The Sugar Beats

Sugar Beats Knight 45 What Am I Doing HereThe Sugar Beats formed in Tampa, Florida and had the first release on the Knight label, which is much better known for 45s by the Outsiders, the Tropics and the Mods. The band members were:

Roland Kent LaVoie – guitar
Bill Ellington – guitar
Bill Denman – bass
Rick Emmert – drums

Both sides are upbeat pop cover songs, which may be why it was not included in Teen Beat Mayhem. Produced by Phil Gernhard and recorded at H & H Studios, though I’ve also read this was recorded at Charles Fuller’s studio – some overlap there? It dates from approximately 1964, with SoN #s 22541/2 in the matrix.

Roland LaVoie went into Me & the Other Guys who had two 45s, “Skinny Minnie” / “Crazy” on Hit Cat and “Runaround Girl” / “Everybody Knew But Me” on Boss.

Sugar Beats Knight 45 Have You Ever Had the Blues

The Citations

The Citations photo
The Citations at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, 1966
From left: John Grasso, Mike Messineo Bob Oreal, Gene DiMaio, John Fichera and Michael DiResta

Citations Pre-Sav Enterprises 45 The Day That She'll Go

There were several groups called the Citations recording in the ’60s including ones from Alabama, Maine, Ohio and, most famously, the band from Milwaukee who cut “Moon Race” / “Slippin’ and Slidin'”.

The Citations I’m featuring today were from Lawrence and Methuen, Massachusetts. Though obscure, their July, 1966 release on Pre-Sav Enterprises has two excellent original songs.

“Long Time Wanderin'” was the A-side, a good upbeat cut, but most garage fans prefer the flip, “The Day That She’ll Go”, a good example of the New England sound – moody and with a dense, almost murky production but plenty of atmosphere and emotion.

I had almost no info on the group until I heard from James DiResta, the brother of guitarist Mike DiResta. He sent in the photo seen at top and gave me the names of the band members.

Gino DiMaio – bass and lead vocals
John Grasso – lead guitar
Mike DiResta – rhythm guitar
John Fichera – keyboards
Bob Oreal, Mike Messineo – drums

James wrote to me, “My brother Mike is on the right playing the single cut-away Guild guitar, and wrote the songs on the record. The Vox amps were the original tube amps from England with adapters to play in USA. The club that they use to practice out of, and were the house band for, was the Raven on the Methuen – Haverhill line in Massachusetts. The record had its debut at Turn-Style in South Lawrence and later they showcased at the Hampton Casino.”

Citations Pre-Sav Enterprises 45 Long Time Wanderin'

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band 1968-1970

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band 1968
Ram Jam Band, late 1968. Top, left to right: Buddy Beadle, Hans Herbert, Geno Washington, Keith O’Connell and Rod Baby Bottom, left to right: Steve Gregory, Pete Carney and John Culley. Photo courtesy of Buddy Beadle.

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(August 1968)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
Dave Greenslade – organ
Dave Tedstone – lead guitar, vocals
Peter Carney – bass, vocals
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Pat Higgs – trumpet
Colin Davey – drums

During May 1968 Geno Washington went to Madrid on his own and played at the Stones Club with Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede.

Back in the UK, during mid-August, he fired guitarist John Culley and trumpet player Pat Higgs while drummer Hans Herbert went into hospital for a hernia operation. Washington then put together a new formation around the surviving members.

Guitarist Dave Tedstone had a long pedigree, having worked with Herefordshire bands, Lee Starr & The Astrals and The Doc Thomas Group before joining Freddy Mack in London in April 1967. By early 1968, he was playing with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds with original Ram Jam members John Roberts and Herb Prestidge. Colin Davey had played drums with Tedstone in Freddy Mack’s band in 1967 and had also briefly played with Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede before that.

Original sax player Buddy Beadle returned after working with The Amboy Dukes, who’d shared the bill with The Ram Jam Band on numerous occasions.

The new line up recorded a three-hour BBC Radio 1 session at Maida Vale in late August. With Greenslade taking the lead as musical director, the group (with a session bass player) cut five tracks, including the old blues staple, “Rock Me Baby”, a cover of The Rolling Stones’ recent single “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” plus “Hi Heel Sneakers” and “Holdin’ On (With Both Hands)”, which were later picked up by collectors’ label Acid Jazz for a compilation EP.

Producer John Schroeder, however, was not happy with the new direction and with a live album lined up for August the new line up proved to be short-lived. Gigs were few and far between and while all of this was going on, Dave Greenslade began rehearsing with his new band, Colosseum.

Selected gigs (NME lists the following as the ones that Dave Tedstone line-up played): 

10 August 1968 – Brighton Festival, Brighton, West Sussex

12 August 1968 – Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth, Hants

15 August 1968 – Locarno, Bristol, Avon (Portsmouth News has Brave New World, Southsea, Hants)

16 August 1968 – Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon with The Emotions

17 August 1968 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

Melody Maker’s 13 July 1968 issue, page 4, reports that the group will leave on 21 August for five days of TV and radio appearances on the Spanish Costa Brava but it doesn’t look like this happened with the dates below.

23-24 August 1968 – Scene Two Discotheque, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

27 August 1968 – Royal Lido Ballroom, Prestatyn, Wales with The Informers (this is missing from NME list above so may be another month)

30 August 1968 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire with Toast (this may have been done by next line up)

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(August 1968-September 1968)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
Dave Greenslade – organ
Peter Carney – bass, vocals
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Hans Herbert – drums

In the last week of August, Dave Tedstone left to re-join Jimmy James & The Vagabonds. He later contributed recording sessions for Cartoone’s second album and then joined Tom Jones’s band, The Squires. In 1970, Tedstone joined Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers, reuniting with Buddy Beadle. The group cut an unreleased album at Trident Studios. John Culley resumed the guitar spot.

Colin Davey also departed at this point to join Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds and Hans Herbert returned. However, Buddy Beadle remained; Pat Higgs did not return.

The revised line up cut a lone single, “Bring It To Me Baby” c/w “I Can’t Let You Go” (Pye 7N 17649), which was released in November 1968.

Selected gigs:

31 August 1968 – Leas Cliffe Hall, Folkestone, Kent

 

1 September 1968 – Bank Holiday Bluesology Festival, Chateau Impney, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire with The Move, Fleetwood Mac, Freddie Mack, Chris Farlowe, Wynder K Frogg, Family and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers

1 September 1968 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire

1 September 1968 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham

2 September 1968 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire

7 September 1968 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire with The Soul Difference

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(September 1968-December 1968)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
Keith O’Connell – organ
Peter Carney – bass, vocals
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone
Rod Baby – trumpet
Hans Herbert – drums

In early September, Dave Greenslade formally departed to play with his new band, Colosseum. Longstanding member Lionel Kingham also departed and later worked with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds before doing sessions for Henry McCullough and Geoff Muldaur among others.

With Greenslade gone, the band recruited Manchester musician, Keith O’Connell, who’d played with local groups The Raging Storms and Glass Menagerie.

