Here’s an unknown group, the Four Counts, or the Counts Four, possibly from Reading, Pennsylvania. There’s a chance they could have evolved into the Counts who came from Valley View and cut “Last Train” / “I Will Lose My Mind” for the Kingston label in July of 1969, but from the small b&w photo I’ve seen of the Counts I’d say this is unlikely.
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
Formed in 1959, The Paramounts’ line-up comprised the following by late 1963:
Gary Brooker – keyboards/lead vocals
Robin Trower – lead guitar
Graham ‘Diz’ Derrick – bass
Barry J Wilson – drums
1962
5 May 1962 – Hi-Fi Hop, Walton Playhouse, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (Woking Herald) Replaced Neil Christian & The Crusaders who cancelled
30 November 1963 – Ricky Tick, Reading St John Ambulance Hall, Reading, Berkshire (David Else’s research)
1964
19 January 1964 – Ricky Tick, Olympia Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire (David Else’s research)
22 January 1964 – Cromer Olympia, Cromer, Norfolk with Denny Raven & The Sabres (North Norfolk News)
The Middlesex Chronicle ran an article and photo (see above) on the band in its 31 January 1964 issue, page 2
21 February 1964 – Palace Dance Hall, Pier Hill, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
18 March 1964 – Bristol Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene)
26 March 1964 – Hillside Ballroom, Hereford (Gloucester Citizen)
29 March 1964 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey with Danie Boone & The Emeralds (Aldershot News)
30 March 1964 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Puppets and Margo & The Marvelletes (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
4 April 1964 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with Johnny & The Starliners (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
6 April 1964 – Weybridge Hall, Weybridge, Surrey (Woking Herald)
9 May 1964 – West Cliff Cavern, Ramsgate, Kent (East Kent Times)
15 May 1964 – Ricky-Tick, Plaza Ballroom, Guildford, Surrey (Aldershot News)
18 May 1964 – Clacton Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with The Contrasts and The Deepbeats (Essex County Standard)
23 May 1964 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Del Rio Four (East Kent Times)
5 June 1964 – Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, southwest London with Demons and Chantons (Streatham News)
13 June 1964 – Wilton Hall, Bletchley, Bucks with Jeannie & The Diamonds (Bletchley District Gazette)
14 June 1964 – Plaza Ballroom, Newbury, Berkshire with Ricky & The Gamblers (Newbury Weekly News)
4 July 1964 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with Phil & The Stormsville Shakers (Surrey Advertiser)
10 July 1964 – Winchester Lido, Winchester, Hampshire with Kerry Rapid & The Seltones (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)
16 July 1964 – Assembly Hall, Worthing, West Sussex with The Kinks and The Creatures (Worthing Gazette) This Worthing Herald (below pic) lists The Preachers instead of The Creatures
24 July 1964 – Locarno Ballroom, Basildon, Essex with Manfred Mann and The Monotones (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
22 August 1964 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent (Kentish Express)
4 September 1964 – Greenwich Town Hall, Greenwich, London with The Renegades (South East London Mercury)
6 September 1964 – ABC Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with Freddie & The Dreamers, Barry St John, Tom Jones & The Playboys, The Rustiks and Clifford Davis (Eastern Evening News)
10 September 1964 – Modern Jazz Studio, Westcliffe, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
11 September 1964 – Ilford Town Hall, Ilford, east London with The Coronets and The Marvettes (Ilford & Redbridge Recorder)
25 September 1964 – The Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, Middlesex with Alexis Korner’s Blues Inc (Harrow Observer & Gazette)
27 September 1964 – Queen’s Theatre, Blackpool, Lancashire with The Kinks, Marianne Faithful, Jerry Stevens, The Quotations, The Puppets and The Rustiks (Poster from Mick Downer)
3 October 1964 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge with The Loose Ends (Cambridge News)
10 October 1964 – Hi-Fi Hop, Walton Playhouse, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (Woking Herald) The group replaced The Herd
Around this time B J Wilson left to join Jimmy Powell’s Five Dimensions and Phil Wainman joined beating Mick Underwood to the job. Wainman had recently returned from Sweden where he’d played with British band, The Hi-Grades
31 October 1964 – Gala Ballroom, Norwich, Norfolk with The Preachers (Eastern Evening News)
7 November 1964 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with Bobby Leroy & The Freeman (Cambridgeshire Times)
20 November 1964 – Borough Assembly Hall, Market Square, Aylesbury, Bucks with The Pagans (Bucks Advertiser)
10 December 1964 – Rocky Rivers Top 20 Club, Conservative Club, Bedford with top supporting group (Ampthill News & Weekly Record)
17 December 1964 – Modern Jazz Studio, Westcliffe, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
20 December 1964 – Alley Club, Cambridge (Cambridge News)
1965
2 January 1965 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with The King Bees (Surrey Advertiser)
14 January 1965 – R&B Studio, Westcliffe, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
21 January 1965 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with The King Bees (Surrey Advertiser)
31 January 1965 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey with Daniel & The Emeralds (Aldershot News)
According to Ron Wood’s book ‘How Can I Be? A Rock & Roll Diary’, Phil Wainman deputised for Pete McDaniels in The Birds for a gig at London Polytechnic on 6 February 1965
