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 SPENCER DAVIS GROUP:
Stevie Winwood (guitar/keyboards/vocals)
Spencer Davis (guitar/vocals
Muff Winwood (bass/vocals)
Pete York (drums)
1964
28 June 1964 – Beat City, central London with The Clayton Squares (Melody Maker)
7 July 1964 – Attic Club, 1a High Street, Hounslow, Middlesex with Charlie & Inez Foxx and Them (aka Themselves) (Kingston & Malden Borough News/Gray Newell)
25 July 1964 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge with The Prestons (Cambridge News)
17 August 1964 – Clacton Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with The Animals (Essex County Stanard)
12 September 1964 – Attic Club, 1a High Street, Hounslow, Middlesex with The Pitmen (Kingston & Malden Borough News)
13 October 1964 – Aylesbury Bluesville, Borough Assembly Hall, Market Square, Aylesbury, Bucks with Inez and Charlie Foxx (Bucks Advertiser)
6 November 1964 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear with The Falling Leaves (Newcastle Evening Echo)
19 November 1964 – Granada, Aylesbury, Bucks with Manfred Mann, The Soul Sisters, Wayne (Kellie) Gibson and The Dynamic Sounds, Bern Elliott & His Klan, The Mark Leeman Five, The Downliners Sect, Blues By Five and Dave Kaffey (Bucks Advertiser)
4 December 1964 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear (http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
5 December 1964 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear with The Keys (http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
29 December 1964 – Aylesbury Bluesville, Borough Assembly Hall, Market Square, Aylesbury, Bucks (Bucks Advertiser)
1965
2 January 1965 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex (Essex Chronicle)
17 January 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, Kent (Melody Maker)
19 January 1965 – Aylesbury Bluesville, Market Square, Aylesbury, Bucks (http://aylesburymusictown.co.uk/)
23 January 1965 – Clacton Town Hall, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex with Mark IV and The Blue Berries (Essex County Standard/Poster)
31 January 1965 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, Kent (Melody Maker)
13 February 1965 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear with The VIPs (http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
16 February 1965 – Bluesville, Aylesbury, Bucks (http://aylesburymusictown.co.uk/)
17 February 1965 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire with support (Camberley News)
1 March 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
3 March 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, Kent (Melody Maker)
4 March 1965 – Smethwick Baths, Smethwick, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
7 March 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post/Greenford Weekly Post)
11 March 1965 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Sombreros (Birmingham Evening Mail)
15 March 1965 – Crazy E, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
17 March 1965 – Mackadown, Kitts Green, West Midlands with The Mike Sheridan Show (Birmingham Evening Mail)
21 March 1965 – Le Metro, Birmingham with The Hookey Walkers (Birmingham Evening Mail)
22 March 1965 – ‘Bluesville’, Manor House Ballroom, Ipswich, Suffolk (Essex County Standard)
23 March 1965 – Midland Institute, Birmingham with The Johnny Patrick Big Band (Birmingham Evening Mail)
28 March 1965 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands with The Moody Blues and The King Bees (Birmingham Evening Mail)
1 April 1965 – Crazy E, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
8 April 1965 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Uglys (Birmingham Evening Mail)
10 April 1965 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with support (Essex Chronicle)
11 April 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, Kent (Melody Maker)
17 April 1965 – Marqee Dance Club, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
18 April 1965 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/)
29 April 1965 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with Lee Stevens & The Satellites (Birmingham Evening Mail)
30 April 1965 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham with The Sheffields, Hogs Snort Rupert and His Good Good Band and Roy Everitt’s Blues Hounds (Birmingham Evening Mail)
3 May 1965 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
4 May 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Julian Covey & The Machine (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
7 May 1965 – Ricky Tick, Guildford Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey (David Else’s research)
9 May 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London with The Vagabonds (Harrow Weekly Post/Greenford Weekly Post)
10 May 1965 – Beachcomber, Bolton, Greater Manchester (Bolton Evening News)
13 May 1965 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent (East Kent Times & Mail)
16 May 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London (Harrow Weekly Post/Greenford Weekly Post)
19 May 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