Beadle recommended his former band mate from The Amboy Dukes, Steve Gregory, who’d played with The Alan Price Set before that. The band also added trumpet player Rod Baby.

Selected gigs:

13 September 1968 – Mayfair, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear with The Idle Race

14 September 1968 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire

27 September 1968 – Church Elm, Discotheque, Dagenham, London with supporting group (confirmed by Jim Smith)

27 September 1968 – Falkirk Town Hall, Falkirk, Scotland with The Brian Marshall Foundation and Absolute (Herbert recalls that Geno got laryngitis during one of the Scottish tours and he had to cover lead vocals from the drum kit. This date was probably 28 September)

28 September 1968 – Ayr Ice Rink, Ayr, Scotland with Vanity Fayre and supporting groups

29 September 1968 – Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland with The Shadettes (also played Maryland Ballroom, Glasgow around this time)

30 September 1968 – The Beach, Aberdeen, Scotland

 

4 October 1968 – Top Rank, Leicester

7 October 1968 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire

11 October 1968 – Salford University, Salford, Greater Manchester

12 October 1968 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire

15 October 1968 – Top Rank, High Wycombe, Bucks

17 October 1968 – RAF Hollyhead, Anglesey

18 October 1968 – Bridge Place Country Club, Bridge near Canterbury, Kent

19 October 1968 – The College, Chester, Cheshire

21 October 1968 – Top Rank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Mid-October 1968 – HM Wormswood Scrubs, London

October-November 1968 – Piper Club, Rome, Italy (also gigs in Turin)

 

2 November 1968 – The Swan, Yardley, West Midlands with Jigsaw

2 November 1968 – George Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire

15 November 1968 – Romanos, Belfast, Northern Ireland with The Sands

16 November 1968 – New Arcadia, Bray, Republic of Ireland with The Trixons

22 November 1968 – Leicester College of Education, Leicester

23 November 1968 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with Apricot Brande

25 November 1968 –Top Rank, Cardiff, Wales

28 November 1968 – Top Rank, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

 

6 December 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

12 December 1968 – Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear with Jimmy Powell & The Dimensions, Mr Poobah’s Chicago Line, Georgia Quintet

20-21 December 1968 – Scene Two, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

22 December 1968 – Top Rank Suite, Birmingham, West Midlands

24 December 1968 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, Essex with Ruby James & The Trifle and The Purple Dream

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(December 1968-April 1969)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
Keith O’Connell – organ
Peter Carney – bass, vocals
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone
Rod Baby – trumpet
Malcolm Wolffe – drums

Hans Herbert did not stay long on his return. After leaving Geno Washington he worked with country-rock bands Jamie’s People and Lincoln Park Inn among others.

Malcolm Wolffe, who’d previously played with The Tribe and then Happy Magazine took his place.

Selected gigs:

4 January 1969 – Whitchurch Town Hall, Whitchurch, Wales with Shady Lane and The Antix (Saturday)

17 January 1969 – Central Pier, Morecombe, Lancashire

18 January 1969 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire

20 January 1969 – St Matthew’s Hall, Ipswich

25 January 1969 – Bradford University, Bradford, West Yorkshire

25 January 1969 – Gaeity Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire

26 January 1969 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham

29 January 1969 – Oldham College of Further Education, Oldham, Lancashire

30 January 1969 – Riverton Barn, Bolton, Lancashire

31 January 1969 – Locarno Ballroom, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear with Cupid’s Inspiration

 

2-10 February 1969 – Showboat Variety Club, Middlesbrough

12 February 1969 – Top Rank Ballroom, Cardiff, Wales

13 February 1969 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands

15 February 1969 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

23 February 1969 – Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland with Alan Jordan & The KB Showband

 

3 March 1969 – Ice Rink, Liverpool

5 March 1969 – Winter Gardens, Morecambe, Lancashire with Spooky Tooth, Jon Hiseman’s Coliseum and Patents Pending

7 March 1969 – College Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire

8 March 1969 – Music Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

12 March 1969 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull, Humberside

14 March 1969 – Public Baths, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire

15 March 1969 – Leeds University, Leeds, West Yorkshire

16 March 1969 – Pop World ’69, Empire Pool, Wembley, Middlesex with Fleetwood Mac, Amen Corner, The Move, The Gun, Barry Ryan and others

21 March 1969 – Silver Blades, Streatham, southwest London

23 March 1969 – Railway Hotel, Wealdstone, London

 

5 April 1969 – Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland with Alan Jordan & The KB Showband and The Shadettes

7 April 1969 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with Revolver

18 April 1969 – Kinema Ballroom, Stranraer, Scotland with Systems Go Most likely date for John Culley’s final gig

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(April 1969-September 1969)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
Keith Field – lead guitar, vocals
Keith O’Connell – organ
Peter Carney – bass, vocals
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone
Malcolm Wolffe – drums

John Culley departed after a Scottish tour in March-April 1969, playing his final gig in Stranraer (see above). After working in the Ivory Coast with The Crazy Fingers, he joined Cressida in 1970 and later played with Black Widow. Rod Baby departed at the same time.

Guitarist Keith Field, formerly with The Blue Aces, and, more significantly, Ferris Wheel, took over from John Culley after cutting a solo single, “The Day That War Broke Out” c/w “Stop! Thief” for Polydor in September 1968.

The new line up recorded a lone single, “My Little Chickadee” c/w “Seven Eleven” (Pye 7N 17745), which was released in June 1969.

Selected gigs:

April 1969 – Gigs in Netherlands (according to Billboard)

25 April 1969 – White Lion, Edgware, London

26 April 1969 – Winning Post Hotel, Twickenham, London

29 April 1969 – Blackout, Zurich Airport, Switzerland

Source: Neue Zürcher Nachrichten, Volume 65, Number 96

20 May 1969 – Bradford University, Bradford, West Yorkshire with The Idle Race, The Honeybus, Clouds and others

23 May 1969 – Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester

24 May 1969 – The Pavilion, Buxton, Derbyshire

26 May 1969 – Skegness Seaside Soul Festival, Skegness, Lincolnshire with Amen Corner, Inez & Charlie Foxx, The Fantastics and Jimmy James & The Vagabonds

30 May 1969 – Newmarket Discotheque, Bridgwater, Somerset

31 May 1969 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Tract and Virgin Hearse

 

June 1969 – Scottish tour (includes gigs with Jo Jo Gunne and Three Dog Night)

13 June 1969 – St Albans City Hall, St Albans, Hertfordshire with The Sweet and Pedestrian Crossing

 

6 July 1969 – Citation Hotel, Perth, Scotland

6 July 1969 – Grand Hall, Kilmarnock, Scotland

8 July 1969 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon

11 July 1969 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset

13 July 1969 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex with Canterbury Tales

19 July 1969 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with supporting acts

19 July 1969 – Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (unlikely if Guildford date took place unless one is incorrect)

21 July 1969 – Quaintways, Chester, Cheshire with Roundabout with Wild Duncan and Syrian Blue

27 July 1969 – Start week at Fiesta, Stockton

 

August 1969 – Short tour of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland (around now)

5 August 1969 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon

9 August 1969 – Three-day Swedish tour starts (reported in Melody Maker)

29 August 1969 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire with The Zoo

 

1 September 1969 – Pop and Blues Festival, Pennycross Sports Stadium, Plymouth, Devon with Fleetwood Mac, The Move, Dave Amboy, Rod Mason Jass Band and The Nashville Teens

12 September 1969 – Rex Hotel, Whitley Bay with supporting group

20 September 1969 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with Shy Limbs

The Coventry Evening Telegraph’s 29 September issue notes that Geno Washington has split from the group. The band were due to appear at Chesford Grange, Kenilworth tonight and were replaced by The Drifters.