11 February 1965 – R&B Studio, Westcliffe, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
14 February 1965 – Cromer Olympia, Cromer, Norfolk with The Statesmen (North Norfolk News)
27 February 1965 – Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, Dorset with Adam Faith, Sandie Shaw, The Barron Knights, The Roulettes, Freddie Searle and Patrick Kerr (Dorset Evening Echo)
3 March 1965 – Granada, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey with Adam Faith, Sandie Shaw, The Barron Knights and The Roulettes (Woking Herald)
7 March 1965 – Walthamstow Guardian, Walthamstow, north London with Adam Faith, Sandie Shaw, The Barron Knights, The Roulettes, Patrick Kerr and Freddie Earle (Leyton, Leytonstone and Waltham Forest Guardian)
Around this time B J Wilson returned to the band. Wainman later became a noted producer but spent the mid-late 1960s backing Jimmy Cliff with The New Generation, playing with Hamilton & The Hamilton Movement and then working with The Quotations, supporting Jack Hammer
27 March 1965 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with The Tributes and The Aarons (Warrington Guardian)
8 April 1965 – Waterfront, Southampton, Hants (Southern Echo)
11 April 1965 – Tavern Club, Sunshine Floor, East Dereham, Norfolk with The Rocking Roosters (Lynn News)
17 April 1965 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex with The Searchers (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
19 April 1965 – Studio, Westcliffe, Essex (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
21 April 1965 – Studio, Westcliffe, Essex (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
22 April 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
30 April 1965 – Haslemere Hall, Haslemere, Surrey with Chic Henderson (Farnham Herald)
6 May 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
10 May 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London with Poison Ivy (Dorothy Bullock list) This could be another year
14 May 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
20 May 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
21 May 1965 – Beat Room, South Benfleet, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
28 May 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex with The Ray Martin Group (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
29 May 1965 – Princess Ballroom, Halifax, West Yorkshire with The Misfits (Halifax Daily Courier & Guardian)
2 June 1965 – TA Centre, Andover, Hampshire with The Men Friday (Andover Advertiser)
16 June 1965 – Dorothy Ballroom, Cambridge with Bob Kidman & His Orchestra and Barry Noble & The Sapphires (Cambridge News)
16 July 1965 – Tarpots Public House, Benfleet, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
23 July 1965 – Tarpots Public House, Benfleet, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
20 August 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
28 August 1965 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Cortinas (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
4 September 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
4 September 1965 – Harpenden Public Hall, Harpenden, Herts with The Mob (Welwyn & Hatfield Advertiser)
9 September 1965 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon) They backed Sandie Shaw
24 September 1965 – Locarno Ballroom, Basildon, Essex with The Transalantics and The Pentads (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
27 November 1965 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Sandie Shaw, The Quiet Five and The Basic Five (Lincolnshire Standard)
24 December 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Boyfriend magazine)
24 December 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex with The Orioles (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
31 December 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
4 April 1966 – Town Hall, Bridgwater, Somerset (Trend & Boyfriend)
22 April 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
23 April 1966 – Farnborough Technical College Students’ Union, Farnborough, Hampshire with Tony Rivers & The Castaways (Aldershot News)
24 April 1966 – Bluesette Club, Leatherhead, Surrey (Poster from John Treais)
27 April 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
29 April 1966 – Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex with The Fugitives (Southend Standard)
30 April 1966 – Hermitage Ballroom, Hitchin, Herts with Jeff & The Exiles (Hertfordshire Express)
14 May 1966 – Legion Hall, Amersham, Bucks with The Cherries (Buckinghamshire Advertiser)
14 May 1966 – Starlight Club, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
21 May 1966 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
22 May 1966 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Sullivan James Band (North Norfolk News)
30 May 1966 – Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with The Quiet Five and Marvin Lois Enterprise (Essex County Standard)
11 June 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Cryin’ Shames, The Dyaks and The Ferryboys (Lincolnshire Standard)
19 June 1966 – Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Soul Seekers (Express & Star)
25 June 1966 – Dorothy Ballroom, Cambridge with Bob Kidman & His Band, Wainwright’s Gentlemen, Mood Indigo and The Astrobeats (Cambridge News)
26 June 1966 – Rocky Rivers’ Top 20 Club, Conservative Club, Bedford (Ampthill News & Weekly Record)
In late June/early July Robin Trower left to form his own group, The Jam and Martin Shaw joined on guitar from Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound
Saxophone player Jimmy Jewell, who played with Martin Shaw in Freddie Mack’s band joins The Paramounts for a short German tour backing singer Chris Andrews but leaves after it’s completed
30 September 1966 – Glenlyn Ballroom, Forest Hill, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
