From Hamilton, New Zealand, Tomorrow’s Love is known now for an excellent version of Love’s “7 And 7 Is” on their only 45. Guitarist Ron Jenkins contacted me and told me about the group and sent the scans of the record seen here. He also sent me a transfer of “What Shall I Do”, which the band learned from the Artwoods, though the original version was the very fine “I’ve Got The Blues (What Shall I Do)” written and sung by Marvin Jenkins and released on Palormar 2208. I am one of the few to have heard Tomorrow’s Love version in almost 50 years!
I formed Tomorrow’s Love a long time ago. Max Fletcher was the bass player from Timaru. I arranged for Kevin [Toneycliffe] and Max to come to Hamilton and join a group with me and an organ player [Derek Allan].
New Zealand was a strange country back in the sixties with import and currency regulations. Foreign exchange was what we thought impossible to get other than in 50P British Postal notes available one per person a day. So on Friday nights we used to get into my car and rush around as many post offices as we could running into a post office and buying a 50P postal note each. We used these Postal Notes to buy packages of records that we thought would not be available here in New Zealand from a British Record Shop. We chose these via a Britsh music publication Melody Maker, and one record we chose was Love’s version of “7 And 7 Is”.
I recall another record we got was The Sparrow, “Tomorrows Ship”, so we just used Tomorrow’s Love as our name.
When we first heard “7 And 7 Is” we thought it was unique and bound to create interest. Of course we never ever anticipated the New Zeland Broadcasting Corporation banning the record and that is what really killed it. We had the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation’s #1 disk jockey running our dances and we know we would have got a fair go with airplay BUT he played it once and was jumped upon and that’s when we found out it was banned. It never entered our minds that the lyrics were drug related.
I believe there were two pressings with “7 And 7 Is” being the A side in the first pressing and then they made “What Shall I Do” the A side on the second pressing. I should have bought more than one copy. I do not think any of us got a cent in royalties. I have a first pressing which I was told there were 500 (but I had no way of verifying that). If correct it indicates the record sold over 500 copies.
I actually hated the fuzz box on “7 and 7 Is” but after listening to some other versions in later years I have grown to like our version. To be honest going by memory, I do not think it went over live, I mean “Ha Ha Said the Clown” was probably more acceptable!
The guitar was double tracked on “What Shall I Do”. I never knew that there was an original prior to the Artwoods. Looking back I wish we had tried to change the arrangements instead of just a copy of the originals.
I recall Keith Ashton (a disk jockey in Hamilton who ran the dances) refusing to call the Saturday dance off like we wanted as the Starlight Ballroom had the Avengers or some Wellington band that had a record at the top of the charts playing there. He said he would get a second band from Rotorua (who incidently never turned up). Anyway we played and by 10 o’clock the Old Folks Hall was packed and friends of the group were telling us that nobody was at the Starlight! I understand they pulled the pin about 11pm. The Old Folks Hall had amazing acoustics, no matter how the band was performing it always sounded good.
One of our last gigs was in Auckland at Hauraki Radio’s nightspot. We never went down well until we played The Creations “Making Time” which we had hoped to record. We played it last because the guitar riff was played using a violin bow and because of the resin my guitar had to be properly cleaned up. It went down well and I can recall a comment from one of the people there that they had never heard an “outside” group being clapped as we were! Of course it could have been because it was our last number? but maybe not as they never knew it was …
When we broke up the drummer/vocalist (Kevin) of Tomorrows Love joined a group The Chapta. He was the vocalist for them on “Say a Prayer” which reached #1 on the NZ hit parade. I got a shock a few years ago to find that Kevin had died in Australia of a heart attack.
I think Max and myself realised that Tomorrow’s Love had done its dash at about the same time. I was trying to arrange gigs, etc and it simply wore me down, plus it was my car and my money that was keeping things going. Looking back it was stupidity, we never got the money from our dances, I think $60 was topline split between four. It never covered costs. Since the group broke up I have had no contact with any of them.