30 May 1965 – Silver Beat Club, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
31 May 1965 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
2 June 1965 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (Camberley News)
2 June 1965 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News)
14 June 1965 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
15 June 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
17 June 1965 – Le Metro, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
19 June 1965 – Jazz & Blues Festival, Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London with The Dutch Swing College, Solomon Burke, Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band, Unit 4 Plus 2, The Loose Ends, The Downliners Sect, Alan Elsdon’s Jazzband, Brian Green New-O-Stompers and The Epitaph Soul Band (Bexley Heath & Welling Observer and Kentish Times)
19 June 1965 – Uxbridge Blues Festival, Uxbridge, northwest London with Marianne Faithfull, The Who, Solomon Burke, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Long John Baldry, Zoot Money, The Birds, John Mayall, Ray Martin Group and Dave Whittling (Ruislip & Northwood Gazette)
20 June 1965 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Brothers Julius (East Kent Times & Mail)
26 June 1965 – Bure Club, Mudeford, Dorset (website: https://bournemouthbeatboom.wordpress.com/)
27 June 1965 – Blue Moon Hayes, west London (Hayes Gazette)
29 June 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
7 July 1965 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
12 July 1965 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
15 July 1965 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with Roy Everett’s Blues Hounds (Birmingham Evening Mail)
20 July 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
21 July 1965 – Bristol Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene)
25 July 1965 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London with The Epitaphs Soul Band (Melody Maker)
26 July 1965 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London (Wood Green & Southgate Weekly Herald)
28 July 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
3 August 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
6 August 1965 – Droitwich Winter Gardens, Droitwich, Worcestershire with The Ravons (Worcester Evening News)
27 August 1965 – Galaxy Club, Town Hall, Basingstoke, Hampshire (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)
28 August 1965 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Subjects (East Kent Times)
31 August 1965 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
4 September 1965 – Georgian Club, Uxbridge, west London (Hayes Gazette)
5 September 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London (Harrow Weekly Post/Greenford Weekly Post)
7 September 1965 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
9 September 1965 – Gay Tower Ballroom, Edgbaston, West Midlands with Brian Pearshall Showband (Birmingham Evening Mail)
10 September 1965 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Soundtrekkers and Blues By Five (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
12 September 1965 – Beachcomber, Preston, Lancashire with The Warriors (Lancashire Evening Post)
16 September 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Bo Street Runners (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
20 September 1965 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London (Walthamstow Guardian)
21 September 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
22 September 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
24 September 1965 – Astoria, Finsbury Park, north London with The Rolling Stones, The Checkmates, Unit 4 Plus 2, Ray Cameron, Charles Dickens & The Habits and The End (Tottenham Weekly Herald)
15 October 1965 – Regal Cambridge, Cambridge with The Rolling Stones, Unit 4 Plus 2, The Checkmates, Charles Dickens & The Habits, The End and Ray Cameron (Cambridge News)
19 October 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
22 October 1965 – Ricky Tick, Staines Town Hall, Staines, Middlesex (David Else’s research)
24 October 1965 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
3 November 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
9 November 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
12 November 1965 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, The King Bees and The Cock O Hoops (Birmingham Evening Mail)
15 November 1965 – ‘Bluesville’, Manor House Ballroom, Ipswich, Suffolk (Essex County Standard)
16 November 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
20 November 1965 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear with Junco Partners (http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
22 November 1965 – Parr Hall, Warrington, Cheshire with The Times (Warrington Guardian)
25 November 1965 – Smethwick Baths, Smethwick, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
27 November 1965 – Marcam Hall, March, Cambridgeshire (Lynn News)
5 December 1965 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands with The Alex Harvey Soul Band (Birmingham Evening Mail)
6 December 1965 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London (Walthamstow Guardian)
