In August 1967, British promoter Roy Tempest had brought New York vocal quartet The Velours over to England for a tour and billed them as The Fabulous Temptations, which caused a great deal of confusion (and anger) as club owners mistakenly thought they were getting Motown superstars The Temptations.
Later that year, Tempest tried a similar ploy by promoting New York-based soul trio The Flirtations as Motown act, The Marvelettes, billing them as The Fabulous Marvelettes.
Originally formed as The Gypsies with three sisters – Betty, Ernestine and Shirley Pearce plus their friend Viola Billups, The Flirtations were reduced to a trio (minus Betty) by the time Tempest brought them to England.
For this first tour, they were backed by Dagenham, east London outfit, The Trend. The band’s guitarist Norman Cummins kept a diary and the following gigs are from the tour that The Trend provided backing for The Marvelettes. Where newspapers are listed confirming dates, I’ve only listed the papers, even though the dates are all listed in Cummins’ diary.
At the time, The Trend comprised Norman Cummins (lead guitar/vocals); Pete Cole (bass/vocals); Bob Mather (sax); Cliff Reuter (keyboards); and Frankie Morgan (drums).
Tour dates:
8 December 1967 – Cue Club, Praed Street, Paddington, west London (Norman Cummins’ diary) Start of tour with The Trend backing
9 December 1967 – New Century Hall, Manchester with Gerards Own (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Trend
9 December 1967 – Paradise Club, Wigan, Lancashire (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
10 December 1967 – Georgian Club, Salford, Greater Manchester with The Trend (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Trend
10 December 1967 – Vaudeville Club, Manchester (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
11 December 1967 – Top Rank Ballroom, Doncaster, South Yorkshire (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
12 December 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
14 December 1967 – Falmer House, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
15 December 1967 – Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
15 December 1967 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
16 December 1967 – Sloopy’s, Manchester with The Factotums (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Trend
16 December 1967 – Cavern Club, Liverpool (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
17 December 1967 – USAF base, Alconbury, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
18 December 1967 – Cedar Club, Birmingham (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
19 December 1967 – Flintshire Tech College (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
21 December 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
22 December 1967 – Corn Exchange, Hertford, Hertfordshire (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
23 December 1967 – Ritz Ballroom, King’s Heath, West Midlands (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
23 December 1967 – Penthouse, Birmingham (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
24 December 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
24 December 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
24 December 1967 – Cedar Club, Birmingham (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
25 December 1967 – Sloopy’s, Manchester (Norman Cummins’ diary) Backed by The Trend
26 December 1967 – Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester with The Big City Soul Band (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Trend
26 December 1967 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester with The Big City Soul Band (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Trend
When the trio returned from the States for a second tour in spring 1968, they reverted to their former name, The Flirtations, and based themselves in England where they recorded.
Thanks to Pete Cole and Norman Cummings for the tour information (see original documents below).