Ron Jenkins
I loved it when you guys played the Old Folks hall I remember you used to have a “special guest” who went by the name Hardwick who couldn’t really sing but you guys gave him a chance and boosted his confidence.
Denis..HELL….I just found your comment so hope you get my message…I remember Hardwick ..he was a true fan of the group and helped us so much ..I recall he suffered from asthma and one night he had a bad attack ..I never knew what to do and I really should have bundled him into my car and got him to hospital …He could have died that night…
Yes the Old Folks Hall …what acoustics that place had ….no matter how bad we were it always sounded good….i have never had any contact with the others since the group broke up…and as I said in the article ,it really was a shock to find out Kevin had died I think in Australia ..Although there were good times there was a lot of bad times also eg a friend of the group being killed …I look back and think of all the money it cost me personally running the car and trying to keep up with new electronic devices for really a pittance in return …We really should have run our own dances but thats living and learning…..Also I now regret especially in our record that we never tried to put a different style instead of straight copying… Of course computers were not available back then but sebsequently many years later I found the original version of What Shall I do …Its on Youtube sung by its composer Marvin Jenkins ….Of course I thought that the Artwoods version which we copied was the original ..If we had heard the real original surely we would have had some sense to try and do an arrangement between the two..
If you can please get back to me ..email murihikukid5 [at] gmail.com or Skype Ron Jenkins ….I am in Invercargill ….Cheers
Great !!! I remember you guys so well, this is very cool. Cheers. Sid.
My copy of the 45 is up for sale …..So Its going to be interesting what it gets on trademe…I was offered $100 plus for it a couple of years ago…….. Ron
Hi Ron, I just found a copy of your single. I’m interested to know its value. My kudos to you for covering Arthur Lee way back then! Cheers, Darren
Hi Ron , Wondered where you were nowdays, ! Iv been writing a book for the Timaru Museum on the 60s music scene in Timaru, Check out my facebook site, (Timaru music guitar history) Cheers Lyall.
Well well well. I have just found this!! I am Liz Hayde (formerly Liz Allan), Derek’s sister. I live in Australia and have 4 children. Kevin, you may remember, was my boyfriend for a while, and I too was upset to hear of his passing. Derek has also passed away, quite some years ago now. So good to make contact again!
Liz….I have recently retired in the Philippines and was showing this page to my friends here,,its such a long time since I visited it.. ,,,,Then I saw your very sad letter about Derek…I often thought about Derek and Max over the years and what had happened to them….So many memories…….. Both Good and bad……….I never returned to Hamilton after leaving and went back to my original home of Invercargill and went on yearly jaunts around the South Pacific Islands and South East Asia.til I realised I was old and it was past time to settle down and I chose the Philippines and a beautiful Island to settle and be happy..with.. a beautiful lady
Hi Ron, Chris Caddick from Recorded Music New Zealand here. I’m working on digital reissues for Universal who own the Allied label, which includes your single. Could you contact me please. caddick@xtra.co.nz
Does anyone know where Max Fletcher is now.
Liz…..I was so upset with myself and regret so much not trying to make contact with Derek and now its to late…..I hope you do not mind me asking but did he marry and have a family……..So many memories…..I actually learnt to play fingerstyle and classical guitar and was spending all my time practicing and I could play quite good but got diabetes and i lost my motavation …I had a beautiful collection of Acoustic ,classical and a Flamenco guitar but they are now all being sold ……My playing days are over and I am more interested in using the money for an inflatable boat here in the Philippines and going island hopping in this fascinating country…….The diabetes was killing me in the cold in Invercargill and I feel so much better where i am now…and I hope to have some wonderful adventures once I get an inflatable … Regards Ron
Hi there Ron! Gosh it must be 55 years!! Yes Derek did marry, twice in fact, first time he had a son called Simon, and the 2nd time to a Philippino girl would you believe. Edna still lives in Wellington with their son Darren who is now getting on for 30! So glad to hear you’re happy Ron. xxxx