7-8 October 1966 – Scotch of St James, Mayfair, central London (London Life)
29 October 1966 – Scotch of St James, Mayfair, central London (London Life)
4 November 1966 – University of Warwick, Coventry with Cream (Poster)
The Paramounts split in November 1966 and B J Wilson briefly joined George Bean & The Runners before joining Freddie Mack and The Mack Sound before the year was out. He then worked with Sands before he reunited with Brooker and Trower in Procol Harum in June 1967
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
Originally The Mark Four, they changed name to The Creation in May 1966 with the following line-up:
Kenny Pickett – lead vocals
Eddie Phillips – lead guitar
Bob Garner – bass/vocals
Jack Jones – drums
1966
20 May 1966 – Links R&B Club, Maxwell Park Youth Centre, Borehamwood, Herts with The Clayton Squares (Simon Gee research)
18 June 1966 – The Beachcomber, Preston, Lancashire (Lancashire Evening Post)
24 June 1966 – Winter Gardens, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Fabulous 208)
25 June 1966 – Marine Ballroom, Lyme Regis, Dorset (Fabulous 208/Bridport News) Billed as Mark Four
30 June 1966 – K D Club, Billingham, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
1 July 1966 – Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, southwest London (Fabulous 208)
8 July 1966 – Market Hall, St Albans, Herts (Fabulous 208)
9 July 1966 – Palace Ballroom, Wolverton, Bucks (Fabulous 208)
12 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Action (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
13 July 1966 –Top Rank Ballroom, Cardiff, Wales (Fabulous 208)
15 July 1966 – Peyton Place, Bromley, London (Fabulous 208)
16 July 1966 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Roosters (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)
17 July 1966 – ABC, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
19 July 1966 – Olympia, Dublin, Ireland (Fabulous 208)
20 July 1966 – The Cavalier, Dublin, Ireland (Fabulous 208)
21 July 1966 – Chelsea College, Chelsea, southwest London (Fabulous 208)
22 July 1966 – Top Spot, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with Mike Starr & The Citizens (Gloucester Citizen)
23 July 1966 – Town Hall, Watford, Hertfordshire (Fabulous 208)
24 July 1966 – Manor Lounge, Stockport, Greater Manchester (Fabulous 208)
28 July 1966 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex (Fabulous 208)
29 July 1966 – Coronation Hall, Ramsgate, Kent (Fabulous 208)
30 July 1966 – Corn Exchange, Maidstone, Kent with The Meantimers (Maidstone Gazette)
31 July 1966 – Conservative Club, Bedford, Bedfordshire (Fabulous 208)
2 August 1966 – The Cavern, Liverpool (Phil Thompson’s Story of the Cavern book)
3 August 1966 – Blaises, Kensington, west London (Fabulous 208)
5 August 1966 – Co-op Hall, Gravesend, Kent (Fabulous 208)
7 August 1966 – ABC, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
8 August 1966 – Top Rank Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
15 August 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Gibson Sound (Melody Maker)
17 August 1966 – Top Rank, Southampton, Hampshire (Southern Evening Echo)
20 August 1966 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with Endevers Ltd (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
22 August 1966 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
24 August 1966 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
26 August 1966 – Southend Odeon, Southend, Essex with The Troggs, The Walker Brothers, The Slade Brothers (from Canada), The Peddlers, The Quotations, The Centremen and Alan Field (Southend Standard)
28 August 1966 – Winter Gardens, Morecambe, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
30 August 1966 – Corn Exchange, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
1 September 1966 – Thorngate Ballroom, Gosport, Hampshire (Portsmouth News)
2 September 1966 – Market Hall, St Albans, Herts (Welwyn Advertiser)
4 September 1966 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
4 September 1966 – Side Saddle Club, Doncaster, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
5 September 1966 – Birstall Village Hall, Leicestershire (Leicester Mercury)
9 September 1966 – Beat Festival, Scunthorpe United Football Ground, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, The Ram Jam Band, The Troggs, The Mindbenders and The Fenmen (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
10 September 1966 – Marquee Club, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
11 September 1966 – Khyber Club, Taunton, Somerset with The Avalons (Somerset County Gazette)
15 September 1966 – Birdcage, Portsmouth, Hampshire (Fabulous 208)
16 September 1966 – Winter Gardens, Penzance, Cornwall (Fabulous 208)
17-18 September 1966 – Flamingo Club, Redruth, Cornwall (Fabulous 208)
17 September 1966 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with The Reaction (West Briton & The Royal Cornwall Gazette)
19 September 1966 – Disc Club, Colchester, Essex (Fabulous 208)
23 September 1966 – Glenlyn Ballroom, Forest Hill, London (South East London Mercury)
24 September 1966 – Teenbeat Rock Klub, Market Hall, Redhill, Surrey (Surrey Mirror)
1 October 1966 – Boulevard, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
15 October 1966 – Witchdoctor, Catford, London (South East London Mercury)
18 October 1966 – The Cavern, Liverpool (Phil Thompson’s Story of the Cavern book)
26 October 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, London with A Wild Uncertainty (Melody Maker)
28 October 1966 – Adelphi Ballroom, Slough, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
28 October 1966 – Harvest Moon, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)
29 October 1966 – Community Centre, Gosport, Hampshire (Fabulous 208)
