melody Maker’s 3 February 1968 issue says that “Lifetime of Loving” has been released in seven countries
Melody Maker from 28 October 1967, page 24 has an interesting little article on the band plus missing dates. It says that Colin Young was born in Philadelphia on 16 July 1947 but brought up in Barbados.
Came here from UKrockfestivals mention of the Burton Hall gig in December 1968.
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/all-nighter-burton-c-hall.html
Described on the poster as “The Great Coloured Act of 1967”
That use of ‘coloured’ jarred – even when I see its repeated on a few of the images above.
Was that a common description back then asks someone who would have been a naïve 16 in 1968?
Around late June 1967 to late August 1967, the group went to Majorca to play Snoopys according to an advert in Melody Maker on 9 September 1967, page 20.
Calvin Samuels told me he was with the group in Majorca but left soon after returning to plan Sundae Times. The fact that The Soul Trinity played its last dates about November 1967 suggests, Samuels left around this time and the Bullen brothers joined from The Soul Trinity
Sad news about Conrad
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/classic-rock/20191210/281651076972667
Conrad Isadore obituary:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/musicalmemoirs.wordpress.com/2019/10/23/remembering-conrad-isidore-dominican-drum-master/amp/
Hi,
I stumbled across your website tonight by pure chance.
I thought you would like to know that there is a gig unrecorded in the admirable compilation of tour dates for Joe E Young & The Tonicks.
The missing date is Saturday 18th MAY 1968, when the band appear to have headlined with the fledgling Fairport Convention at Leeds University Union. I’m 75 now and I was at the gig. It was such a brilliant night that at some point I must have pinched one of the official posters and kept it ever since, framed and hanging on the wall here, one of the very few mementoes I have of those fabulous days. It has the date on it, price of entry, and all the particulars, rather amusingly conceived – made out to look like a stamped addressed envelope.
Just thought your contributors would care to know. I was just gazing at it on the wall tonight and got to wondering who Joe E Young & The Tonicks actually were, what had become of them. Now I know.
Best wishes
Benny
I notice a gig at Railway Hotel in Wealdstone in 1968 – this was not the original music/band & went down like a lead balloon.
‘Admiral’ Ken was stated as running the Cue Club – as far as I can remember, he only ran the All Star, Count Suckle ran the Cue …………