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(October 1969-November 1970)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
Alan Griffin – lead guitar, vocals
Tom Duffy – bass, vocals
Winston ???? – keyboards
Tony Hall – tenor saxophone
Brent Scott Carter – tenor saxophone
Frank Charlton – trumpet
Larry ???? – drums

The Ram Jam Band split with Washington after working at the Neago Club in Majorca in mid-late September 1969.

Beadle and Gregory would go on to play a multitude of sessions with artists as diverse as Ginger Baker’s Airforce, Babe Ruth, Bell & Arc, Chicken Shack, Andy Fairweather-Low, Alan Hull, Otis Spann, Suzi Quatro, Freddie King and Lindisfarne. They also became members of Gonzalez and recorded a string of albums in the 1970s.

NME announced in the week ending 4 October 1969 that Geno Washington had split from The Ram Jam Band and returned to The United States. Fabulous 208 magazine mentioned in its 25 October issue that the group had split in the same week as Amen Corner and The Marbles.

The singer duly returned from the United States this month and put together an entirely new version of The Ram Jam Band.

Tom Duffy came from Newcastle and had previously played with The Sect. The group’s new drummer was another American, from California. Alan Griffin had previously played with Croydon, south London band, The Subjects and then The Loose Ends and Cats Pyjamas.

Londoners Tony Hall and Brent Scott Carter both came in from Simon K & The Meantimers. Tony Hall had a long pedigree having previously worked with West London outfits, Peter Nelson & The Travellers, Peter’s Faces, Wainwright’s Gentlemen, The Flowerpot Men and Rupert’s Spoon.

Selected gigs:

1 November 1969 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with BZN and Heaven

29 November 1969 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire

21 December 1969 – Top Rank Suite, Birmingham

24 December 1969 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Candy Choir

 

29 January 1970 – Crescendo Club, Rex Hotel, Whitley Bay

5 February 1970 – Rebecca’s, Birmingham with Sonic Invaders

 

6 March 1970 – Carousel,  Belfast, Northern Ireland with Derrick & Sounds

28 March 1970 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands

 

4 April 1970 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

 

1 May 1970 – Flamingo, Ballymena, Northern Ireland

2 May 1970 – Romanos, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Possibly around this time keyboard Mick Fletcher joined from The Amboy Dukes. He had previously worked with groups like Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation, Hamilton & The Hamilton Movement and The Rifle. He remembers the band working in Benidorm, Spain.

24 July 1970 – Pavilion Ballroom, Bournemouth, Dorset with Tension

 

14 August 1970 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon

25 September 1970 – Oakengates Town Hall, Oakengates, Shropshire with Fluff and Amnesty

 

2 October 1970 – Fresher’s Ball, Liverpool Polytechnic Guild of Students, Liverpool with Stack Waddy

 

8 November 1970 – Up the Junction, Crewe, Cheshire

13 November 1970 – Ballerina Ballroom, Nairn, Scotland

 

14 December 1970 – Wall City, Chester, Cheshire with Satisfaction with Mike Cotton, Wall City Jazzmen

Around December 1970, Tom Duffy left and went on to record with Arc and Bell & Arc before playing and recording with Lindisfarne. Frank Charlton also left and later recorded with The Avant Gardeners.

Roger Flavell joined on bass after working with Grand Union (Bandwagon’s backing band) and Judd. Further personnel changes took place in early 1971 before the musicians broke away from Geno Washington.

Flavell subsequently played with The Tommy Hunt Band and recorded with The Byron Band among others. Brent Scott Carter later appeared on an album by Babe Ruth while Tony Hall did sessions for Dana Gillespie among others.

Selected gigs:

26 December 1970 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London

Sources include: Melody Maker, NME, Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Nottingham Evening Post, Fabulous 208, Kent Herald, Wrexham Leader, Berkhamsted Gazette, Birmingham Evening Mail, Southend Standard, Time Out, New Ross Standard, Wicklow People, Aberdeen Evening Express, Belfast Telegraph, Walsall Observer and South Staffordshire Chronicle, Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Wells Journal, Liverpool Echo, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, Cheshire Observer, Wigtownshire Free Press & Galloway Advertiser and Shropshire Journal.

Huge thanks to Peter Carney, John Culley, Dave Tedstone and Tony Hall for helping with line ups.

www.rockpopmem.com
www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/
http://www.lankybeat.com/The%20Impnelson.html
http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/
http://www.kinemagigz.com/1969.htm

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

The Mustangs

The Byrds and the Mustangs backstage
The Mustangs backstage with the Byrds
from left: Mike Clark, Larry Hutcherson (partially hidden), Mike Johnstone, Jim McGuinn, Paris Aiken (with glasses), Norm Lawrence, Brad Tinglehoff, Rick Farrar, and Chris Hillman (with back to camera). Photo credited to Bob Scott.
Mustangs business card and caption to the Byrds and the Mustangs backstage photo
Mustangs business card and caption to the Byrds and the Mustangs backstage photo

The Mustangs in the photo above consist of:

Larry Hutcherson – vocals
Mike Johnstone – lead guitar
Paris Aiken – drums
Norm Lawrence – bass guitar
Rick Farrar – rhythm guitar

Brad Tinglehoff was the roadie for the group.

According to the Tidewater Virginia Hippies site, other members of the Mustangs included Steve Swenson and Ronnie Hall. I don’t believe this group released any records, and if there were any unreleased recordings, I haven’t heard them.

Mike Johnstone went on to play with Headstone Circus, whose recordings circa 1968 were eventually released by Shadoks. Paris Aiken joined Dennis & the Times, and later played drums with Billy Joe Royal on his recording of “Down in the Boondocks”.

James Mrdutt sent in the photos seen here and reported that Paris passed away on December 24, 2009.

Thank you to Mike Johnstone for correcting the mistakes I made in transcribing the IDs for the photo.

Paris Aiken with the Mustangs
Paris Aiken with the Mustangs

The Gladiators

Gladiators Donnie 45 Turning to StoneMickey Ward – keyboards
Dan Walker – guitar
Glen Mikaland – bass and saxophone
George Neuhoff – drums

This is a 45 I’d been trying to track down for a few years, and finally found a copy through Buckeye Beat, whose website has the full story on this Lorain, Ohio band.