30 October 1966 – Youth Centre, Hoddesdon, Herts (Fabulous 208)
6 November 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, London (Melody Maker)
9 November 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Thoughts (Melody Maker)
11 November 1966 – Marine Ballroom, Morecambe, Lancashire (Disc & Music Echo)
13 November 1966 – Plaza Club, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire (Disc & Music Echo)
13 November 1966 – Top Rank Suite, Southampton, Hampshire with David Garrick and Guy Darrell (Fabulous 208) This seems unlikely considering gigs on 13 and 14th November
14 November 1966 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
15 November 1966 – Top Rank, Preston, Lancashire with David Garrick and Guy Darrell (Fabulous 208)
16 November 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Thoughts (Melody Maker)
19 November 1966 – Bradford University, Bradford, West Yorkshire (Disc & Music Echo)
20 November 1966 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
21 November 1966 – Jubilee Hall, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire (Disc & Music Echo)
22 November 1966 – Top Rank, Bristol with David Garrick and Guy Darrell (Fabulous 208)
23 November 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Thoughts and Tina and Johnny Glover (Melody Maker)
24 November 1966 – Kidderminster, Worcestershire (Town Hall?) (Disc & Music Echo)
25 November 1966 – Harvest Moon, Guildford, Surrey (Disc & Music Echo)
26 November 1966 – Smethwick Baths, Smethwick, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
27 November 1966 – Belle Vue, New Elizabethan, Greater Manchester with The Cymerons (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
28 November 1966 – Staffordshire Yeoman, Stafford with The Children (Stafford Newsletter)
30 November 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Thoughts (Melody Maker)
3 December 1966 – Co-op Hall, Chesham, Bucks with Denim Blues (Buckinghamshire Advertiser)
5-6 December 1966 – Top Rank, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with David Garrick and Guy Darrell (Fabulous 208)
7 December 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Tina and Johnny Glover (Melody Maker)
18 December 1966 – Saville Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, London with Sounds Incorporated and Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (Fabulous 208)
20 December 1966 – Christmas Rave, Olympia Ballroom, Scarborough with The Mandrakes and The Moonspinners (Scarborough Evening News)
24 December 1966 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
1967
1 January 1967 – Top Rank, Astoria Ballroom, Oldham, Greater Manchester (Oldham Evening Chronicle)
4 January 1967 – Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The Dekois (Berkhamsted Gazette & Tring and District News)
7 January 1967 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London with Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Herbie Goins & The Night Timers, The Artwoods and St Louis Union (Melody Maker)
13-15 January 1967 – Three gigs in West Germany with The Kinks (Disc & Music Echo)
28 January 1967 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Emotions (East Kent Times & Mail)
3-5 February 1967 – Gigs in the Netherlands (Disc & Music Echo)
Around this time Kenny Pickett left. Bob Garner moved to lead vocals and Kim Gardner from The Birds joined on bass
23 February 1967 – Gloucester Guildhall, Gloucester (Gloucester Citizen)
24 February 1967 – Roman Rag Ball, Glamorgan College of Technology, Treforest, Wales with Pinkerton’s Colours and Trinidad Tropicana (Glamorgan County Times)
3 March 1967 – 7 Club, Shrewsbury, Shropshire with Six Across (Shropshire Star)
11 March 1967 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Essex with The Daddy Linburg and The Fingers (Southend Standard)
27 March 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (The Star)
14 April 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, London with The Syn (Melody Maker)
20 April 1967 – Embassy Suite, Colchester, Essex with The Reaction (Essex County Standard)
21 April 1967 – Witchdoctor, Catford, London (South East London Mercury)
22 April 1967 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London with The Soft Machine and Sam Gopal Indian Group (Melody Maker)
5 May 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Studio Six (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
26 May 1967 – The Hotel Metropole, Brighton, Sussex with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, The Herd, The Kult, The Spring Beats and The Beat Girls (Sussex Express)
27 May 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with Jimmy Cliff & The Shakedown Sound (Birmingham Evening Mail)
27 May 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands with The Tommy Burton Combo (Birmingham Evening Mail)
31 May 1967 – Stonehouse Church Hall, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire with The Illusions (Gloucester Citizen)
3 June 1967 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Tykes (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
10 June 1967 – New Yorker Discotheque, Swindon, Wiltshire (Fabulous 208)
15 June 1967 – Ritz, Skewen, Wales with The King B’s (Port Talbot Guardian)
23 June 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Stalkers (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
25 June 1967 – Brady Club, Stepney, London (Fabulous 208)
2 July 1967 – Union Rowing Club, Trent Bridge, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
7 July 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Third Eye (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
8 July 1967 – Maidstone Corn Exchange, Maidstone, Kent with The Avalons (Maidstone Gazette)
14 July 1967 – Grove Hall, Market Drayton, West Midlands with Half Dozen and The Paul Perry Set (Shropshire Star)