7 December 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Alex Harvey Group (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
16 December 1965 – Smethwick Baths, Smethwick, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
17 December 1965 – Mr McCoys, Middlesbrough with The Crawdaddies (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
19 December 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London (Hayes Gazette)
20 December 1965 – Bath Pavilion, Bath (Western Scene) Rescheduled for 14 February 1966 (and then 7 February)
31 December 1965 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham with Johnny Neal & Co, The Little People and The Chucks (Birmingham Evening Mail)
1966
2 January 1966 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex (Essex Chronicle)
8 January 1966 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Berkeley Squares (East Kent Times)
11 January 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Alex Harvey Group (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
15 January 1966 – Market Hall, Carlisle, Cumbria (Dumfries and Galloway Standard)
20 January 1966 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear (http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
21 January 1966 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Rockhouse Band and The Skyliners (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
22 January 1966 – Astoria Ballroom, Rawtenstall, Lancashire with The Estelles and The Eddie G Martin Combo (Burnley Express and News)
23 January 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (The Star)
26 January 1966 – University of Warwick, Coventry (Beat Instrumental)
28 January 1966 – Bluesville, Manor House, north London (Beat Instrumental)
29 January 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with The Motovations (David Allen research)
30 January 1966 – Black Prince, Bexley, southeast London (Fabulous 208/South East London Mercury/Mick Capewell’s Marmalade Skies)
31 January 1966 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London (Beat Instrumental)
1 February 1966 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
3 February 1966 – Willenhall Baths, Willenhall (Beat Instrumental)
5 February 1966 – Chelsea College, Chelsea, southwest London (Beat Instrumental)
6 February 1966 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey with The Alley Cats (Aldershot News/Camberley News)
7 February 1966 – Bath Pavilion, Bath (Beat Instrumental/Western Scene)
10 February 1966 – Smethwick Baths, Smethwick, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
11 February 1966 – Nottingham University, Nottingham (Beat Instrumental)
12 February 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
15 February 1966 – Walsall Town Hall, Walsall, West Midlands (Beat Instrumental)
16 February 1966 – Mecca Ballroom, Royal Pier, Southampton, Hants (Beat Instrumental)
17 February 1966 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts (Beat Instrumental)
19 February 1966 – Pavilion Ballroom, Buxton, Derbyshire (Alderley & Wilmslow & Knutsford Advertiser) Either this or the date below is incorrect
19 February 1966 – Pier Ballroom, Worthing, West Sussex (Boyfriend magazine)
22 February 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Bluesology (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
23 February 1966 – Stevenage Mecca, Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire (http://www.coda-uk.co.uk/60’s_music_scene.htm)
24 February 1966 – Pier Pavilion, Worthing, West Sussex (Worthing Herald)
25 February 1966 – Iron Curtain Club, St Mary’s Cray, Kent (Beat Instrumental) Looks like this was moved to 4 March
25-27 February 1966 – Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Hamburg, West Germany (Beat Instrumental)
3 March 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London with Paul Fenton & The Crowd (Melody Maker)
4 March 1966 – Iron Curtain Club, St Mary’s Cray, Kent (Beat Instrumental)
5 March 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
7 March 1966 – Bluesville, St Matthew’s Baths Hall, Ipswich, Suffolk (Evening Star, Ipswich)
8 March 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
11 March 1966 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear (http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
12 March 1966 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Steve Chapples research: www.lankybeat.com)
18 March 1966 – Bluesville, Manor House, north London (Beat Instrumental)
19 March 1966 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Soundtrack (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
20 March 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
20 March 1966 – Ritz and Palais, Nottingham (Beat Instrumental)
22 March 1966 – Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne &Wear (Beat Instrumental)
23 March 1966 – Parr Hall, Warrington, Cheshire with Ivan Meads and Mark Peters Method (Warrington Guardian) Beat Instrumental has this on 28th March
25 March 1966 – Gig in Harrogate, Yorkshire (Beat Instrumental)
26 March 1966 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Lancashire Evening Post)
