When Dexys Midnight Runners’ topped the UK charts in 1981 with their “Geno” tribute, a new generation of fans discovered American soul singer Geno Washington, who had fronted British R&B/soul outfit The Ram Jam Band from 1965-1970 and enjoyed moderate chart success.
Originally the brainchild of lead guitarist Pete Gage, who now lives in Australia, this period covers the original formation before Geno Washington restructured the group in April 1967.
I have tried to list all of the gig sources at the end of this article.
Geno Washington & Les Blues
24 October 1964 – Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames and The Limelighters
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band #1
(March 1965-July 1966)
Geno Washington – lead vocals
Pete Gage – lead guitar, vocals
Geoff Pullum (aka Jeff Wright) – organ, vocals
John Roberts – bass
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Herb Prestidge – drums
Guitarist Pete Gage (b. 31 August 1947, Lewisham) had been playing with Dalston, London group, The Zephyrs in late 1964, and had penned the A-side of their single, “She’s Lost You” (released in February 1965), when he ran into Geno Washington in Southend while moonlighting with R&B outfit, The Fairies.
At the time Geno Washington was fronted Les Blues, a band that he had formed in 1963 while working as a US airman, based at USAF Bentwaters, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. The group comprised pianist Koll Patterson, bass player Tony Coe, guitarist Morton Lewis and drummer Gerry Gillings.
Pete Gage had met Washington at USAF Bentwaters on several occasions over the past year and encouraged the American to become a professional singer.
Together with his school friend Jeff Wright (b. Geoffrey Keith Pullum, 8 March 1945, Irving, Scotland), Gage considered the option of “buying” Washington out of the US Armed Forces and then constructing a backing group around the singer.
In early 1965, Pullum introduced Nuneaton-born drummer Herb Prestidge and his friend, Coventry-born bass player John Roberts, who’d both previously worked with the keyboardist in Germany in Sonny Stewart & The Dynamos.
Prestidge had started out with Nuneaton band, The Barracudas around 1961 before playing with Max Hollyman & The Demons for two years, where he met John Roberts. They both met Geoff Pullum while playing with Sonny Stewart & The Dynamos in 1964.
After extensive auditions, Gage and Pullum recruited tenor sax player, Calcutta, India-born Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham and baritone sax player Buddy Beadle (b. 27 March 1947, Clapham, south London) to complete their Ram Jam Band, named after an old coaching inn at Stretton near Oakham on the A1 in Rutland.
The idea was to create a UK-based Stax-style soul outfit (with an African-American singer and a backing group like Booker T & The MGs with an added horn section) that British audiences could experience live.
Geno Washington, however, remained unavailable in early 1965, and so The Ram Jam Band tried out singer Kenny Bernard (whom Gage had previously recorded with) but he was more pop that soul. The musicians next tried singer Kenrick Des Etages (aka Ebony Keyes) whose vocals were a perfect match for the band. However, Keyes was more Caribbean than Stax-soul and so the musicians next performed three gigs with singer John Holder before linking with Jamaican singer Errol Dixon.
Together with Dixon, the band cut a lone single “Shake Shake Senora” c/w “Akinia”. Also, through the Jamaican’s contacts with Rik and John Gunnell and their Soho club, the Flamingo on Wardour Street, the musicians landed their first gigs at the prestigious venue around March 1965.
By this point, Geno Washington had demobbed from the US Armed Forces and was due to return to Indiana in the United States. Gage bought the singer a return ticket to the UK on condition that he would come back and replace Errol Dixon as front man.
In the meantime, Gage approached the Gunnell brothers with the proposition that Washington would take over from Dixon. When the American returned in mid-April, the group auditioned for the siblings and were immediately booked to play at the Flamingo.
The original line up was responsible for recording three singles – “Water” c/w “Understanding” (Piccadilly 7N 35312) in April 1966 (the group’s biggest hit, climbing to #39 in the UK charts); “Hi! Hi! Hazel” c/w “Beach Bash” (Piccadilly 7N 35329) in July 1966 (a UK #45 hit) and “Que Sera Sera” c/w “All I Need” (Piccadilly 7N 35346) in September 1966 (a UK #43 hit).
Two tracks also appeared on an EP, “Hi!” (Piccadilly NEP 34054) released in January 1967 and comprising the A-sides of the first two singles plus later recordings.
Selected gigs:
24 April 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Checkmates (first listing at Soho club)
25 April 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Herbie Goins & The Night Timers
4 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Shevells
8 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Tony Knight’s Chessmen
9 May 1965 – Riverside Club, Cricketers Hotel, Chertsey, Surrey
15 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames
16 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers
22 May 1965 – Witchdoctor Club, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
23 May 1965 – Royal Star Ballroom, Maidstone, Kent
28-29 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Soul Sisters and Brian Auger Trinity
30 May 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London
7 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds
11-12 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Doris Troy and Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds
13 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
15 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
18 June 1965 – Ricky Tick, Guildford Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey (David Else says they replaced Errol Dixon)
18 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Solomon Burke and The Mike Cotton Sound
19 June 1965 – Royal Star Ballroom, Maidstone, Kent with The Mark Leeman Five
19 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds
20 June 1965 – Witchdoctor Club, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
23 June 1965 – Le Disque A Go Go, Bournemouth, Dorset
25 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Herbie Goins & The Night Timers
27 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
3 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Herbie Goins & The Night Timers
4 July 1965 – ‘Rhapsody at Racks’, Guildford, Surrey with The Graham Bond Organisation and The Herd
6 July 1965 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London with Dedicated Men’s Jug Band
9 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Inez & Charlie Foxx and Tony Knight’s Chessmen
12 July 1965 – The Cavern, Liverpool with Richmond Group and Exit
16 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Inez & Charlie Foxx and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (billed without Geno)
18 July 1965 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London with Inez & Charlie Foxx (billed without Geno)
18 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Inez & Charlie Foxx (billed without Geno)
21 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (billed without Geno)
23 July 1965 – Ricky Tick, Guildford Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey
29 July 1965 – Ritz Club, Skewen, Wales with The Eyes of Blue and The Iveys
31 July 1965 – New Georgia, Uxbridge, west London
31 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Tony Colton & Big Boss Band
1 August 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London
1 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
6 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Byrds
7 August 1965 – Royal Star Ballroom, Maidstone, Kent
8 August 1965 – Witchdoctor Club, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
11 August 1965 – Manor House, north London
20 August 1965 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham
25 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers
26 August 1965 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
27 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Shevells
29 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
4 September 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds
5 September 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
8 September 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
10 September 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Lou Johnson
15 September 1965 – Manor House, north London
18 September 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Peddlers
19 September 1965 – Bromel Club, Bromley, southeast London (billed without Geno)
21 September 1965 – Gala Ballroom, Norwich, Norfolk
22 September 1965 – Manor House, north London
25 September 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Zoot Money Big Roll Band
30 September 1965 – Ritz Club, Skewen, Wales with Cops ‘N’ Robbers and The Kingpins
10 October 1965 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham
17 October 1965 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey
24 October 1965 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
28 October 1965 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
31 October 1965 – Ricky Tick, Plaza, Guildford, Surrey
4 November 1965 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
6 November 1965 – Zambesi Club, Hounslow, west London
8 November 1965 – Basingstoke Town Hall, Basingstoke, Hants
12 November 1965 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
18 November 1965 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
21 November 1965 – Sunshine Floor, Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with Beat Ltd
25 November 1965 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
26 November 1965 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle Upon Tyne
28 November 1965 – The Dungeon, Nottingham
29 November 1965 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London
2 December 1965 – Bird Cage, Eastney, Hants
12 December 1965 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (cancelled)
16 December 1965 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
18 December 1965 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
23 December 1965 – Ritz Club, Skewen, south Wales with The Eyes of Blue and The Iveys
29 December 1965 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hants with support
1966
6 January 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
8 January 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
9 January 1966 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with Little Mick’s Mode
13 January 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
15 January 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester with The Drifters
27 January 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
30 January 1966 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey
1 February 1966 – Bird Cage, Eastney, Hants
3 February 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
5 February 1966 – Mr McCoys, Middlesbrough
9 February 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
10 February 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
20 February 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
26 February 1966 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle Upon Tyne with The Downbeats
2 March 1966 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hants with The Emerlads
4 March 1966 – Bluesville, Ipswich, Suffolk
6 March 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham
12 March 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London with The Peter B’s
16 March 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
2 April 1966 – Bird Cage, Eastney, Hants
4 April 1966 – Dereham Tavern, Dereham, Norfolk with The Sullivan James Band
7 April 1966 – Ricky Tick, Harvest Moon, Guildford, Surrey with The Mark Barry 5
8 April 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Peter B’s and Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames
8 April 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
9 April 1966 – Assembly Hall, Barking, east London with Long John Baldry & The Steam Packet and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers
14 April 1966 – Mister McCoys, Middlesbrough
17 April 1966 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London
19 April 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
20 April 1966 – Target Paul’s Row, High Wycombe, Bucks
21 April 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Fleur De Lys
23 April 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire with The Vibrations and Jackie Williams & The Excitements
27 April 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
1 May 1966 – Bluesville, Ipswich, Suffolk
5 May 1966 – Ricky Tick, Southampton Guildhall, Hampshire
6 May 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
8 May 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hants
11 May 1966 – Tower Ballroom, (Great Yarmouth?) with Ye Highwaymen
16 May 1966 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey with support
17 May 1966 – Gala Ballroom, Norwich, Norfolk
21 May 1966 – Ricky Tick, Newbury Plaza, Berkshire (They may have played at Toft’s in Folkestone on this day)
22 May 1966 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey
29 May 1966 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent
29 May 1966 – Mister McCoys, Middlesbrough
30 May 1966 – Blues Festival, Quebec Park, East Dereham, Norfolk with Zoot Money & The Big Roll Band, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, The Sullivan James Band and Sounds Reformed
6 June 1966 – Beachcomber, Preston, Lancashire
7 June 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
15 June 1966 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire
16 June 1966 – The Beachcomber, Preston, Lancashire
20 June 1966 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey
21 June 1966 – Balliol Commem, Balliol College, Oxford University with The Kinks, The Fortunes, The Alan Price Set, Them, Caribbean All-Steer Band and Bunny Thompson
25 June 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
26 June 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham
27 June 1966 – The Hop, Woodhall Community Centre, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
28 June 1966 – Civic Hall, Grays, Essex
29 June 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
30 June 1966 – Club a Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear
1 July 1966 – Corn Exchange, Newbury, Berkshire
2 July 1966 – Marcam Hall, March, Cambridgeshire
3 July 1966 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London
5 July 1966 – Odeon Ballroom, Holywell Cross, Chesterfield
6 July 1966 – Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
7 July 1966 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey
8 July 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London and Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
9 July 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
10 July 1966 – Iron Curtain, St Mary’s Cray, southeast London
11 July 1966 – Court Youth Centre, South Ockendon
12 July 1966 – Bristol University, Bristol
14 July 1966 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire
15 July 1966 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Mark Barry Group
16 July 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with 5 Proud Walkers
17 July 1966 – Dereham Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Style
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band #2
(July 1966-August 1966)
Geno Washington – lead vocals
Peter Gage – lead guitar, vocals
Geoff Pullum (aka Jeff Wright) – organ, vocals
Rick Parsons – bass
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Herb Prestidge – drums
John Roberts (aka Robbo to the group) had contracted TB earlier in the year and had spent six months in a clinic in Warwick. During his absence, Gage asked his friend John Baldwin (aka John Paul Jones) to cover initially on condition that Roberts would regain his place when he was better.
Rick Parsons, who had previously played with The Noise, was announced as the new bass player in the music press on 16 July but did not stay long. He joined after seeing an advert in Melody Maker and had also been a member of The Pitmen from West London.
When Parsons’s replacement Peter Carney (see later entry) proved to be an excellent bass player, it became clear that John Roberts would not re-join and he went on to play with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds where he reunited with Herb Prestidge and Lionel Kingham.
Selected gigs:
18 July 1966 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey (billed as Ram Jam Band)
19 July 1966 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks
21 July 1966 – Ricky Tick, Stoke Hotel, Guildford, Surrey
22 July 1966 – Youth Centre, Stanford-Le-Hope, Essex
23 July 1966 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent
24 July 1966 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (billed as Ram Jam Band)
26 July 1966 – Civic Hall, Grays, Essex
25 July 1966 – Majestic Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire
26 July 1966 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
28 July 1966 – Ricky Tick, Harpenden Town Hall, Herts
29 July 1966 – Blues Festival, Windsor, Berkshire
30 July 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
31 July 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London
3 August 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
4 August 1966 – Ricky Tick, Bedford Corn Exchange, Bedford, Bedfordshire
5 August 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, west London
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band #3
(August 1966-February 1967)
Geno Washington – lead vocals
Peter Gage – lead guitar, vocals
Geoff Pullum (aka Jeff Wright) – organ, vocals
Peter Carney – bass, vocals
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
Herb Prestidge – drums
West Londoner Peter Carney had a long pedigree, having started out with Ealing band, The Krewsaders in 1962. After played with The Flexmen and touring Poland with The London Beats, he joined Tony Knight’s Chessmen in late 1965.
The new bass player remembers that his first outing with the band was a live radio session at BBC Radio 1 with Herman’s Hermits at the Playhouse Theatre in central London.
This line up was responsible for recording (albeit it with a studio bass player) a lone single, “Michael (The Lover)” backed by arguably the group’s best outing, the Pete Gage/Geno Washington co-write “(I Gotta) Hold On To My Love” (Piccadilly 7N 35359) in January 1967 (a UK #39 hit).
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band also cut two tracks – “Always” and Pete Gage’s “If I Knew”, which appeared on the EP “Hi!” (Piccadilly NEP 34054), also released in January 1967.
For the “If I Knew” session, Geno Washington learnt the song from a demo sung by Ebony Keyes (aka Kenrick Des Etages). Gage says that the group may have also cut “Never Like This Before” at the same session and that they definitely recorded two songs – “Tell It Like It Is” and “Girl I Want To Marry You”, which were held back and later released as a single (Piccadilly 7N 35403) during September 1967.
While producer John Schroeder preferred to use a session bass player for the studio sessions, Peter Carney did feature on the band’s live recordings and he appears on the debut LP Hand Clappin’, Foot Stompin’, Funky Butt…Live! recorded live at Pye’s Marble Arch Studios with an invited studio audience. The LP broke the UK Top 5 and stayed on the charts for 38 weeks.
Selected gigs:
6 August 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London with The Gass
7 August 1966 – Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, Dorset with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band, The Alan Price Set and The Train (Moon’s Train?)
8 August 1966 – The Hop, Woodhall Community Centre, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
12 August 1966 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle Upon Tyne
13 August 1966 – Elizabeth Club, Glasgow, Scotland
14 August 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hants. Beat Instrumental has the band in Scotland on this date
16 August 1966 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall
17 August 1966 – Falcon Hotel, Eltham, Kent
18 August 1966 – Ricky Tick, Stoke Hotel, Guildford, Surrey
19 August 1966 – Ricky Tick, Newbury Corn Exchange, Newbury, Berkshire
20 August 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester
21 August 1966 – Mojo Club, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
24 August 1966 – Carousel Club, Farnborough, Hants
25 August 1966 – Ricky Tick, Harpenden Town Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire
26 August 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London
26 August 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (needs confirmation)
27 August 1966 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire
28 August 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
29 August 1966 – ABC Promotions, Heacham Festival, Norfolk with The Birds, The Small Faces, The Herd, The Versions and The Breed
29 August 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (needs confirmation)
30 August 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
2 September 1966 – Il Rondo, Leicester
3 September 1966 – Sunshine Floor, Dereham Tavern, East Dereham, Norfolk
4 September 1966 – Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire
5 September 1966 – Majestic Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire
6 September 1966 – Civic Hall, Grays, Essex
7 September 1966 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London
8 September 1966 – Public Hall, Epping, Essex
9 September 1966 – Beat Festival, Scunthorpe United Football Ground, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, The Troggs, The Creation, The Mindbenders and The Fenmen
9 September 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Equals
25 September 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hants
27 September 1966 – Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
28 September 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
29 September 1966 – Public Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire
30 September 1966 – Ricky Tick, Newbury Corn Exchange, Newbury, Berkshire
1 October 1966 – Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex
2 October 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
5 October 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (Fabulous 208 says Bedford)
6 October 1966 – Dorothy Ballroom, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
7 October 1966 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex
7 October 1966 – Freshers Dance, Stratford Town Hall, Stratford, east London with Zoot Money and His Big Roll Band
8 October 1966 – Grantham Drill Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire with Broodly Hoo and Le-gay
9 October 1966 – Burlesque Club, Leicester
9 October 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, west London
10 October 1966 – Majestic Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire
12 October 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, London
13 October 1966 – Ricky Tick, Stoke Hotel, Guildford, Surrey
14 October 1966 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
16 October 1966 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London
17 October 1966 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey
18 October 1966 – Ricky Tick, Aylesbury Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks
18 October 1966 – Public Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire
20 October 1966 – Finsbury Park, north London with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
21 October 1966 – Odeon, Birmingham with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
22 October 1966 – Odeon, Leeds, West Yorkshire with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
23 October 1966 – Gaumont, Doncaster, South Yorkshire with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
25 October 1966 – Odeon, Manchester with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
26 October 1966 – Odeon, Liverpool with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
27 October 1966 – Gaumont, Sheffield, South Yorkshire with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
28 October 1966 – Colston Hall, Bristol with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
29 October 1966 – Odeon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
31 October 1966 – Gaumont, Southampton, Hants with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
1 November 1966 – Odeon, Bolton, Greater Manchester with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
2 November 1966 – ABC, Carlisle, Cumbria with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
3 November 1966 – Odeon, Glasgow, Scotland with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
4 November 1966 – Odeon, Newcastle upon Tyne with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
5 November 1966 – Gaumont, Hanley, Staffordshire with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
6 November 1966 – Odeon, Leicester with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Eyes of Blue
10 November 1966 – New Yorker Discotheque, Swindon, Wiltshire
11 November 1966 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire
12 November 1966 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent
13 November 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, west London
18 November 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London
22 November 1966 – Ricky Tick, Bedford Corn Exchange, Bedford, Bedfordshire
23 November 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hants
24 November 1966 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Herts with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Mood Indigo
25 November 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
26 November 1966 – Personal appearance by the band at Record Wise, Windsor, Berkshire
26 November 1966 – College of Technology, Loughborough
26-27 November 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
30 November 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
1 December 1966 – Links International Club, Maxwell Park Youth Centre, Borehamwood, Herts (Simon Gee research)
2 December 1966 – Clouds, Derby with Cassie, Sandy & Sindy and The Makin’ Sounds
4 December 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
6 December 1966 – College of Technology, Headington, Oxfordshire
7 December 1966 – ABC Promotions, Public Hall, Heacham, Norfolk with The Versions
8 December 1966 – Club A-Go-Go, Newcastle Upon Tyne
9 December 1966 – Durham University, Durham with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds (also billed to play Chelmsford this day)
9 December 1966 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with The Mooch
10 December 1966 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire
12 December 1966 – Majestic Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire
13 December 1966 – Top Rank, Watford, Hertfordshire
14 December 1966 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hants
15 December 1966 – Reading University, Reading, Berkshire with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band
16 December 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London
17 December 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London
18 December 1966 – Saville Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, central London with Creation and Sounds Incorporated
20 December 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
21 December 1966 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks
22 December 1966 – Ricky Tick, Guildhall, Southampton, Hants with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds
23 December 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
24 December 1966 – Ricky Tick, Newbury Plaza, Berkshire
26 December 1966 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Summer Set and The Eyes of Blonde
30 December 1966 – Ricky Rick, Windsor, Berkshire
30 December 1966 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, north London with Cream and The Alan Bown Set
31 December 1966 – Glenlyn Ballroom, Forest Hill, southeast London
1 January 1967 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset
2 January 1967 – Bluesville, Ipswich, Suffolk
3 January 1967 – Ricky Tick, Bedford, Bedfordshire
4 January 1967 – Club Cedar, Birmingham
6 January 1967 – Bluesville ’67, Manor House, north London
7 January 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
14 January 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Symbols, The Nightbeats, Ray Bones and Frank & Keith
17 January 1967 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire
19 January 1967 – Bird Cage, Eastney, Hants
20 January 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Force Four
21 January 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester
24 January 1967 – Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales
25 January 1967 – Ricky Tick, Newbury, Berks (also have Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks today)
26 January 1967 – Ricky Tick, Guildhall, Southampton, Hants
27 January 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
28 January 1967 – Gaeity, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire
29 January 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London
3 February 1967 – Leicester University, Leicester
4 February 1967 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
5 February 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London
5 February 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
6 February 1967 – St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, Norfolk
7 February 1967 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks
10 February 1967 – Dancing Slipper, Nottingham
10 February 1967 – Orford Cellar, Norwich, Norfolk
11 February 1967 – Ricky Tick, Thames Hotel, Windsor, Berkshire
12 February 1967 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London
14 February 1967 – Ritz Ballroom, Bournemouth, Dorset with The Living Trust
16 February 1967 – Ricky Tick, Newbury Plaza, Berkshire
17 February 1967 – Crystal Bowl Ballroom, Castleford, West Yorkshire with Root & Jenny Jackson & The High Timers and The Screen
17 February 1967 – Boulevard, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire with Ellisons Hog Line and The Screen
18 February 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester
19 February 1967 – Clouds, Derby, Derbyshire
20 February 1967 – New Cellar Club, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
23 February 1967 – New Yorker Discotheque, Swindon, Wiltshire
24 February 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
25 February 1967 – University College, Gower Street, central London
26 February 1967 – Dereham Tavern, Dereham, Norfolk with The Rubber Band
1 March 1967 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
3 March 1967 – Bluesville ’67, Manor House, north London
4 March 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London
5 March 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band #4
(March 1967-April 1967)
Geno Washington – lead vocals
Peter Gage – lead guitar, vocals
Geoff Pullum (aka Jeff Wright) – organ, vocals
Peter Carney – bass, vocals
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Clive Burrows – baritone saxophone
Herb Prestidge – drums
Pete Gage had been looking to improve the band and had started discussions with Eddie Thornton from Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames about getting a really punchy brass section together. He also planned to use Clive Burrows from The Alan Price Set to arrange the songs instead of writing all of the arrangements himself.
Unhappy about the current situation, Buddy Beadle left to join The Amboy Dukes but would return in June 1968.
Clive Burrows (b. 14 July 1939; d. 7 January 2005), who’d started out with The Wes Minister Five, and had gone to work with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band before joining The Alan Price Set in 1965, came on-board after a show at Klooks Kleek on 7 March.
The new line up started to cut some live recordings, which appeared on the band’s second LP, Hipsters, Flipsters, Finger-Poppin’ Daddies! (Piccadilly NPL/NSPL 38032). Released in September 1967, the album also featured live tracks by the next version of The Ram Jam Band, and peaked at #8 on the UK charts.
Selected gigs:
9 March 1967 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
10 March 1967 – Albany Institute, Deptford, Kent with The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and The Lee Hawkins Group
10 March 1967 – Goldsmith College, New Cross, south east London
11 March 1967 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent
11 March 1967 – ‘Beat Club’ German TV with The Smoke, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who and Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers. This must have been recorded earlier than this date
12 March 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London
14 March 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
The Hillingdon Mirror ran a pull out spread with photos in its 14 March 1967 issue
16 March 1967 – Community Centre, Southall, west London
16 March 1967 – Ealing Tech at Seymour Hall, Marble Arch, central London
17 March 1967 – Ricky Tick, Newbury, Berks
21 March 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London
21 March 1967 – Goldsmiths College, New Cross, southeast London with The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and The Drovers (possibly the Tuesday evening)
22 March 1967 – Bromel Club, Downham, southeast London
23 March 1967 – Sutton Baths, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
23 March 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex and The Coletrane Union
24 March 1967 – Night Owl, Leicestershire
25 March 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex
26 March 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
27 March 1967 – Baths Hall, Ipswich, Suffolk
28 March 1967 – The Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Amboy Dukes
31 March 1967 – Gaeity Ballroom, Grimsby
1 April 1967 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with Waygood Ellis Zone
3 April 1967 – Majestic Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire (According to Reading Evening Post, this was cancelled as Geno collapsed on stage at the Dreamland)
5 April 1967 – Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire
6 April 1967 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle Upon Tyne
7 April 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Stacey’s Circle
8 April 1967 – Bird Cage, Eastney, Hants
11 April 1967 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (billed to be in Paris this same day)
11 April 1967 – Paris Olympia, Paris, France with The Rolling Stones, The Move and The Clan
13 April 1967 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire
14 April 1967 – Brighton Arts Festival, Brighton, West Sussex with Paul Jones, The Move, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Mike Stuart Span and others
15 April 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
16 April 1967 – Daily Express Record Star Show, Empire Pool, Wembley, west London with Cream, The Move, The Alan Price Set, The Kinks, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, The Troggs, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and many others
Unhappy about the way the Gunnell brothers were treating the band, Pete Gage challenged the group’s management.
Rik Gunnell took Geno Washington to Paris (most likely on the weekend of 15-16 April) where he encouraged the singer to recruit new musicians to replace the guitarist, Geoff Pullum and Herb Prestidge.
The 16 April gig was most likely Gage, Pullum and Prestidge’s final show (although Disc & Music Echo’s 22 April issue does talk about the band being in France and Georgie Fame coming out to watch).
Gage and Pullum saw a lawyer to see how they could keep The Ram Jam Band name that they had created. However, they soon realised that they could not afford legal representation, especially one that could hope to match the Gunnells’ financial clout.
Herb Prestidge reunited with John Roberts in Jimmy James & The Vagabonds. Geoff Pullum moved into academia and is currently professor of general linguistics and head of linguistics and English language at Edinburgh University.
Pete Gage did production work (including Joe E Young & The Tonicks) initially before playing with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds in 1969. The following year, he formed and ran Dada and then formed and ran Vinegar Joe, recording with both acts.
After doing sessions for artists as diverse as Joan Armatrading, Elkie Brooks and Keef Hartley, he put another version of The Ram Jam Band together in the 1980s before moving into production. He currently resides in Australia.
Sources:
South East London Mercury, Bucks Free Press, Eastern Evening News, Evening Star (Ipswich), Guildford Advertiser, Hayes Gazette, Kent Messenger, Melody Maker, NME, Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Nottingham Evening Post, Dave Allen (Bird Cage gigs), Spencer Leigh (The Cavern, Liverpool), Fabulous 208, Wood Green and Southgate Weekly Herald, Lincolnshire Standard, Essex Chronicle, Crawley Advertiser and Newham, West Ham & East Ham, Barking and Stratford Express, Lynn News, Windsor, Slough & Eton Express.
Huge thanks to Pete Gage, Geoff Pullum, Peter Carney and Tony Coe for helping with the band history. Thanks to Buddy Beadle for the amazing photos.
These websites were also useful for gig info:
www.rockpopmem.com
www.swindonmusicscene.co.uk
www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/
http://manchestersoul.co.uk/TWheel/1966.html
http://dizzytigerstu.proboards.com/thread/880/witch-doctor-1964-1967
http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/
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
This is a much updated version of the original article which appeared on Strange Brew. Thank you so much Jason for first publishing the article on your site.