15 July 1967 – Witchdoctor, Catford, London with The Poor Boys (South East London Mercury)
4 August 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with John Evan Smash (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
23 August 1967 – Big Beat Cruise, Solent, South Parade Pier, Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head with The Mike Stuart Span (Portsmouth News)
2 September 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, London with The Shevelles (Melody Maker)
16 September 1967 – Sheridan Rooms, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire with The Discounts (Huddersfield Daily Examiner)
Eddie Phillips left in early November 1967 to work with PP Arnold & The TNT and Tony Ollard played some European dates with the group but The Creation folded around January 1968 when Bob Garner left and Tony Ollard joined The Warren Davis Monday Band
1968
Due to popular demand, Jack Jones formed a new version of The Creation bringing back original singer Kenny Pickett, bass player Kim Gardner and completing the band with another former Birds member, guitarist Ron Wood, who’d been working with The Jeff Beck Group
6 April 1968 – Flamingo, Redruth, Cornwall with Cousin Jacks (West Briton & The Royal Cornwall Gazette)
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
An obscure British ‘60s band, who may well have hailed from the Surrey area, judging by the gigs below. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who can add more information about the group’s members and history in the comments below
1965:
6 January 1965 – Florida Rooms, Brighton, West Sussex with The Web (Evening Argus)
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
Paul Stewart – lead vocals
Pete Hammerton – lead guitar
Bob Freeman (aka Rob Tolchard) – rhythm guitar
Ian McIntock – bass
Ray Cook – drums
Sands were formed from the remnants of Hampton, Middlesex R&B outfit, The Others around June/July 1965.
They first worked as The Emotions and then The Army before adopting Sands, named after a coffee bar in New Bond Street, around March 1966. Apart from Cook, who had worked in The Tridents with Jeff Beck, the rest had played in The Others.
8 April 1966 – Marquee, London with Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
15 April 1966 – Links R&B Club, Maxwell Park Youth Centre, Borehamwood, Herts with Alan Price Set (Simon Gee research)
22 April 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Bluesology (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
23 April 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester with Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
6 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Emeralds (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
13 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
23 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Steampacket (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
27 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Around early June 1966, the group headed to Hamburg to play the Top Ten Club with Irish showband The Woodpeckers but it was not a positive experience and they cut the residency short after briefly rehearsing with Scottish singer Barry St John.
17 June 1966 – Coronation Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent with Episode Six and Steve & The Corvettes (East Kent Times)
20 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Shotgun Express (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
25 June 1966 – Club de Danse, Colchester, Essex (Evening Star, Ipswich)
28 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Small Faces (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
1 July 1966 – Cellar Club, Latin Quarter, Leicester with Legay (Leicester debut) (Leicester Mercury)
2 July 1966 – Farnborough Technical College, Farnborough, Hampshire with The Graham Bond Organisation (Aldershot News)
7 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
15 July 1966 – Market Hall, St Albans, Herts (Welwyn Advertiser)
4 August 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
6 August 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Solomon Burke with The Senate, David Garrick & The Iveys, John McCoy’s Crawdaddies and The Ferryboys (Lincolnshire Standard)
13 August 1966 – Co-op, Rainbow Suite, Birmingham with The Outer Limits (Birmingham Evening Mail)
18 August 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
20 August 1966 – Burlesque, Leicester with Roaring ‘60s (Leicester Mercury)
28 August 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London with The Pretty Things (Melody Maker)
Around this time, Sands played the Hi-Fi club in Toulon in the South of France. They also embarked on a short Belgium tour in the second half of the year.
17 September 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
22 September 1966 – Thorngate Ballroom, Gosport, Hampshire (Portsmouth News)
1 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Herd (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
13 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
28 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
2 November 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
4 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Duffy Power’s Nucleus (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
5 November 1966 – Shoreline, Bognor Regis, West Sussex with Duffy Power (Melody Maker)
19 November 1966 – Weymouth Pavilion, Weymouth, Dorset with Chapter IV (Dorset Evening Echo/Western Gazette)
20 November 1966 – Pavilion Ballroom, Southampton (Dorset Evening Echo)
21 November 1966 – Discotheque Club, Salisbury (Dorset Evening Echo)
25 November 1966 – Marquee,Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Summer Set (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