29 March 1966 – Hippodrome, Dudley, West Midlands (Beat Instrumental)
31 March 1966 – Gig in Swansea, Wales (Beat Instrumental)
2 April 1966 – Smethwick Baths, Smethwick, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
6 April 1966 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Coulson & Purley Advertiser)
7 April 1966 – Carousel Club, Camp Road, Farnbrough, Hampshire with support (Aldershot News)
10 April 1966 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex (Essex Chronicle)
14 April 1966 – Gaumont, Southampton, Hampshire with The Who, The Merseys, Mike Sarne and The Band of Angels (Western Gazette)
15 April 1966 – Fairfield Hall, Croydon, south London with The Who, The Merseys and The Band of Angels (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)
16 April 1966 – Odeon, Watford, Herts with The Who, The Merseys, Mike Sarne and The Band of Angles (Welwyn Advertiser)
17 April 1966 – The Regal, Edmonton, north London with The Rolling Stones, The New Merseys, Mike Sarne & The Band of Angels (Tottenham Weekly Herald)
22 April 1966 – Odeon, Derby with The Who (Disc & Music Echo)
23 April 1966 – Hippodrome, Birmingham with The Who (Disc & Music Echo)
23 April 1966 – Odeon, Rochester, Kent with The Who, The Merseys, Mike Sarne and The Band of Angels (Kent Messenger)
26-30 April 1966 – Gigs in Paris, France (Beat Instrumental)
1 May 1966 – NME Poll Concert, Wembley, west London (Beat Instrumental)
2-7 May 1966 – Gigs in West Germany (Beat Instrumental)
10 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Jimmy Cliff Sound (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
11 May 1966 – Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, southwest London (Balham & Tooting News and Mercury)
13 May 1966 – Kirkcaldy, Raith and Whitburn Ballrooms, Scotland (Disc & Music Echo)
14 May 1966 – City Hall, Perth, Scotland (Disc & Music Echo)
15 May 1966 – Lido, Lennox Bank, Scotland (Disc & Music Echo)
16 May 1966 – Mr McGoos, Edinburgh, Scotland (Disc & Music Echo)
19-22 May 1966 – Big Apple, Munich, West Germany and then Star Club, Hamburg, West Germany (Beat Instrumental)
25-26 May 1966 – Gigs in West Germany (Beat Instrumental)
28 May 1966 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire with The Outsiders and The Dean Collins Sound (Burnley Express & News)
28 May 1966 – Richmond Athletic Ground, Richmond upon Thames, southwest London (Beat Instrumental)
29 May 1966 – Britannia Theatre, Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with Pinkerton’s Colours, Barry Fontoni, Ray Cameron and The Driftwood (Eastern Evening News) Beat Instrumental has North Pier, Blackpool, Lancashire
1-5 June 1966 – Gigs in Ireland (Beat Instrumental)
1 June 1966 – Arcadia, Cork, Republic of Ireland with Dinosaurs Showband (Cork Evening Echo/Cork Examiner)
10 June 1966 – Bluesville, Manor House, north London (Fabulous 208)
11 June 1966 – Pavilion Ballroom, Buxton, Derbyshire with The Blueberries (Alderley & Wilmslow & Knutsford Advertiser)
13 June 1966 – Bluesville, St Matthew’s Baths Hall, Ipswich (Evening Star, Ipswich)
14 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with the Jimmy Cliff Sound (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
16 June 1966 – Isle of Man (probably Palace Ballroom, Douglas) (Beat Instrumental) Worthing Gazette lists the band at the Assembly Hall, Worthing replacing The Moody Blues
18 June 1966 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London (Fabulous 208/Melody Maker)
20 June 1966 – Supreme Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent (Fabulous 208)
21 June 1966 – Merton College, Oxford (Fabulous 208)
24 June 1966 – Leicester College of Tech, Scraptoft, Leicester (Fabulous 208)
24 June 1966 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands with The Uglys (Express & Star)
25 June 1966 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
3 July 1966 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Steve Chapples research: www.lankybeat.com)
16 July 1966 – Ritz Ballroom, King’s Heath and Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Fabulous 208/Birmingham Evening Mail) World Cup Special
16 July 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, West Midlands (Express & Star)
17 July 1966 – North Pier, Blackpool, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
19 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Habits (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
23 July 1966 – The New Scene, Corn Exchange, Leicester (club’s opening night) (Leicester Mercury)
24 July 1966 – North Pier, Blackpool, Lancashire with Dave Berry and Manfred Mann (Fabulous 208)
29 July 1966 – Blues Festival, Windsor, Berkshire (Beat Instrumental)
30 July 1966 – Spa Royal Ballroom, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
19 August 1966 – Race Ballroom, Kirkcaldy, Scotland (Beat Instrumental)
20 August 1966 – Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland with The Searchers, The Settlers and Eden Kane (Fabulous 208)
21-23 August 1966 – Magoo’s Club, Edinburgh (Fabulous 208)
25 August 1966 – Palace Ballroom, Douglas, Isle of Man (Fabulous 208)
27 August 1966 – St George’s Ballroom, Guernsey, Channel Islands (Fabulous 208)