“Turning to Stone” has a sharp fuzz riff and gloomy vocals, with a shift to a bright chorus with tambourine. The flip, “I Need You” comes from a doo wop or vocal group era, it sounds like a different group entirely, though it is well done. “I Need You” is an original by Mickey Ward, “Turning to Stone” was a group original.

Gladiators Donnie 45 I Need YouThe Gladiators name was only used for this one single from September, 1966 on the Donnie label run by Donnie Barden. The group was actually known as Mickey & the Clean Cuts in live shows and on their first 45 from October, 1965, “Soapy” / “Static Electricity”, also on Donnie and picked up by Wand. I’m not sure why they changed their name for the release of “Turning to Stone”. They had a good sound on that song and I wish they cut more in that style.

Anyone have a photo of the group?

The band continued as Mickey & the Clean Cuts, and backed the other two artists on the Donnie label for their releases: Dave Charles’ excellent soul 45 “Ain’t Gonna Cry No More” / “My Love”, and Tillie Wow’s “I Wanna Tell You A Thing Or Two” / “The Sway”, but had no other releases under their own name. Mickey Ward kept the Clean Cuts act going with different members into the ’80s.

Cori Records Discography

Riffs Cori 45 Outside That DoorCori Records was the house label for Continental Recordings studio in Framingham, Massachusetts. I discussed the studio in some depth in an article on the Balladeers, who had the first two 45s released by Continental. Max Waller and I put together this discography of the label. It’s incomplete, especially in regard to the LPs, so if you have any additional information please contact me.

All 45s after the first have matrix codes for Capitol Custom pressings. The first letter of the code refers to the year (T=1965, U=1966, W=1967).

Most publishing is either Hyannis Music Co, BMI or Donna Music Pub. BMI.

On “You’ve Got Me Cryin'” BOSS TODES is written below The Mauve but marked out on all copies I’ve seen. The band had a second 45 as the Boss Todes on the Sound City label in 1967, “Have Certainty” / “Sally the Pollywog”.

Sole Survivors Cori 45 Love Her So

45s / 7″ EPs:

E.P. Scroggs CR-0001 – The Balladeers – “Cape Cod (Here We Come) / “Land of the Sea and Sun” (ZTSP-94612/3) (Summer, 1964)
Cori CR-31001 – The Balladeers – “Words I Want To Hear” / “High Flying Bird” (TB 631/2) 8/1965
Cori CR-31002 – The Royals “I’m All Alone” / “The Lady’s Bad” (June 1965)
Cori CR 31003 – The Valkyries “Love You Like I Do” (Curtis) / “Blues For Cookie”(TB 476) 1965
Cori CR 31004 – Al Gay “Soldier’s Last Letter” / “Over and Over”
Cori CR 31005 – The Riffs “Outside That Door” (Paul Iannazzo) / “Holy Ravioli” (UB 276) March 1966
Cori CR 31006 – The Mauve “You’ve Got Me Cryin'” (Ford-Weeks) / “In The Revelation” (Arranged by Eric Sample, UB 238) March 1966
Insegrievious CR 31007 – The End “Bad Night” / “Make Our Love Come Through” (IAM 45-UB-388/6-P1) 1966
Cori CR 31008 – Sole Survivors – “Love Her So” (D. Cormier) / “There Were Times” (R. Pieroni) PS (UB 423, both sides Hyannis Music BMI) 1966
Cori CR 31009 – Notations – “Mr. Ringmaster” (Bruce Chaput) / “I Need No Misery” (Bob Allain)
Cori CR 31010 – C.C & the Chasers “Two And Twenty” / “Hey, Put The Clock Back On The Wall” (WB 144/5) 1967
Cori CR 31011 – Shyres “Where Is Love” (Cox) / “My Girl” (Beckmann) (WB 218/9, both sides Hyannis Music BMI) May 1967
Cori CR 31012 – Jerry Seeco Sextet “That’s All” / “Teach Me Tonight”
Cori CR 31013 – The Kumbaya Singers “To My Brothers” / “Ruben Harte”

Continental Recordings CR-337001: Central Park Zoo – “Help Me Girl” / “Set You Free This Time” / “Louie Louie” / “Monkey Time” / “Painted Black” / “Mustang Sally” (1967)

Cori CR 222: Brownie Macintosh with the Harry Gronki Corale “Rye Whiskey Joe” (Bill Staines) / “The Call” (Gene MacLellan) – 1971

The Passports & the Tabooz, Cori LP 66

The Rising Storm, Remnant LP Calm BeforeLPs:
Remnant Records RBA 3571 – The Rising Storm – Calm Before…
Cori CRLP 31002 – The Passports and the Tabooz – 66 (split LP – Bradford Junior College)
Cori CR 3101 – Bobby Orr – The Two Sides Of Bobby Orr
Cori CR 3111 – Paul Wayne – Live At The Garage
Cori CRLP 31007 – The Passports and the Tabooz – 1968 / Ragged But Right (split LP)
Cori CS 31009 – Endless Knights – Something For You (1971)
Cori CS 31016 – Endless Knights – Back For More (1975)
Cori CS 31017 – Brownie Macintosh – Coastline Brownie (1975)
Brownie Macintosh Cori 45 Rye Whiskey JoeBrownie Macintosh wrote to me about his recordings on Cori:

I met Dan at probably the most troubled time of my life. I was about 19 and had been kicked out of boarding school a year and a half earlier. I used to drive by the studio on my way from Wayland, MA to Hopkinton to see my then girlfriend. After about a year I got up the courage to knock on the door and Dan was very nice and showed me around. I was absolutely in love with the possibility of working in a studio, and after two or so years, Dan hired me to sing on two jingles … I was hooked.

I did first a single “Rye Whiskey Joe” b/w “The Call” which Dan loved and we had some action on radio, but could not get major Boston airplay, even though we came close. We did the single in 1971. It was exciting as Dan and Pudgie knew a lot of DJs and everyone who came through Continental was forced to listen to it. “Rye Whiskey Joe”, the A-side, was four minutes long, unheard of for an unknown at the time.

I have since produced countless recording sessions, commercial jingles, corporate pieces, records, etc, and written songs for and with The Kingston Trio, The Irish Rovers (which produced my first and only gold record) and many large music publishing companies.

Thank you to Brownie Macintosh, Max Waller, Erik Lindgren, C. Benanti, and Jeffrey Davison for their help with this discography.

Tabooz Passports Cori LP 1
The Passports posing with a Confederate flag.

The Passports were Linda Moody, Alice Haynsworth, Mimi Walz, Cibby Thomas, Mary Shartle, Carolyn Smith, Ann Detweiler, Elaine Dart, Nancy Byloff, Muff McDonald and Betsy Thurlow. The Tabooz were Margaret Bingham, Susie Grace, Suki Augenblick, Margo Jones, Sarah Miller, Sarah Williams, Muffy Gibson, Liz Thayer, Susan Paul, Bibi Kinney, Debbie Dent, Barb Davis and Robin Boak.