2 December 1966 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London with The All Night Workers (Melody Maker)
6 December 1966 – New Sandon Village Hall, Essex (Essex Chronicle) Is this likely with the gig below?
6 December 1966 – Concorde, Southampton, Hampshire (Southern Echo)
9 December 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Iveys (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
16 December 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Ultimate (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
18 December 1966 – Cromer Olympia, Cromer, Norfolk with News (North Norfolk News)
7-8 January 1967 – Old Barn Club, Penzance, Cornwall (West Briton & Royal Cornish Gazette)
13 January 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Roscoe Brown Combo (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
27 January 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Mark Barry (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
28 January 1967 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with Beachwoods and Principles (Warrington Guardian)
29 January 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
5 February 1967 – Saville Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, London with Cream and Edwin Starr (Melody Maker) Disc & Music Echo had Billy Stewart instead of Edwin Starr originally
17 February 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Condors (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
During late February Ray Cook left to work with Jeff Beck who he’d played with in The Tridents and B J Wilson joined (possibly from Freddie Mack’s Mack Sound). Cook worked with Jeff Beck in the first week of March but left on 6 March
1 April 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
22 April 1967 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with Klue and Georgie Germs (Warrington Guardian)
23 April 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
6 May 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
13-14 May 1967 – Old Barn Club, Penzance, Cornwall (West Briton & Royal Cornish Gazette)
28 May 1967 – Heaven Club, Angel Hotel, Godalming, Surrey with The Other Two Thousand (Surrey Advertiser)
2 June 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Wages of Sin (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
3 June 1967 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham with The Montanas (Nottingham Evening Post)
9 June 1967 – Club Rado, Belfast, Northern Ireland with Few (City Week)
17 June 1967 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with Beachwoods and Georgie Germs (Warrington Guardian)
18 June 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
24 June 1967 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, central London (Evening Standard)
Around this time B J Wilson joined Procol Harum. Bob Freeman (aka Rob Tolchard) took over the drum stool
1 July 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham with Sons & Lovers (Nottingham Evening Post)
3 July 1967 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, central London (Evening Standard)
8 July 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
29 July 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
August 1967 – Three weeks at the Papagayo Club, Font Romeu, France (most likely starting second week of the month)
16 September 1967 – Lion Hotel, Warrington with The Fix and The Seftons (Warrington Guardian)
8 October 1967 – Colomba Club, West Wickham, south London (Fabulous 208)
Shortly after this gig, Paul Stewart and Pete Hammerton left and Rob Tolchard and Ian McIntock recorded as Sun Dragon.
Thanks to Mike Stax for his excellent interview with Rob Tolchard in Ugly Things #36 for some of the information. Thanks also to Rob for providing me with additional information.
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
Mike Berry – lead vocals
Billy Kuy – lead guitar
Colin Giffin – rhythm guitar
Dave Brown – bass
Don Groom – drums
1963
13 April 1963 – Coronation Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey with The Avengers and The Corvettes (Surrey Comet)
28 April 1963 – Essoldo, Brighton, West Sussex with John Leyton, Mike Sarne, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan, Billie Davis, Duffy Power, Grazina, Billy Boyle, Don Spencer, The X-L Five and Dick Ford (Evening Argus)
16 June 1963 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
7 September 1963 – Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Surrey with The Beatles and Pat Dane & The Quiet Five (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)
2 October 1963 – Bristol Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene)
11 October 1963 – Farnborough Youth Council, Farnborough, Hampshire with Phil Ryan & The Stormsville Shakers (Aldershot News)
22 October 1963 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with The Lonely Ones (Surrey Advertiser)
21 November 1963 – Majestic Ballroom, Luton, Bedfordshire (Luton News)
22 November 1963 – Winchester Lido, Winchester, Hampshire with The Strangers (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)
11 January 1964 – Public Hall, Heacham, Norfolk with Vicky Lee & The LA Hucklebugs (Lynn News)
18 January 1964 – Colchester Odeon, Colchester, Essex with The Rolling Stones, John Leyton, Mike Sarne, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Don Spencer, Billy Boyle, Billie Davis & The Leroys and Jet Harris (Essex Chronicle)
1 February 1964 – Whitehall, East Grinstead, West Sussex with The Sabres (Evening Argus)
8 February 1964 – Granada, Edmonton, Middlesex with The Rolling Stones, John Leyton, Jet Harris, Mike Sarne, Billie Davis & The Leroys and Don Spencer (Tottenham Weekly Herald)
14 March 1964 – Palace Dance Hall, Pier Hill, Southend, Essex with The Confederates (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
15 March 1964 – Plaza Ballroom, Newbury, Berkshire with Ricky & His Gamblers (Newbury Weekly News)
21 March 1964 – Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks with Johnny Carr & The Cadillacs (website: http://aylesburymusictown.co.uk/)
28 March 1964 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Mike Sheridan & The Nightriders, Rel Jason & The Blue Stars and Johnny Kaye & The Cossacks (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
25 April 1964 – Luton Odeon, Luton, Bedfordshire with The Rolling Stones, Mike Sarne, Heinz, Jet Harris and Billie Davis & The Leroys (Luton News)
10 May 1964 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with Johnny Anger & His Wild Ones (Aldershot News)
16 May 1964 – Regal, Edmonton, Middlesex with The Rolling Stones, Peter & Gordon, Heinz, Jet Harris and Billie Davis & The Leroys (Tottenham Weekly Herald)
23 May 1964 – Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Walthamstow, London with two supporting groups (Leyton and Leytonstone Guardian/Walthamstow Guardian)