1 September 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Melody Maker)
2 September 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, west London (Melody Maker)
3 September 1966 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
4 September 1966 – North Pier, Blackpool, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
8 September 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Burnley, Lancashire (Beat Instrumental)
8 September 1966 – Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston Super Mare, Somerset with The Ken Birch Band and The Raiders (Weston Mercury)
10 September 1966 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Beat Instrumental)
15 September 1966 – Dorothy Ballroom, Cambridge (Beat Instrumental)
16 September 1966 – Bluesville, Manor House, north London (Beat Instrumental)
19 September 1966 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Beat Instrumental/Birmingham Evening Mail/Express & Star)
20 September 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Wynder K Frog (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
22 September 1966 – Locarno, Streatham, southwest London (Fabulous 208)
6 October 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Burnley, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
10 October 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Bristol (Evening Post, Bristol/Fabulous 208)
21 October 1966 – The Marquee Show, Fairfield Hall, south Croydon, London with The Move, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Wynder K Frog, The Herd and The VIPs (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)
24 October 1966 – Pavilion, Bath (Fabulous 208)
25 October 1966 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire (Fabulous 208)
28 October 1966 – ‘The Manor’, Newington Public Hall, Walworth Road, Southwark, London with The Only Ones (South East London Mercury)
29 October 1966 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
1 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Episode Six (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
5 November 1966 – Leeds University, Leeds, West Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
11 November 1966 – Metropole, Brighton, Sussex with Zoot Money & The Big Roll Band (Fabulous 208)
12 November 1966 – University College, London (Fabulous 208)
22-25 November 1966 – Gigs in Geneva, Switzerland (Disc & Music Echo)
1-17 December 1966 – Gigs in West Germany (Disc & Music Echo)
19 December 1966 – Sliver Blades, Streatham, southwest London (Coulson & Purley Advertiser)
20 December 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Syn (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
30 December 1966 – R&B Club, Forest Gate, Essex (Fabulous 208) This was probably the Upper Cut as they played with The Mack Sound on this same date
31 December 1966 – Annabel’s, Berkeley Square, central London (Fabulous 208)
1967
6 January 1967 – Matrix Hall, Coventry, West Midlands with Tony Rivers & The Castaways, Jigsaw and Lovers Lot (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
7 January 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Steve Chapples research: www.lankybeat.com)
8 January 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Johnny Rogers Band (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
13 January 1967 – Birmingham University, Birmingham (Disc & Music Echo)
14 January 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Lancashire Evening Post)
16 January 1967 – Bluesville, Ipswich, Suffolk (Evening Star)
21 January 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
21 January 1967 – Queen Mary’s College, London University (Fabulous 208)
22 January 1967 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent (Melody Maker)
28 January 1967 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
31 January 1967 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Fabulous 208)
3 February 1967 – ICI, Pontypool, Wales (Fabulous 208)
4 February 1967 – Liverpool University, Liverpool (Record Mirror)
7 February 1967 – Manchester University, Manchester (Record Mirror)
7 February 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Syn (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
8 February 1967 – Kingsway Theatre, Hadleigh, Essex with Sounds Incorporated, The Fourmost, The Human Instinct and The James Royal Set (Essex Chronicle/Southend Standard)
9 February 1967 – Top Deck, Purfleet, Essex (Record Mirror)
11 February 1967 – Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Wynder K Frog, The Equals and Ray Bones (Lincolnshire Standard)
13 Februay 1967 – Birmingham University, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
14 February 1967 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham (Record Mirror)
17 February 1967 – Sheffield University, Sheffield (Record Mirror)
18 February 1967 – Dudley Technical College, Dudley, West Midlands (Record Mirror)
21 February 1967 – King’s Hall, Aberystwyth, Wales (Record Mirror)
24 February-2 March 1967 – Scandinavian tour (Disc & Music Echo)
Disc & Music Echo’s 4 March issue, page 6, notes that Stevie and Muff Winwood are leaving. The magazine’s 11 March issue adds that Stevie will depart on 2 April.
