Ray Martin – lead vocals

John Thompson – lead guitar (replaced by Pete Ross late 1965)

Brian Brown – bass

Terry Marshall – tenor saxophone

Pete ?? – tenor saxophone

Paul Atkinson – drums

Formed sometime in 1964 after Terry Marshall left The Soul Messengers, the band appears to have worked at the Ealing Club on a weekly basis throughout 1965. Ray Martin is probably the same Ray Martin who had previously led Ray Martin & The Corvettes.

The Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette has The Ray Martin Group appearing on a Saturday (and sometimes a Sunday) throughout the year, except in December when they switched to Fridays (see gig list below which is incomplete).

Ross, however, didn’t join until July 1965 after The Flexmen split up so the group must have had a different lead guitarist at the outset.

According to Ross, the band opened for James Brown at Tiles (circa March 1966). They also opened for Neil Christian & The Crusaders at Tiles later in July.

Thanks to Pete Ross and Terry Marshall for input

Selected gigs:

16 January 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday)

23 January 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday)

31 January 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Sunday)

6 February 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday)

13 February 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday) Needs confirmation

20 February 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday)

27 February 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday)

7 March 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Sunday)

13 March 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday)

27 March 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Saturday)

4 April 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Sunday)

17 April 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard)

18 April 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Sunday)

25 April 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Sunday)

8 May 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

15 May 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

22 May 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

28 May 1965 – Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex with The Paramounts (Southend Standard)

29 May 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

5 June 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

12 June 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

19 June 1965 – Uxbridge Blues Festival, Uxbridge, northwest London with Marianne Faithfull, The Who, Solomon Burke, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Long John Baldry, Zoot Money, The Birds, John Mayall, The Spencer Davis Group and Dave Whittling (Ruislip & Northwood Gazette)

31 July 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

7 August 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

14 August 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

21 August 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

11 September 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

18 September 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

30 October 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

20 November 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Saturday)

10 December 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Friday)

17 December 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Friday)

24 December 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Friday)

31 December 1965 – Ealing Club, Ealing, west London (Friday)

15 July 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with Neil Christian & The Crusaders (Melody Maker)

16 December (Friday) – White Hall, Southall, west London (Harrow Observer)

If you can add any further information, please leave a message in the comments below.