Musically I prefer the Passports side.

TaboozPassportsCoriLP2
The other side of the Passports LP, above

Tiger’s Head, Downham, southeast London

The Tiger’s Head was a popular music venue in Downham, Southeast London (near Catford and Bromley) during the 1960s. The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band played here many times during their early years. The gigs below are taken from the Southeast London Mercury.

I would welcome any additions or memories of this venue.

3 February 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

6 February 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

10 February 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

13 February 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

17 February 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

27 February 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

 

3 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

6 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

10 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

13 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

17 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

20 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

27 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

31 March 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

 

10 April 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

14 April 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Thursday)

17 April 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

24 April 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

29 April 1966 – The Anzaks (Friday)

 

1 May 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

7 May 1966 – Bill Seney & His Modern Jazz Band (Saturday)

8 May 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

15 May 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

22 May 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

29 May 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

 

5 June 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

12 June 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

19 June 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

26 June 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

 

3 July 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

10 July 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

17 July 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

24 July 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

30 July 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Saturday)

 

7 August 1966 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Sunday)

 

21 October 1966 – The Overlanders (Friday)

28 October 1966 – The Loose Ends (Friday)

 

11 November 1966 – Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Friday)

18 November 1966 – The Shotgun Express (Friday) (Fabulous 208)

24 November 1966 – John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (Thursday)

 

2 December 1966 – The Symbols (Friday)

16 December 1966 – The Riot Squad (Friday)

23 December 1966 – The Shevelles (Friday)

30 December 1966 – The Downliners Sect (Friday)

6 January 1967 – The New Loose Ends (Friday)

13 January 1967 – The Amboy Dukes (Friday)

25 January 1967 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Wednesday)

 

3 February 1967 – The Herd (Friday) (Fabulous 208)

10 February 1967 – The Shevelles (Friday)

17 February 1967 – The Shotgun Express (Friday)

 

2 March 1967 – The Gass (Thursday)

8 March 1967 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Wednesday)

31 March 1967 – Tony Rivers & The Castaways (Friday)

 

14 April 1967 – Coloured Raisins and Honey Darling (Friday)

21 April 1967 – The James Royal Set (Friday)

28 April 1967 – The New Mojo Band (Friday)

 

5 May 1967 – The Spectrum  (Friday) (says Bellingham so could be King Alfred’s instead)

12 May 1967 – Marmalade (Friday)

19 May 1967 – Davey Sands & The Essex (Friday)

26 May 1967 – The Spectrum (Friday)

 

2 June 1967 – St James Infirmary (Friday)

9 June 1967 – The Spectrum (Friday)

16 June 1967 – Linda Layne & The Sin (Friday)

23 June 1967 – Freddie Fingers & The Upper Hand (Friday)

30 June 1967 – Tony Rivers & The Castaways (Friday)

 

19 July 1967 – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Fabulous 208) (Wednesday)

28 July 1967 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

 

18 August 1967 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

 

12 January 1968 – The Shell Shock Show (Friday)

26 January 1968 – The Love Affair (Friday)

 

2 February 1968 – The Delroy Williams Show (Friday)

9 February 1968 – Hamilton’s Movements (Friday)

16 February 1968 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

8 March 1968 – Cymbalines (Friday)

15 March 1968 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

 

12 April 1968 – The Riot Squad (Friday)

19 April 1968 – The Good Time Band (Friday)

26 April 1968 – Sugar Simone & The Programme (Friday)

 

17 May 1968 – Joyce Bond Revue (Friday)

 

14 June 1968 – The Epics (Friday)

21 June 1968 – Hopscotch (Friday)

28 June 1968 – Moon’s Train (Friday)

 

5 July 1968 – The Joyce Bond Revue (Friday)

12 July 1968 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

13 July 1968 – The Wild Angels (Saturday)

 

2 August 1968 – 1958 Rock Show with Freddie Fingers (Friday)

16 August 1968 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

23 August 1968 – Tony Rivers (& Harmony Grass) (Friday)

30 August 1968 – Episode Six (Friday)

 

6 September 1968 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

13 September 1968 – Hopscotch (Friday)

20 September 1968 – The Joyce Bond Revue (Friday)

 

11 October 1968 – The Epics (Friday)

18 October 1968 – Gene Latter (Friday)

 

1 November 1968 – Tony Rivers (& Harmony Grass) (Friday)

15 November 1968 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

22 November 1968 – Hopscotch (Friday)

 

20 December 1968 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

24 December 1968 – The Colts (Tuesday)

31 December 1968 – Night Love (Tuesday)

 

3 January 1969 – The Symbols (Friday)

10 January 1969 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

17 January 1969 – The Coloured Raisins (Friday)

24 January 1969 – Episode Six (Friday)

 

6 October 1969 – The Courtelles (Monday)

The Private Collection

Private Collection Photo
Richard Kuzniak sent me the photo above of the Private Collection, a band he used to see weekly at the El Patio nightclub in Yorkville. Ivan Amirault wrote to me with info on the band and the clippings seen below:

The Private Collection, RPM, May 13, 1967
The Private Collection, RPM, May 13, 1967
from left: Aldo Tarini, Dan Salhani, Jacques Chartrand, and Dave Mouslaison

Dave Mouslaison – lead guitar, organ, vocals
Aldo Tarini – rhythm and lead guitar, vocals
Jacques Chartrand – bass, vocals
Dan Salhani – drums, vocals

The Private Collection were from Sudbury but relocated to Toronto. They performed regularly at The Flick and El Patio, managed by Mike Burak, a part-owner of the clubs. RPM magazine reported on October 2, 1967 that the band had just done a session at Sound Canada with Rick Shorter producing.

Ivan wrote to me “They were a very good harmony band. Dave Moulaison was later in Aaron Space who recorded a great LP on Warner Brothers only in Canada.

“Jocko Chartrand was also in Buckstone Hardware who had a 45 on Apex here in Canada. It also came with a picture sleeve. The core of that band was from North Bay, about 1 1/2 hours east of Sudbury. Joko also made a couple of fairly good solo singer/songwriter type LPs in the 80s.”

Ivan has over two hours of home recordings of the band, plus a few songs from their never-released studio sessions.

The Private Collection. RPM, October 2, 1967
The Private Collection. RPM, October 2, 1967
The Private Collection RPM October 28, 1967
The Private Collection, RPM October 28, 1967

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band 1967-1968

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band Late 1967
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, late 1967.
Clockwise from front, Peter Carney, Geno Washington, Hans Herbert, John Culley, Dave Greenslade, Clive Burrows and Lionel Kingham (photo from Buddy Beadle).

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(April 1967-April 1968)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
Dave Greenslade – organ (replaced John Carroll who played a few weeks)
Peter Carney – bass
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Clive ‘Hercules’ Burrows – baritone saxophone
Hans Herbert – drums

Melody Maker announced that three (of the original) members (Pete Gage, Geoff Pullum and Herb Prestidge) had left in mid-April 1967 and Geno Washington would be replacing them the same week. The revised line up (deputy musicians alongside surviving members) was due to play its debut on 19 April (Wednesday).