11 March 1967 – Granada, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
12 March 1967 – City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
13 March 1967 – Odeon, Glasgow, Scotland with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
14 March 1967 – Gaumont, Doncaster, South Yorkshire with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
15 March 1967 – Odeon Leeds, West Yorkshire with The Hollies, The Tremeloes, The Richard Kent Style, The Young Idea and Paul Jones (Yorkshire Evening Post)
16 March 1967 – Granada, Bedford, Bedfordshire with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
17 March 1967 – Granada, Maidstone, Kent with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
18 March 1967 – Granada, Kingston upon Thames, southwest London with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
19 March 1967 – De Montfort, Leicester with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes and The Young Idea (Fabulous 208)
22 March 1967 – Granada, Kettering, Northamptonshire with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes, The Young Idea and Richard Kent Style (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
23 March 1967 – Astoria, Finsbury Park, north London with The Hollies, The Tremeloes and Paul Jones (Hackney Gazette)
28 March 1967 – Gaumont, Southampton, Hampshire with Paul Jones, The Hollies, The Tremeloes (Southern Evening Echo)
24-28 March 1967 – Scandinavian tour
The Eastern Evening News (27 February 1967, page 12): Steve Winwood announces he’s leaving. He parts company on 2 April at the end of the Hollies tour. Five strong new SDG due to appear at St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich on 16 May 1967. The current line up is currently in Scandinavia.
Disc & Music Echo’s 15 April issue notes that Spencer Davis has already signed one new band member. He’s looking to sign two more and debut new formation on 7 May.
Disc & Music Echo’s 29 April issue reports Phil Sawyer and Eddie Hardin as new members. It also says there will be four members not five. A later issue notes that Terry Reid from Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers was invited to join but turned the offer down.
7 May 1967 – New line up debut at Wembley, west London (venue?) (Disc & Music Echo)
May 1967 – Albert Hall, central London (Disc & Music Echo)
May – The band flies to Paris shortly after this debut and plays at Akou Akou Club, Cannes, France (Disc & Music Echo)
19 May 1967 – Marine Ballroom, Morecambe, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
19 May 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Steve Chapples research: www.lankybeat.com)
Disc & Music Echo’s 20 May issue notes that Eddie Hardin collapsed at the band’s Albert Hall gig before they flew to Paris.
21 May 1967 – Fiesta Club, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
22 May 1967 – Top Hat, Spennymoor, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
23-27 May 1967 – Fiesta Club, Stockton-on-Tees and Top Hat, Spennymoor, Durham (Fabulous 208)
South East London Mercury (25 May 1967, page 2) contains a great article on Eddie Hardin (see above).
30 May 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Wynder K Frog (Disc & Music Echo says this is debut of new line up)
Disc & Music Echo’s 15 July issue notes that the group returns from Hungary on 13 July.
The Kingston and Malden Borough News (28 July 1967, page 7) has a fantastic photo of the new line-up.
Disc & Music Echo’s 5 August issue notes that the band are on a US tour. On the first night at the Cheetah Club below, Spencer Davis had an accident. The magazine says they return to the UK on 4 September.
30 July 1967 – Cheetah Club, NYC, US (Disc & Music Echo)
Portsmouth News has a photo of the band in its 17 August 1967 issue, page 10 (above)
7 November 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Steve Chapples research: www.lankybeat.com)
17-18 November 1967 – Palais Des Sports, Paris, France with others (Melody Maker)
26 Novembr 1967 – Southampton University, Southampton, Hampshire (Melody Maker) Disc & Music Echo reports that this was Phil Sawyer’s final gig
Ray Fenwick replaced Phil Sawyer on lead guitar.
