Mike Dee & The Prophets or The Mike Dee Combo as they were originally known were formed in late August/early September 1964 after singer Mick Wheeler, guitarist Dave Claridge and bass player Ron Thomas had left Guitars Incorporated to form a new outfit.

Wheeler had originally been a rhythm guitarist in Twickenham band, The Paragons in the late 1950s before joining The Jaywalkers around February 1961. Assuming the stage name, Mike Dee, he had fronted the group (which later included future Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore) until May 1962, at which point he joined the parachute regiment in the Territorial Army.

Returning to civilian life, he joined Guitars Incorporated, an instrumental band based in Southall, Middlesex around April/May 1964. (Ed. They may have briefly been known as Mike Dee & The Moquettes.)

Guitars Incorporated had been formed years earlier by bass player Ron Thomas, who’d grown up near the Cuckoo estate in Hanwell, Middlesex, and lead guitarist Peter Kindel; both having met at Brentside Secondary School in Greenford, Middlesex.

With a drummer and second guitarist Dave Claridge, who lived around the Carshalton, Surrey area and also worked for Melody Maker, they recorded some demos at Abbey Road.

Then, around the summer of 1964, Wheeler joined as lead singer and Thomas’s childhood friend, Johnny Hickson came in on drums. Not long after, however, Wheeler, Claridge and Thomas decided to put together an entirely new group.

Mike Dee & The Prophets/Mike Dee Combo (September 1964-May 1965)

Mick Wheeler (aka Mike Dee) – lead vocals
Dave Claridge – lead guitar
Ron Thomas – bass
Don Martin – organ
Mel Wayne – sax
Dave Mahoney – sax
Ken Hope – drums

Besides Wheeler, Thomas and Claridge, the original Prophets also included sax player Dave Mahoney, a friend of Ron Thomas’s from Brentside Secondary School in Greenford. Thomas also brought in his childhood friend from Hanwell, Don Martin, who was fooling around on the piano one day at Hanwell Community Centre when he was given the invite to join the fledgling group.

Mel Wayne (aka Melvyn Hoskins) was from the Twickenham area and was brought in by Mick Wheeler after playing with Colin Shane & The Shannons, who also featured Colin Shane (lead vocals); Dave Mumford (lead guitar); Dick Merrit (bass); Dave King (rhythm guitar) and Alan Worrell (drums).

The Prophets used another drummer initially before Ken Hope, who was Mick Wheeler’s best man at his wedding on 27 February 1965, came on board after playing in The Tony Meehan Combo.

Managed by Mac McQueen, Mike Dee & The Prophets rehearsed at a community centre in Northfields before hitting the road. On 31 January 1965, the group participated in a photo shoot in Gunnersbury’s Park near Chiswick.

On 25 April 1965, the band auditioned at Rocky Rivers, a studio on Tottenham Court Road, which may have been when they were spotted by Australian impresario and entertainment entrepreneur Robert Stigwood, who signed them to his agency, the Robert Stigwood Organisation.

Soon after the link up with Stigwood, Dave Claridge left and Ron Thomas invited guitarist Mick Stewart, a friend from the Cuckoo estate in Hanwell, to replace him.

Mick Stewart had previously filled in briefly as a guitarist for Screaming Lord Sutch’s backing band, The Savages and also played with The Ealing Redcaps.

More recently, Stewart had played with Indian-born singer Simon Scott and Stigwood arranged for The Prophets to become Scott’s new support band after he had split from The Leroys.

Mick Wheeler decided that he’d had enough and left with drummer Ken Hope. Mike Dee & The Prophets broke up on 13 May 1965.

The remaining members brought in Mick Stewart’s friend Eddie Thorpe on drums and assumed a new name – The All Nite Workers, taken from the Rufus Thomas song. By September/October of that year, the group had undergone several personnel changes and become The Phil Wainman Band.

In mid-1966, Mick Wheeler and Ken Hope returned to the live scene with a new outfit, interestingly also called The All Night Workers. Wheeler would later work with Jo Jo Gunne and The Love Affair.

Notable gigs:

1 January 1965 – Putney Ballroom, Putney, Middlesex with Roger Evans Combo and Louisiana Stompers

2 January 1965 – St Peter’s Hall, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey with Dave & The Allies and Roger Evans Combo

17 January 1965 – Peter’s Club, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

22 January 1965 – Surbiton Assembly Rooms, Surbiton, Surrey

29 January 1965 – Cambridge Hall, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey (Youth Club Dance)

2 February 1965 – Alamo, Acton, Middlesex

7 February 1965 – Peter’s Club, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

12 February 1965 – Taggs Island Casino, Hampton Court, Middlesex (Annual Press Ball) with Roger and Caroline

13 February 1965 – Kingston Technical College, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey with Alexis Korner

19 February 1965 – St Peter’s Hall, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey

20 February 1965 – Goldhawk Social Club, Shepherd’s Bush

5 March 1965 – Oldfield Hotel, Greenford, Middlesex (Ealing Football Club Dance)

6 March 1965 – Flamingo, London with Errol Dixon and Tony Knights Chessmen

7 March 1965 – Peter’s Club, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

14 March 1965 – Starlight Ballroom, Greenford, Middlesex with The Who

20 March 1965 – London Transport Dance at Gunnersbury Lane

21 March 1965 – Peter’s Club, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

24 March 1965 – Heatham House, Twickenham, Middlesex

26 March 1965 – White Hart, Southall, Middlesex

27 March 1965 – Kingston Technical College, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey with Champion Jack Dupree and The Sheffields

2 April 1965 – Cambridge Club, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey

3 April 1965 – Starlight Ballroom, Greenford, Middlesex with Tony Knight & The Livewires

12 April 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex

23 April 1965 – Zephyr Club, Little Chalfont

24 April 1965 – Wiggin Hall, Mortlake, Surrey

2 May 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex with Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers

8 May 1965 – Starlight Ballroom, Greenford, Middlesex with J J & The Challengers

13 May 1965 – Mike Dee & The Prophets split up

Copyright © Nick Warburton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the author.

To contact the author, email: Warchive@aol.com

Many people helped piece this story together. My personal thanks go to: Don Martin for sharing his diary and the band dates. Also thanks to Mick Wheeler, Ron Thomas, Mel Wayne, Mick Stewart and Brian Hosking.