Interesting feedback from a highly-respected
North-East guy who books bands for
venues - if you're a band and someone
leaves you a message to get back to him,
it may just be a good idea to do so.
Apparently, many bands lose the
chance of a gig cos they just
don't bother to return his call. Go
figure...
--------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
THE RED LION, MOORCOCK AND
BOOKING BANDS...
Just
heard from Ray, late of The Red Lion in
Norton, Stockton, just to clarify some
points as there has been some
ch..ch...ch...changes to what we said
originally; Ray is likely to be seen in the
Moorcock in Peterlee on Friday nights
- for no better reason than it's a bloody
good night there. Ian from the Moorcock is
still booking the bands for that venue, so
no sweat any band that has a gig there,
there is NO changes there. Secondly,
although Ray is leaving the Red Lion, he may
still be booking bands for the new tenants
cos, well basically, he's bloody good at it,
so why wouldn't he?!! Hope that clears
things up and for those who suspect that
Riffs got it wrong originally - just how
very dare you?!! You know we never make
misteaks.
-------------------------------------------------
If
you haven't yet got a ticket for the
gig on 14th April to celebrate the
50th anniversary of the
birth of FREE, featuring
no less
than four superb bands,
then panic no longer, as
there will now be entry
on door - and still at
the bargain price of
just £20. This is an
annual event and
is always memorable,
but this special 50th
anniversary gig at Wallsend
Memorial Hall will
be one for the
history books.
-----------------------------------------------------
COME ON PEEPS, PLAY
THE GAME
It takes some doing
keeping everything up to date here at Riffs
and we do our very best and we know that a
lot of you appreciate it. BUT, we are
getting a growing number of bands/venues
changing their gigs once added and
uploaded and not letting us know. This
does no-one any favours - in fact it harms
your venue, your gig and our reputation -
and that, as they say 'boils our piss'. If
you are down for playing a venue on a
certain date and then it is cancelled (for
whatever reason) then LET US KNOW. Do not
wait for the replacement band to inform
us - because then, in effect, we
have TWO bands down for playing the same
venue on the same date. When this happens
we used to show both bands, but we decided
that was not helpful at all so now we show
neither. Checking your gig listing helps
but it's surprising how many bands/venues
just don't bother. Riffs strives to be as
accurate as humanly possible but if we
have a query concerning a gig listing then
I'm afraid we have no option but to ignore
that listing. We'd rather not host it than
to mislead our readers.
Not so long ago, Lara, from American Girl
was messed about by various venues one
apocalyptical weekend and had a string of
alterations, amendments and cancellations
and apologised profusely to Riffs for
messing us about. As we said to Lara and
we say to you: 'You never mess us
about by
letting us know, no matter how many
times, of alterations. You only mess
us about when you don't'.
----------------------------------------------------
'IN 1968 FOUR YOUNG MEN AGREED TO MEET
UP FOR A JAM SESSION . . .'
 The saying,
'Doesn't time fly by as you get older'
really does seem to ring true for many of
us and particularly when looking back to
50 years.
Some news making the headlines in
1968: Martin Luther King was assassinated
on 4th April 1968. London bridge was sold
to the US for £1million on the 18th April
1968 and The Beatles set up their own
record label in Abbey Road Studios.
Whilst only 6 miles away from The Beatles
coming and goings, unannounced, on Friday
19th April 1968 at a pub in
Battersea in a small corner of London,
four young men had arranged to meet for a
jam session, the names of those
individuals; Andy
Fraser, Bass player
(15years of age), Paul
Kossoff,
Guitarist (17) Paul
Rodgers Vocalist and
Simon
Kirke Drummer
(both 18). After a blistering evening of
playing blues, they decided there and then
to form a band and soon after settled on
the name FREE. And by November 1968 they
had recorded their first album: 'Tons of
Sobs'.
They went on to become one of the
biggest-selling British blues rock groups;
by the time the band split in 1973, they
had sold more than 20 million albums and
had played more than 700 arena and
festival concerts. Their most famous song
"All Right Now" topped a 2010 online
fan poll by UK radio station Planet Rock
for the "Greatest Rock single". Rolling
Stone has referred to the band as "British
hard rock pioneers".The magazine ranked
Rodgers No. 55 in its list of the
"100 Greatest Singers of All Time", while
Kossoff was ranked No. 51 in its list
of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All
Time".
Bill Flynn has been organising 'The
Annual Free Convention' since 1986
which is a live music event honouring his
heroes. 'Thirty two years ago it was
impossible to find a Free tribute band'
explained Bill. Since that first event
Bill has seen a gradual rise in bands
playing Free's music, and these days he is
inundated with requests to play at the
annual event; 'There is nothing quite
like the atmosphere of a Free
Convention where both musicians and fans
share an evening of such affection for
the band's music' said Bill. Recent
Highlights have seen original member Simon
Kirke playing at the 2014 Convention
and particularly poignantly for Bill was Andy
Fraser who came in 2013 to play in
the North East for the first time in 38
years, this turned out to be a
record attendance for any Free Convention
and as a result many fans got their one
and only chance to meet and see their hero
up close. Sadly Andy passed away in 2015.
This year's show is being held at Wallsend
Memorial Hall on Saturday 14th April (doors open
6pm) and will feature 4 live bands. Bill
explained: 'This year will be extra
special as a very fine band is making
the long and arduous journey from Japan
specially to play the 'Tons of Sobs'
album in its entirety'. - which to
Bill's knowledge has never been attempted
before in a live setting.
Bill is in contact with the surviving
members of Free; namely Simon
Kirke and Paul Rodgers and
they regularly support the event with
merchandise to help with a charity raffle
and both have gone on record to thank Bill
for his loyal support over so many years.
Tickets are available priced £20 directly
from Bill and he can be contacted on 01282
868352 /07948 017380 or email
freeconvention@aol.com.
Riffs would like to
remind our very generous readers that
not only is this an intimate evening
soaking up an atmosphere of Free music
and vibes - but Bill is, as always,
donating all profits to The Northern
Brainwave Appeal. So make
an effort to creep along and listen to
some songs of yesterday.....
-----------------------------------------------------------
Well, the
28th has come and gone and not one support
band for Soulville
at the Golden Fleece has come forward! I
don't know; some bands just don't want
publicity..so we'll hand over to
someone who needs and deserves it - over
to you Bill....
------------------------------------------------------------
WE DOFF OUR HATS TO YOU
Apparently, some
bads just don't like publicity! Local
guys Soulville are headlining an
evening of music to raise badly-needed
funds for cystic fibrosis [Wednesday
28th at The Golden Fleece in Silksworth]
- but the support acts remain elusive.
We raise our musical hats to all bands
who give so freely of their time and
skills to support charities so please -
let us know who you are and you can have
our heartfelt appreciation . . .
----------------------------------------------
THE NORTON LION ROARS NO MORE
Bit of sad
news concerning the Red
Lion in Norton. They are
one of the few (if the only) pubs that put
on midweek gigs but, sadly, the tenancy is
being taken over on the 16th of April and
the new tenant is ceasing all live bands.
So the last three gigs in April will be
Monday April
.2nd....THE PHAT TYRTLES.
April
..9th....AUDIO SOULS.
April..16th..GRAHAM
RUSSELL HUNTER.
Ray, from the Lion, is moving
to The Moorcock in Peterlee and Riffs
understand he may be arranging their
Friday nights live gigs. It is interesting
to note what Ray had to say about booking
midweek bands: 'I'm sure if the bands
of today halved their fee for Monday to
Thursday gigs instead of saying "we
never go out for less than £250"
(because they have never done a midweek
gig), then a few pub managers would give
it a go. I tell them midweeks are
different to weekend gigs, people come
out to sit and listen to bands during
the week, and the pubs don't get full
like weekends are, but they don't seem
to take it in.'
So, after 20 years at the Lion, Ray is
shutting up shop. Our own rock legend Russ Tippins
got one of his very first gigs twenty
years ago at the Lion - from Ray's
daughter who had just took over the venue.
I think pub landlords/owners/tenants are
like car mechanics - when you find a good,
fair and honest one you stick by them like
glue. Riffs wishes Ray all the luck in the
world at the Moorcock, and will always
give him our full and continued support.
-----------------------------------------------
How chuffed is Riffs
that an owner of one of the most popular
and prestigious pubs in the North-East has
responded to our article on how a new band
goes about getting a gig. So we hand over
the next few paragraphs to Paul Smith from
The Three Tuns in Gateshead . . .
 I read with
interest the article on how to get a gig and I
have to say the editor pretty much nails it
for me. The truth is very simple,
there are few pubs providing live music who
have great crowds irrespective of which band
is on. Speaking from The Tuns we are
more or less guaranteed a good night with
10/12 bands that I know of. Another 15/20 will
get us a crowd of between 40 and 60 every time
and make the night worthwhile
financially.
I can think of no unknown
covers band that has ever in my 16 years of
putting on live music filled my room. In fact
on the odd occasion I take a risk, I'm
persuaded by friends or colleagues, or I'm in
desperate need to cover a late cancellation
it's invariably, inevitably almost a tiny
crowd.
This is not a reflection on
our promotion or the band's appeal or
professionalism it's simply that with so much
live music to choose from the dwindling
audience will not give us the benefit of the
doubt preferring instead to go see Blue Diamond
at The Fox or Russ
Tippins at The Schooner or The Emerald Thieves at
The Stone Trough, all within a mile and a half
radius and I understand them entirely.
It's the proverbial chicken
and egg for new bands and venues alike but
there are ways - as Riffs
hints at - that can get our attention.
From my perspective I'm not
interested in Demo CDs or YouTube footage or
the guitarist's CV. These things have zero
impact for me but for what it's worth here is
how to guarantee your band an opportunity to
join our regular twice a year rota of quality
local bands.
I'm not trying to pick
fights so any musician feeling hard done to
reading this ought to understand that it's
just my view, my experience and talking about
one pub.
1.. Be a tribute to a band
that have a wide appeal but are not duplicated
by lots of other local bands. Within the last
two weeks I've booked a Rush
Tribute at £600, a Dire
Straits tribute from Newcastle
who I've not seen on a cash guarantee plus
100% of the door fee and a Marillion
tribute on a similar deal because I know my
customers and others will support these
shows.
2..Like Riffs
speculates below, I would indeed be swayed by
an offer to play a show on a Thursday night,
Sunday evening for a reduced fee or expenses
plus door take if appropriate to see whether :
A) People would come along
and
B) whether the band had
something unique that I felt I could sell to
our audience for a weekend or
C) the obvious is where a
band can guarantee to get a new crowd into my
room in the manner of a La
Villa Strangiato or Skinny Molly
who are just so good you can't ignore the
opportunity or a band made up of locals
playing their first gig who will bring friends
and family to fill the place (it happens).
We have lots of festivals,
celebrations, events at The Tuns like
our Pie Festival weekend or St
Patrick's Day or Halloween
or too many others to mention. I'd love to
hear from any new band wanting to come along
and entertain us perhaps earlier in the
evening before the main band when you'd play
to a large enthusiastic crowd but you'd have
to be prepared to take a more speculative
approach to payment as I simply wouldn't pay
£300 to a new band [to me] to play at
6pm.
I've heard all the
arguments a million times about how over
worked and under paid musicians are but that's
not the point this time. Nige is asking how do
new bands get gigs and I'm more than happy to
pass on what works for me.
No offence meant to anyone
at all.
Paul.
SO
HOW DO YOU GET A GIG?
I was prompted to write
this article after contact from a very
reputable venue owner who, when contacted by
bands wanting a gig, requested a demo of their
material, and a list of gigs they had done,
and also a list of gigs booked for the future.
He said that, more often than not, he never
heard from the band again.
Now, this puts me in mind of Zeppelin
in their early days. We all know they must
have had masses of potential and played bloody
well, but as they were unknown they never rang
up a venue out of the blue, asking for a gig
and expecting payment. No - they, invariably,
played for free. All over the place. And, as
they were understandably brilliant, it was not
long before venues were ringing them.
It seems to me that three things
are paramount in getting a gig: 1, the venue
needs to make a profit from the night. 2; the
band needs to make a profit from the night. 3;
the punters need to be kept happy.
So, it seems to me that everyone
is on the same side - so what's going wrong?
If I was in a band and I was truly
convinced we were amazing I would get in touch
with this venue owner (preferably a face to
face visit - at least show you are sincere),
and explain that we were new, we thought we
were good and we thought we would eventually
pull in a lot of punters. But we realised that
HE could not take us at face value. So, I
would put it to him that we played for our
expenses - obviously give him a rough figure
of what that would be - so we wouldn't
actually lose money on the gig. I would hope
(forever the optimist I) that this would be
acceptable and that, if he made oodles from
the night he would be fair enough to share
some of those oodles with the band. Also, if
we were good, we would gladly take a further
booking at the venue for a full fee. I am also
presuming, by the way, that the band members
behave properly and respectfuly at all times.
