In October 1966, British promoter Roy Tempest brought over American soul singer Edwin Starr for an extensive tour. Judging by advertisements in Melody Maker and regional newspapers, Starr had already visited Britain at least twice before.
Melody Maker lists a gig at Count Suckle’s Cue Club in Paddington on 10 February 1966, backed by west London band, Bluesology, who featured a certain Reginald Dwight (aka Elton John) on keyboards. This was most likely part of a wider tour but it’s not certain whether Bluesology were the backing band on all of the dates. We’d be interested to hear from readers below in the comments section.
Fast forward to late September and Edwin Starr was advertised on a promotional flyer performing at the Twisted Wheel Club in Manchester (again with Bluesology). The date in question was 29 September. It’s not clear whether this was part of a wider tour, but, whatever the case, Edwin Starr was back in Britain about two weeks later for a full-scale tour.
Roy Tempest employed quite a few bands to perform backing duties for the soul artists he brought over (see Lee Dorsey’s January 1966 British tour as an example). More often than not, the groups weren’t mentioned in the advertisements.
For this reason, it’s been difficult to pinpoint exactly who supported Edwin Starr during this tour and subsequent ones throughout the rest of the 1960s, although the obscure group The State Express did the duties during May 1968 (and some later dates).
However, for the October 1966 tour, we do know that at least three bands backed Edwin Starr.
The most high-profile one was Glaswegian soul outfit, The Senate led by singer Sol Byron (aka Billy Lochart). At the time of this tour, the rest of The Senate comprised Alex “Ludgie” Ligertwood (aka Alex Jackson) on lead guitar and vocals; Brian Johnson on keyboards; Bill Irving on bass; Bob Mather on sax; Antony Rutherford (aka Tony Mimms) on trumpet; and Tam Frew on drums.
The Senate would back Edwin Starr on some dates during a May-June 1967 tour and there are quite a few gigs below which mention the Scottish group on the billing, so it seems quite likely that they fulfilled a large number of the engagements on this tour.
However, Roy Tempest also employed Beau Brummell’s former backing band, The Noblemen, led by Bognor Regis musicians Bryan Stevens (bass) and Mick Ketley (keyboards).
By October 1966, The Noblemen had been completely reshuffled and also featured west London musicians Jimmy Marsh (vocals) and Malcolm Tomlinson (drums), together with Birmingham players Chris Rodger (saxophone) and future Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre. The Noblemen had previously backed The Vibrations and The Drifters.
The final group that we know who definitely did back Edwin Starr was Dalston, north London group, The Guests led by singer Alan Chamberlain. This little known group also comprised guitarist Bernie Jory (who went on to The Mickey Finn); bass player John Towell; drummer Hans Herbert (who went on to play with Geno Washington) plus two saxophone players, one of whom might have been Kenny Power who’d worked with Herbert in The Flexmen and joined the drummer in The All Night Workers in late 1966.
Chamberlain remembers the band played with Edwin Starr over a week period. Although the group was working for the Charles Kray entertainment agency, he believes that Roy Tempest may have requested for them to fill in when the other groups couldn’t honour the Edwin Starr gigs. He remembers the band rehearsing over a pub on Tottenham Court Road opposite Kray’s offices, based at the Clark Brothers dance studio.
I’ve listed the gigs I have found for the October 1966 tour below and would welcome any comments from readers and any clarification on the bands that did the honours in supporting Edwin Starr. It’s quite possible, for instance, that there were other groups who helped out on this tour. There also likely to be some missing gigs from this list.
14 October 1966 – Domino Club, Openshaw and Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle) This was billed as Edwin Starr & The Senate featuring Sol Byron
15 October 1966 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as The Edwin Starr Show – possibly The Senate considering last night’s gig
16 October 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (Nottingham Evening Post) The Noblemen were billed for this gig but Alan Chamberlain from The Guests insists they backed Edwin Starr as he got into an altercation with John Mayall. Chris Rodger, saxophone player with The Noblemen, confirms that it wasn’t his band as this was his birthday and he remembers The Noblemen playing in West Germany for a week, including on his birthday.