According to Melody Maker, The Spencer Davis Group went to Madrid, Spain for cabaret for 3-4 December 1967.
1968
13 February 1968 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli, Wales with Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, Fleetwood Mac and The Dream (Herald of Wales)
17 February 1968 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Trendmen (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
2 March 1968 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Steve Chapples research: www.lankybeat.com)
7 March 1968 – City of Coventry Confederation of Colleges, Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, St Louis Union and Piccadilly Line (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
10 March 1968 – Excel Bowl, Middlesbrough with The Zephrons (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
13 March 1968 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham with Manfred Mann, The Moody Blues, Don Partridge and The Piccadilly Line (Birmingham Evening Mail)
16 March 1968 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with Jason T Alexandra & The Soulettes (Evening Sentinel/Nantwich Chronicle/Crewe Chronicle)
23 March 1968 – Spa Royal Hall, Bridlington, North Yorkshire with The Sons of Witch and The ABC (Scarborough News)
According to Melody Maker, The Spencer Davis Group return from their debut US tour on 6 May 1968. Later this month, they play shows in Sweden, according to the music paper.
11 June 1968 – Jesus College, Cambridge (Melody Maker)
12 June 1968 – Locarno, Hull (Melody Maker)
14 June 1968 – Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead with Mud (Melody Maker/Welwyn & Hatfield Advertiser)
22 June 1968 – Oxford University gig, Oxford with Traffic (Melody Maker)
According to Melody Maker says Spencer Davis Group flies out to Yugoslavia on 24 June.
28 June 1968 – The Factory, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
7 August 1968 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
16 August 1968 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts (Welwyn & Hatfield Advertiser)
20 August 1968 – Middle Earth, Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon with The Fire, Indiana Highway and Phaze (Herald Express)
14 September 1968 – Spa Royal Hall, Hull with The Matchbox and The Coastal Erosion (Hull Daily Mail)
20 September 1968 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon (Torquay Times)
21 September 1968 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with Chicago Line (Cambridgeshire Times)
23 September 1968 – Bluesville, Manor House, Ipswich, Suffolk (Ipswich Evening Star)
4 October 1968 – Swansea University, Swansea, south Wales with The Californians and The Pyramids (South Wales Evening Post)
12 October 1968 – UEA Students’ Union, Norwich, Norfolk with The Technique (Eastern Evening News)
19 October 1968 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent (Kentish Express)
Melody Maker’s 26 October issue notes that Eddie Hardin and Pete York left the previous week and Dee Murray (bass) and David Hynes (drums) from Mirage had joined. The group flies to Munich the following Thursday followed by Bremen.
New Musical Express, however, notes that Hardin and York left on 26 October and the new line up flies to West Germany on the same day.
19 December 1968 – Grafton Club, RAF Marham with The Individual Set (Lynn News)
27 December 1968 – Bridge Place Country Club, Canterbury, Kent (Canterbury Advertiser)
1969
15 February 1969 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Candy Choir (Folkestone & Hythe District Herald)
20 February 1969 – Imperial College, Charity Concert, Royal Albert Hall with The Move, Status Quo, East of Eden and The Nashville Teens (Melody Maker)
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.
I was contacted by a fan called Lynda who attended the group’s Big Apple gig in Munich in May 1966. I’ve pasted below her recollections:
1966 was only 20 yrs after the end of WWII. West Germany, particularly Bavaria, was occupied territory, troops everywhere. Berlin Wall, just completed, divided the entire country, the Iron Curtain separating East from West. Munich was still clearing rubble & digging out.
Those were happy years, but so very difficult. We were young (18 & 19), just starting out, struggling & learning how to survive. Music was our connection to the rest of the world.
Access to new music was limited. Bavarian state radio didn’t play rock & roll. AFN (“Armed Forces Network”) had an occasional hour at 2:00 am for American hits; Radio Free Europe broadcasts were mostly news & Western culture. However, we sometimes caught the British pirate radio signal broadcasting illegally from a boat in the North Sea.