NME also noted that three original members had left the week ending 22 April. It reported that Geno Washington had taken on deputy musicians until permanent replacements could be found as commitments would not be interrupted.

Guitarist John Culley confirmed from his diary that he played his debut on 26 April (with John Carroll on organ) after auditioning at the Ram Jam in Brixton a day or two beforehand (24 April is the most plausible date) so deputy musicians were definitely used in the interim.

Photo: South East London Mercury, 18 May 1967

The personnel changes were subsequently announced in South East London Mercury on 18 May 1967 (page 2).

NME announced the Dave Greenslade line-up above in the week ending 6 May, so it seems that John Carroll did play a few weeks before Greenslade joined after honouring his commitments with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds.

Keyboard player John Carroll knew bass player Peter Carney from The Flexmen and The London Beats during 1963-1965. He also briefly played with Carney in Tony Knight’s Chessmen in 1966 before joining The New Pirates in February 1967. Carroll had commitments with The Flower Pot Men and later went on to play with Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers and The Flirtations on Stevie Wonder’s UK tour.

Guitarist John Culley had formed The Hi-Grades in spring 1962 alongside guitarist Glen Desmier, bass player Mike Watson drummer Phil Wainman and others. After backing singer Michael Holliday in Jersey the following summer (as Mike Twain & The Hi-Grades), the musicians moved to Sweden in June 1964 and recorded for Sonet. They also backed other artists on recordings for the label. In 1965, Tony Walter replaced Phil Wainman on drums and the musicians toured Denmark, briefly working as The Dynamiters and backing singer Swedish Jerry Williams before Culley returned to the UK in late 1965.

Culley next moved to Paris to work with French singer Ronnie Bird until auditioning for Geno Washington in April 1967. Peter Carney brought his old friend Pete Ross from The Flexmen along to the Ram Jam audition but John Culley got the job.

Drummer Hans Herbert, who’d played with Peter Carney and John Carroll in The Flexmen, had gone on to work with The Just Four and The Guests during 1965-1966 before playing with The All Night Workers from October 1966.

Keyboard player Dave Greenslade was a longstanding member of Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds (who’d gigged with the original Ram Jam Band on numerous occasions), having briefly worked with Clive Burrows in the Wes Minister Five in 1964.

After Greenslade joined, the new Ram Jam Band (with a session bass player, possibly Tony Reeves) recorded and released two singles – “She Shot a Hole In My Soul” c/w “I’ve Been Hurt By Love” (Piccadilly 7N 35392), released in June 1967; and “Different Strokes” c/w “You Got Me Hummin’” (Pye 7N 17425), released in December 1967. For the “Different Strokes” session, noted session player Harry Stoneham arranged the track and added keyboards alongside Greenslade.

With Peter Carney on bass, they also cut the remainder of the tracks on the second LP, Hipsters, Flipsters, Finger-Poppin’ Daddies! (Piccadilly NPL/NSPL 38032), which was released in September 1967 and peaked at #8 in the UK charts. Later that year, the band recorded a studio album, Shake a Tail Feather Baby! (Piccadilly NPL/NSPL 38029), which was issued in January 1968.

“Different Strokes” and “You Got Me Hummin’” also appeared on a second EP, “Different Strokes” (Pye NEP 24293), which also included the tracks “I’m Your Puppet” and “Use Me”. The former was cut earlier in the year by the Pete Gage formation.

Selected gigs:

19 April 1967 – College of Commerce, Hull, Humberside with Tony Rivers & The Castaways, The Amboy Dukes, The Locomotion and The Jamm

21 April 1967 – Boulevard Club, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire and Crystal Ballroom, Castleford, West Yorkshire

22 April 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

23 April 1967 – Ricky Tick, Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire

(Please note: above gigs may not have happened but if they did, they were with deputy musicians)

24/25 April – Auditions at Ram Jam, Brixton, London bring in John Carroll and John Culley

26 April 1967 – Top Rank, Croydon, London with Davey Sands & The Essex (Carroll and Culley’s debut)

27 April 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire

27 April 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, West Midlands (clashes with confirmed gig above and not in John Culley’s diary so very unlikely)

28 April 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex (not in John Culley’s diary)

28 April 1967 – Shoreline, Bognor Regis, West Sussex

29 April 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

30 April 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Nantwich, Cheshire

 

1 May 1967 – Watford Round Table, Watford Top Rank Suite, Watford, Hertfordshire with The Amboy Dukes

2 May 1967 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

4 May 1967 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

5 May 1967 – Southampton Guildhall, Southampton, Hants. (David Else also has them playing Newbury Ricky Tick on this date)

6 May 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex

7 May 1967 – NME Poll Winners’ Show, Empire Pool, Wembley, London with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch, Cream, Dusty Springfield, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, The Beach Boys, Paul Jones, Lulu, The Move, The Small Faces, The Spencer Davis Group, The Alan Price Set, Cat Stevens, The Troggs and others

16 May – Recording at Pye

17 May 1967 – Top Rank, Doncaster, South Yorkshire (also TV appearance)

18 May 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands

19 May 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, London

20 May 1967 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent

21 May 1967 – Ricky Tick, Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire

22 May 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Penny Blacks

25 May 1967 – Recording at Pye

26 May 1967 – Pavilion Ballroom, Weymouth, Dorset with Palmer James and The Package Deal

27 May 1967 – Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

28 May 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London with The Hunky Chunk Band

29 May 1967 – Tulip Bulp Auction Hall, Spalding, Lincolnshire with Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, The Move, Zoot Money and Pink Floyd

31 May – Recording at Pye

 

1 June 1967 – Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire with Combustion

2 June 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, London

3 June 1967 – Morley Town Hall, Morley, West Yorkshire with Bobby Johnson & The Atoms

4 June 1967 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey

6 June 1967 – Britannia Ballroom, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

10 June 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands

10 June 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

11 June 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire

13 June 1967 – Caius College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds

16 June 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire

17 June 1967 – Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire

18 June 1967 – Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk  with The Nite People, Ferris Wheel and Neil Diamond

26 June 1967 – St Luke’s College, Exeter University, Exeter, Devon

27 June 1967 – Queen’s Hall, Barnstaple, Devon

29 June 1967 – Scotch Club, Torquay, Devon

30 June 1967 – St George’s Hall, Exeter, Devon

 

1 July 1967 – Ritz Ballroom, Bournemouth, Dorset with Minor Portion

2 July 1967 – Khyber Club, Taunton, Somerset with The Son-Set, The Circles and Nick & Pete’s Hot Spot

3 July 1967 – Bath Pavilion, Bath, Somerset

4 July 1967 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire

6 July 1967 – Flamingo Ballroom, Redruth, Cornwall with Julian Covey Machine (held at Flamingo Ballroom)

9 July 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London

11 July 1967 – Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon

11 July 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Basildon, Essex (missing from John Culley’s diary and unlikely as above date confirmed)