17 October 1966 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton (Express & Star) If The Guests played the previous night, this is most likely them again
19 October 1966 – Mecca Ballroom, Royal Pier, Southampton, Hants (Southern Evening Echo) Billed as Edwin Starr & The Senate featuring Sol Byron
21 October 1966 – Sleaford Mabern Club, Sleaford, Lincolnshire (Grantham Journal) Billed as Edwin Starr & The Senate
21 October 1966 – Midnight City, Birmingham with Timebox, The Night People and Johnnie Neal (Birmingham Evening Mail) As this was the same evening and close to Leicester, it seems most likely this was The Noblemen but it could have been The Night People who were billed or The Senate as they played above gig on the same evening
21 October 1966 – Granby Halls, Leicester with The Ike & Tina Turner Revue with The Kings of Rhythm Band, Prince Albert, Jimmy Thomas, The Ikettes, Alvin Robinson and Family (Leicester Chronicle) Bryan Stevens, Mick Ketley and Martin Barre confirm this was definitely The Noblemen who switched to backing Alvin Robinson soon after
21 October 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, Liverpool Street, east London (Melody Maker) Possibly The Noblemen but could have been The Guests as Liverpool Street wasn’t far from their Dalston base or The Senate as they played earlier gig
22 October 1966 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with Rhythm and Soul (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday/Herts & Essex Observer) This was billed as Edwin Starr & The Senate
22 October 1966 – Reading University, Reading, Berkshire (Melody Maker) Alan Chamberlain says The Guests played with Edwin Starr for a week, so this is quite possibly them but also could have been The Senate who played with Starr at the Rhodes Centre above on the same night
23 October 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London (Melody Maker) Possibly The Guests
24 October 1966 – Scotch of St James, Mayfair, central London (London Life/Tatler) Possibly The Guests
24 October 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with Jeff Curtis & The Flames (Melody Maker) Possibly The Guests
28 October 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (Manchester Evening News) Judging by the gig below, this is most likely The Senate
29 October 1966 – Cavern, Liverpool with The Signs, The Times, The Fix, The B-Jays, The Prowlers and The Talismen (Liverpool Echo) This was Edwin Starr & The Senate
We’d be interest to hear from anyone who has any photos and/or concert advertisements. Please email: Warchive@aol.com
The original Just Four. Left to right: John Towell; Kenny Davis; Alan Chamberlain and Bernie Jory. Thanks to Alan Chamberlain
Alan Chamberlain – lead vocals
Bernie Jory – lead guitar
Colin Cookson – rhythm guitar
John Towell – bass
Hans Herbert – drums
This was as Dalston, north London band and also included two sax players, including one called Graham either before or after Herbert worked with them.
They were formerly known as The Just Four and featured a drummer called Kenny Davis. Herbert hailed from Ealing and had previously worked with The Flexmen. Before joining, he worked with The Rumours.
Herbert recalls how he came to take over from Kenny Davis: “I got a call which must have been from Alan Chamberlain,” he says. “They had a radio show to do in London in a studio on Tottenham Court Road or somewhere and they didn’t have a drummer. My name popped up somehow, probably through Jim Marshall’s shop. I did the session and they asked me to stay with them, which I did.”
In early 1966, Herbert says he did a studio session with The Animals when John Steel left but Barry Jenkins from The Nashville Teens got the job.
The Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette ran a story on The Guests in its 24 June 1966 issue, page 2. The newspaper notes that the group recorded two tracks at Decca Recording Studios in mid-June; a cover of Ray Davies “When I See That Girl of Mine” c/w “Solitude”. It says the single is due for release in late July/early August.
The paper says The Guests have already played at Tiles Club, Oxford Street, Wimbledon Palais, High Wycombe Town Hall, Leystonstone Baths and the Rambling Rose Club. It also says they practise at Southall Community Centre every Tuesday evening.
Herbert recalls that during his time with The Guests, the group backed Edwin Starr, and (possibly) Ben E King and The Drifters, including at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester (most likely 18 October 1966). He also says that his mother helped secure some of the gigs.
