Born in Beirut in Lebanon as Sulaimi Khoury, Patrick Samson and his brothers Sandy, who became his manager and MD, and guitarist Soussou Khoury moved to France in 1961.
In the early 1960s, they formed Patrick Samson & Les Pheniciens and recorded a few singles. They then formed The Patrick Samson Group.
In late 1966, the musicians moved to Turin, Italy and subsequently formed The Patrick Samson Set, which included five Englishmen.
One of these was baritone sax player Roger Warwick, who was hired by Sandy Samson after he spotted him working with Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound at the Upper Cut in December 1966. Before that, Warwick had briefly worked with Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages and The Tornados among others.
The others were tenor sax player Derek Whitehall; organist Tony Tyler; bass player Alan Bugby; and drummer Carl Daykin. Bugby had previously played with Nero & The Gladiators, The Strangers and Johnny Halliday.
This is the formation that is pictured on the cover of the group’s live LP Sono Nero (see above) released in March 1968, which also included Moroccan trumpet player Georges Dersy and a Lebanese guitarist Georges El Hayek known as “Little George”. This formation also recorded some singles, including a fantastic cover of The Spencer Davis Groups’s “I’m a Man”.
Around the time the LP was issued, Carl Daykin left and later played with The Primitives (not before rejoining Patrick Samson later in the year).
He was briefly replaced by Christian Vander who later formed Magma. Another Englishman, Nigel Pegrum, who’d been a very early member of The Small Faces and then worked with Lee Grant & The Capitols joined in Vander’s place.
In March 1968, the group added two more Englishmen, Hammond organist Keith Burberry and tenor sax player Martin Grice, who were playing with The Warren Davis Monday Band (see entry on this site).
Before they came onboard, Roger Warwick left to join The Four Kents where he was subsequently joined by Georges Dersy. Warwick then worked with Ronnie Jones briefly.
Later that year, Pegrum left to return to England and joined Spice but left before they found fame as Uriah Heap. He subsequently played with Steeleye Span before emigrating to Australia. Original drummer Carl Daykin rejoined.
Tony Tyler later became a noted music journalist, working at New Musical Express.
When Daykin left, Italian drummer Christians Euros took his place, who was joined by fellow Italians, sax player Claudio Pascoli; bass player Guido Guglielminetti; and guitarist Umberto Tozzi.
This is a very brief sketch of the band’s history and I would welcome any additions/corrections. Many thanks to Roger Warwick for filling in some of the gaps
I was invited by London City Agency, to join the Patrick Samson Set, but I
was a jazz alto saxophonist. When I arrived in Turin I was promptly sent
to the local music shop to take charge of a tenor sax, also I was not a written
music reader – so had to learn parts by ear (and lose that vibrato!)
This was around 1978 I think, and I decided to return after a few months
as it was not really my kind of sound, interesting though.
regards, Brian J. Hills (of Vintage Hot Five / Spencers Washboard Kings)
I played 2nd trumpet in the band from Autumn 1966 for one year. Mike Wottel from L.A. played first trumpet. I enjoyed living in Torino but the band politics were not good so I quit, shortly after Martin Grice did too, followed by Mike Wottel.
Thanks Chris. I think this must have been Autumn 1967 or Autumn 1968. Martin didn’t join until around spring 1968
Bass player Alan Bugby was mainly known for having played with English rock’n’roll singer Vince Taylor in France between 1963 and 1965. Very spectacular playing. He’s dead now (don’t remeber the date).