When Lee Dorsey arrived in Britain in January 1966, promoter Roy Tempest recruited The Krew (sometimes billed as The Crew or Crewcats), who backed him on the subsequent tour. The band had been working with singers Beryl Marsden and Steve Aldo since September 1965.
According to keyboard player Alan Reeves in his book, Sex Booze & Blues, the band rehearsed at the Marquee on Wardour Street for the 19-day tour, which appears to have ended on 31 January. Reeves was ill part of the way through the tour and missed some of the dates.
The Krew:
Tommy Murray (lead guitar)
Howie Casey (tenor saxophone)
Alan Reeves (keyboards)
Archie Legget (bass)
Eddie Sparrow (drums)
I’ve found the following dates and would welcome any additions and memories:
14 January – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Gass (Melody Maker)
14 January – Roaring ‘20s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
14 January 1966 – ITV’s Ready Steady Go aires on TV featuring The Kinks, Pretty Things, Patti LaBelle & Her Belles and Fontella Bass (Melody Maker)
15 January – Carousel Club, Farnborough, Hampshire with Johnny B Great & The Quotations (Aldershot News/Camberley News)
16 January 1966 – Oasis, Manchester with The Cresters (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
18 January 1966 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
19 January – Bromel Club, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
19 January – Cromwellian, South Kensington, west London (Melody Maker/Record Mirror/The Stage)
20 January – The Cavern, Liverpool with Earl Preston’s Realms and The Fix (Liverpool Echo)
21 January – Fender Club, Harrow, northwest London (possibly Harrow Weekly Post)
21 January – New All-Star Club, Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker)
22 January – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (website: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/welcome/diary/1966-2/) Beryl Marsden & The Crew played on this date so would have been around for Nottingham gig day after
23 January – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London (Uxbridge Weekly Post)
24 January – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London (Record Mirror)
25 January 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
27 January – Blue Moon, Cheltenham with the Advocates (Gloucester Citizen)
28 January – El Partido, Lewisham, southeast London with Duke Lee (Melody Maker)
28 January – Carna-Hive, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
29 January – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Stormsville Shakers (Melody Maker)
30 January – Ricky Ticky, Plaza, Guildford, Surrey with Ronnie Jones & The Blue Jays (David Else’s research)
31 January 1966 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
31 January – Cromwellian, South Kensington, west London (Melody Maker/Rave magazine)
1 February – Dungeon, Nottingham (website: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/welcome/diary/1966-2/) This was cancelled as Dorsey had returned to the US
The Western Scene which covers bands and music in the west country ran a short story on The Krew in its 4 February 1966 issue on page two. It said that Dorsey was so impressed with The Krew that he was hoping to take them back to the States. It also added that Steve Aldo was in France with The Remo Four and that Beryl Marsden was heading to Frankfurt shortly to play with The Quotations.
Dorsey would return to Britain in April for another tour backed by The League of Gentlemen. The Krew meanwhile would split with Beryl Marsden (who joined The Shotgun Express) and Steve Aldo (who joined The Fix) and link up with Jamaican singer Owen Gray in April 1966.
If you can add anything, please leave a comment below
Lee Dorsey was a replacement Percy Sledge in an Atlantic Soul tour sometime around 1968. My information is sadly as vague as that. The show that I saw was in East Ham, London, either at the East Ham Granada or the Coronation Manor Park. Although I was not a fan of his, and rather thought of him as a novelty act (Coalmine, Ride your Pony etc) he was amazingly talented, and to everyones surprise I suspect put out some real Soul.
I would like to obtain some of the ‘real stuff’ that he was obviously capable of.
I was working as EMI promotion manager around the time lee Dorsey came to the UK,I managed to get him to open ” the music box” record shop in high St Erdington B’ Ham.
Lee apparently also played in Gothenburg, Sweden 1968 and, I believe, also in Finland .