11 August 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Rick ‘N’ Beckers (Melody Maker)
24 September 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Fleur De Lys and C-Jam Blues Band (Melody Maker)
8 October 1966 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Robert Parker and Wynder K Frog (website: https://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/gigs-1966.htm) Alan Chamberlain remembers they appeared backing Robert Parker
15 October 1966 – 2 ‘B’s Club, Ashford, Kent with Bluesology (Kentish Express)
16 October 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post) Backed Edwin Starr for a week around this time
4 November 1966 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Graham Bond Organisation (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
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
16 August 1968 – Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon with The Emotions
17 August 1968 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
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
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 Antrix (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, Morecombe, Lancashire
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
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 (advertised in music press)
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 October 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.
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
24 July 1970 – Pavilion Ballroom, Bournemouth, Dorset with Tension
14 August 1970 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon
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.
Huge thanks to Peter Carney, John Culley, Dave Tedstone and Tony Hall for helping with line ups.
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
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
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 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
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, 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 – New Central Pier, Morecombe, Lancashire
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:
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 – Town Hall, Walsall, West Midlands
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
6 June 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hants
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
12 July 1968 – Locarno, 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 Footappers
26 July 1968 – Liverpool, Lancashire (no venue listed)
27 July 1968 – Prestatyn, Wales (no venue listed)
29 July 1968 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands
3 August 1968 – Market Hall, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
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, 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
Standing from top left: Pete Ross (guitar), John Carroll (organ), Dalek (security) & Kenny Power (sax). Kneeling, from left: Steve Horrell (road manager), Hans Herbert (drums) & Pete Carney (bass)July 4, 1964
Judging by an article (at right) in the Middlesex County Times and West Middlesex Gazette from 4 July 1964, The Flexmen came from the Ealing, Middlesex area. The line up comprised:
Pete Ross – guitar Pete Carney – bass Ken Power – sax Bob Sellars – sax Hans Herbert – drums
Peter Carney had started out playing rhythm guitar with Ealing band, The Krewsaders during 1962. Formed with his cousin, lead guitarist Micky Holmes, the pair added drummer John “Speedy” Keene, after coming across the young sticks man at a local youth club. Keene in turn introduced John McVie.
“Speedy said that he knew this guy who wanted to join a band and that his father would buy him a bass guitar and amp if he did,” recalls Carney on McVie’s addition to The Krewsaders.
Unfortunately, in early 1963, McVie left to join John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and his departure contributed to the group’s break up.
“John McVie lived near a guy named Cliff Barton who played with Cyril Davies and told John that John Mayall was looking for a bass player and got the gig,” remembers Carney.
With Micky Holmes and Speedy Keene forming rival Ealing band, The Second Thoughts, who became regulars at the Ealing Club, Peter Carney swapped to bass and formed a new band with lead guitarist Pete Ross, who knew and lived near The Krewsaders’ manager, Steve Horrell.
According to Keith Gardiner, rhythm guitarist with Jeff Curtis & The Flames, Pete Ross had worked with him and future Jimi Hendrix sticksman Mitch Mitchell in a rudimentary band at Tudor Rose Youth Club in Southall, Middlesex in late 1957.
As Ross recalls, his playing history did indeed go back to youth club groups in the late 1950s during which time he listened to a wide range of music – Segovia, Barney Kessel, Chet Atkins and Hank Marvin to name a few.
“I started on the ukulele and moved up to an acoustic guitar which I found in a second-hand shop – finally on to a Broadway guitar, which had a couple of pickups and a tremolo arm so I could do all those ‘Shadow-y’ things,” he says.
Thanks to an older sister who “chaperoned” him to Southall Community Centre every Sunday to catch top artists of the era like Gene Vincent, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Little Richard and Chuck Berry, Ross developed a broad taste in music although he says his main focus was on US artists such as Richard Barrett.
The lead guitarist knew Steve Horrell, who lived around the corner from him and also owned a red-pillar box early Ford Transit van, which would become The Flexmen’s mode of transport. It was Horrell who linked the two Peters up.