12 July 1967 – Supreme Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent (missing from John Culley’s diary so not clear if this happened)

12 July 1967 – Bal Tabarin, Downham, London

13 July 1967 – Recorded for Top of the Pops (according to John Culley’s diary)
(Note: This may have been same show that was aired on 1 September and also included The Action, Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours and Matt Munroe)

15 July 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

17 July 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hants (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

18 July 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Amboy Dukes

19 July 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London (recorded promo video at Battersea Park earlier in the day)

21 July 1967 – Casino Club, Burnley, Lancashire with Sisters of Idle Dreams

22 July 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

24 July 1967 – Recorded for BBC in Manchester (Pop North)

25 July 1967 – Left for Scottish tour that lasted until 29 July

28 July 1967 – Ballerina Ballroom, Nairn, Scotland with The Copycats

29 July 1967 – The Beach, Aberdeen, Scotland (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

31 July 1967 – Silver Blades, Bradford, West Yorkshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

 

1 August 1967 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham with Shades of Gray (missing from John Culley’s diary)

3 August 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Streatham, London

5 August 1967 – New Cornish Riveria, St Austell, Cornwall with The Harlequins

7 August 1967 – Birmingham Roller Rink, Birmingham (also BBC recordings Monday Monday)

8 August 1967 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

10 August 1967 – Locarno, Bristol, Avon

11 August 1967 – Locarno, Basildon, Essex

16 August 1967 – Seagull Ballroom, Ryde Pier Head, Isle of Wight (Isle of Wight County Press has Disco Blue, Ryde)

17 August 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hampshire with Jack & The Jacobites

18 August 1967 – Flew to Spain

19 August 1967 – Tiffany’s Ballroom, Barcelona, Spain (also play gigs at Platja D’aro)

22 August 1967 – Spinning Disc, Leeds, West Yorkshire

24 August 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands

25 August 1967 – Gaiety, Grimsby, South Yorkshire

26 August 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London

28 August 1967 – Hastings Festival, Hastings, East Sussex with The Kinks, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Robb Storme & The Whispers, Winston’s Fumbs and Hip Hooray Band

30 August 1967 – Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

31 August 1967 – Pavilion, Southampton, Hants

 

1 September 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (missing from John Culley’s diary and clashes with Hayes gig below which is confirmed but it was advertised)

1 September 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (not in John Culley’s diary and clashes with Hayes gig below which is confirmed but it was advertised)

1 September 1967 – Botwell Community Centre, Hayes, London

4 September 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with Robert Plant & The Band of Joy

5 September 1967 – BBC Saturday Club appearance

7 September 1967 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull, Humberside

8 September 1967 – Boulevard Club, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire with The Kool and then Crystal Ballroom (aka the Boogaloo Discotheque),  Castleford, West Yorkshire

9 September 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

12 September 1967 – Palais, Ilford, Essex

13 September 1967 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, London (short holiday after this)

28 September 1967 – Assembly Hall, Worthing, West Sussex

30 September 1967 – Band flies to Copenhagen for short Scandinavian tour, sharing some dates with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention

30 September 1967 – ‘Love Out’, Brondby Pop Club, Brondby, Denmark with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Hurdy Gurdy and R&B Section

 

3-4 October 1967 – Star Club, Copenhagen, Denmark

7 October 1967 – Idrotthuset, Orebro, Sweden with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Blues Quality and The Quints

8 October 1967 – Jernvallen, Sandviken, Sweden with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Two Good Reasons (On this day also billed to play Grantham Drill Hall with Broodly Hoo and Legay but didn’t appear)

10 October 1967 – Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and The Defenders

13 October 1967 – Tottenham Royal, Tottenham, London (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

14 October 1967 – Flowerpot Club, Digbeth, Birmingham, West Midlands with The Sea Cruisers (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

15 October 1967 – Civic Centre, Corby, Northamptonshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

16 October 1967 – Silver Blades Ice Rink, Bradford, West Yorkshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

17 October 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Amboy Dukes

21 October 1967 – Matlock Bath, Matlock, Derbyshire with Bread & Butter Band, Thorndyke’s Mordekai’s Imagination (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

22 October 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

27 October 1967 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull with The Roll Movement, Richard G Simpson Band and The Peighton Checks (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

28 October 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

29 October 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, London with The All-Nite Workers

 

4 November 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands with Johnny Neale & The Starliners (missing from John Culley’s diary)

4 November 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (missing from John Culley’s diary)

5 November 1967 – Plaza, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire with The Rats (missing from John Culley’s diary)

Photo: Lancashire Evening Post

6 November 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Blackpool, Lancashire (missing from John Culley’s diary)

15 November 1967 – St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, Norfolk with Alex Wilson Sect and Rubber Band (missing from John Culley’s diary)

16 November 1967 – Birdcage, Harlow, Essex (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

17 November 1967 – Big C Club, Farnborough, Hants (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

18 November 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

21 November 1967 – Greasboro’ Social Club, Doncaster, South Yorkshire and Kettlethorpe Working Men’s Club, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

27 November 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Probe (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

28 November 1967 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, London (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

 

2 December 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire with The 4th Coming and The Acme Music Co

3 December 1967 – Top Hat, Spennymoor, County Durham

4-8 December 1967 – Club Franchi, Jarrow, Tyne & Wear

9 December 1967 – Top Hat, Spennymoor, County Durham

26 December 1967 – Roller Rink, Birmingham, West Midlands (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

30 December 1967 – Starlight Room, Boston, Lincolnshire with Ebony Keys, The Lost and Ray Bones

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band Live
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band Live, Late 1967/1968.
Left to right: Peter Carney, John Culley, Geno Washington and Clive Burrows (photo from Peter Carney).

1 January 1968 – Sherwood Arms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

4 January 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hants

5 January 1968 – Royal Ballroom, Tottenham, London

7 January 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex

9 January 1968 – Bluesology Festival, Chateau Impney, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Joe Cocker, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and Duster Bennett

9 January 1968 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Ferris Wheel

10 January 1968 – Pavilion, Southampton, Hants

11 January 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Streatham, London

13 January 1968 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

19 January 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Burslem, Staffordshire with The Iveys (some sources have Marmalade and The Peeps)

20 January 1968 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

28 January 1968 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Georgie Fame and The Cedar Set

30 January 1968 – Palais, Ilford, Kent

31 January 1968 – Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

 

2 February 1968 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with Bruce & The Spiders and Doodlebugs

3 February 1968 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Executives

5 February 1968 – The Howard Platt Discotheque Show, Jazz and Blues Festival, Norwich, Norfolk with The Kinks and Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound

10 February 1968 – Devonshire House, Exeter University, Exeter, Devon

12 February 1968 – Bluesville ’68, St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich, Suffolk with The Track

15 February 1968 – Zodiac Club, Eden Park Hotel, Beckenham, London (replacing Georgie Fame)

16 February 1968 – Top Rank Suite, Swansea, Wales with The Tremeloes and Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers

17 February 1968 – Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with Simon K & The Meantimers

24 February 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Dykas

25 February 1968 – New Regis Club, Bognor Regis, West Sussex

28 February 1968 – Bluesville ’68 Club, St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich, Suffolk

 

1 March 1968 – Mad Hatters Ball, Albert Hall, London with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and others (cancelled)

2 March 1968 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

3 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex

8 March 1968 – Club Rado, Belfast, Northern Ireland with The Few

9 March 1968 – Belfast University Students’ Union, Belfast, Northern Ireland with Taste

11 March 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Glasgow

15 March 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire with The Soul Station (or might be The Uncertainty)

16 March 1968 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, Essex with support

17 March 1968 – Hotel Leofric, Coventry, West Midlands

18 March 1968 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The System

22 March 1968 – Big C Club, Farnborough, Hants

23 March 1968 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

6 April 1968 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli, south Wales

9 April 1968 – Pantiles, Bagshot, Surrey

11 April 1968 – Eden Park Hotel, Beckenham, London

12 April 1968 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire

13 April 1968 – Sports Stadium, Bracknell, Berkshire

19 April 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire with Granny’s Intentions

20 April 1968 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli, Wales

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(April 1968-August 1968)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
Dave Greenslade – organ
John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
Peter Carney – bass
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Pat Higgs – trumpet
Hans Herbert – drums

Clive Burrows left around April 1968 and the band took on trumpet player Pat Higgs, a former member of Elton John’s mid-1960s band, Bluesology and then a brief member of Hamilton & The Hamilton Movement.

This version of the band was responsible for a lone single, “I Can’t Quit Her” c/w Carney and Culley’s “Put Out The Fire Baby” (Pye 7N 17570), which was released in July 1968.

Geno Washington’s band also recorded a new live album Live! – Running Wild (Pye NPL/NSPL 18219) recorded at the Casino Ballroom, Bolton, Lancashire on 9 August 1968 before personnel changes took place.

NME reported in the week ending 17 August that Geno Washington had split from Rik Gunnell’s agency and briefly gone with Mike Rispoli.

Selected gigs:

26 April 1968 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with Atlantics and Doodlebugs

27 April 1968 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands

28 April 1968 – Wake Arms, Epping, Essex

 

2 May 1968 – ‘Star Club’, Agincourt, Camberley, Surrey with The Late

4 May 1968 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent with The Section and Square One

9 May 1968 – The Matrix, Coventry, West Midlands with The Magazine and The Square (or Skin Deep)

10 May 1968 – George Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Magazine and The Square

11 May 1968 – Bouton Rouge, Paris, France (filmed for French TV – this might be the broadcast date). According to Birmingham Evening Mail, they played The Swan, Yardley, West Midlands with The Magazine on this day

16 May 1968 – Black Prince, Bexley, London

17 May 1968 – Mayfair, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear

18 May 1968 – Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire with Bags Grove

19 May 1968 – Oasis Club, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with support

22 May 1968 – Top Rank, Reading, Berkshire

23 May 1968 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with The Pyramids

24 May 1968 – Rag Ball, Town Hall, Walsall, West Midlands with PP Arnold and support

24 May 1968 – George Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Magazine and The Square (need to confirm)

25 May 1968 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with Jaytree Organisation

26 May 1968 – Oasis Club, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Staffords

31 May 1968 – Winter Gardens, Blackpool, Lancashire

 

2 June 1968 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire with The Isley Brothers, James and Bobby Purify, Jo Jo Cook & The Rackett and Fascination

3 June 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Narbeth, west Wales with KR Commotion and The Bard

6 June 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hants with Jack Hawkins & The Jacobites

7 June 1968 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with The Bootlaces and The Senoritas

8 June 1968 – Civic Hall, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Goodtime Band

12 June 1968 – Locarno, Stevenage, Herts

13 June 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands

14 June 1968 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear

21 June 1968 – Midsummer Nights Dream, Burton Constable, near Hull with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Marmalade, Family, Spooky Tooth, Tramline, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, Baron Richtofen’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus, CJ Morris and The Reaction

27 June 1968 – Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset with The Emotions

30 June 1968 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London

 

1 July 1968 – Chesford Grange, Kenilworth, Warwickshire with The Traction

4 July 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Iveys

5 July 1968 – Kursaal Ballroom, Southend-on-Sea, Essex

6 July 1968 – Woburn Music Festival, Woburn, Bedfordshire with Jimi Hendrix Experience, T-Rex, Family, New Formula and Little Women

11 July 1968 – Assembly Hall, Worthing, West Sussex

12 July 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Basildon, Essex

14 July 1968 – Birmingham Top Rank Suite, Birmingham, West Midlands

15 July 1968 – Radio One’s David Symonds Show

19 July 1968 – Romanos, Belfast, Northern Ireland with The Dixies

20 July 1968 – New Arcadia, Bray, Republic of Ireland with The Ravens

21 July 1968 – Olympia, Waterford, Republic of Ireland with Kim & The Footers

26 July 1968 – Liverpool, Lancashire (no venue listed)

27 July 1968 – Prestatyn, Wales (no venue listed but probably Royal Lido)

29 July 1968 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands

 

2 August 1968 – Music Hall, Shrewsbury with The Heart & Soul and The Sons of Rest

3 August 1968 – Market Hall, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire with Wedgewood Blues and The Triads

7 August 1968 – Top Rank, Henley, Berkshire

8 August 1968 – Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire with The Emotions

9 August 1968 – Casino Ballroom, Bolton, Lancashire

9 August 1968 – Casino Club, Wigan, Lancashire

Sources include: South East London Mercury, Melody Maker, NME, Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Nottingham Evening Post, West Briton & Royal Cornwall Gazette, Cornish Guardian, Birmingham Evening Mail, Camberley News & Bagshot Observer, Northwich Chronicle, South Wales Evening Post, Derby Evening Telegraph, Derbyshire Times, Aberdeen Evening Express, North Norfolk News, Surrey Advertiser, Express & Star, Aldershot News, Southend Standard, Bracknell News, Hull Daily Mail, Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Ipswich Evening Star, New Ross Standard, Wicklow People, Belfast Telegraph, Dave Allen (Birdcage gigs), Steve Ingless (Bishop’s Stortford), Fabulous 208, Morecambe Visitor, Pembroke County & West Wales Guardian, Western Gazette, Burnley Express & Burnley News.

Huge thanks to Peter Carney, John Culley (who shared his 1967 diary) and John Carroll for helping with line ups

Internet sources:

www.rockpopmem.com
www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/
http://ballerinaballroom.wordpress.com/1967/
http://www.lankybeat.com/The%20Impnelson.html
http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/
http://www.kinemagigz.com/1969.htm
http://chelmsfordrocks.com/cornexchange.html

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

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