24 July 1964 – Whitehall, East Grinstead, West Sussex with The Pitmen (Evening Argus)
15 August 1964 – Top Spot, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire (Gloucester Citizen)
23 August 1964 – Hippodrome, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with The Migil Five, The Redcaps and The Matadors (Eastern Evening News)
1 September 1964 – Theatre Royal, King’s Lynn, Norfolk with The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Mersey Monsters, The Band of Angels, The Cockneys and Danny Eves & The Strollers (Eastern Evening News/Lynn News)
8 September 1964 – Colchester Odeon, Colchester, Essex with The Rolling Stones, The Mojos, Simon Scott & The Le Roys and Inez and Charlie Foxx (Essex Chronicle/Essex County Standard)
10 September 1964 – Odeon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire with The Rolling Stones, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Simon Scott & The Le Roys and The Mojos (Gloucester Citizen)
3 October 1964 – Royal Edmonton, Edmonton, Middlesex with The Rolling Stones, The Mojos, Simon Scott & The Leroys and Inez and Charlie Foxx (Leyton and Leytonstone Guardian/Walthamstow Guardian)
8 October 1964 – Lewisham Odeon, Lewisham, southeast London with The Rolling Stones, The Mojos, Charlie & Inez Foxx and Simon Scott & The Leroys (South East London Mercury)
10 October 1964 – Southend Odeon, Southend, Essex with The Rolling Stones, The Mojos, Charlie & Inez Foxx and Simon Scott & The Leroys (Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser)
24 October 1964 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Blobs (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
3 November 1964 – Guildhall, Plymouth, Devon with The Merseybeats, The Harlequins and The Hunters (Herald Express)
7 November 1964 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Faires (Lincolnshire Standard)
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
DAVE CURTISS & THE TREMORS:
According to the Kentish Mercury, Dave Curtiss & The Tremors were formed in April 1962
1963
4 May 1963 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire (Cambridgeshire Times)
24 October 1963 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Dave Oades Orchestra (Aldershot News)
14 November 1963 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Chris Allen Combo (Aldershot News)
10 December 1963 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
15 December 1963 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Plymouth Sounds (Aldershot News)
24 December 1963 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Russ Sainty & The Nu Notes and Danny & The Torinos (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
1964
7 January 1964 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
16 January 1964 – Gig in Hatfield, Herts (Beat Monthly)
17 January 1964 – Winchester Lido, Winchester, Hampshire with Daniel Boone & The Emeralds (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)
18 January 1964 – Gig in Maidstone, Kent (Beat Monthly)
24 January 1964 – Gig in Leicester (Beat Monthly)
26 January 1964 – Gig in Hornchurch (Beat Monthly)
31 January 1964 – Gig in King’s Langley (Beat Monthly)
1 February 1964 – Gig in Whetstone (Beat Monthly)
2 February 1964 – Gig in Margate, Kent (Beat Monthly)
5 February 1964 – Gig in Hitchin, Herts (Beat Monthly)
6 February 1964 – Gig in Stevenage, Herts (Beat Monthly)
8 February 1964 – Gig in Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Beat Monthly)
9 February 1964 – Gig in Southall, Middlesex (probably Southall Community Centre) (Beat Monthly)
14 February 1964 – Gig in Fawley (Beat Monthly)
15 February 1964 – Gig in Stoke, Staffordshire (Beat Monthly)
20 February 1964 – Gig in Durrington (Beat Monthly)
21 February 1964 – Gig in Gillingham, Dorset (Beat Monthly)
23 February 1964 – Gig in Mudeford (Beat Monthly)
25 February 1964 – Gig in Sidcup (Beat Monthly)
26 February 1964 – Gig in Catford (Beat Monthly)
27 February 1964 – Gig in Hatfield, Herts (Beat Monthly)
28 February 1964 – Gig in Leeds, West Yorkshire (Beat Monthly)
29 February 1964 – Gig in Leicester (Beat Monthly)
1 March 1964 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Condors (Aldershot News)
6 March 1964 – Gig in Milford Haven, Wales (Beat Monthly)
8 March 1964 –Gig in Southsea, Hants (Beat Monthly)
13 March 1964 – Gig in Yeovil, Somerset (Beat Monthly)
14 March 1964 – Gig in Gillingham (Beat Monthly)
15 March 1964 – Gig in Luton, Bedfordshire (Beat Monthly)
30 March 1964 – Clacton Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with Shane Fenton & The Fentons and The Druids (Essex Chronicle/Essex County Standard)
4 April 1964 – Harpenden Public Hall, Harpenden, Herts with The Planets (Welwyn & Hatfield Advertiser)
18 April 1964 – Colchester Odeon, Colchester, Essex with Adam Faith & The Roulettes, The Searchers, Dave Berry & The Cruisers, Eden Kane, The Undertakers and Lorraine Gray (Essex Chronicle/Essex County Standard)
30 May 1964 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Plus Four featuring Erkey Grant and Ian Taylor & The Condors (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
14 June 1964 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Rock-A-Fellows (Aldershot News)
2 August 1964 – Cromer Olympia, Cromer, Norfolk with Garry Freeman & Th Contours (North Norfolk News)
5 August 1964 – The Dolphin, Marine Court, St Leonards, East Sussex (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
7 August 1964 – Attic Club, 1a High Street, Hounslow, Middlesex with The Fanatics (Kingston & Malden Borough News)
15 August 1964 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with Phil & The Stormsville Shakers (Surrey Advertiser)
22 August 1964 – Clacton Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with The Fairies (formerly The Deepbeats) (Essex County Standard)
27 August 1964 – Majestic Ballroom, Luton, Bedfordshire (Luton News)
29 August 1964 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Chaos & Co (East Kent Times & Mail)
10 October 1964 – Ballito, St Albans, Herts with The Original Hustlers (Welwyn & Hatfield Advertiser)
23 October 1964 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with John Barry Seven and The Firing Squad (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
28 October 1964 – Locarno, Stevenage, Herts with Johnny Flood & The Trespassers (Hertfordshire Express)
30 October 1964 – The Dolphin, Marine Court, St Leonards, East Sussex (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
Barry Elam sent in the photos of his band the Specters, and wrote the following about the group:
The Specters from Kirksville, Missouri were active from 1967-1972. They were a popular band in Northeast Missouri and played many area dances, fraternity parties at Truman State University, and private events. The band’s material covered originals as well as top hits of the day.