“Pete and I immediately hit it off and realised we both wanted to play the same kind of music with him heavily into Bob Dylan, Doris Troy, and loads of other ‘obscure’ artists whose music was enlightening,” says Carney.
“We were both in awe of Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and would go and watch them at Southall Community Centre whenever they played there so decided that this is what our band would be like.”
After scouring the local youth clubs, the pair came across sax player Kenny Power, who introduced his sax playing friend Bob Sellars. Drummer Hans Herbert completed the line up not long after. The drummer says he already knew Power through a mutual friend called “Podge”.
Herbert had first got into drumming after befriending Speedy Keene during The Krewsaders’ period. “One time after they had finished playing at a gig, he asked me if I would like to have a go on the drums,” says Herbert. “He said I was a natural and that there were plenty of bands out there looking for drummers.”
Herbert’s first band was The Raiders. After a very brief spell with another local group, The Saints, the drummer joined his first big band, The Rumours.
The band debuted at Elthorne Youth Club. According to the Middlesex County Times and West Middlesex Gazette, the band played at Ealing Town Hall on 11 September 1964 and 8 October 1964 (where The Second Thoughts, featuring Micky Holmes and Speedy Keene, also appeared on the bill).
The Flexmen also appeared at Victoria Hall, Ealing on 26 June 1964 and 24 November 1964 (sharing the bill with Jimmy Royal & The Hawks). Another gig from this period took place at Shackleton Hall in Southall on 4 December 1964. As Pete Ross points out, the band was frequently mentioned in the newspaper. “A close school friend of mine – Mike Ryder – was a journo on the Middlesex Times and gave us column inches on a regular basis.”
Sometime during this time, The Flexmen took part in a “Battle of the Bands” competition at Wimbledon Theatre where they came second. Not long after, however, Bob Sellars departed and the group recruited organ player John Carroll. “When John joined with his Vox Continental, we included songs by The Animals and other keyboard-y stuff,” remembers Ross. The band also recorded a series of demo tracks, including covers of “Fortune Teller”, “Poison Ivy” and “Reelin’ and Rockin’”.
However, around July 1965, new recruit Carroll answered an advert in New Musical Express, asking for an organist to join a band to tour Poland. The group, known as The London Beats, needed a bass player and Peter Carney passed the audition.
With Carroll and Carney out of the picture, The Flexmen splintered. Hans Herbert joined The Rumours and then The Just Four, who changed name to The Guests in 1966.
It’s not clear what Kenny Power did immediately after the band’s break up that summer. However, during late 1966 he reunited with Hans Herbert in another west London band called The All Night Workers.
After touring Poland for about three months, Peter Carney and John Carroll decided not to participate in a second tour. Carney next joined Tony Knight’s Chessmen in late 1965 but after a year he jumped ship to join Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band.
Carroll, meanwhile, worked with several other local bands before reuniting with Carney in The Chessmen. In early 1967, however, he joined Nick Simper, Mick Stewart and John Kerrison in a very short-lived version of The New Pirates (formed after Johnny Kidd’s death) and toured the UK.
Around May 1967, Carney reunited with Carroll once again and also Hans Herbert when he managed to recruit them into Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band. The reunion was short-lived, however, and both musicians were replaced before the decade was out.
Carney subsequently moved to Australia where he played with The Bullamakanka Bush Grass Band. He has since returned to the UK and currently plays with English folk band, Hawkie Chapman.
As for Pete Ross, in the summer of 1965, he signed up with a six-piece R&B band from West London called The Ray Martin Group, who were a regular fixture at the Ealing Club throughout 1965 and later at nearby Feathers. The band’s line up also included singer Ray Martin, sax player Terry Marshall (son of the famous Jim Marshall) and drummer Paul Atkinson.
Ross went on to work with a number of bands before starting up the worldwide company CP Cases along with a drummer friend who also worked in Jim Marshall’s shop in Hanwell. The Isleworth, Middlesex-based company designs and manufacturers hi-performance protective cases for transport, operation and storage of essential equipment.
Many thanks to Peter Carney, Hans Herbert and Pete Ross for helping to piece together the band’s story. Thank you Pete Ross for supplying the band photos.
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