Call me old school, but you are never, just
never, going to get a repeat gig if any member
of the band shows himself (or herself) to be
an arse!! And, also a bit of respect for the
band from the venue staff may not go amiss,
too. (I well remember when Val ran a pub
that she went out of her way to make sure
the band for the night was welcomed, shown
where everything was, offered a drink and
told that any query they had they were to
come to her immediately and it would be
sorted. To me, this is quite obvious but so
many bands complained to her they were
virtually ignored when arriving at
the majority of venues. Come on, if you have
invited a band to play at your venue and you
are going to pay them, you are going to get
a helluva lot more from the band if they are
happy and appreciated - yes?).
Call me naive, but why wouldn't this work?
Answers on a postcard..............
no,
seriously, we welcome
feedback............
OBY
REMEMBERS . . .
(all as supplied with no editing or corrections
- and all pics supplied by Oby)
 Jan
1996 started with Sticky
fingers at the
heaton buffs (great band
),,, then with Alligators
at , Alexandria,,,,,, Kings Head at
Allendale .,,Swarland again ,,,Grindon
Broadway on wednesday 24th for willie
Newton`s farewell party b4
he moved to Australia
! He was lead
guitarist in Howard
Bakers, BBFaith ...wonder
how he is doing now
`...Did Thornhill club at
Stockton with Razzle
...meanwhile Big Brother,
and Alexanders
Palace .were going
down well in Newcastle ..Feb,,,was
down at Barnsley. with FM,,,
at Wath and West club ..then
Shieldfield club .....Did the
heaton buffs with Crossroads
..at last ... they play
on a BIG stage !
End of Feb worked with The Force
at Porters S/S....March had
some interesting club
bands doing the `rounds` Guns & Oatcakes
...New Jersey....Deek the
Juice (wor lass`s
fav band )....Steve
Graham band ....Strongheart
....Grand Slam ...The Strand
..and the
Medicine band ...Also
worked for the `bikers` at
81 club in S/land most Saturday
nights .. The
Alligators were
the first band
on.......`..April and May..worked
with The Force
at Pelaw Broadway and Stanley
Civic Centre (live recordings
) got me name on the
credits !!
July ,,did Europa Lodge with
the Animals 11....High
Pit club ...Haltwhistle W.M.C,,,and
Belle View ..with the Force......
 Slippery Dick
were playing the 81club at Murton
St ...August with
Benwell Floyd and
then
Terry Slesser
plus Graham
Russell also the 81
club ..Dec was busy with various
bands ,,Wallsend Companions club
with benwell
floyd ..Sticky Fingers
did a private party at Newcastlle
Station Hotel ,,,Steels club with
Big Brother ..At
the `Arts Centre ` in the toon
with Sticky
fingers,,and the usual
Xmas party gigs at the
Buffs,with Deek
the Juice..Alexanders Palace....Bon
Geordie ,,,and Steve Graham band
..finishing up with Erik
and the vikings at
81 club ........97 started with a very
good band at the Royal
Archer ,,Jesmond ...called Nobody1s Fool
 who ,,did all
their own material ..,,,Feb, with Stone the Crows
at the buffs,,Stanley Civic Centre
with the Force
& Disregard
,,,,awsome ``....and the`Sticky`s at 81
club ...
March,,,Strongheart at
the buffs..Wow !! Steels club with
Powerage ......Then
Whitelease club S/s with Matt Vynal and the
decorators (honestly
!) ,,,,Trillians with
powerband Powerage
,,,, finishing up at the buffs
with F.M
for 2 nights !,,,Rest of the year
.all over ,,including Beamish
Mary.....Ivy Leaf...Maltby progeressive
club,,, 81 club with the Force
,,,Rocktop , Usher Moor..Navy club
Blackhall,,Cross keys Barnsley
....Civic hall Stanley
,,,Loftus,,Scarbro.pavillion Vaults
..etc...Other great bands i saw
during this year were ,,,Grand Slam
,,,Whizzkid...The
Piggies,,,Hit the Deck
,,,Kleen sheet ,,,The
Boyz,,,Renegade ..up
next 1998 ....
(Pics from top: Nighthawks gig list; The
Force, Rob Tunbull and band)
 1994 and Animals 11
rehearsing for their
new tour ! ...
meanwhile ,,, in Jan`,,,did the
Pheasant with Crossroads
......Seaton Carew and
H/pool supporters with Nighthawks
,,,and hollyhill social
club in G/heed with Powerage
..Feb...Feb Nighthawks
were playing Parkers ..Stanley
/Barmston W/ton ..Westerhope Comrades
/ station hotel W/bay .. and Powerage
did Parkers . Stanley ..So ..from Jan 94
till June 95 the
animals11,,,were
touring all ower .,, but
,,,coming back to england
to play as Alligators
... including .. Bergan .Norway...(3
nights in March ) then in June
with the
Troggs ( Reg
Pressley) as supporting
band ..they did ,,Leisure
Centre .Mansfield ...Chesterfield
....Brentwood ,,,the Powerhouse in london
..The Dome ..Doncaster..and in july
...Chatham and Hastings
also with
the Troggs in
support ..Went down to
Scunthorpe with Animals
11 at the Redburn club
.. sold lots of
t.shirts !followed by Ritz
ballroon at Leeds..October
saw the
Animals at Colchester
..Norwich ,,Butlin`s Bogner
Regis Ronnie Scotts in london ,b4
travelling to denmark for
a 6day tour ..then holland for
7gigs...then Scotland at
Bannockburn for 2 nights ...Then
finally on march 2nd /3rd a
working trip trip to
Dubai ....allreet for some
!!! Meanwhile back
yem ..worked with
Big Clocks / Crossroads/ Powerage
/Barking Billy and King Snakes
....Scandalous Batchelors /Cuban Eels
/Lemon / Sticky fingers
..brilliant band ...Brendon Healey
...Jackson at the
Alexandria ...Six
of the best ,,,After midnight
..Fastbuck ..and ALLIGATORS
when they were not
`on the road `..that takes
us up to the end of 94,,,with
,  one
or 2 notible exceptions
in between ...In March did
trillians with Powerage
,,which was `jam packed `..also
Kings Head Stanley (again
, sold out ) another
great `rocking night` was
Harveys at Stockton and Queen
Vic S/shields also with
the ac/dc band ...Went to
see Bryan adams
at Gates head Stadium in july ..
In December ,the
ANIMALS did the Pheasant and
Park hotel with Crossroads
in support ..///////
95 saw a couple of `new
bands hitting the clubs` Eye to eye...The
boys///and McKenzie ..Unsung
Heroes...Big Brother
to name 5,,,In March did
The Moathoos in Wallsend with Animals
for 2 nights
(Barclays bank
do`.).....Ashington central
/Shotton colliery and Haltwhistle
club with Powerage
,,,and Crossroads
plus Beggers
Banquet at the
Pheasant ..June 1st with Sticky fingers
and later Nissan Sports lounge ...then
South Gosforth club .July back
withAnimals at
lots of clubs
/pubs...inc,,Grand Hotel ..Toll
bar / Maggy` bank...Parkers// Cellar
club S/S//
Seahorse at blyth ....etc ...all
the way to December ///
------------------------------------------------------------
RUSS SAVES
THE DAY FOR THE LION
 Late change at
the Red Lion in Norton this coming
Monday (12th) when
anybody expecting the Picaroons
on one hand may be disappointed,
but on the other may be rather elated as
they are being replaced by our own
legend that is Russ Tippins.
Apparently the Picaroons are
"not ready" for their gig at the
Red Lion and, even though
booked for over six months have
only just let Raymond know, so he has had
to rather urgently find a
replacement. He told Riffs:
'It was rather annoying
to be let down so late
in the day;
building up regular
clientele to see good
quality acts is not an
overnight
job, but thankfully
my old mate Russ was
available and agreed
to do the gig. Whether
he is belting out
Rock classics or
strumming away acoustically
he always pulls
in the
crowds.'
GOV. TO CRACK DOWN ON
BOOKING FEES
Watching
the News today it seems we're getting there -
little by little. Riffs has always baulked at
unfair 'booking fees' and any excuse to add
more fees to a ticket, but it seems the
Government is now cracking down and they
reckon that, within 12 months, the price the
ticket is advertised for should be the price
you pay. No doubt, though, the ticket sellers
will still find a way to add fees - but we
have ourselves to blame a lot of the
time. Even in our own Listings there is
a choice of getting the ticket direct from the
venue - or going through an entertainment site
for the same ticket and paying a booking fee.
Just don't give your heard-earned to the
company - go direct to the venue. Derrr.....
'Well, it's one louder, isn't
it?'
 And talking of
Hartlepool Supporters Club; a cracker of
a gig coming up on Saturday 10th when you can
expect not only a reliably rockin' set from
headliners The Russ
Tippins Electric Band but also
a very special one-off performance from This One Goes Up To
Eleven. Aaron from the band
told Riffs; 'Yeah a reunion gig. After a 3
year hiatus, the band are getting back
together for a one-off gig in Hartlepool
supporting the mighty Russ Tippins Electric
Band! And we are delighted that the
incredible Ian Halford will be
joining us on drums. Tickets available from
the promoter Thomas Alan Wormald. Excited?
Just a bit!!! Road trip anyone?'
Needless to say the lads are focused on a
truly memorable performance as they will need
to be on full throttle to have even a vestige
of a chance to steal the limelight from Mr
Tippins and co.!! (tickets are available
£8, and feel free to turn up on the night
but be expected to part with a
still-acceptable tenner).
The Big River lads wish to
apologise as, due to unforeseen circumstances,
and illness, Big River Trio have had
to cancell their show at Hartlepool Supporters
Club on Sunday 4th March.
We are
getting in cancellations due to the bad
weather and mark the gigs on the Listings page
as such as soon as we get the info so make
sure you check - right up to the last few
minutes - before you set off. And if in any
doubt - RING THE VENUE.
----------------------------------------------
OBY
REMEMBERS . . .
(all as supplied with
no editing or corrections - and all pics
supplied by Oby)
 So..in
july ,,,93,,,just got back from
Cyprus hols ` straight back with
`mans music`
at Castle Farm tennis club
,again ...stanley Central .. The
Pheasnt N/sheilds ,, then an
`all nighter ` at Millfield
Aerodrome ,,,In August did a
`double bill ` with Powerage
at the heaton buffs ..brilliant
! On monday 23rd Aug
,,,started rehearsals at the
pheasant ..with the `Gators`
who were preparing to form Animals 11..tribute
... next night played, same venue
...with Crossroads
as support....Did the Beamish
Mary (no place) Heaton buffs
and Benidictine social club
Cramlington ...and the ~animals
were going down well
...End of Aug did Colne
R@B festival .Lancashire ..with Jools Holland
..my old mate ..Alvin Lee,,
and the Hamsters
... Sept was with a few
different bands ,,, Hartepool
Belle View with F.M.
and heaton buffs ...High pit
with Powerage
,,,Pheasant with the `Gators, and
Nighhawks
...Also Pheasant ..
 October
the Park Hotel did a
tribute to the Anmals
.plus Alive
and Kicking
...Next night at the
Mayfair with Powerage
(ac.dc) Alexandra
Ballroom Sland .with Nighhawks
and the
Big clocks ,,sat 9th
...Westerhope Comrades with Powerage
,,while Six
of the best did heaton
buffs Sat and Sun .. Battle
Hill club with Trevor Sewell
( where is he
now?) Sat 16th
Belle View with Gary Witton
and Messanger
, and back in H/pool the
next night at United
supporters club with Nighthawks
..End of Oct..doon Bogner
Regis with
the Alligators
..November was busy
..Mayfair again ,,with The Force
and  Powerage
,,the pheasant with the last
appearance of the Nighhawks ...shame!
..Dunston Fed breweries with Big Ray
,,,and
Slippery dick ...really
!! Travellers Rest Whickam
with Powerage
......Hamburg for 2 days with alligators
(7th /8th )..... Mayfair
,,,with Alligators
and my old marra Brendon Healy ...Trillians
with Bad
Influence .. Heaton
Buffs with
powerage .to
finish of october , doon
at Belle view H/pool with
Nighhawks
(reformed ) and
Mean Mr Mustard ..
Cold december we travelled
up to the `Dug Out`` in Greenock
Glasgow ..and then to the
G/head leisure Centre to
see 6 of thr best
,,,Did the Pelaw Social Xmas
party for British Telecom ..then onto
the corner house . Heaton with Bad influence
..The annual Xmas party
was mega with
The Junco partners
,,,Jan 94 saw the Animals 11
were `playing all over Europe
...Wil list gigs next ....
(pics, from top: Lemon,
Powerage, Quebec)
 In July 92 was at
the Park hotel with Mc
callum ( wonder
what he is doing now ) meanwhile
back in sunderland Steels club ,
it was Davy
Ditchburn`s last
gig with Talisman
,,,Six
of the best were
rocking the clubs ,as were Big Brother ...August
saw us back at the Moathouse
with Bessie
and his buckets
.plus Crossroads,
an excellent `up and
coming ` band from Tynemouth...
October saw the
Alligators doing a
charity show at the Park
hotel with Steve
Gibbons band and the moat
brothers .. then
did the Harrogate Moat house
Hotel .(private party) stayed
overnight .. followed by the  Nissan
sports club // December was busy
..The Royal York Hotel, Redcar
,,it was the M/boro Poly students Xmas
bash ..(literally ) ..then
M/boro town hall supporting Dr Feelgood
,,Sands club W/bay ...Pelaw club
..Xmas party for British
.Telecom ,,,,Newcastle Poly
for..Scottish/Newcastle breweries ball`
,,Heaton buffs . plus Crossroads,,,and
last one of the year
,,,Park hotel with `Bessie`
.....93 January ,, the gators
were in the recording .studios....
Then in April
did a private wedding do
up at Bamburgh ,,the Moat
house in Wallsend next with Crossroads
...and again in May with
support Bessie
and the buckets
! plus
Crossroads
...brilliant neets`
Also did Castle farm
tennis club ,,  (again in july
)June ..were at battle Hill club
(well named ) South gosforth
...River Wear club (still
there ?) then Ashington Central
where they all talk
funny !!! ..Its only a
few miles up north of
the toon ,,but ye cannot
understand them ...! pit
yackkers !
Also in June
supported the Commitments
at the Mayfair ..Went to
Leeds Irish Centre and
supported Paul
Jones blues band.
Then Peterlee
R&B festival with Alvin Lee plus
the Hamsters.next
day....travelled up to Newland
farm in Belford ....
(pics, from top: Dance Class,
Geordie, Brian Johnson)
 April 91
..was up in Glasgow to see AC/DC
with Hylton ..and back
stage passes..
At south Gosforth club
saw Double
Trouble (ex Jynx)
and Dougie
small..then the Gators
did `swaziland ` club again ,
before doing a show at Jesmond
lawn tennis club
.cracking neet ! followed by
the Coatham Bowl ..Redcar...In July
got a  gig
at Riverside in Newcastle , after being on
the telly```` t.t.t.v. `
Northern Life .. (going back
in time now) Saw Gary
Whittons beer money
(band ) at Blackhall Navy club
....whatever happened to
Gary? Then
the BIGGEEEE.!!!...Travelled down to
Donnington ..Monsters of
rock with
Hylton Valentine @
Johnnas brother ,..but had to detour
to a swish nottingham hotel
to pick up wa
tickets and back stage
passes which Johnna had
left us in
reception Ac/Dc
headlined this show and
it was awsome ...woora
day..i will never forget !
 Other notable
club bands doing the rounds were Tattood tears (ex
babysitter) Shooting
party..Riff Raff..7 to midnight
..Legacy..
Saw Riff raff
at the Fed breweries ..very
good ... and F.M
who are still going now
..great rock stuff!..((over
the` KILLS` and far
away).....End of October
went to see Bryan Adams
at whitley bay ice
rink ..the night after did Park
hotel with after
Midnight
(tribute to Free)
In November
worked with Salamander
Joe and Cairo
at newcastle Irish club
..then the Moat house hotel  with
support ..The Buffs Xmas
extravaganza was with Talisman
and Alligators...
1992,,,did some good gigs
with the
Gators,,,,Porters
S/Shields ...Irish centre
Toon...Riverside ..for the pelaw
bikers,,Nissan Social club ,,good
night ...The old Assembly
rooms in Newcastle ..Croft sports
and social club .. Belle View
h/pool with
Talisman ,,,Mayfair...
 Moat
house with Bessie
and the Zinc buckets
.(..really enjoyed these
lads) Also saw the `Big Clocks
` at the Borough in S/land ,,
At the end of June Alligators
got a gig down Scarboro
,,remember stopping at a b@B
guest house just outside
the railway station ..the
next day We set up at
the Mere social club for the
miners convention ...It
was  hillarious !!
the smoke machine
`jammed ` on stage , and
half the club was
covered in smoke ,,a quick
dash down to unplug the
machine ,,but ,Scargill and the , miners
all thought it was part
of the act ! happy days
`` next day off to
Harvey`s wine bar
at darlington followed by
Mount Pleasant in G/head ,,and
Gosforth and Coxlodge ...Not
coxlodge and Gosforth
...!!! another story ! `
cont,,, That
`Young farmers gig was amazing
...we had bailes of
compacted straw for the stage ,
and generators for the power
,,what a brilliant night ..right
in the middle of Haltwhistle
hills .. then it was Houghton Le
Skerne Darlington ..one of my
favourite clubs... .D,R,S,M
Darlington rolling steel
mills... was a good gig followed by
another in ~Darlo` Cockerton
band S.C with Rudie West
... Then at
the beginning of July at
Guidepost club Debbie
anounced she was leaving the
band to go solo !!!
and by end of Sept
did the last gig at Farringdon
club S/land ...!! Meanwhile, the Alligators (left)
...Robert and hylton valentine (below right)
were emerging ...the very first
gig was at Silkswoth club ..and
i know you `were there`
cos it was packed to
rafters `!!! A brilliant
blues band had hit the clubs
...(not forgetting all the
pub gigs ) Rose Inn
.Wallsend ..Dun Cow (New York
N/Shields) High point
Cullercoats..Beamish Mary No
Place..Corner House ..Heaton
.The Vic W/bay..Butlers bar in
the tooon ! Sloans
wine bar ..3mile Inn..Gosforth
..not forgetting te Pheasant N/Shields
..a great gig for many
up and coming bands ...
The first 3gigs for the ` gators were
Percy main club,,then
Heaton buffs.then  Steels S/land .....
the washington Whitehouse on sat
night and sunday morning !
We did all the popular clubs and
in december ,,the Newcastle
Playhouse..followed by the
`Crypt` at Boro town hall .
Thenup to Alnwick Northumberland
Hall ..plus xmas party time with
After midnight at Percy Main club
.......Buffs xmas do` was Talisman and
Pirahna bros (below left)
..always a sell oot!In
91` I wonder how
many bands did this gig
? It was a
tiny club in Swarland near
Alnwick...but,, you never find
it easily ..tucked away amongst a
forest ,,had some excellent
night` s in there ...with `Smokey`
!! local guy ...
 Did the Park
hotel..Tynemouth .. (with lots
of bands) then Shieldfield
club,,,which is not a club
anymore.....Heaton Meadowfield (my local)
and the Alletsa Ballroom ...no
not for dancing !!....In Feb did
Whitehoos club Sat neet
and sunday morning again... and
Whitley bay residents
club.... In March Did Newcastle University
students party ...It was an all
nighter with champagne breakfast at
5am! ...May, saw the Fish
Quay festival at North
sheilds with the Alligators
..Alive and kicking ..After
Midnight and Joe Brown
..wonderful enterrtainment
...must have seen YOU
THERE!!
Once again , i want to thank
Nige` ,,for printing all these
great memories and stories of my
life on the road with
some of the best bands
..that never achieved stardom ...
You look on t.v now and see
all these (c) rap posers..girl/boy bands
all miming ..and all the
rubbish in the charts ! sorry
..rant over ...
 In 1989 i was
working with Centrefold
pictured ....Did some memorable shows
plus support ..the likes
of Bob
Ritchie.. Al Meechie
3times.... ( where are they now ? )
On the 25th Jan we all
helped in a charity show at Forest
Hall club for
Danny..taxi driver and
friend who died in
North Shields ...bands included 3D,,,Talisman ..Messanger
and Little Mo
..Alot of money was
raised for Dannys widow
,,,and a brilliant night was
had by all ,,were you
there ? In March Centrefold
got part time resideny in
Zoots Newcastle every Friday ,
sometimes Saturday..until end of
april ,,including one gig at Zoots
felling ..Some interesting `new`
bands were doing the rounds
inc` Vancouver..The
Action ..Twylight Zone
,,Mainstreet,,Invision
,,Playboys...Officers
Club..Boogyhoppers....Buster..New Invision
..Anthill Mob
...,,,,,,,.In May Paul Defty (drummer)
left Centrefold...but
not b4 we had an interesting
gig at Acklington Prison !!!! No
..not for the inmates ...but the
warders ,,,! A new lineup in June
saw the new drummer , and
Peter Harrison join the band
,,,and first gig was at
Victoria Park .It was
a red hot July and we
did 20 gigs! In August we did Rosyth (H,M.S
cochrane..lion club) Edinburgh
...for 2nights ...Also Crimdon Dene
clubhouse al day ..September we
did Strangs riding school
(ponderosa) at Washington ..Is
it still there ?...In oct..i
did 3 clubs i had never done
b4 !!! the No1 Amalgamated club in
Boro,,,Mardi Gras..Darlington...and
M/boro buffs ...Also in November we did
a great show for the Officers Mess
8thsignal regiment . at Catterick Camp
..but ...in the second set
..there was a bomb scare ,,and
we were all evacuated from
the camp , leaving all the gear
!!...Went back the next day
to pick up ...then straight to the
Ivy Leaf ...its a hell of a
hump into the club! December was
very busy ...including ....Cheers...old
East end club s/land ...(still there
?) Catterick camp again
at Gazza barracks (no bomb
scare)...I,C,I. Wilton works
private party ...Pennywell with Perfect match
and Bobby Knoxall
...The Heaton Buffs
Xmas party was with Talisman and Prism
... 1990.....Saw Alibi,,,
with Alan roadhouse
and Dogg
(ex Cirkus)
...than it was back up to Scotland
at Hellenburgh navel base
.Glasgow and Heaton Buffs with Bob
Ritchie Charity do`
Other notable shows were at Cleater Moor
in Whitehaven ...Pegswood S,C ,,for
footballers do....` and Chesters farm`
reet oot in the wllds !!!!...It
was for the young farmers.
1987
started badly ..Idle Hands
broke up ! Then Jynx
came along ,,,Dave
and Carol from ~Eshington
```..a formidable duo with a great
band behind them ,thay got plenty of
work Ncle .Gateshead.S/land
Hartlepool...Durham and Darlington
..Then in March good news....Hands Down
were hitting the road after
rehearsing at Campbells (freezer) club
in Jarrow ..i remember
it was perishing in
there...memorable early gig was
at Thomas wilson club g/head
with Powerhouse
and Pirahnas
..Meanwhile ..Cirkus ..Becket / Talisman
..Six of the best
After midnight .. were
getting plenty of work ..
In April I went up
to Kinloss and Lossiemouth
in the wilds` of scotland
with Jynx...did
2 `officers mess `
gigs..We were supposed to
be supporting the Batchelors...but
all the airmen came to see
the band ...We all stayed
on camp ..had lots of
excellent food and drink
Next  day
we were dashing down Early to
Billingham cons` club for
the next gig ! Early June Jynx
were in the recording studio
...thats when yet another
new music show started up
in the t.t.t.v. studios ...It
was ... ROXY
..It `ran` until April 88..with
notable groups like Chris
Rea...Ultravox...Echo and
the bunnymen...The
Cure..Hew@Cry..Def Leppard...Wet wet wet
..Squeez/ House Martins ..Steve
Winwood Bryan Adams... ( see
me picture with Bryan in the
`last instalment `)...... TPau
and carol
Decker ...Brian Ferry ..Joe Cocker
..Climey Fisher
..Stranglers..Billy
Ocean..Belinda Carlisle
.and ,,.Vanessa
Paradis she
was gorgeous ! Meanwhile
when all that was
going on new club ...bands were
appearing on the scene
remember these ? French Curves
,,.Yankee rose....
Playboys....Miarage ...
Tony Liddle and the
Law.....(did some
shows with Tony ) and Quebec...also
worked with these guys ...In December
i got a call from Carol
Johnson{Johnna`s ex wife) invited me
to a party at their `swish`
house oposite the corner house
pub in heaton ...but
,,there was no beer
!! just champagne !
..This was after we all
went to to the city hall
to see
Shake the Tree`(ex
jogging
waiters),,,who
she was managing `...They
were supposed to be
supporting Wet wet
wet ...but they
got held up in London
after doing `top of the
pops` and they were
fogbound ...Anyway the band
went on and entertained
all the `teeny boppers`
and their parents ..it was
a good night ...Then i was down
in Blackburn with Quebec...another
goodun `The Heaton buffs
had Talisman
and the Pirahnas
on for their annual
xmas party ..
 The begining
of 88 saw
Whitesnake at
city hall ...awsome !..then in Feb..Quebec
split up ..Got
called up for `rent a
roadie ` to work at the Mayfair
in the toon ..working with
the Cross....(Roger
Taylor .Queen ) plus
Ya ya supporting ...
what a brilliant voice
this guy has ..and he
playing 2 different drum kits
....March saw Ac/dc
doon at Wembley with Hylton Valentine
and Johnna`s brother backstage
,,got some great pics of
Angus a nd theboys` ,,but
they were all drinking
tea....! NO BOOZE allowed on
tour ! Angus said to me `there
is a baby`s bath full of
ice over there` ...roll
ya sleeves up dip
both hands in and what
ever you bring out ,ye
gotta drink ,,,,bottle of
Jack Daniels and a can of lager
,,,happy days ,,...Saw Wishbone Ash
at Mayfair...wow ... ....In
April did a gig with Jynx
at the newcastle Boat Club
,,right on the Quayside ..dont
know if its still there
,,but had a brillnight In May
South Gosforth stopped the rock
bands on Tuesday nights ,,very sad
~ In May `The Magnificent
Bimbo Brothers
were `born` ) Ex hands ,,,one
of the first gigs was upstairs
at Co-op Rainbow rooms in the
toon ,,they went
down a storm` I
always remember the night
we done Peterlee Labour club
,,Peter was singing
that classic ,,dancing in
the dark , by springsteen , when
one of my pyrotechnics set
fire to my backdrops when
he was singing ``cant
start a fire ``.. hahahah
...July saw the bands back
on `Gossy club` by public
demand ..And in Sept..Peter
Harrison left the `bimbos ` after the
Ryton social club!....Come
October . had a spell with `Mind over
Matter`..while Caffrey Bros
were in red nose studios
Shieldfield ..then in November was
with Centrefold
..and the brilliant Debbie ...In
dec...we did 22gigs including
Allenbrook army barracks ,Thirsk
,,but i still got to see Talisman
and the Amazing
squibs at the
buffs xmas party ...more
to follow from 89..
In Jan 84.` Geordie
were playing the
White Swan down
Billingham ..great night `s...,and
the Junco partners
were doing `rock at the
heaton buffs` ..Also saw Lone Wolf and
Arizona
at `the Swan` in feb ..Hylton
Valentine formed
Brown Jack..which turned
into Byker
`which played at Wallsend
Labour club and R.A.F.A, club
..Hartlepool ..In April Idle
Hands were formed
.they were brilliant ! Also
, the same month . i
was off to Paris with B.B.Faith
for 6days . played in a
huge football stadium with 5
other bands ,all from Europe
...Back home i was with Pauline Gillan band
(Ian Gillan`s sister) } at Middleton club
At M/boro ..also atS/s Legion ...
 Then
back to the ~swan `
with Geordie
and Black Rose
..Meanwhile Alan Roadhouse exCIrkus..
joined `Harlequin`
resident band at Westerhope
club..And ...At the R,A,F,A club
Hartepool The
Shine` (Ex Saigon ?)
went doon a `storm` ..In
October the `Force`
and Idle
hands were getting
plenty exposure ...It was
another sell out showow at
the Mead` with the `faith and
chubby` !!At
the start of 85 Hellsinki
rocked the Pheasant pub doon,
Preston Grange , North
Shields...this was to be a
great venue for loads of bands
,, Saw the Groundhogs
and Bombay
at Newbottle club
...did a `fashion show ``yes
,,,at Seaham Hall ..,,,,Back
at t.t.t.v. one day we
had a long flat loader wagon
with Rebel Run
playing live out side the
studios ,,trying to get
`noticed` by the `Tube `
In
June ,, Me and Mr
Mo ,, the
Flakes and Punishment of
Luxury ..played Tiffany`s
...remember it well ..Idle hands
did the Washington Whitehoos with
Tramp and
Swank plus
Bobby
Knoxall
,,were you there?....In Sept the
french band (B.Zadar)
we met in Paris, supported B,B.Faith at
Brandon club ..Also in this
year we had
Geordie Aid at the
Mayfair.
 By
the end of 85 B,B,Faiith
played their last
gig at Ivy Leaf club S/land
...then along came `Asleep at
the wheel ` great
name for a band ,,did some
good shows with
these guys ...what they
doing now ? ,,,,, December saw
the Razzamatz christmas party at
t,t,t,v, studios ,,, with Phil
Lynott...Roy wood...Jenifer
Rush ..Kim Wild,,John
Parr,,Fergal Sharkey,,,
and then it was back to Idle Hands,,,,
at Usworth and
district....Coatsworth G/head
...Washington white hoos /Thornley
...Newton Aycliff and
Hetton b4 Xmas ..January
1986 started great ...went to
Playhouse in Edinburgh.to see AC/DC
with Hylton
Valentine and Johnna
`s brother ...it was
muckin fagic! ....In early
Feb did Beechwood and
Easterhouse club
Darlington...with the `hands`,,,There
were lots of north east
bands appearing down here at the
time ..and ,, if they
recall beers/lager were 40p a
PINT.... unbelievable !!!
did the Swan Billingham with Powerhouse..and
got lock in at birtley Rex
club with the
Pirahna Bros ....Saw Ronnie
James Dio on the
Tube ..In April a new show
came about at t.t.t.v.
called TX45,,,,it featured lots
of local talent ,,including Well well
well ...Zoot and
the roots..Flaming Musolinis...my
old friend Pauline
Gillan ,,Death wish  and the Edge
,,,May saw a new Iveco
truck for the `hands`
loadsa room ...and on 28th
May ..Cirkus
were back on the road ...first 2
gigs were Coatsworth and
forest Hall clubs ..Did Walker
social club with Talisman
on the Sunday morning and then
went to downhill club in
the afternoon ! hell of a
place Dooonhill` the little kids
from the estate used to say
...```look after ya van Mr.` for
50pence...We used to say
`nar ,,we got a big dog in
the back ..Kids reply ..```Aye .
but does it like
fire` !!! ye gotta laugh
!!! In
June/July Razzamataz
was back in the studio `s with Midge
Ure..Taxas..INXS...BAngles..Jim Diamond
..Dr and the
medics...Steve Harley ......End
of July did Dryburn Hospital
with Rhythm Method
...lots of nice nurses
..then following day
(friday)did Steels club ...Saturday
with Talisman
at Usworth ...Sept at
theMayfair N/cle saw Mad Jacks
travelling circus..747,,,Foxy
..Villa Latina , Wallop
,and the
Pirahna Bros....
In oct saw that `fateful` ZZtop sham
on the Tube special !
...but ,we also had
`live bands ` on in
December with
John Bon Jovie,,Suzie Quatro
Heaven 17 ..It Bites ,,,etc...Doctor
Feelgood..the Blues burglars,,and
After Midnight
did Tiffany`s ...Got tickets
for the City Hall to see
`Chubby` ,,and the Xmas party at
the buffs were Talisman
and Pirahnas..brilliant
...
 pic:
Oby and Bryan Adams
Before i
go any further ..i
just want to mention,,the reason i
wanted Nige` , (and its
thanks to him ..who put
all this stuff up on
the `news page) `...was to leave some
kind of documented history
of what was happening in the
social club/pub scene back in
early 80`s........When ` i peg it ` .(
not for awhile yet
i hope )..wor lass is
gonna chuck all my
Diaries`.band posters , pictures ,
parafinaylia in the bin..!!! So...
Who remembers all
these bands from nearly 40yrs ago
??? In March 1980..Chris Cool band
formed , and were an instant
hit in the clubs ,
what a great singer , ..The Pirahna Bros
, from Blyth ..Showbiz
kids .Once bitten
(Ex Tyson)..747
Ex Goldie
...Dance Class,,who
were awsome ...The
News,,Geordie ,
with Rob turnbull replacing Johnna
, who joined AC/DC///Rhamm
...In 82 ,,Armagedon
and Davy Ditchburn ..Baby sitter
, from Teesside........Micky Hutton
joined the
King Crabs .....
Howard Baker formed
Blueprint !...In October
this year Roy `Chubby Brown
` did my `house warming
party,,` worra hoot !! Also
saw Armageddon
,Dance Class ..John Miles,,
Eric Burdon.. and
Johnna at the Heaton Buffe
Xmas show ...Blueprint
..then became B.B
Faith ..The Caffrey Bros
started doing the clubs ..and Raven made
it big doon London .......In
83,,Paul . the original singer
from Cirkus
, joined
Easy Touch .. while
The Toy Dolls
(Olga) stormed the Shieldfield
club I remember B.B .Faith
did a gig at Murton Victoria club ( and
in June 84) ,,and all the hells
angels wanted them to do a show in
S/land ..after the gig ... we
found our selves in the
middle of a long street
of terraced houses..and some
one had knocked 2
or 3houses into ONE
! Well.. the sun
was coming up when we
packed the wagon to go home !
great times ...and ,,there was
not a pick of botha !
Did a show at the Grey Hen
in s/shields with with Next
...and the Crabs
...dont know what
happened to those lads
,,,,or ,,even these bands
which you will all
have heard of ....The
Business,,Black Rose
...B.15,,,,Legend
....Teaser....Slinky ...the
Cast....French Curves
,,,Digital Dog...Boxer
...Shanghai...E.S.P... Powerhouse ...23
Skidu..Rythm Sticks ....Becket..Rocky
....Cruella de Ville Mad
Jacks travelling circus
etc etc ...About this
time there were rumours that
Pete Barclay was gonna join the Caffrey Bros?.....I
put the `Faith`
on the heaton meadowfield for the
Xmas party with chubby
brown ... charged
50p for the tickets , plus
pie `n` peas ...Tickets were
always sold b4 they
were printed ... you could
do a lot for 50p in
thise days !!....more to follow ..
 
Fancy a `rocking `
holiday in the sun in October?
...Why dont you e,mail
Cyprus Rocks ` and see
if you can get yourselves
a gig right on the beach in
sunny Cyprus ..We
witnessed some incredible
tribute bands .. including Ac/Dc
at theyr very best .the Who ..
Led Zepplin Deep purple etc ..
Click onto Cyprus Rocks , or
the facebook page ..See if
you can get the band
on an unforgetable trip
..its mega ,,,,,good luck,,,,,,
Oby
MORE
FROM OBY . . .
''While
working with Cirkus..
got a great job at
T.T.TV. on
City road ...I thought i
was made for life ...I
had the pleasure of
seeing some brilliant pro`
bands and artists on
television ..(.and i saw
many `up and coming new
local bands that were
`doing the
rounds`)
Who remembers Alright Now?
..it was the first of
some great programmes for
well known pro` groups
who were playing live
in the studios ...including Rory Gallager
.Dr Feelgood ...long
before Robert
Kane from the Animals
joined ...Saw the Tourists
...Squeez..Nick Lowe...
Mike Oldfield..etc...that
was in 1980....Then
in 81 Razzamataz
exploded onto your t.v.
..We had Kim Wild
.Elton John Bad
Manners...Stu Copeland ..Toyah ..Stray
cats..Kate Bush..Kiki
Dee...Gary Newman
The Shadows
,,,I remember in April
of this year i booked Roy
Chubby brown
for the club bar one
friday night ..It was a
sell out ..He did a 2hour show
..well. the tears were rolling
down our faces laughing..Even
Cathy Secker who was the
contimuity anouncer was
there on her break
...Roy and i became
very good friends ,,even
had him for my new
house `warming party
` he stole the
show ..He used to
ring me up from Teeside
, where he lived and
would ask me ..do you
know where Morpeth Comrades /
Ashington Central / and other clubs
up north were ..Yes
i said...O.k i will
pick you up at the
Tyne Tunnel.
i have pie and
peas suppers /strippers
private shows to do
...had some brilliant
nights with him ...sold
loads of t.shirts,cassettes
etc at half time ......
In Jan 82 Razz returned ..and
we had Depeche
Mode /Haircut 100/Godley
and Creme .Boomtown
Rats..ABC..Toyah...Phil Lynott/ John
Sykes..A flock of seagulls...
and more ,,,Then we had
the BIGGEE! ..In
November
Tyne Tees Tele ..produced the
TUBE LIVE` on friday
nights for channel
4 ..Met some real
supa stars ` on this
show the tickets
to get in were
like GOLD...! Opened up
with The
Jam.(.Toy Dolls...
Remember them ?)Sting
and Pete
Townshend . Duran Duran
,,Simple minds ..Robert
Palmer ..Robert Plant
..Twisted Sister..Blancmange
..U.2 ..Dance Class (
brilliant band ...after
the show they performed
at Henderson Hall College
,,,we `blagged our
way in ` showing our
t.t.tv passes ) then next
up were Pat
Benatar / Thin lizzy.
Paul Young
.Madness..Eurythmics
...`In november 83 Tube
returned with ,,ZZ
TOP...this was
one off special ...I got
all of
Idle Hands in
for this one ..Me
and Peter Harrison
were amazed when we
noticed they were `Miming
!!!! bloody disgrace ,,!
Then it was up to R.E,M
..Style Council ...Pretenders
...Echo and the Bunnymen
/Judas Priest..The alarm
..Sade (who
tyne tees discovered !) Thompson twins
..Siouxsie`...Gary Moore
..Big Country ..China
crisis ,,Howard Jones / Ultravox
..The Cure / Joe jackson
Big country
..UB40
...Motorhead (Toooo
loud.. everyone had cotton
wool in the lugs ) Tom Robinson
band ..Stranglers ..Toy dolls
(again) ..Water
boys....Frankie goes to
Hollywood ....this
band went down to
the Quayside after the
show and tried to get
on the Tuxedo Princess..(
floating nightclub) The
bouncers threw them oot
...then they were then
called `Frankie goes to
gateshead ,and got beat
up `.........Clit
Pilchard ...Meatloaf..Bangles ...Bryan
Adams was brilliant
..they were on
tour with T.pau at
the time , and
Carol Decker actually took
me and Bryans pic
( 2nd picture ) in the
dressing room ..Met Bryan
again on tour in Limassol . Cyprus
in 2013 ...other
notable bands on the
Tube were . Chris Rea
..Dead or alive
...Robert Palmer
Level 42 ...Tom Waites
..INXS...Ronnie James Dio
,,Jon Bon Jovie ...It Bites
...All of who SANG
LIVE!!''
Oby has just sent Riffs some interesting old
pics of Cirkus and
rare pics of LucasTyson . . .(bottom
pic shows the bass player next to Oby's
sister).
 
 
REMINISCENSES OF 'OBY'
[As
received - no editing whatsoever]
''Remember Friday evenings
in the 70s...when you
would buy the Evening Chronicle
.Go..straight to club
pages...There were 2 full
pages of club`s All
of Newcastle /Gateshead.area.and
even further affield ;;You
could plan the whole
weekend with your favourite
groups....Now . i believe,
in the same paper
(half the size) you get
one or two clubs telling
you about the bingo nights
/go as you please and
single artists ...There
were hundreds of `working
mens clubs in the North
East . all putting on
great entertainment ...Now
. sadlly ,,, they
have either closed down
turned into care homes `
etc ,,,or just hiring out
concert rooms for private
bookings .. Hi, my name is John
, but everybody called me
Oby ..I have been living in
Cyprus for the last 13
yrs.I came across this old
diary of all the
bands..for 30yrs i
used to follow , and
work with ..back in the
`good old days`.. I
would like to share
my experiences with you
all ,,maybe , jog your
memory ..You may recall..i
remember that club/band
.................I will never
forget queing up to see
the `turns` at the
heaton Buffs ..South
gosforth Forest Hall ..Byker
, bottom and middle clubs
...then there were
all those clubs in
Gateshead ..great nights
,,,excellent bands ..cheap beer
,,and always a chinese takeaway
on the way `yem` !
Fast forward 50 odd yrs ,and
if you want see a
good band now ..i hear....,,,the
pubs are the place
to be ..I first started
going to watch groups in
76` and i was
hooked`...bands like Lucas
Tyson,, [below right]
Geordie  ..Cirkus ,,Brass
Alley etc...I followed Tyson
around all over ,especially
when they played the `old
Labour club next to st
james`s .park..on a sunday
morning ,,( incidently ..can
anyone tell what happened
to Peter
Barclay .last i
heard the lead guitarist
was unwell )..What a
place that was ...you
had to to get there early
( 11.30 ) ..when they opened
up the bar upstairs
was full of already poured
pints of beer ..exhibition
/ scotch. lager ...ready for
you pick up and
grab a table ..the
strippers were on first ,
followed by the longest
game of bingo you
will ever play (
they had a song for
almost every number)
then the bands would come
on and rock the hoos
doon ! Just what you
needed,,,a few pints, great
band , then home for
ya sunday dinner ..I
started keeping a diary of
all the bands i was following
,Next ,, i got a
job `roadying ` for Cirkus
,,,what brilliant entertainers .. but
that `melatron ` (keyboards)
of Dereks was a swine to
hump upstairs .,,that was
one band that definatly
should have made it to the
top ! I have got signed pictures
of them all ,,and a
signed..copy of Cirkus One
[check out:
https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2451]
...plus pics of the
band playing live ...I believe
Alan the singer still sings locally ..
 In
the middle 70s
Cirkus [left]
were playing at least 20 gigs a
month ! venues like
...huntington
hotel.Stanley..Anfield Plain
democratic club..Shildon Civic
hall..Sunderland boilermakers/ Gates
head Central... Wallsend
miners...Thornley,,,Doxford park
...Thornley...Great Lumley..West
Denton... Birds nest club
Walker....Wallsend East end
...Hebburn trades &labour
..Nova Castria //Windy Nook
G/head...Wingate..Shiney
Row.....Gypsies Green,,afternoon
..GatesheadBritish legion at
night ....etc etc.How many
of these clubs are
still putting on bands??.....In
April 1980 Cirkus
travelled to Guernsey for a 3
week residency..and in July they
toured the shetland island rigs with Sweet Sensation
( a name from the past)......Sadly ...Cirkus
last gig was at Westbourne club
in Walker...on 9th Jan
1983... A typical `setlist`
was Wall street (10cc)
Baker street ..Bat oota
hell .,,Space oddity. Echo
beach...Rat trap.......Sabre
Dance(Dogg).....Ohhh Vienna
...with my pyrotechnics at
the end .!..
well i hope
i briough tback a few memories for
some of you older
rockers....Thanks to Nige
for letting me reminisce
with you all ....Maybe
,,,if i get any
feedback .....i will send
more memories ...''
Oby's email: ybo1948@yahoo.co.uk
------------------------------
Metal On Metal OR
What Is And What Should Never Be
(Anvil
- Trillians, Newcastle, Thursday, Feb 8)
Growing up (some say I didn't) there was
hardly a Friday or Saturday night I didn't
travel to Newcastle for Rock and/or Metal.
City Hall, Mayfair . . . er . . . was that it?
- but it was enough. Brilliant memories: Mott the Hoople turning up at 1am to play
the Mayfair; Nutz and Heavy Metal Kids double bill at the City
Hall for 50p!! AC/DC walking off the Mayfair
stage after one hour (still never found why);
Mayfair  breaking
every fire safety rule in the book to squeeze
people in for The
Choirboys. Even the unforgettable memories
are getting forgotten now. But I still can't
believe the Mayfair has shut down (I still
can't believe Lemmy has gone either) so God
bless Trillians - as I believe he has and
is still doing so (well he will have nothing
else to do as the world is just peachy).
 No
matter what your taste in Rock or Metal I defy
you to look at Trillians extensive gig list
and not be tempted by a plethora of bands -
and yes, I AM going to get to the point!!! ANVIL.
There is, surely, no better example of how
being competent musicians is not enough to
ensure success. On paper I just couldn't tell
you why I like Anvil, but they are that
infectious, whacky, intriguing bunch of
misbegotten souls that demand your attention;
listening to their music is less than half the
satisfaction; if you haven't seen them live
then you just don't know Anvil.
 Nothing
excites a band more than taking to the stage
and seeing an ocean of faces from wall to
wall. So there was no reason for Steve,
Robb and Chris not to be mega-excited
tonight - Trillians was bursting at the seams.
If you weren't there then you misssed out big
time, but support your Rock and Metal bands.
The headlines? Oh, well Metal On Metal speaks
for itself; and as for What Is And What Should
Never Be:
Trillians Rock Bar
Trillians Country and Western Bar
It's up to you................
---------------------------------------------------------
Looks like
the Pemberton Arms bites the dust on
the 25th of this month. Thanks to Norman
Force for this. (I mean for
the info - I really don't think the closing
down is his fault).
----------------------------------------------------------------
TRILLIANS
SECURE ONE-OFF
GIG BY CANADIAN ROCKERS ANVIL
Great coup
for our very own Trillians in Newcastle on
Thursday the 8th when those incredible
Canadian nutters Anvil take the city by storm. If
anybody remembers what a stunning set they did
supporting gritty Rockers Accept at Newcaste Riverside 2016
they will know what value for money these
guys give. Get along and give your metal
head a treat. What a night. What a band.
What a cheesy grin!!
£10 / £12. Buy a ticket, pay at door -
just go!
Creator Of RONNIE JAMES DIO
Hologram Says 'Dio Returns' Concerts Are
'Unforgettable Experiences'
The CEO of the company
behind the hologram of Ronnie James Dio
says that the first leg of the "Dio
Returns" tour was a resounding success,
with "thousands" of fans coming out every
night to take part in "an unforgettable
experience."
Dio died in 2010 at the age of 67 from
stomach cancer. His hologram was created by a
company called Eyeillusion and made
its debut at the Wacken Open Air
festival in August 2016 in front of more than
75,000 fans.
The production uses audio of Ronnie's
live performances from throughout his career,
with the DIO band playing live,
consisting of Craig Goldy on guitar, Simon
Wright on drums and Scott Warren
on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen
on bass. Also appearing with them are former JUDAS
PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens
and LYNCH MOB's Oni Logan.
Seems it hasn't gone
down very well with Rock fans. Check it out
on youtube here.
Check out the full story
with comments here
-----------------------------------------------------------
 I'm
sure there's not many amongst us who don't
have fond memories of Maiden
England. Anyone
living in the North East who appreciates
quality Rock must surely have attended at
least one of their concerts. And who can
forget their momentous gig at Stormin'? Well,
they're getting back together and are now
seeking a Paul Dianno style singer for
their set which will feature the very first
two Maiden albums. If you are interested, or
you know someone who may fit the bill, then
contact 07800791447 666markcraig@gmail.com
-----------------------------------
THE EARLY BIRD . . .
Riffs will always try and be as accurate and
transparent with everything we do and to this
end we have asked venues (and bands) to inform
us of accurate start times at gigs -
not a time they wish punters to arrive so they
drink more and put more pennies in the till!!
But Dave from High Howden Social Club
has pointed out that it is sometimes
beneficial for punters to arrive early, as
sometimes their 'headline' gig nights fill up
fast. So, take note of the start times, but if
you really want to make sure you are there in
good time for your fave band then yes, by all
means, get there early.
-----------------------------------------------
Update on the Rising
Sun in Crawcrook - looks like the
staff have been telling porkies as the
management has left the pub and it looks
extremely unlikely that any booked gigs will
go ahead.....
------------------------------------------------
Just heard (thanks Jeff)
that The Riverside Morpeth is shut.
They have, apparently, informed relevant
bands of the situation, which is greatly
appreciated.
-------------------------------------------------
Hmmm, strange things
afoot at The Rising Sun, apparently it has
not closed and none of the staff seem aware
of any closure - but we also have it on good
authority that two bands have been told
their gigs have been cancelled due to
imminent closure. If anyone can shine any
light on these curious goings-on we will be
most grateful....
Rising
Sun Crawcrook pub now closed so, needless to
say, all gigs cancelled.
---------------------------------------------------
Mainsforth
Music Fest (Raising funds for Motor Neurone
and Parkinson's disease), Mainsforth Community
Centre, Ferryhill. feat. George Shovlin & George
Lamb, Russ Tippins, Bernie and the
Bluenotes, Gary Grainger, Zoe Green. Tickets £10. Doors open
from noon.
SUNDAY 26TH
NOVEMBER
---------------------------------------
THIS HAS NOW
BEEN FILLED
Looking for
covers band for Friday Dec 8th at Seaton
Carew Social Club. This is a annual
Charity event (budget is max £250 or less
if ur feeling generous!!!) arranged by
Ambulance Service for local charities.
After a wide range of good time
material...it's a Xmas Party. Been let
down twice already. Anyone interested,
call Kevin 07734449033.
THIS HAS NOW
BEEN FILLED
-------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------
Livewire
AC/DC Show supported by Strangers in The Night
a tribute to UFO, Blackhall
Community Centre Sat 17th feb 2018 ,
tickets on sale now; 07841033579 or
online @ENTS24 £15.
----------------------------------
 A
special memorial concert is to take
place at the Newcastle O2 Academy on
Wednesday the 10th of January. It's being
titled 'RODFEST', and it's to commemorate
and celebrate local rock vocalist Rodrigo BVevino, who unfortunately passed away
in early October this year. Known to his
friends as Roddy B, this Brazilian born
singer came to this country to follow his
dream of performing in the UK. His
distinctive power-house vocal style got him
the attention of local musicians and
eventually landed him the lead singer in Maiden England, which he held for the last few
years of the band's
existence. Since then he had been
involved with several bands, some
covers acts, some doing original material,
yet always done to high standard with his
trademark Brazilian passion stamped all
over it. He was involved with so many
various rock musicians in our region, and
his passing has been deeply felt by so many
people that he worked with, those he
entertained, or even those he called
friends. Local promoter (and good friend
of Roddy), Gary Melling, has organised the
Rodfest event to mark what would have been
the singer's 43rd birthday. And to celebrate
the evening he has amassed a line-up of some
of this region's top rock acts, with the aim
to raise money for the Roddy B Foundation
which has been put together by Gary in
association with Roddy's wife Eli. The
line-up includes Deep
Purple in Rock
(featuring former members of Maiden
England), Alcatraz
House Band (who
completely wowed the audience at this year's
Stormin' The Castle bike rally), The Dirty South (highly popular southern rock
ambassadors), Sticky
Fingers (the
band that's been bringing metal to the pubs
for quarter of a century), The Force (one of the most respected
rock acts in this region and beyond), and
finally The
Kill
(probably the hardest working and partying
rock band, who also perform as Bon Jovi
Forever).
It's a fabulous billing of some
amazing local talent. With tickets
priced at a very reasonable £10
(for the main stage of
the Academy), this is an opportunity
not to be missed. Not only to see some of
this region's giants of rock, but also to
raise money for a very good cause, and
to pay respect to a much-loved great
entertainer. Anyone who ever met or knew
Roddy, instantly recognised this man's
passion for rock music. He really did live
and breathe it. This is a fantastic moment
for people to come together and show their
support, as he'll be so sorely missed
from the stages of the North East. All
proceeds going to ‘The Roddy B Fund’ to be
distributed as bursaries to young musicians.
|
This week in . . .
1968,
Pink Floyd released their fourth UK single
'It Would Be So Nice', written by Richard Wright
with Roger Waters' 'Julia Dream' on the B-side.
Pink Floyd were on tour in Europe on this day, and
played their second night at the Piper Club, in
Rome.
1974, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band appeared
at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The gig was unadvertised by its promoter who
gambled that word-of-mouth would be enough to fill
the 550-seat venue, only 250 people attended.
Tickets cost $4.50 and $5.50 in advance.
1980, 32 year old English singer Brian Johnson
joined Australian group AC/DC, replacing
the iconic Bon Scott who had died after a
drinks binge in February 1980. Johnson's first
band was the Gobi Desert Canoe Club. He
was also in a band called Fresh. From
1970, Johnson played with cabaret/club band The
Jasper Hart Band, performing songs from the
musical Hair. He and other members of the band
went on to form Geordie.
2012, Levon Helm died of throat
cancer aged 71. A drummer, singer and
multi-instrumentalist, Helm formed his own high
school band, the Jungle Bush Beaters, at
17, he later joined The Hawks (who became
Bob Dylan's backing group) who then became
known as The Band. He sang on Band
classics such as 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie
Down,' 'Up on Cripple Creek,' 'Rag Mama Rag,' and
'The Weight.'
2012, Leonard Cohen's former manager was
jailed for 18 months for harassing the
singer-songwriter. Kelley Lynch was found guilty
by a Los Angeles court after a sending a torrent
of expletive-strewn emails and letters to the
star. She was also sentenced to five months
probation and ordered to attend anger-management
courses. Cohen thanked the court for the "even-handed
and elegant manner in which these proceedings
have unfolded".
1960, Touring in the UK, 21-year-old US singer
Eddie Cochran was killed when the taxi he was
travelling in crashed into a lamppost on Rowden
Hill, Chippenham (where a plaque now commemorates
the event). Songwriter Sharon Sheeley and
singer Gene Vincent survived the crash,
Cochran's current hit at the time was 'Three Steps
to Heaven'. The taxi driver, George Martin, was
convicted of dangerous driving, fined £50,
disqualified from driving for 15 years, and sent to
prison for six months.
1973, Pink Floyd's
album The Dark Side of The Moon went
gold in the US. The LP went on to stay in the US
chart for more than ten years and became the
longest charting rock record of all time.
1974, Vinnie
Taylor, guitarist with US rock 'n roll
revival band Sha Na Na was found dead in a
Holiday Inn hotel room in Charlottesville,
Virginia from a drug overdose. Sha Na Na played at
the Woodstock Festival; their 90-second
appearance in the Woodstock film brought the group
national attention. The group appeared in the
movie Grease as Johnny Casino & The Gamblers.
1983, Felix Pappalardi, producer and bass
player with American rock band Mountain,
was shot dead by his wife Gail Collins during a
jealous rage. Collins was convicted of criminally
negligent homicide and sentenced to four years in
prison. Pappalardi, who was 43, had produced the Cream
albums 'Disraeli Gears' and 'Wheels of Fire.'
1987, Reggae drummer and percussion player Carlton
Barrett of The Wailers was shot dead
outside his house in Kingston, Jamaica. Joined Bob
Marley and The Wailers in 1970, wrote the
Marley song 'War'. Barrett was the originator of
the one-drop rhythm, a percussive drumming style.
1998, Linda McCartney died after a long
battle against cancer. Married Paul McCartney in
1969 when she was working as a photographer. As
well as a being a member of Wings, she
became an animal rights campaigner and launched
her own brand of vegetarian food.
2008, Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard
player for Bruce Springsteen and a member
of The E Street Band, died of cancer at the
age of 58. Federici had worked with Springsteen
for over 40 years, starting with Steel Mill
and Child with Springsteen.
Week
commencing April
9
. . .
1971,
The Rolling Stones released 'Brown Sugar'
taken from their latest album Sticky
Fingers, the first record on their own label,
Rolling Stones Records, which introduced the
infamous licking- tongue and lips logo.
1973, Bob Marley and the Wailers released
Catch a Fire their first album on Island Records and
which is now regarded as one of the greatest reggae
albums of all time. The album was also
groundbreaking as its singles were released as
long-playing records as against to the early reggae
songs coupled with two sides.
1979, Thin Lizzy released their ninth studio
album Black Rose: A Rock Legend. The album, which
featured guitarist Gary Moore, contained the
hits 'Do Anything You Want To', 'Waiting For An
Alibi' and 'Sarah', which was written with Moore
about Lynott's newborn daughter.
2002, Thieves broke in to a house in Bexhill, Sussex
and stole a hi-fi system and several CDs. They left
albums by Madonna, Robbie Williams and Oasis
but took the owners entire Showaddywaddy
collection.
2008, Producer and drummer Clifford Davies
was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound
in his home in Atlanta, aged 59. Davies had worked
with Ted Nugent from 1979-1982. It
was reported that Davies was "extremely distraught"
over outstanding medical bills.
2009, Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade Of
Pale' was the most played song in public places in
the past 75 years, according to a chart compiled for
BBC Radio 2. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was
at number two followed by 'All I Have To Do Is
Dream' by the Everly Brothers. Wet Wet
Wet's 1994 hit, 'Love Is All Around', was at
number four followed by Bryan Adams's 1991
hit '(Everything I Do), I Do It For You.'
2011, A portrait of Pink Floyd founder Syd
Barrett was returned to the London art gallery
it had been stolen from the previous week. The late
singer's former girlfriend, Libby Gausden, pleaded
for its safe return and offered a reward of £2,000,
and following an appeal, the image was returned
undamaged and intact to the gallery by post.
2012, Five of Tom Petty's guitars were stolen
from a soundstage in Culver City, California, where
Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, were
rehearsing for their upcoming worldwide tour. The
stolen gear included a 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker, a
1967 Epiphone Sheridan, a 1965 Gibson SG TV Jr., a
Fender Broadcaster and a Dusenberg Mike Campbell
Model, which belonged to Campbell himself. Petty was
offering a "no questions asked" reward bounty of
$7,500 to anyone with information leading to the
guitars' recovery.
1962, The Beatles original bass player Stuart
Sutcliff died (bassist for eighteen months;
January 1960 - June 1961). Sutcliff had stayed in
Hamburg Germany after leaving the group. He died of
a brain haemorrhage in an ambulance on the way to
hospital, aged 22.
1970, Doors singer Jim
Morrison was dragged off stage by
keyboardist Ray Manzarek during a concert in
Boston, after Morrison asked the audience, 'Would
you like to see my genitals?'. Theater
management quickly switched off the power.
Morrison had been arrested in Miami a year earlier
for "lewd and lascivious behavior" during a
performance.
1970, 27 year-old Paul
McCartney issued a press statement,
announcing that The Beatles had split
(one week before the release of his solo album).
McCartney said, "I have no future plans to
record or appear with The Beatles again, or to
write any music with John". John
Lennon, who had kept his much-earlier
decision to leave The Beatles quiet for the sake
of the others, was furious. When a reporter called
Lennon to comment upon McCartney's resignation,
Lennon said, "Paul hasn't left. I sacked him."
1984, Nate Nelson (born
today Tuesday in 1959), lead vocalist for The
Flamingos on their 1959 hit 'I Only
Have Eyes For You', died of heart disease aged 52,
a day after his wife had made a plea to his fans
to find a heart for her ailing husband.
1967, The Doors and The Jefferson
Airplane appeared at Cheetah, Santa Monica
Pier, Venice, California. This was the largest show
The Doors had played to date with a crowd of over
3,000.
1969, Bob Dylan released
his ninth studio album Nashville Skyline, which
embraced country music. With liner notes by Johnny
Cash (who also appeared on the record), at
the time of release it was dismissed by some
critics as lightweight, but included 'Lay, Lady,
Lay', a major hit single for Dylan. The album also
gave Dylan his fourth No.1 album.
1988, Dave Prater of soul
duo Sam & Dave was killed when his car
left the road and hit a tree in Syracuse, Georgia,
on his way to his mother's house in Ocilla. He was
50. Recorded for Stax Records from 1965 - 1968,
hits included 'Soul Man' and 'Hold On, I'm
Coming.'
1991, Record producer Martin Hannett
died. He worked with many Manchester acts
including The Smiths, New Order, Joy
Division, Happy Mondays, Magazine, as
well as U2 and The Psychedelic Furs.
1946, Born on this day (Monday), Les
Gray, singer with glam rock band Mud
who had the 1974 No.1 single 'Tiger Feet' which
was the best-selling single of 1974 plus 14 other
UK Top 40 singles. Gray died from throat cancer on
21 Feb 2004 aged 57.
Week
commencing April
2
. . .
1979,
Siouxsie And The Banshees played a charity
gig for MENCAP, but after crowd trouble were latter
faced with a £2,000 bill for seat damage.
1981, Producer and manager Kit
Lambert died of a cerebral hemorrhage after
falling down a flight of stairs at his mother's
home in London, England. Lambert managed The
Who from 1964-1967 and produced the 'Tommy'
album. Also produced Arthur Brown's 1968
hit 'Fire'.
1988, During a European tour, Alice
Cooper accidentally hung himself in a
rehearsal when a safety rope snapped; he dangled
for several seconds before a roadie saved him.
1994, Lee Brilleaux, singer,
harmonica player and founding member of Dr
Feelgood died of throat cancer
aged 41. They had the 1979 UK No.9 single 'Milk
And Alcohol' and the 1976 UK No.1 live album,
'Stupidity'. In 1976, Brilleaux helped fund
Stiff Records one of the driving forces of
the “New Wave” of the mid- to late-1970s, with a
loan from singer-songwriter John Hiatt.
2000, Heinz, bass player and
singer with The Tornados died aged 57. The
group had the Joe Meek produced 1962 UK & US
No.1 single 'Telstar', making them the first UK
group to score a US No.1 single. Heinz had the
1963 solo hit 'Just Like Eddie', a tribute to Eddie
Cochran (which featured future Deep
Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore).
2013, Andy Johns, the veteran
producer and engineer who worked on classic albums
by Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin II and
all albums through to Physical Graffiti), the
Rolling Stones (Sticky Fingers,
Exile On Main Street); Jimi Hendrix, Van
Halen and many others, died at the age of
61.
2016, American singer, songwriter,
and guitarist Jimmie Van Zant died in a
hospice in Florida after several years of
treatment for liver cancer. He began playing
guitar and piano as a child, mentored by his
cousin Ronnie Van Zant, but largely gave up music
until the 1977 plane crash in which Ronnie, the
founder and lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd,
was killed. He then then took up a career playing
Southern rock music.
1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The
Walker Brothers, Engelbert Humperdink and
Cat Stevens played two shows at Bournemouth
Winter Gardens.
1970, Brinsley Schwarz's
promotion company sent 133 UK journalists by plane
to New York to see the band supporting Van
Morrison at the Fillmore East, at a cost of
£120,000. The event turned into a disaster. The
group planned to leave a few days before the show
to rehearse, but were denied visas on a
technicality. They were finally given visas on the
morning of the show, and arrived hours before the
concert. The plane carrying the journalists
developed a mechanical fault, delaying the flight
and when the journalists arrived In New York 18
hours later, they were all hung over. Brinsley
Schwarz gave a underwhelming live performance,
resulting in a flood of scathing reviews.
1982, ‘Layla’ was on the UK
singles chart. The re-released track originally
featured on the Derek and the Dominos
album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
(November 1970). Inspired by Clapton's then
unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his
friend George Harrison, ‘Layla’ is
considered one of rock music's definitive love
songs, and features an unmistakable guitar figure
played by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman.
2013, Former Rolling Stones
bassist Bill Wyman turned himself in to
British police after reports emerged suggesting he
began a sexual relationship with his second wife,
Mandy Smith, when she was 14 years old. After a
brief meeting, the authorities decided not to
pursue charges.
2016, It was reported that
David Bowie had dominated the album charts
for the first quarter of 2016. Bowie had the most
entries to the chart with six albums in the top
40, after fans sought out his music in the wake of
his death in January with his final album
Blackstar becoming the second best selling album
of the year so far.
1971, The Temptations scored their second US
No.1 with 'Just My Imagination (Running Away With
Me)'. The track is considered one of the
Temptations' signature songs, and is notable for
recalling the sound of the group's 1960s recordings.
It is also the final Temptations single to feature
founding members Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams.
1975, Steve Miller
was charged with setting fire to the clothes of a
friend, Benita Diorio. When police arrived at
Miller's house, Diorio was putting out the flames,
Miller then got into a fight with some of the
policemen and was charged with resisting arrest.
2006, Founder member and original
drummer for The Wonder Stuff, Martin
Gilks died aged 41, after losing control of
his motorbike in London. Gilks was voted the best
drummer on the planet in an NME poll in 1989.
2015, Bob Burns, the
American drummer who was in the original line-up
of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd
died in a car crash in Georgia when his car struck
a mailbox and a tree with the front of the
vehicle. Burns was the only occupant of the car
and was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the
crash. He appeared on the band's 'Sweet Home
Alabama,' 'Gimme Three Steps' and 'Free Bird.'
Week
commencing March
26
. . .
1963,
The Chiffons started a four week run at No.1
on the US singles chart with ‘He’s So Fine’, which
was a No.16 UK hit. In 1971 George Harrison
was taken to court accused of copying the song on
his 1970 ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ordered to pay £345,000
to the writers.
1963, 16 year-old Lesley Gore
recorded her breakthrough hit, 'It's My Party'.
The song produced by Quincy Jones went on to be a
US No.1.
1976, The Sex Pistols
played their first show at The 100 club, London.
They begin a weekly residency at the club in June.
2000, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger
made a nostalgic visit to his old school. He
opened the new arts centre that had been named
after him at Dartford Grammar. The singer said he
had spent the worst years of his life at the
school.
2000, Mungo Jerry singer
Ray Dorset was ordered to pay a former
employee £620 in back wages after a tribunal
heard he had harassed her after she left his
company. Dorset told the court he had paid her
double pay by mistake for ten months.
1950, Born on this day (Friday), Dave
Ball, Procol Harum, 1967 UK No.1 & US
No.5 single 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' (one
of the few singles to have sold over 10 million
copies) and scored the hits 'Homburg',
'Conquistador'.
1966, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger was injured
during a gig in Marseilles, Southern France after a
fan threw a chair at the stage. Jagger required
eight stitches in the cut.
1969, John Lennon and
Yoko Ono, Black Sabbath, The
Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Curved Air, J.J.
Jackson's Dilemma, Shy Limbs, Spontaneous Music
Ensemble, Sunflower Brass Band and Toe
Fat all appeared at the London Free Easter
Festival in Bethnal Green.
1973, Dr Hook And The
Medicine Show got their picture on the
cover of Rolling Stone magazine after their hit,
'The Cover of Rolling Stone' reached No. 6 on the
US singles chart. According to members of the
group, they really did buy five copies for their
mothers, just like the song said.
1975, Led Zeppelin saw all
six of their albums in the US Top 100 chart in the
same week, alongside their latest album Physical
Graffiti at No.1. Physical Graffiti has
now been certified 16 times Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
for US sales in excess of 16 million copies.
1980, Pink Floyd’s The
Dark Side of The Moon album spent its
303rd week on the US album chart, beating the
record set by Carole King's 1971 No.1 album
Tapestry. The album remained in the US Billboard
charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to
1988, longer than any other album in chart
history. After moving to the Billboard Top Pop
Catalog Chart, the album notched up a further 759
weeks, and had reached a total of over 1,500 weeks
on the combined charts by May 2006.
1996, Two former members of the
1950s group, The Teddy Bears filed suit in
Los Angeles, California, against producer Phil
Spector and several labels. Carol Connors and
Marshall Lieb alleged they had not received
royalties from re-issues of their 1958 No.1 hit
'To Know Him Is To Love Him'.
2000, Phil Collins took out
a high court action against two former members of
Earth, Wind And Fire. Collins claimed his
company had overpaid the musicians by £50,000 in
royalties on tracks including 'Sussudio' and 'Easy
Lover'.
1968, Pink Floyd recorded a performance for
the BBC 2 TV Omnibus - The Sound of Change show from
Barnes Common, London. The special, which was
produced by Tony Palmer, also featured performances
by The Who, Cream and The Jimi
Hendrix Experience. The show was later
broadcast in September of this year.
1973, Led Zeppelin released
their fifth studio album Houses Of The
Holy in the UK. The album title was a dedication
by the band to their fans who appeared at venues
they dubbed 'Houses of the Holy'. The cover is a
collage of several photographs which were taken at
the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, by Aubrey
Powell of Hipgnosis. The two children who modelled
for the cover were siblings Stefan and Samantha
Gates.
1982, David Crosby was
arrested after crashing his car on the San Diego
Highway. Police also found cocaine and a pistol in
the Crosby Stills & Nash star's car.
When the police asked Crosby why he carried the
gun, his reply was, "John Lennon".
2013, American rock guitarist and
session musician Hugh McCracken died of
leukemia in New York City at the age of 70. He
appeared on many recordings by Steely Dan,
Donald Fagen, Billy Joel, Roland Kirk, Roberta
Flack, B. B. King, John Lennon, Paul McCartney,
The Monkees, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, James
Taylor, Phoebe Snow, Bob Dylan, Carly Simon,
Graham Parker, Eric Carmen, Loudon Wainwright
III, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, The Four
Seasons, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Gary
Wright and Andy Gibb. Because of
such high demand for his work, McCracken declined
Paul McCartney's invitation to help form his new
band, Wings, after appearing on his 1971
album Ram.
1949, Born on this day
(Wednesday), Sally Carr, singer from
Scottish pop group Middle Of The Road,
who had the 1971 No.1 single 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep
Cheep', which is one of only a few singles to have
sold in excess of 10 million physical copies.
Week
commencing March
19
. . .
1973,
During a Lou Reed show in Buffalo, New York,
a fan jumped on stage and bit Lou on the bottom. The
man was thrown out of the theatre and Reed completed
the show.
1976, Transvestite singer Wayne
County appeared in court charged with
assault after an incident at New York club CBGBs.
County had attacked Dictators singer Handsome
Dick Manitobe with a mike stand fracturing
his collarbone.
2001, A stretch of road on Highway
19 in Macon, Georgia, was named Duane Allman
Boulevard, near where The Allman Brothers
Band guitarist died aged 24 in a motorcycle
crash on October 29, 1971.
2013, Pictures of The
Beatles' 1965 Shea Stadium concert, taken by
an amateur photographer who bluffed his way
backstage, sold for £30,000 at auction. Marc
Weinstein used a fake press pass to get next to
the stage for the historic New York show. His 61
black and white images with copyright fetched
£30,680, the successful bidder was a South
American gentleman currently living in Washington
who is a huge collector of Beatles memorabilia.
1962, Bob Dylan's debut album Bob Dylan was
released in the Untied States. Initially poor sales
led the record to be known around Columbia Records
as ‘Hammond's Folly’ (John Hammond was producer of
Dylan’s early recordings and the man responsible for
signing Dylan). The album was praised by the New
York City weekly newspaper Village Voice as an
‘explosive country blues debut’, but featured only
two Dylan original compositions, Talkin' New York
and Song To Woody, the rest being old folk
standards.
1965, The Tailor And Cutter Magazine
ran an article asking The Rolling Stones
to start wearing ties. The current fashion did not
include wearing ties with shirts and many
tie-makers were facing financial disaster. Mick
Jagger said of the appeal, "The trouble with a
tie is that it could dangle in the soup. It is
also something extra to which a fan can hang
when you are trying to get in and out of a
theatre."
1976, Paul Kossof, guitarist
with Free and Back Street Crawler died
aged 25, of heart failure during a flight from Los
Angeles to New York. Kossof had a long history of
drug abuse. Free had the 1970 No.2 & US No.4
single 'All Right Now'. His first band was Black
Cat Bones alongside drummer Simon Kirke
(later of Free), and then he formed Back Street
Crawler after leaving Free.
1982, Guitarist and former Quiet
Riot member Randy Rhoads was
killed when the plane he was riding in crashed.
After driving much of the night, the band had
stopped near a small airstrip. The tour bus
driver, Andrew Aycock, talked the band's
keyboardist, Don Airey, into taking a test flight
in a '55 Beechcraft Bonanza, the joyride ended and
the plane landed safely. Then Aycock took Rhoads
and Rachel Youngblood on another flight and
attempts were made to "buzz" the tour bus. The
left wing clipped the bus, which sent the plane
spiralling into a nearby house and bursting into
flames. All three bodies were burned beyond
recognition, and were identified by dental
records.
1946, Born on this day (Monday), Paul
Atkinson, guitarist with The Zombies
who had four US hits, 'She's Not There', 'Tell Her
No', 'She's Coming Home', and 'Time of the
Season'. He later became an A&R executive,
working for Columbia and RCA, discovering and
signing such bands as ABBA, Bruce
Hornsby, Mr. Mister, Judas Priest, and Michael
Penn. Atkinson died on 1st April 2004 aged
58.
1953, Born on this day (Monday), Ricky
Wilson, guitarist, with the American new
wave band The B-52s. Best known for their
1978 debut single 'Rock Lobster and the 1990 UK
No.2 & US No.3 single 'Love Shack'. Wilson
died on October 12th 1985 aged 32.
Week
commencing March
12
. . .
1965,
The groundbreaking Motortown Revue landed at the
Finsbury Park Astoria, London, on the first night of
a package tour that took them around the UK visiting
21 theatres for two shows a night, plus a live TV
special. Topping the bill was Smokey Robinson
and the Miracles, Supremes, Martha & The
Vandellas, and 14 year-old Little Stevie
Wonder all backed by the legendary Funk
Brothers.
1967, The New Musical Express
announced that former Spence Davis Group member
Steve Winwood was planning to form a new group
with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. The
ensemble would choose the name Traffic.
1972, T Rex played
the first of two sold out nights at Wembley's
Empire Pool; Ringo Starr filmed the shows
for the 'Born To Boogie' Apple documentary.
1977, The Clash released
their debut single 'White Riot.' The song is in
the typical punk style of three chords played very
fast. Mick Jones counts off "1-2-3-4" at the start
of the album version while the single version
begins with the sound of a police siren instead.
2001, American singer, guitarist,
and songwriter John Phillips of Mamas
and The Papas died of heart failure aged 65.
His first band, The Journeymen, were a
folk trio, Mamas and The Papas had the US No.1
'Monday, Monday'. Phillips was married to Michelle
Gilliam, they had one child together, Chynna
Phillips, vocalist of the 1990s pop trio Wilson
Phillips. His second solo album was released on
Rolling Stones records and featured Mick
Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick
Taylor and Ronnie Wood.
2002, Ramones were inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Eddie
Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam and
close friend of the Ramones. The ceremony took
place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York
City.
2011, Organisers of an attempt to
reunite 19 people who watched The Beatles
play in a town hall in 1963 had claims from 24
people who said they were there. Billy Shanks was
helping to lead the search for the audience
members of the gig in Dingwall, Ross-shire,
Scotland in 1963. He said some who turned up
thought the music was rubbish and left to join an
audience of 1,200 watching a local band in nearby
Strathpeffer.
2017,
Chuck Berry died aged 90. The American
guitarist, singer and songwriter was one of the
pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such
as 'Maybellene' (1955), 'Roll Over Beethoven'
(1956), 'Rock and Roll Music' (1957) and 'Johnny
B. Goode' (1958), Berry refined and developed
rhythm and blues into the major elements that
made rock and roll distinctive.
1970, Motown singer Tammi Terrell died of
a brain tumour at the age of 24. She had collapsed
onstage on October 14, 1967 into Marvin
Gaye's arms during a concert in Hampton,
Virginia. Initially Terrell recorded solo, but
from 1967 onwards she recorded a series of duets
with Marvin Gaye, including the 1967 US No.5 'Your
Precious Love' and the 1968, ‘Ain't Nothing Like
the Real Thing’. Marvin Gaye reacted to her death
by taking a four year hiatus from concert
performance and went into self-isolation.
1977, After being with
the label for just six days the Sex Pistols
were fired from A&M due to pressure from other
label artists and its Los Angeles head office.
25,000 copies of 'God Save The Queen' were pressed
and the band made £75,000 from the deal.
