Dave Atkey (bass and lead vocals)

Len Neldrett (lead guitar)

Nicky Graham (organ)

John Horton (baritone sax)

Bernie Greenwood (tenor and alto sax)

Malcolm Penn (drums)

+

Dickie Pride (lead vocals)

Formed from musicians drawn from the Tolworth, Surbiton and Chessington area of Surrey in April 1964, The Original Topics evolved out of the final version of The Classics and added John Horton (b. 14 November 1945; d. 25 September 2023) from The Outsiders.

Len Neldrett and Malcolm Penn had both attended Surbiton County Grammar and had earlier played in rival local bands The Gremlins and The Electrons.

In November 1964, Dickie Pride (b. 21 October 1941, Thornton Heath, Surrey; d. 26 March 1969), one of the late 1950s home-grown English rock stars from the Larry Parnes stable, including, among others, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Vince Eager, Georgie Fame, Lance Fortune, Duffy Power and Johnny Gentle (John Askew), joined as their new front man. Tragically, he later died of a heroin overdose in 1969

However, around March 1965, Nicky Graham (b. January 1945, Durban, South Africa; d. 3 February 2024) (quickly followed by  John Horton) departed to form The End, a band that developed close links with Rolling Stones’ bass player Bill Wyman.

Wyman would oversee many of that group’s recordings. He would also remain friends with Nicky Graham who later formed Tucky Buzzard and worked with David Bowie in the early 1970s.

Stan Marut briefly took over from Graham and remembers playing at the Cromwellian while with the group.

In May 1965, Dickie Pride, Len Neldrett and Malcolm Penn  joined a new central London-based outfit called The Sidewinders. Marut meanwhile joined The Jynx Pack and then Julian Covey &  The Machine.

Selected gigs:

17 July 1964 – Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, Surrey with The Searchers and Cats Whiskers (Kingston & Malden Borough News)

25 July 1964 – King George’s Hall, Esher, Surrey with The Yardbirds (Kingston & Malden Borough News)

8 August 1964 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with The Cheynes (Record Mirror)

29 August 1964 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds (Record Mirror)

12 September 1964 – Galaxy Club, Town Hall, Basingstoke, Hampshire with The Westsiders (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)

19 September 1964 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Dave Davani (Record Mirror)

21 September 1964 – Moonlighter Club, Weybridge Hall, Weybridge, Surrey (Woking Herald)

29 September 1964 – Central Club, Farnham, Surrey (Farnham Herald)

10 October 1964 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with The Supremes and The Chessmen (Record Mirror)

14 October 1964 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames (Record Mirror)

17 October 1964  – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Tony Colton (Live Music website)

31 October 1964 – Le Disque A Go Go, Bournemouth, Dorset with The Nite People – (website: https://bournemouthbeatboom.wordpress.com/)

4 November 1964 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames (Record Mirror)

Dickie Pride joins now

29 November 1964 – North Warnborough Village Hall, North Warnborough, Hampshire (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)

13 December 1964 – Alley Cat Club, Hersham, Surrey (Woking Herald)

14 December 1964 – Galaxy Club, Town Hall, Basingstoke, Hampshire with Tommy Quickly & The Remo Four (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)

18 December 1964 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Rufus Thomas (Record Mirror)

19 December 1964 – Disque a Le Go Go, Landsdowne, Dorset (Bournemouth Evening Echo)

2 January 1965 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (Record Mirror)

9 January 1965 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band (Live Music website)

17 January 1965 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire (David Else research)

3 February 1965 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London with Screaming Jay Hawkins (Record Mirror) Billed as The Topics with Dickie Pride

12 February 1965 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire (Poster) Billed as The Topics with Dickie Pride

22 April 1965 – Whitehall, East Grinstead, West Sussex with The Plus Three (Sussex Evening Express)

31 August 1965 – Co-op Hall, Halstead, Essex with Heinz & The Wild Boys, Cops ‘N’ Robbers, The Fairies and Soul Foundations (Essex Chronicle) This is very unlikely unless it was a different band (possibly The Sidewinders?)

A huge thanks to Malcolm Penn for providing the background notes and all of the photos for The Original Topics. Thanks to David Else for helping with some gigs from Record Mirror.

Copyright © Nick Warburton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the author.