There were two discotheques on Leopoldstrasse in Schwabing, the boho/university district in Munich. Big Apple was the Beatles crowd; PN HitHouse, a few doors down, was the Rolling Stones. The clubs were very small, especially by today’s standards, down narrow flights of stairs into dark basements. Big Apple had a bar on one end, stage on the other, wooden dance floor in the middle & wobbly tables along the perimeter. There was no “decor;” it was simply a basement in a 100+ year old multi-story commercial building. The clubs played the latest records, mostly from England but also France & some from the US, served Coke, coffee & beer (beer was legal for 16+). GIs, tourists & adults were scarce ~~ these were German venues for German kids.
Karl & I were regulars at Big Apple 1965-67, including the Spencer Davis gigs 2 days in May 1966. We went both nights. Spencer Davis Group had several hits in Germany at that time. I still have the album.
Audience was maybe 100 or so, crowded but not packed. Lulu opened (“To Sir with Love”). Cute girl: mini-skirt & white go-go boots. Bad choice (like inviting Marie Osmond to open for Aerosmith). She was boo’d off stage, didn’t perform 2nd night.
The band was very polished & professional, played all their hits & several unfamiliar bluesy numbers. Not a lot of banter, just really great music. I was surprised to learn Spencer Davis was originally a high school teacher. There was a girl who kept screaming “STEVIE! STEVIE!” at poor Steve Winwood, who was very young (14?) & very embarrassed. Annoying for the rest of us.
Equipment was minimal: microphones & amps, but sound was terrific. We could hear individual instruments, but they all melded together. Band members hung out at the bar between sets & after the show. Munich streetcars shut down after midnight so most of us made like Cinderella out the door.
wow! thank you for sharing so much information about The Spencer Davis Group. I was there at the Pavillion Ballroom in Buxton – June 1966!
So pleased I found this site. Absolutely loved the music and it has brought back pleasant memories from 1967 in particular. I was at the gig in Hinckley, The George, and met the band’s roadie, Denny Brown, we had a fairly distanced relationship for a little while but I remember him well. Wonder what happened to him?
Contrary to Melody Maker, a usually very reliable source, they did not make their debut US tour in April 1968. They came to America in late July 1967 for a concert and promotion tour. They stopped in some cities for interviews and press receptions, other cities for concert appearances. I believe they flew back to London on Sunday 3 September.
In my teenage diary it says that I went to see the Spencer Davis group at the Preston College Rag Ball on Friday 14th February 1969.
I’m sure I didn’t make this up but it doesn’t seem to be on the list! Anybody else go to this or remember it?
Sorry for my curiosity Linda but in those years did you saw also in concert FREE (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff, Simon Kirke) somewhere in England between April 1968 and October 1972 ? Any kind of additional information is welcome ! Thanks for your kindly attention and help too !
Best Regards,
Alessandro
What date when SDG played at St. Joseph’s Collegiate High School in Kenmore, New York?
Please respond!
I attended a concert of theirs I believe in 1969, at Bishop Neuman High School in Williamsville NY. I assume this would have been the same time they played at St Joes. I think I was in 9th grade at the time.
You listed an Irish Tour the first week in June 1966, SDG played the Arcadia in Cork, Ireland on June 1, 1966. You referenced Beat Instrumental as your source. Was there an advert for the Irish tour in B.I.? If so could you send me a scan of the ad? Thanks in advance.
Milo Carr
Great job, but please, include the four shows of the Spencer Davis Group in Budapest, Hungary on 7-8-9th July 1967 at Kisstadion, in front of 4 x 12.000 fans.
The SDG were support on the Stones 1965 tour. They did two shows on 14 October at Birmingham Odeon. I witnessed the early show. Steve Winwood performed Every Little Bit Hurts on the Odeon’s pipe organ.
I was a member of Love’s Lot back in the 60’s. We supported Spencer Davis a couple of times! 15 February 1966 at Walsall Town Hall and at Willenhall Baths, can’t remember that date . We were originally named Johnny Love and the Spectres. I have a newspaper article about the Walsall gig but I don’t know how to attach it!.
I remember Spencer Davis playing Northampton Tech in 1963, the booking was made before they became famous and they kept their word and played the gig! Fantastic!