Band members were Randy Crowder on vocals and guitar, Barry Elam guitar, Randy Grissom bass and vocals, and Charlie Harrington, drums.
The Specters did not release any records but we were friends with another local band that did, Friar Tuck and The Merry Men. My original guitar teacher was Bud Porter who was the lead guitarist for Friar Tuck. They had a regional hit called “Peanut Butter” on Sherwood Forest Records, released in 1966.
Here’s an excerpt of an alternate version of Baker Knight’s original “Are You Satisfied Now”.
The Reprise single version of “Are You Satisfied Now” has horns, a female chorus, a completely different band and a smoother vocal from Baker. It was the b-side of “The Verge Of Success”, Knight’s seventh and last release on Reprise Records from April, 1968. That version was produced by Jimmy Bowen.
This demo definitely comes from an earlier session, I’d guess around 1966 given the folk-rock backing and grittier vocal. Although this demo lists Hill & Range publishing, by the time Knight registered the song in 1968 that had changed to Smooth Music / Noma Music as it is on the single. In fact I don’t find any evidence of Baker publishing through Hill & Range during the mid-60s.
I only wish Knight would stop singing long enough for a guitar break, but he had plenty of lyrics to get through.
This 8″ lacquer was cut at Stereo Masters Co. on Melrose.
Along a scenic mountain parkway stretch of I-65 heading south, past Bowling Green and just north of the Tennessee border, in a tiny Kentucky town called Mundfordville, in Hart County, tucked on the hill above the moving Green River, a group of teenage boys formed a band in the winter of ’65.
Hearing the happening mid-sixties sounds of the Byrds, the Animals, the Beatles and the Stones, these boys got stars in their eyes and took up instruments, calling themselves December’s Children, named after the cold season upon them.
The members were:
Mike ‘Hoot’ Gibson / guitar, vox (Gibson ES 330)
Sam Goodman / lead guitar, fuzz ( Fender Telecaster)
Clint Nickols / bass (Fender)
Mike Rife / drums, vox
Honing their skills and gaining local popularity in Munfordville at the town’s teen club called ‘The Nightmare’ – the group of high school boys shortened their name to ‘The Children’ and went on to play Hart County ‘courthouse fairs’, gigs in nearby Glasgow and also competed in the State Fair in Louisville about an hour north.
With a solid high school fan base and local support, the community was pushing them to make a record. By 1968, the members were all seniors and would graduate that following summer- all except Sam who was already a few years older and had his own wheels. The band had about 50 cover songs in the pocket, mostly dialed in on current rock radio hits of the day.
Disappearing to the parent’s basement, Mike and Sam penned two original songs that year and a recording session was appointed at Atwell Studio about an hour and a half’s drive south in Lafayette, Tennessee. The band loaded their gear in Sam’s car and excitedly roared down the road. The resulting session yielded two amazing tracks, done in one take that summer of ’68.
“I Long To See Her” b/w “Lost Soul Seeker In the Rain” was released later that year on the Atwell label and was issued with a simple picture sleeve of the band with a portrait that was made in a small photography studio along the way in Glasgow. It is not known how many copies of the record were pressed. Sources say that Lorne Atwell would often only have 100 run pressings done of the secular groups that came through the door, as Atwell was mostly a gospel/country label. The group never had any other draft or sketch of another original song, but stayed active as the Children until around ’72. Nonetheless, the two sides made for Atwell that summer have forever set them in garage punk unknown history stone.
Mike Gibson still lives in Mundfordville and continues to write and perform contemporary christian music. Many thanks to him for sharing his memories of the band from which this article was produced and for the photo from the class of ’69 Hart Co. High School yearbook that shows the band in action (Christmas of ’68).
Mike Rife died in Mundfordville in 2011.
The other band members are still residing in Kentucky, and were unable to be contacted for this article.
Extra special thanks to John Freeman, mayor of Mundforville for sharing his memories, sourcing the record and arranging the interview with Hoot.
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials