Tag Archives: Loose Ends

The Warren Davis Monday Band

February 11, 2018 Nick Warburton 24 Comments

The original Warren Davis Monday Band from early 1967. Photo: Bruce Usherwood

Formed from the ashes of Croydon R&B outfit, The Boardwalkers, who’d recorded two tracks on a private pressing demo single – “A Miracle” and “Any Man’s Girl” (two versions), the original Warren Davis Monday Band came together in January 1967.

Warren Davis – (aka Max Spinks) – lead vocals

Rob Walker – lead guitar/vocals

Andy Wilson – Hammond organ

Bruce Usherwood – bass/vocals

Paul Houlton – tenor saxophone

Martin Grice – tenor saxophone

Peter Mole – drums

The Boardwalkers in Croydon, March 1966. Clockwise from top left: Bruce Usherwood, Jon White, Rob Walker, Peter Mole, Warren Davis (aka Max Spinks) and Martin Grice. Photo: Bruce Usherwood

This formation cuts the band’s debut single – Bill Wyman and Peter Gosling’s “Wait For Me” c/w Warren Davis’ “I Don’t Wanna Hurt You” (Columbia BD 8190). Usherwood knew Wyman and Gosling, who was working with Moon’s Train.

7 January 1967 – Southwark Pop Scene, Newington Public Hall, Walworth Road, south London with Manfred Mann and Dave Cash (South East London Mercury)

20 January 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

22 January 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

29 January 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

4 February 1967 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Bobcats

5 February 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

10 February 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with The Rockin’ Berries

11 February 1967 – Manhole, Redhill, Surrey

12 February 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, central Soho, London

18 February 1967 – 2 ‘B’s Club, Ashford, Kent with support (Kentish Express)

23 February 1967 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with Ty-Burns (Aldershot News)

25 February 1967 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Shame (Aldershot News)

5 March 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

11 March 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

12 March 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

19 March 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

26 March 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

1 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Dave Berries & The Cruisers

2 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

8 April 1967 – Booker T & The MGs rave about them in Melody Maker

9 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

15 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

16 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

17 April 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Herd

22-23 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London (Newham, West Ham & East Ham, Barking and Stratford Express)

27 April 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

28 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Jeff Beck Group

29-30 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

4 May 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

6-7 May 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

13 May 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Terry Reid with Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers

Around this time, the band was joined briefly by Welshman, guitarist Dave Edmunds, who took over from Rob Walker. Melody Maker‘s 13 May issue, page 14, includes an advert for the group looking for a new singer and guitarist.

Edmunds who would soon move on to join the band that became Love Sculpture later became a successful solo artist. Walker briefly returned to the group after Edmunds had played only a handful of gigs.

14 May 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

16 May 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

21 May 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

25 May 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

27 May 1967 – Roaring 20s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London

28 May 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Sookie Dolls

4 June 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

5 June 1967 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Edwin Starr and Band of Joy

6 June 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham with Edwin Starr

8 June 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Edwin Starr gig but most likely The Warren Davis Monday Band as backing group)

9 June 1967 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham with Edwin Starr

9 June 1967 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham with Edwin Starr

10 June 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Manfred Mann, Edwin Starr, The Darlings and Ray Bones

11 June 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

12 June 1967 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey with Edwin Starr

18 June 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

25 June 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

2 July 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Moons Train and The Trap

8 July 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with The Small Faces

9 July 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

Rob Walker left permanently around now. Further changes took place soon after when Andy Wilson and Paul Houlton also departed, the latter to join Moon’s Train.

L-R: Bruce Usherwood, Mick Patel, David Foster, Del Paramor, Martin Grice, Peter Mole and Warren Davis (aka Max Spinks). Photo: Bruce Usherwood

A new line-up comprised:

Warren Davis – lead vocals

David Foster – keyboards (came over from Vancouver with The Canadian Strangers)

Mick Patel – lead guitar/saxophone/vocals (ex-Loose Ends)

Martin Grice – tenor saxophone

Bruce Usherwood – bass/vocals

Peter Mole – drums

While the band was rehearsing at Billy Walker’s Upper Cut, they auditioned tenor saxophone Derek “Del” Paramor, who joined from Vince Edwards’ group. Until May 1967, he’d worked with David Essex & The Mood Indigo.

15 July 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Wynder K Frog (new line up’s debut)

16 July 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

22 July 1967 – Central R&B Club, Gillingham, Kent with Derrick Dee Soul Show

23 July 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

23 July 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (late nighter)

29 July 1967 – Leeds International Club, Leeds, West Yorkshire

30 July 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London

2 August 1967 – The current formation cuts two tracks at Regent Sound studios with Jeff Collins producing. The recordings are featured on their second single – a cover of the Raleigh/Linden co-write (and recorded by Lou Rawls) “Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing” c/w Warren Davis and David Foster’s “Without Fear” (Columbia BD 8270).

4 August 1967 – Roaring ‘20s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London

6 August 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Eric Burdon & The Animals

6 August 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

Soon after, the band headed to Naples, Italy to play at the NATO base from 9-16 August. The trip was a disaster as the club on the base didn’t know anything about the booking and the group only played a few times so they could afford to return to London.

19 August 1967 – Roaring ‘20s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London

26 August 1967 – Nautilus Club, Lowestoft, Suffolk

27 August 1967 – Cat-Balou, Grantham, Lincolnshire (Grantham Journal) This isn’t in Del Paramor’s gig list so was probably cancelled

28 August 1967 – Roaring ‘20s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London

28 August 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, central London

Left to right: Martin Grice, Del Paramor, Warren Davis, Peter Mole, David Foster, Bruce Usherwood and Mick Patel. Photo: Bruce Usherwood

Following the double-nighter in Soho, David Foster, Mick Patel and Bruce Usherwood all departed. Usherwood subsequently joined Patrick Dane & The Front Line Band. Foster returned to Canada where he became a successful solo artist and producer.

The band regrouped, adding two former members of The Overlanders, lead guitarist Paul Brett and bass player Paul Petts. They also brought in keyboard player Keith Beck (real name: Burberry).

Clockwise top left: Keith Beck, Del Paramor, Paul Brett (hat), Peter Mole, Martin Grice, Warren Davis and Paul Petts. Photo: Paul Brett

The line-up now comprised:

Warren Davis – lead vocals

Paul Brett – lead guitar/vocals

Keith Beck – Hammond organ

Martin Grice – tenor saxophone

Del Paramor – tenor saxophone

Paul Petts – bass

Peter Mole – drums

8 September 1967 – Harrow Inn, Woolwich, southeast London

9 September 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London

17 September 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street Soho, central London

22 September 1967 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London

22 September 1967 – Pink Flamingo, Soho, central London with Lloyd Alexander’s Blues Band

23 September 1967 – Luton Boys Club, Luton, Bedfordshire

29 September 1967 – Elm Hotel, Leigh on Sea, Essex

30 September 1967 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset

1 October 1967 – Lyme Regis, Dorset (possibly Marine Theatre)

4 October 1967 – Flamingo, Soho, central London

6 October 1967 – Cesar’s Club, Bedford, Bedfordshire with The Locomotion

7 October 1967 – Croydon Tech, Croydon, south London

10 October 1967 – Staircase, Soho, central London (opening night of club with Cat Stevens as guest of honour, who wasn’t performing)

13 October 1967 – Beachcomber (Dunstable, Bedfordshire?)

14 October 1967 – Royal Lido, Prestatyn, Wales with The Raynes (Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette)

16 October 1967 – Birdcage, Harlow, Essex

20 October 1967 – Silver Blades, Streatham, southwest London

21 October 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London

21 October 1967 – Roaring ‘20s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London

28 October 1967 – Assembly Rooms, Oxford Town Hall, Oxford, Oxfordshire

31 October 1967 – Beachcomber, Dunstable, Bedfordshire

4 November 1967 – On this day, the Daily Sketch “Monkees” article appeared, only to be denied later in Variety

The band in late 1967. Photo: Paul Brett

4 November 1967 – Reading University, Reading, Berkshire

8 November 1967 – The band records Paul Petts’ “What’s It Like Down There?” at Tony Pike Music Ltd studios in Putney.

9 November 1967 – The musicians record Paul Brett and Paul Petts’ “Queen Victoria” at Tony Pike Music Ltd studios in Putney. Both tracks are shelved.

10 November 1967 – Staircase, Soho, central London

11 November 1967 – Corby Civic Centre, Corby, Northamptonshire with The Blue Magnum

14 November 1967 – Dollar Disco, Slough, Berkshire

15 November 1967 – Industrial Club, Norwich, Norfolk (Eastern Evening News) Missing from Del Paramor’s gigs so may have been cancelled

16 November 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, central London (with either The Syn or Love Affair)

17 November 1967 – Queen’s Hall, Leeds, West Yorkshire with Pink Floyd, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Ivan’s Jaguars, The JB’s, The Peighton Checks, Roger Bloom’s Hammer, The Roll Movement, The Screen and The Syndicate (Yorkshire Evening Post)

18 November 1967 – St Paul’s College, Shaftesbury Hall, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

22 November 1967 – Dundee University, Dundee, Scotland

23 November 1967 – String O’ Beads, Bradford, West Yorkshire (Yorkshire Evening Post)

25 November 1967 – Castle Ballroom, Ryde, Isle of Wight

28 November 1967 – Racing Drivers Ball, Savoy Hotel, Strand, London

1 December 1967 – North West Polytechnic, Royal Hotel, Woburn Place, London with Denny Laine’s Electric String Band and Fleetwood Mac

2 December 1967 – Witham (possibly Public Hall), Essex

3-4 December 1967 – String O’Beads, Bradford, West Yorkshire

5 December 1967 – Bradford University, Bradford, West Yorkshire with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

8 December 1967 – Shooters Hill Grammar School, Shooters Hill, SE10, near Greenwich, London

9 December 1967 – Witchdoctor, Catford, southeast London

10 December 1967 – RAF Witton, Kidderminster, Worcestershire (held at Frank Freeman’s)

15 December 1967 – Winter Gardens, Penzance, Cornwall

Photo: Richard Goddard. Bearing in mind the Cornish gig below, this booking seems unlikely and is not in Del Paramor’s gig list

16 December 1967 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with The Future Impression (billed as Dave Warren Monday Band)

18-20 December 1967 – Horseshoe Club, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester

22 December 1967 – Jason’s Club, Barnstaple, Devon

23 December 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with Friction

24 December 1967 – Corn Exchange, Maidstone, Kent

29 December 1967 – Pantiles, Bagshot, Surrey

30 December 1967 – Luton Boys Club, Luton, Bedfordshire

31 December 1967 – Blaises, Kensington, west London

Paul Brett left early in the new year. He joined Tintern Abbey and later led his own group, Paul Brett’s Sage after playing with Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, Velvet Opera and Fire. Tony Ollard joined after working with The Creation (he’d replaced Eddie Phillips).

The new line up now comprised:

Warren Davis – lead vocals

Tony Ollard – lead guitar

Keith Beck – Hammond organ

Martin Grice – tenor saxophone

Del Paramor – tenor saxophone

Paul Petts – bass

Peter Mole – drums

4 January 1968 – Warwick Hall, Kimpton Road, southeast London

5 January 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London

6 January 1968 – Shades, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

6 January 1968 – String of Beads, Bradford, West Yorkshire

7-8 January 1968 – Hatchetts, Piccadilly, central London

9 January 1968 – Carousel Club, Farnborough, Hampshire

9 January 1968 – Sybillas, Swallow Street, central London

11 January 1968 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

13 January 1968 – College of Technology, Brighton, West Sussex

16 January 1968 – The new line up returns to Tony Pike’s Putney studio and record another Paul Petts song, “Thinkin’ About Tomorrow” and Warren Davis’ “Frances”. Both tracks are shelved.

17 January 1968 – Church Hall, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire

18 January 1968 – Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset (Western Gazette)

19 January 1968 – Bristol, Avon (gig was cancelled)

20 January 1968 – YMCA, Gloucester, Gloucestershire with Here, There & Everywhere

25 January 1968 – Audition for BBC, central London

27 January 1968 – White Tiles, Swindon, Wiltshire

30 January 1968 – The Blue, Rotherhithe, southeast London

Clockwise from top left: Peter Mole, Martin Grice, Warren Davis, Paul Brett, Del Paramor, Paul Petts and Keith Beck. Photo: Paul Brett

1 February 1968 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

3 February 1968 – RAF Waddington, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

4-5 February 1968 – Leofric Hotel, Coventry, West Midlands (also gig at Mercer’s Arms, Coventry on 5 February)

9 February 1968 – Big C, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News) Missing from Del Paramor’s gig list so may have been cancelled

10 February 1968 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex with The Block

13-28 February 1968 – Hotel Pino, Turin, Italy

1-17 March 1968 – Blow Up Club, Munich, West Germany

With the German dates completed, Martin Grice and Keith Beck returned to Turin and joined The Patrick Sansom Set.

Back in the UK in March 1968, the remaining members rehearsed new baritone sax player Roger Davis and debuted at Klooks Kleek in West Hampstead on 21 March 1968.

18 March 1968 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts (billed as Warren Davis The Monday Band) This gig was billed but did not happen

21 March 1968 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (new line-up’s debut)

28 March 1968 – Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset with Emotion (Western Gazette) Del Paramor says that this gig was cancelled

However, there was a split in the band’s ranks at this point with Warren Davis, Del Paramor and Roger Davis linking up with the group Still Life to form a new version of The Warren Davis Monday Band. Tony Ollard, Paul Petts and Pete Mole split to work on other projects. Ollard (see comments) moved to Italy.

Davis, Paramor and Davis had seen Still Life at the Marquee on 25 March 1968 and were impressed.

The new formation comprised:

Warren Davis – lead vocals

Stuart Cowell – guitar/lead vocals

Tom Tierney – guitar

Con Byrne – bass

Ron Reynolds – Hammond organ

Del Paramor – tenor saxophone

Roger Davis – baritone saxophone

Jim Toomey – drums

The new line-up recorded the track “No 9 Putney Bus” for what they hoped would be a TV series.

30 March 1968 – Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

31 March 1968 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

3 April 1968 – Blaises, Kensington, west London

5 April 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Barnstaple, Devon

6 April 1968 – Tardebigge, Redditch, Worcestershire (venue unknown)

19 April 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Del Paramor says David Essex turned up to see him at the gig which was a disaster)

20 April 1968 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex (billed as Still Life)

24 April 1968 – Blaises, Kensington, west London

26 April-2 May 1968 – Rose Club, Hannover, West Germany

4 May 1968 – Tofts, Folkestone, Kent

7 May 1968 – Concorde, Southampton, Hampshire (Del Paramor and Roger Davis told they were sacked)

9 May 1968 – Quay Club, Exeter, Devon

10 May 1968 – Scottish Club Discotheque, Torquay, Devon (Herald Express)

11 May 1968 – Cirencester, Gloucestershire (possibly Stax Club)

14 May 1968 – Sybillas, Swallow Street, central London

15 May 1968 – Hampstead Country Club, north London

Del Paramor and Roger Davis left after this gig. Paramor joined Mr Mo’s Messengers, who morphed into Sonority, where he worked with Peter Mole.

20 May 1968 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with Fish-Hook (billed as Warren Davis Band)

21 May 1968 – New Pink Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

23 May 1968 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

26 May 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)

28 May 1968 – New Pink Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

29 May 1968 – Hampstead Country Club, north London

1 June 1968 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with C G Morris and The Reactions

3 June 1968 – Whisky A Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London

Guitarist Tom Tierney left around now. Warren Davis and Con Byrne wrote “The Painter”, which Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera record.

Two other tracks credited to Byrne-Davis: “Fire Fly” and “Deed I Do” were cut as acetates.

At some point, possibly with this final formation, the band cut two tracks at IBC Sound Recording Studios in Portland Place: “Nothing Is Sweeter Than Lovin’ You” and “Muddy Water”.

15 June 1968 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex

29-30 June 1968 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with The Vigilantes (Saturday) and The Provokers (Sunday)

By mid-July 1968 the band’s line-up comprised:

Warren Davis – lead vocals

Stuart Cowell – lead guitar/vocals

Ron Reynolds – Hammond organ

Con Byrne – bass

Jim Toomey – drums

Judging by a gig in Switzerland in mid-September (see comments), the band may have played some European dates around this time.

One of the band’s final gigs on 19 September 1968

19 September 1968 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London

The musicians, however, went their separate ways by late September 1968. Cowell and Toomey would form a new band with Jerome Arnold from Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band and later put together Titus Groan.

Warren Davis (see comments) audition for The Foundations but was not successful. In 1971 he co-wrote both sides of a single with Byrne for the band Mighty Dodos, which was released on Spark.

Huge thanks to Del Paramor for the gigs listings from July 1967-May 1968. Thanks to Del, Bruce Usherwood, Paul Brett and Stuart Cowell for details. Melody Maker also provided gigs for the Upper Cut, Forest Gate, London. I also used a number of regional newspapers for gigs. I will be writing a more detailed article on the band and would welcome hearing from other former members.

Categories: England, London

The Attack 1966-1968

February 10, 2018 Nick Warburton 4 Comments

Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.

I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com

Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.

THE ATTACK:

Singer Richard Shirman and bass player Gerry Henderson were working in Earl’s Court-based group, The Soul System with guitarist Bob Taylor and keyboard player Dennis Hooker.

Guitarist David O’List who was working with The Richard Henry Sensation met Henderson at a supermarket in Earl’s Court and was invited to a Soul System rehearsal around early November 1966.

After joining The Soul System, O’List says he changed the name to The Attack, composed some new songs, changed the band’s set list and landed the group a record and agency contract.

Disc & Music Echo’s 12 November issue mentions Richard Shirman and The Attack so they had changed name by this point.

16 December 1966 – Hammersmith College, Hammersmith (Melody Maker)

According to Martyn Hanson’s excellent book Hang on to a Dream: The Story of the Nice, Dennis Hooker had to leave to take his finals. Also, Bob Taylor left during this month to join The Downliners Sect.

The remaining trio recruited two musicians who had advertised in Melody Maker. Drummer Alan Whitehead had previously worked with Crispian St Peter and then The Loose Ends but left in September 1966 to work briefly with Epitaph Soul Band and The Cops ‘n’ Robbers.

Hammond organist Bob Hodges was with Walthamstow-based soul band, The New Jump Band and played his final gig with them on 16 December 1966.

Left to right: Richard Shirman, Bob Hodges, David O’List (front), Gerry Henderson and Alan Whitehead

Richard Shirman – lead vocals

David O’List – lead guitar

Bob Hodges – Hammond organ

Gerry Henderson – bass

Alan Whitehead – drums

In late December, The Attack recorded their debut single “Try It” c/w “We Don’t Know”, which was released on 27 January 1967. Whitehead, who had appeared in early promotional photos, had already secured a job with Marmalade and departed before any gigs were played.

Richard Shirman, Bob Hodges, Alan Whitehead, Gerry Henderson and David O’List

The Attack recruited a couple of drummers to fulfill live dates, starting with former Mark Leeman Five and The Habits member Brian Davison, who would reunite with David O’List in The Nice in August 1967. In the interim, he’d briefly work with Don Shinn’s band, Shinn and The Mike Cotton Sound.

7 January 1967 – Club Carnaby, Loughbourgh, Leicestershire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

14 January 1967 – Victoria Ballroom, Chesterfield, Derbyshire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

15 January 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Bob Hodges’ diary) Richard Shirman’s recollections confirm Davison was on drums for this gig

16 January 1967 – Hearbeat Club, Silver Blades Ice Rink, Birmingham, West Midlands (Bob Hodges’ diary/Birmingham Evening Mail)

21 January 1967 – Alexandra Hotel, Lancaster, Lancashire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

22 January 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Burnley, Lancashire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

28 January 1967 – Pink Elephant Club, Aspull, Wigan, Greater Manchester (Bob Hodges’ diary)

28 January 1967 – Room at the Top, Wigan, Greater Manchester (all nighter) (Bob Hodges’ diary)

29 January 1967 – Casino Club, Wigan, Greater Manchester (Bob Hodges’ diary)

The original band pictured for Decca’s publicity with Alan Whitehead far left

3 February 1967 – PA at Witchdoctor Club, Catford, London (for Radio London) (Bob Hodges’ diary)

4 February 1967 – PA at Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, London with Tuesday’s Children (for Radio London) (Bob Hodges’ diary/Fabulous 208)

Around this time, Peter “Barney” Barnfield joined as full-time drummer. The new line-up was responsible for the band’s second single, “Hi Ho Silver Lining” c/w “Anymore Than I Do”, issued on 3 March 1967.

10 February 1967 – Alexandra Hotel, Lancaster, Lancashire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

11 February 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

12 February 1967 – Peppermint Lounge, Liverpool (Bob Hodges’ diary)

13 February 1967 – Civic Call, Carnforth, Lancashire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

14 February 1967 – Majestic Ballroom, Darlington, County Durham (Bob Hodges’ diary)

16 February 1967 – Top Rank Suite, Hanley, Staffordshire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

18 February 1967 – The Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands with The Moody Blues and The Traction (Birmingham Evening Mail)

18 February 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Oldhill, West Midlands (Bob Hodges’ diary)

19 February 1967 – George and Dragon, Tonbridge, Kent (Bob Hodges’ diary)

21 February 1967 – Lotus Ballroom, Forest Gate, London (Bob Hodges’ diary)

25 February 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Lancashire Evening Post/Bob Hodges’ diary)

The second line-up with Peter “Barney” Barnfield (centre)

3 March 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (Bob Hodges’ diary)

3 March 1967 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands (Bob Hodges’ diary)

4 March 1967 – Neeld Hall, Chippenham, Wiltshire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

10 March 1967 – Iron Curtain Club, St Mary’s Cray, near Orpington, London (Bob Hodges’ diary)

16 March 1967 – Ritz Club, Skewen, south Wales with The Alan Bown Set, The Eyes of Blue and Tony Rivers & The Castaways (South Wales Evening Post/Bob Hodges’ diary)

17 March 1967 – St Benedict’s Club, Sketty, Swansea, south Wales with The King Bees (South Wales Evening Post/Bob Hodges’ diary)

18 March 1967 – Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Dorset (Bob Hodges’ diary)

Richard Shirman left after the Lyme Regis gig on 18 March and the remaining quartet carried on until the 22 April gig in the West Midlands. In the meantime, Shirman put together a new Attack line-up behind the scenes.

Bob Hodges remembers the current version took on a singer with a name like G D’Amati, who fronted the band on the next three shows

25 March 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

31 March 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Sale, Greater Manchester with The Smoke (Bob Hodges’ diary/Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)

8 April 1967 – East Ham Technical College, East Ham, London (Bob Hodges’ diary)

Bob Hodges remembers that for the final three dates, the lead singer was Pete Hodges (no relation), a singer from Birmingham who had previously worked with Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation (and possibly the final version of The Mark Leeman Five).

15 April 1967 – Nottingham College of Further Education, Clifton, Notts (Bob Hodges’ diary)

20 April 1967 – James Finnegan Hall, Redcar, North Yorkshire (Bob Hodges’ diary)

22 April 1967 – Club Ponderosa, Bearley Holiday Centre, Snitterfield (near Stratford Upon Avon), Warwickshire (Coventry Evening Telegraph)

After this final gig, the musicians were told that Richard Shirman had formed a new band under the name The Attack and that their services were no longer needed. David O’List soon formed The Nice, who became PP Arnold’s backing band after she left The Blue Jays. Bob Hodges joined Tuesday’s Children later in the year

The Attack, left to right: Chris Allen, Richard Shirman, Kenny Harold, Geoff Richardson and George Watt. Photo from Phil Smee

In April, Shirman launched a new version of The Attack as follows:

Richard Shirman – lead vocals

Geoff Richardson – lead guitar

George Watt – Hammond organ

Kenny Harold – bass

Chris Allen – drums

This formation was responsible for the band’s third single, “Created By Clive” c/w “Colour of my Mind”.

28 April 1967 – Top Spot Ballroom, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with The Sombreros (Gloucester Citizen)

6 May 1967 – Hull College of Commerce Students’ Union, Hull, Humberside (Hull Daily Mail)

2 June 1967 – Witchdoctor, Catford, London with The Trailblazers (South East London Mercury)

3 June 1967 – Floral Hall, Gorleston, Norfolk (Yarmouth Mercury)

17 June 1967 – Royal Lido, Prestatyn, Clwyd, Wales with The Raynes (Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette)

24 June 1967 – Lewes FC Beat Rave, Lewes Town Hall, Lewes, East Sussex with The Nashville Teens and The Teen Team (Sussex Express)

Within days of the band’s third single being released on 23 June 1967, second lead guitarist John DuCann joined. George Watt and Kenny Harold left that summer. Geoff Richardson left soon after and later moved to the USA to play with The British Walkers while Chris Allen also departed to join The Syn (Disc & Music Echo, 8 July, page 14).

By August, the group’s line-up comprised:

Richard Shirman – lead vocals

John DuCann – lead guitar

Jim Avery – bass

Plug Davies – drums

16 September 1967 – Waggon & Horses, Wall Heath, West Midlands (Express & Star)

This formation recorded The Attack’s fourth single, which was released on 12 January 1968.

Around this time, Plug Davies introduced his friend from Wales, Keith Hodge, who in turn recommended Roger Deane on bass.

Richard Shirman – lead vocals

John DuCann – lead guitar

Roger Deane – bass

Keith Hodge – drums

21 February 1968 – Speakeasy, W1, London (Fabulous 208/Mick Capewell’s Marmalade Skies)

27 February 1968 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)

11 March 1968 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Nice (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)

14 March 1968 – Middle Earth, Covent Garden, London with Family, Picadilly Line, Doc K’s Blues Band and Pete Brown’s Poetry (Melody Maker)

Melody Maker notes that The Attack played dates in Helsinki, Finland on 17-18 July 1968

Huge thanks to Bob Hodges for the use of his gig list and photos. Thanks also to David O’List for early insights. Thanks to Mike at Ugly Things and Phil Smee (for the photo of the third line-up by the River Thames).

Categories: England

One

April 23, 2017 Nick Warburton 9 Comments

One 1969. Left to right: Alan Marshall, Bobby Sass, Kevin Fogerty, Conrad Isidore, Brent Forbes and Norman Leppard

Alan Marshall – lead vocals/guitar

Bobby Sass – keyboards

Kevin Fogerty – lead guitar

Brent Forbes – bass

Norman Leppard – horns

Conrad Isadore – drums

In late 1969/early 1970, a motley crew of London-based musicians entered Trident Studios in the heart of Soho to record a lone, rare album for Fontana Records. Helmed by Indian-born musicians and childhood friends, singer Alan Marshall and keyboard player Bobby Sass, One had initially formed in early 1969 after a series of jam sessions at Marshall’s studio flat, located at 6 Denmark Street which he shared with manager Roger Burrow, a friend of Graham Nash’s.

Born in Lahore, Alan Marshall had quite the musical pedigree. Starting out with Bexley Heath, Kent R&B outfit The Loose Ends in the early 1960s, Marshall had cut two excellent singles on Decca before the original formation splintered in October 1966. Forming a new version with members of Croydon band The Subjects and another Bexley Heath area aggregation, Bob ‘N’ All, the new-look Loose Ends landed a short residency at the Bang Bang Club in Milan during January-February 1967.

When the musicians returned to London that March, they were spotted by Otis Redding at the Scotch of St James (or Speakeasy depending on who you speak to) and, ‘blown away’ by Marshall and co-vocalist Bob Saker’s duets, the soul legend took both singers back to the States to record two tracks at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals – “Johnny B Goode” and “Keep Pushing”. The plan was to couple the two recordings for a single on Atlantic but internal politics led to the tracks being shelved. Tragically, Redding died later that year.

Back in the UK, Alan Marshall reunited with guitarist Peter Kirtley who’d been playing with Alan Price’s band after leaving The Loose Ends the previous October. The pair decided to form a new group, Happy Magazine, and Marshall recommended his childhood friend Bobby Sass (not Bobby Tench under an alias which has often been misreported) to play keyboards. Unfortunately, after some tentative rehearsals, it was decided that Sass didn’t fit the band concept and he was dropped.

“He was a tremendous piano player and he loved Errol Garner. He and I grew up together in Karachi,” says Marshall. “Bobby didn’t make it in Happy Magazine. They didn’t like his style; he was too jazzy.”

Happy Magazine, 1968. Alan Marshall (back left). Peter Kirtley (second right). Thanks to Peter for the image

Signed to Polydor, Happy Magazine cut three singles with Alan Price in the producer’s chair before splitting in early 1969. By this point, Marshall had moved into a studio flat on Denmark Street (aka as Tin Pan Alley) with his friend and manager Roger Burrow; Bobby Sass was a regular visitor. As the singer recalls, the doors were always open and musicians used to wander in.

This is the most likely explanation for how Dominica-born drummer and percussionist Conrad Isidore entered the picture that spring. An incredibly gifted musician, Isidore had first come to prominence working with noted R&B outfit Joe E Young & The Tonics during 1967 after playing with The Links and The Grendades. It was with The Toniks that Isidore worked with bass player Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuels, a former member of The Blue-Act-Unit, who also featured future Bob Marley sideman, Junior Kerr (aka Junior Marvin).

Conrad Isidore (bottom right) with Joe E Young & The Toniks, 1968

Isidore and Samuels soon moved on to form The Sundae Times with singer/guitarist Wendell Richardson. Produced by The Equals’ Eddy Grant, the trio recorded three singles and an LP, Us Coloured Kids, during 1968-1969 before the musicians went their separate ways. Somehow Isidore’s path crossed with Marshall and Sass and the drummer threw in his lot with the two Indian musicians.

Not long after, bass player Brent Forbes also joined the loose-knit set up. Originally from Salford, Greater Manchester, Forbes had previously played with The Rogues, who cut a lone single for Decca in December 1967. After changing their name to Sunshine in February 1968, the musicians turned pro and landed a residency in Turkey of all places. This was followed by a six-month stint playing clubs in Crete before the musicians returned to the drizzle of Greater Manchester.

At this point, Forbes joined a short-lived group called Zac, who moved down to London and cut an album’s worth of material at IBC Studios near Marble Arch. When this project failed to materialise, Forbes’s former band mate from Sunshine, guitarist Rod Alexander, who was managing Sound City on Shaftsbury Avenue, directed him to Marshall’s nearby studio flat.

The next musician to join was guitarist Kevin Fogerty, who had first come to prominence with Southport R&B group, Timebox. Fogerty appeared on the band’s early recordings but around October 1967, he jumped ship and signed up with The Dave Davani Four, which is where he later met tenor saxophonist and flutist Norman Leppard.

Originally from Handscross in West Sussex, Leppard was 23 years old when he turned professional. “I was mainly a freelance musician, working with different bands, touring all over the place,” he says. “I was always busy. I did a fortnight tour with The Temptations”.

Sometime in 1968, Leppard auditioned for The Dave Davani Four and landed the gig, despite being up against about 20 sax players. “Kevin was with them before I joined them,” he adds. “I ended up sharing a flat with Kevin and his then girlfriend Jenny in Kennington.”

According to Forbes, the loose-knit group of musicians spent ages rehearsing material before album sessions commenced at Trident Studios in St Anne’s Court, Soho, encompassing the latest in 16-track technology.

“We spent weeks, months, it felt like forever, in this studio [in Denmark Street] and the band would go in and play,” recalls the bass player. “We’d do an arrangement one day and go in the next day and it would be totally different as music should be. Depending on the mood of everybody it would be totally different.”

Production was split between the band’s manager Roger Burrow and Alan Marshall and Bobby Sass, working with sound engineers Robin Cable and Roy Baker. Production supervision meanwhile was handled by Lee Hallyday, who’d recently recorded his brother Johnny’s self-titled LP in France. According to several band members, the sessions at Trident’s studios also featured Alan Marshall’s former band mate from The Loose Ends and Happy Magazine, Peter Kirtley, who provided lead guitar on several cuts.

“Kevin was on some of the tracks,” explains Leppard. “He was mainly on rhythm guitar I think. I am not sure he’s on all the tracks, but he’s definitely on most of them.”

Brent Forbes is quick to credit Isidore and Marshall as the key inspirations during the recording process.

“Whether he’s playing guitar, percussion, drums or singing, [Marshall’s] just a warm spirit,” he says. “Conrad was [also] a fantastic influence for me. Great feel. He sat down one day and said: ‘Brent the notes are all right but the feel’. He made me think about that and I managed to maintain it and got a reputation for it over the years.”

Judging by the track listing, Richie Havens was a huge influence on the singer, but Marshall is not entirely happy with how some tracks turned out. “There are a couple that I am not too keen on,” says Marshall. “It was marijuana fuelled and they went on and on like ‘Run, Shaker Run’ but we didn’t know any better. We were young guys.”

That may well be, but One’s storming cover of Havens’ “Don’t Listen To Me”, which opens the LP and third track, “Stop Pulling and Pushing Me” are inspired, extended workouts full of inventive playing and powerful instrumental passages. The musicians also do justice to “Cautiously”, an atmospheric reading of the ballad written by Maurey Hayden, singer, stand-up comedian and wife of Lenny Bruce. Alan Marshall and Bobby Sass’s “Near The Bone”, the band’s lone contribution to the song-writing stakes is also noteworthy.

According to Forbes, there were no left-overs from the album sessions, which is perhaps surprising considering how long the musicians spent rehearsing material.

With the sessions complete, Norman Leppard was invited to become a fully-fledged member of One. “After the album was done, they asked me to join the band, which I then did for quite a long time,” remembers the session player.

Fontana duly released the LP in the UK in late 1969, followed by continental releases in France, Germany and Spain. The label also issued several singles but like the LP, none of the releases charted, which is perhaps not surprising considering that One undertook very little live work to promote the records. One notable gig took place on 7 October 1969 when the musicians made a rare appearance on stage at Hatchettes Playground in Piccadilly.

During March-April 1970, the musicians got to meet Stephen Stills, who was in London to record sessions for his first solo LP. It’s not clear who in the band made the initial contact. Marshall says that he used to leave the flat door open and musicians used to wander in. One strong possibility is Roger Burrow, who of course was a friend of Graham Nash’s. Alan Marshall, however, is pretty certain that it was Bobby Sass who ran into Stills.

“I don’t know how he met Stephen [but] we used to go over to the house [in Elstead],” says Marshall. “[Stills] had Peter Sellers’ old house and we used to go out there and hang out.”

Impressed by Conrad Isidore and his friend Calvin Samuels, Stills recruited both for his solo LP sessions. In May 1970, no doubt concerned about the shortage of live work, the drummer jumped ship to join Manfred Mann Chapter 3.

“We didn’t do as many gigs as we should have,” admits Forbes. “We did a hop or two to [West] Germany and we probably did the Marquee. We never did enough work really. How on earth we existed [I don’t know] – I think Roger [Burrow] the manager helped support everybody.”

The German club in question was the Happy Cat in Eschollbrucken near Darmstadt, which is close to Frankfurt. However, the shortage of live work soon led to cracks in the group and by the summer of 1970 both Kevin Fogerty and Norman Leppard had also moved on.

Interestingly, while One’s revolving door of personnel changes continued at pace, Fontana issued a French-only ‘45, ‘How Much Do You Know” (adapted from Adagio Royal by F de Boivallee), which was credited solely to Alan Marshall backed by One’s ‘Don’t Listen To Me”.

By the time the single appeared, Alan Marshall, Bobby Sass and Brent Forbes had pieced together a new formation which included guitarist Jack Lancaster and drummer Terry Stannard.

“There was a guitar player called Jack Lancaster, [who had] the same name as the famous one in Blodwyn Pig and he came from Swindon. He came in and took [Kevin Fogerty’s place],” says Forbes.

“God knows what we did after that. I can’t remember doing many gigs. It was a time when Fat Mattress got £200,000 advance and just sat rehearsing. It was a time when groups could afford to do that.”

Stannard, meanwhile, also originated from Wiltshire where he’d worked with Calne group, The Pack during late 1966. In the summer of 1967, the drummer moved up to London where he briefly landed a gig with Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound (and may have spent a short stint with Herbie Goins). He then moved on to join Junior Kerr (aka Junior Marvin) and Linda Lewis in the short-lived White Rabbit. By mid-1968, however, Stannard had moved on. While it’s not clear who he played with in the interim, one of the bands was Mirrors featuring Boz Burrell and Nick Judd.

Forbes remembers the new formation cutting an LP for Johnny Hallyday at a studio near Marble Arch, which could well have been IBC, towards the end of the year. “I remember getting session money for it because I went home to my uncle’s and had a very nice Christmas,” says the bass player.

Not long after, in early 1971, One underwent yet another reshuffle. On this occasion, Alan Marshall and Bobby Sass put together a short-lived version featuring former Them/Trader Horne guitarist/singer Jackie McAuley, future Traffic bass player Roscoe Gee and drummer Glenn LeFleur, who like his predecessor Terry Stannard, went on to play with Kokomo.

“I don’t know how I met Roscoe and Jackie,” says Marshall. “I used to meet so many musicians because I used to leave the door open in summer and musicians would drift in. We had a PA and Hammond organ and drums all set up.”

The new formation played at the Speakeasy and also Strawberry Fields where according to Marshall, “Paul McCartney and those guys used to love hearing us.”

During 1972/1973, Marshall’s old friend Ron Bryer, the original guitarist with The Loose Ends, joined after returning from Switzerland and playing with Brainticket.

Unfortunately, the group wound down in 1973/1974 after with the musicians scattering to work in a diverse range of projects.

Marshall ended up joining Strabismus, which subsequently changed its name to Riff Raff when the singer’s former band mate from The Loose Ends/Happy Magazine, Peter Kirtley joined and also featured bass player Roger Sutton and keyboard player Tommy Eyre. However, Marshall quit before Riff Raff’s debut album was recorded and pursued a solo career before recording with Zzebra. He then joined Gonzalez in the late Seventies in time for their 1979 release, Move It To The Music. Based in Thames Mead, he has become a pastor but continues to busk in Stratford, East London.

His school friend Bobby Sass later moved to Australia but died in the 2000s. Kevin Fogerty also passed away, in December 2010. During the early 1970s, he worked for a while in The Tommy Hunt Band.

As for Norman Leppard, he joined Eric Delaney’s band after leaving One and also appeared on Jack McDuff’s Blue Note LP, issued in late 1970. He continues to work as a session player.

Conrad Isidore meanwhile became a noted session player, working with the likes of Joe Cocker, Linda Lewis, Terry Reid, Vinegar Joe and Eddy Grant to name a few. He also later played with Junior Marvin in his band Hanson and with Hummingbird. Isidore later moved to Porvoo near Helsinki in Finland but died in 2019.

Brent Forbes also landed on his feet and, immediately on leaving One, joined the West End show, Catch My Soul. Like Isidore, he later moved into session work, playing with Doris Troy, Jimmy Helms, Lulu, Locus, Jim Capaldi and Hudson Ford among others. From 1975-1980, he also landed regular work on West End shows like Rocky Horror Picture Show and Les Miserables. During this period, he also briefly performed with Herbie Goins and Zzebra. Later, he moved into TV session work, providing music for Young Ones, the Lenny Henry Show, Victoria Wood among others.

As for One, the group remains something of an obscurity. While the LP has been issued on CD by two different labels, neither appear to be official releases. Given the collectability of the record and the fact that a mint copy will probably fetch you close to £100, perhaps it’s time that the band was given a proper re-issue treatment, complete with detailed liner notes.

Many thanks to the following for their help with the story: Alan Marshall, Brent Forbes, Norman Leppard and Jackie McAuley.

Categories: Country, England, London

Happy Magazine

December 4, 2015 Nick Warburton 4 Comments

Back row left to right: Alan Marshall, Alan White and Kenny Craddock. Front row, left to right: Peter Kirtley and Brian Rowan. Photo: Peter Kirtley

Alan Marshall – lead vocals

Peter Kirtley – lead guitar

Kenny Craddock – organ

Brian Rowan – bass

Alan White – drums

Happy Magazine was soul/R&B band that was formed during August 1967 by singer Alan Marshall and lead guitarist Peter Kirtley and was managed and produced by former Animals keyboard player/singer Alan Price.

The two musicians have previously played together in Southeast London R&B group, The Loose Ends from around July 1965 to October 1966 when Kirtley departed to join The Alan Price Set.

Alan Marshall meanwhile formed a new version of The Loose Ends, drawing on Croydon, Surrey band, The Subjects, which featured Malcolm Rudkin (vocals); Alan Griffin (lead guitar); Phil Lanzon (organ); John Manderson (bass); and Roy Manderson (drums).

After a short while, John Manderson and Malcolm Rudkin, who did not want to turn professional, departed and the band’s manager Bryan Mason recruited sax player/guitarist Mick Patel, who had previously worked with Carl Douglas and bass player Colin Pullen from Kent band, Bob ‘N’ All. Not long after, Roy Manderson was succeeded by another Bob ‘N’ All member, Tony Glyde.

In early December 1966, Bryan Mason expanded the formation by adding another Bob ‘N’ All member – singer Bob Saker and the group played regularly at the Playboy Club.

The Loose Ends then landed a residency at the Bang Bang Club in Milan’s San Guiliano district, which kicked off in the third week of January but Alan Griffin departed just before the group left for Italy and Colin King from Bob ‘N’ All took his place.

During early March 1967, The Loose Ends returned to London and played at the Scotch of St James and the Speakeasy. At one of the venues, Otis Redding spotted Alan Marshall and Bob Saker and invited them to Muscle Shoals to record, and during May/June the singers cut two tracks – “Johnny B Goode” and “Keep on Pushing”, which were never released. Marshall and Saker then returned to the UK.

By this point, Peter Kirtley was ready to leave The Alan Price Set to team up with Alan Marshall and around August the pair formed Happy Magazine. Initially, Marshall’s friend Bobby Sass was going to play keyboards but he departed after initial rehearsals.

Kirtley, who was originally from Tyneside and had played with Shorty & Them during the early 1960s, introduced his old friends from Jarrow, the late Kenny Craddock on organ from Tyneside bands The Elcorts and New Religion, and Brian Rowan on bass from Shorty & Them. He also recruited drummer Alan White, formerly a member of Tyneside outfits, The Bluechips and The Gamblers.

Kicking off with Alan Price’s excellent “Satisfied Street”, backed with “Beautiful Land” in December 1967, featuring a horn section that may well be Amboy Dukes members Buddy Beadle and Steve Gregory (also ex-Alan Price Set), the label re-issued the track three months later coupled with the Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham soul classic “Do Right Woman – Do Right Man”. During this time, the group also became regulars at Rasputin’s club in Bond Street.

During 1968, Alan Price recruited Alan White for his backing band, and Malcolm Wolffe from West London bands, The Tribe and Dream took over. The band then cut its third and final outing, a brilliant reading of the Dee/Potter collaboration, “Who Belongs To You” (again with horns), coupled with the previously available “Beautiful Land”. Issued on 14 February 1969, the single should have catapulted the band into the charts.

With the single failing to grace the charts, Alan Marshall departed to form the experimental jazz/funk/blues band, One, who cut a brilliant lone album for Fontana later that year.

Peter Kirtley Brian Rowan Kenny Craddock Malcolm Wolffe Alan Marshall — Left to right: Peter Kirtley, Brian Rowan, Kenny Craddock, Malcolm Wolffe and Alan Marshall

Joined by lead guitarist Kevin Fogarty (originally a member of Southport R&B group, Timebox); his old friend and keyboardist Bobby Sass; bass player Brent Forbes from Salford bands, The Rogues and Sunshine; sax and flutist Norman Leppard; and drummer Conrad Isidore, One should have been a huge success but the album (which featured Peter Kirtley on lead guitar) sank without a trace.

Peter Kirtley, Kenny Craddock and Alan White meanwhile brought in two friends from Newcastle – ex-Skip Bifferty members, singer Graham Bell and bass player Colin Gibson, and signed to Bell Records for a one-off single as Griffin.

Produced by Alan Price and issued on 25 September 1969, the Kirtley-Gibson-Craddock collaboration, “I am The Noise in Your Head,” coupled with Kirtley’s “Don’t You Know” was an impressive outing but failed to trouble the charts.

Griffin soon splintered and Kirtley went on to record with several notable bands, including Riff Raff, Radiator and Pentangle. Later he appeared on albums by Liane Carroll and Bert Jansch.

Kirtley has also issued two solo albums, Peter Kirtley and Bush Telegraph as well as the charity single, “Little Children”, for Jubilee Action, to raise money for street children in Brazil and featuring Paul McCartney.

Having fronted new versions of One, Alan Marshall surfaced as a solo artist on Fontana in 1970. In France, the label issued a rare single that coupled One’s excellent cover of Richie Havens’s “Don’t Listen To Me” with a solo outing – “How Much Do You Know”, adapted from “Adagio Royal” by F de Boivallee.

When that single failed to chart, Marshall ended up joining Strabismus, which subsequently changed its name to Riff Raff when the singer’s former band mate from The Loose Ends/Happy Magazine, Peter Kirtley joined. However, Marshall quit before Riff Raff’s debut album was recorded and pursued a solo career before recording with Zzebra. He then joined Gonzalez in the late Seventies in time for their 1979 release, Move It To The Music. Marshall continues to perform in London.

Alan White became a top session player, working with John Lennon and George Harrison among others and later joined Yes, with whom he continues to play.

White’s replacement Malcolm Wolffe meanwhile joined Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band.

Notable gigs:

2 September 1967 – Iron Curtain Club, Small Heath, West Midlands with Erskine T (Birmingham Evening Mail)

9 September 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with The Tremeloes (Melody Maker)

9 September 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with Winston G & Heart and Souls (Melody Maker)

22 September 1967 – Darling Club, Maidenhead, Berkshire (Reading Evening Post)

23 September 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)

23 October 1967 – Foseco Sports & Social Club, Tamworth, Staffordshire (Tamworth Herald)

4 November 1967 – G-Ranch, Discotheque, Maidstone, Kent (Maidstone Gazette)

19 November 1967 – Samantha’s, Bournemouth, Dorset (website: https://bournemouthbeatboom.wordpress.com/)

13 January 1968 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

17 February 1968 – Nuneaton Parish Hall, Nuneaton, Warwickshire with Arnham Bloo (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)

24 February 1968 – Windsor Ballroom, Redcar with The Skyliners (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

7-9 March 1968 – Hatchetts Playground, central London (Melody Maker)

7 April 1968 – Tower Ballroom, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Yarmouth Mercury)

13 April 1968 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Newcastle Evening Chronicle)

15 April 1968 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton with Tony Rivers & The Castaways and Glass Menagerie (Express & Star)

28 April 1968 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

8 June 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire with Tamca Band and Watson Brown Band (Wrexham Leader)

19 July 1968 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Easybeats and Rivers Invitation (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book, Backstage Pass: RedcarJazzClub/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

20 July 1968 – Windsor Ballroom, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Skyliners (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

22 July 1968 – Winter Gardens, Cleethorpes with Ferris Wheel and Glass Showband (Grimsby Daily Telegraph)

1 August 1968 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Melody Maker)

8 August 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Fabulous 208)

9 August 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)

10 August 1968 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

19 August 1968 – Bluesville ’68, Manor Ballroom, Ipswich, Suffolk (Ipswich Evening Star)

2 September 1968 – Bluesville ’68, Manor Ballroom, Ipswich, Suffolk (Ipswich Evening Star)

7 September 1968 – Rainbow Suite Co-op, Birmingham with The Baron (Birmingham Evening Mail)

11 September 1968 – Summerhill House Hotel, Kingswinford, West Midlands (Express & Star)

19 September 1968 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Melody Maker)

29 September 1968 – The Tent Club, Swan Hotel, Billingham with The New Blues Revue (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

19 October 1968 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with Earl Preston’s Reflections (Warrington Guardian)

20 October 1968 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)

26 October 1968 – Cheltenham Spa Lounge and Ballroom, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucester Citizen)

3 November 1968 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The New Formula (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book, Backstage Pass: Redcar Jazz Club/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

3 November 1968 – Surrey Rooms, Kennington, south London (South East London Mercury) This seems very unlikely unless it was another date

8 November 1968 – Pantiles, Bagshot, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)

9 November 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)

16 November 1968 – Stage Club, Oxford (Oxford Mail)

30 November 1968 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

22 December 1968 – City Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear with The Animals, Grapefruit, The Paul Williams Set, Barry St John, Long John Baldy, Kim Davis & The Beginning, Noble Forde and The Tempo Set (Newcastle Evening Chronicle) Original Animals’ reunion gig/Geno Washington was billed but cancelled

27-28 December 1968 – Quay Club, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Newcastle Evening Chronicle)

3 January 1969 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)

19 January 1969 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Paul Williams Set (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book, Backstage Pass: RedcarJazzClub)

25 January 1969 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

8 February 1969 – Swan, Yardley, West Midlands with The Locomotive and Magazine (Birmingham Evening Mail)

9 February 1969 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London (South East London Mercury)

22 February 1969 – The Factory, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)

1 March 1969 – The Factory, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)

11 March 1969 – Club Domino, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Newcastle Evening Chronicle)

11 March 1969 – Club Domino, Bedlington, Northumberland (Sunday Sun)

Thanks to Alan Marshall, Peter Kirtley, Alan Griffin, Phil Lanzon, Bob Saker and Colin Pullen for helping piece the story together. Thanks to Peter Kirtley for the photos.

Please contact the author at Warchive@aol.com with further information/corrections

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The Attack 1966-1968

One

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