2010, A rare Led Zeppelin
recording from the group's 1971 gig at St
Matthew's Baths Hall in Ipswich, was unearthed at
a car boot sale. The bootleg copy of the audio
from the group's gig on November 16th 1971 was
picked up for just "two or three pounds" by music
fan Vic Kemp. "I was going through a stand of
CDs at the car boot at Portman Road and the guy
who was selling them said, 'You might be
interested in this,'" Vic Kemp told the
Evening Star. "It must have been recorded by
someone standing at the front with a microphone.
You can hear Robert Plant talking to the
audience quite clearly."
2015, Andy
Fraser, songwriter and bass guitarist with
Free, died of a heart attack caused
by Atherosclerosis, in California aged 62. The
London-born musician became a founding member of
the British group when he was just 15 and went
on to write most of the material with lead
singer Paul Rodgers, including Free's 1970 hit
'All Right Now', 'My Brother Jake' and 'The
Stealer'. Fraser also penned 'Every Kinda
People', a hit for Robert Palmer as well
as songs for Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, Rod
Stewart and Paul Young.
1964, For the first time in British recording
history, all Top Ten singles in the UK were by
British acts. No.1 was 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' by Cilla
Black, No.2 - 'Bits and Pieces' by The Dave
Clark Five, No.3 - 'Little Children' by Billy
J Kramer, No.4 - 'Diane' by The Bachelors,
No.5 - 'Not Fade Away' by The Rolling Stones,
No.6 - 'Just One Look' by The Hollies, No.7
- 'Needles and Pins' by The Searchers, No.8 -
'I Think Of You' by The Merseybeats, No.9 -
'Boys Cry' by Eden Kane, and No. 10 - 'Let Me
Go Lover' by Kathy Kirby.
1982, Metallica made
their live debut when they appeared at Radio City
in Anaheim, California. Metallica formed in Los
Angeles, California, in late 1981 when Danish-born
drummer Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in a
Los Angeles newspaper, The Recycler, which read,
"Drummer looking for other metal musicians to
jam with Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and
Iron Maiden." Guitarists James Hetfield and
Hugh Tanner of Leather Charm answered the
advertisement.
2001, Peter Blake, who designed
The Beatles classic Sgt. Pepper
album cover sued the group's record company
for more money. Blake was paid £200 for the famous
figures in 1967, but was now 'cheesed off' that
EMI had never offered to pay more money.
2008, Peter MacBeth, a member of
The Foundations who had the 1968 UK hit with
'Build Me Up Buttercup', was jailed for child sex
offences. MacBeth sexually assaulted a young girl
on four occasions over the course of six years and
downloaded child porn from the internet. The
71-year-old was suffering from cancer and had had
he a tracheotomy which meant he lost his voice.
Doctors had said he had between three and five
years to live.
2010, Phil Blake of indie band Redtrack
returned to his career as the bassist with the
band after he underwent a pioneering operation to
reattach his hand after it was hacked to the bone
in a machete attack. Blake thought he would never
play guitar again after a teenage robber hacked
through his arm when he refused to hand over a
mobile phone.
1978, The debut single from Kate Bush,
'Wuthering Heights' a song inspired by the Emily
Bronte novel, started a four-week run at No.1 on the
singles chart. EMI had originally chosen another
track, 'James and the Cold Gun' as the lead single,
but Bush was determined that 'Wuthering Heights'
would be the first release from the album.
2005, The front door of Ozzy
Osbourne's childhood home in Birmingham went
up for sale because the current owner was fed up
with fans defacing it. Ali Mubarrat, who now owned
the house in Lodge Road, Aston, said over the
years it had become a pilgrimage destination. He
was now auctioning the door on eBay and giving the
money to charity.
2011, The former singer with Iron
Maiden was jailed for nine months for
fraudulently claiming benefits. Paul
Andrews, fronted the band between 1978
and 1981, under the stage name Paul Di'Anno.
Andrews, 52, was jailed at the city's crown court
after earlier admitting falsely claiming more than
£45,000. Fraud investigators had viewed online
videos and read about gigs on the performer's
website.
2015, Jimmy Greenspoon, keyboardist
with Three Dog Night died after a long
battle with cancer at the age of 67. During the
course of their career, Three Dog Night had 21 top
40 hits, including three No.1 singles.
2016, English musician Keith
Emerson died in Santa Monica, California, of
a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head after
he had become "depressed, nervous and anxious"
because nerve damage in his hands had hampered his
playing. Emerson found his first commercial
success with the Nice, in the late 1960s
and was a founding member of Emerson, Lake
& Palmer (ELP), one of the early
progressive rock supergroups.
Week
commencing March
5 . . .
1965,
During a Rolling Stones gig at The Palace
Theatre in Manchester, a female fan fell from the
circle while the group were playing. The crowd below
broke her fall and the girl escaped serious injury
just breaking a few teeth.
1966, Mike Millward guitarist from The
Fourmost died, aged 23. The Liverpool
group, who were managed by Brian Epstein, had the
1964 No.6 single 'A Little Loving'.
1966, Tina Turner recorded
her vocal on the Phil Spector produced 'River Deep
Mountain High'. It went on to make No.3 in the UK
but only No.88 on the US chart. Spector was well
aware of Ike Turner's controlling attitude in the
studio, and therefore he drafted an unusual
contract: the River Deep, Mountain High album and
single would be credited to Ike & Tina Turner,
but Ike was paid $20,000 to stay away from the
studio, and only Tina Turner's vocals would be
used on the record. Session musicians who played
on the track included Leon Russell
(keyboards), Glen Campbell (guitar), and Hal
Blaine (drums).
1969, Led Zeppelin appeared
at the Bluesville 69 Club at the Hornsey Wood
Tavern, Finsbury Park, London. The venue was a
function room at the back of the pub, and was so
small that the stage was only just big enough for
John Bonham's drums, and the rest of the
group had to stand on the floor at the same level
as the crowd.
2001, The man who discovered Blur,
David Balfe won a high court battle to earn
£250,000 in back royalties. Balfe had waged a
legal battle for over two years to regain the
royalties after selling his Food Records label to
EMI in 1994.
2012, Sales of albums by The
Monkees soared following the death of singer
Davy Jones. 'Best Of The Monkees'
re-entered the Billboard album chart at No.20 with
sales of over 17,000 units.
1970, Charles Manson released an album called 'Lie'
to help raise money for his defence in the
Tate-LeBianca murder trial. The album jacket was
made to look like a cover of Life magazine with the
letter f removed from the word Life. In the mid
sixties, Manson had been a wanna-be musician who
befriended The Beach Boys drummer Dennis
Wilson, eventually talking the group into recording
one of his songs, 'Cease To Exist'. The title was
changed to 'Never Learn Not To Love' and was
released as the B side of the single 'Bluebirds Over
The Mountain', which eventually climbed to number 61
in the US in early 1969.
1970, David Bowie released
the single 'The Prettiest Star' in the UK as a
follow-up single to 'Space Oddity'. The track
featured Marc Bolan on guitar, with whom
Bowie would spend the next few years as a rival
for the crown of the king of glam rock. Despite
receiving good reviews, the single reportedly sold
fewer than 800 copies, a major disappointment on
the back of the success of 'Space Oddity'.
1971, Led Zeppelin appeared
at the National Boxing Stadium, Dublin, the
group's first show in Dublin, where they played
'Stairway To Heaven' live for only the second
time.
1973, Slade scored their
fourth No.1 single with 'Cum On Feel The Noize',
the first single to enter the charts at No.1 since
The Beatles 'Get Back' in 1969. Elton
John had the No.1 album with 'Don't Shoot Me
I'm Only The Piano Player'.
2010, Mark Linkous,
frontman with US band Sparklehorse
committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart
outside a friend's house in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In 1996 Linkous "died" for two minutes after
ingesting a mix of Valium and antidepressants
while supporting Radiohead on tour in the
UK. He recovered, but the incident left him
paralysed, after lying unconscious for 14 hours,
with circulation to his legs cut off. He suffered
a heart attack when doctors tried to straighten
the limbs, and had surgery seven times to save his
legs.
1965, The Mannish Boys released their second
single 'I Pity The Fool', featuring a young
David Bowie. Produced by Shel Talmy (who was
also producing the early singles and albums by The
Who and The Kinks). Jimmy Page was Talmy's regular
session musician and played the guitar solo on 'I
Pity the Fool'.
1971, Led Zeppelin started
a 12-date 'Thank You' tour for British fans,
appearing at the clubs from their early days and
charging the same admission prices as in 1968. The
first show was at The Ulster Hall, Belfast,
Northern Ireland where they played songs from
their upcoming fourth album, including the first
public performances of 'Black Dog', 'Stairway To
Heaven', 'Going To California' and 'Rock
And Roll'.
1995, Viv Stanshall of
The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band was killed in a
house fire. The English singer-songwriter,
painter, musician, author, and poet is best known
for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for
his surreal exploration of the British upper
classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for
narrating Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.
2004, Guitarist John McGeoch
died in his sleep aged 49. He had been a member of
Magazine, who had the 1978 No.41
single 'Shot By Both Sides', and also worked with
Siouxsie And The Banshees, Armoury Show and
Public Image Ltd.
2005, A
commemorative plaque for the The Jimi Hendrix
Experience was unveiled in
Loisin-sous-Lens. Hendrix had appeared at The
Twenty Club when it opened in 1967. It was his
first European tour where he was totally unknown.
Club owner Rikki Stein stated: "The place was
packed and at the end of ’Wild Thing’, his first
number, there was total silence. The entire
audience just stood there, open-mouthed. They’d
never seen or heard anything like it in their
life."
Week
commencing February
26
. . .
1968, 25 year old Frankie Lymon, lead singer
of The Teenagers, died of a heroin overdose
in his grandmother's New York home. Lymon was on
leave from a Georgia Army post at the time and was
scheduled to record for Roulette Records the next
day. He first hit the national charts in 1956 when
he was just 13 with 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love'.
1970, In an interview with the New
Musical Express, Fleetwood Mac's Peter
Green talked about his plans to give all his
money away. The following year Green confronted his
accountant with a gun after he sent him an unwanted
royalty check. The guitarist went to jail briefly
before being transferred to an asylum and was
committed to a mental hospital in 1973. He re-
launched his career in the 90s.
1970, Led Zeppelin played a
gig in Copenhagen as The Nobs after Eva Von
Zeppelin, a relative of the airship designer,
threatened to sue if the family name was used in
Denmark.
1974, Singer songwriter Bobby
Bloom shot himself dead at his Hollywood
apartment aged 28. Bloom had the 1970 US No.8 &
UK No.3 single 'Montego Bay'.
1985, David Byron, singer with
Uriah Heep died from an epileptic fit
and liver disease aged 38. Had a hit with 'Easy
Livin' from the 1972 album Demons and Wizards.
2006, Two stewards were shot during a
concert by rapper Kanye West at the NEC in
Birmingham. Police said the shootings took place
after people who tried to gain entrance without
tickets were escorted from the arena. A man, who had
no ticket, entered the foyer and was ejected, he
then returned and shot at the stewards, one was in a
serious condition after being shot in the face.
2010, Tom "T-Bone" Wolk,
who played bass for nearly 30 years with
Daryl Hall And John Oates died of an
apparent heart attack at the age of 58. He had
also recorded with Carly Simon, Jellyfish,
Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Shawn Colvin and
Billy Joel over the course of his
career.
1965, Jimmy Page released a solo single
called 'She Just Satisfies' in the UK. Page played
all the instruments on it except for the drums,
and produced the track, as well as singing lead
vocals.
1969, Peter
Sarstedt started a four week run at No.1 on
the singles chart with 'Where Do You Go To My
Lovely?' Some say the song was written about the
Italian star Sophia Loren, but Peter Sarstedt has
stated he wrote the song about a girl he fell madly
in love with in Vienna in 1965, who later died in a
hotel fire.
1979, During a court case between
the Sex Pistols and their manager Malcolm
McLaren it was revealed that only £30,000
was left of the £800,000 the band had earned.
1997, American songwriter Ben
Raleigh died in a fire in his kitchen after
setting fire to his bath robe while cooking. He
co-wrote 'Scooby Doo Where Are You' and 'Tell
Laura I Love Her.'
2009, A 10-minute version of
The Beatles 'Revolution 1' was leaked onto
the internet, giving fans a never-before-heard
listen of what The White Album sessions must have
been like. Only two copies of the take were made
when the song was completed on June 4th, 1968. One
copy left the studio with Lennon that day and the
other remained behind. It was unclear which copy
appeared on the bootleg, nor how anyone acquired
it.
Week
commencing February
19
. . .
1974, Suzi Quatro was at No.1 on the
singles chart with 'Devil Gate Drive', the singers
second UK No.1 and fourth No.1 for the songs writers
Chinn & Chapman.
1974, 'Rebel Rebel' by David
Bowie entered the chart, the single reached
No.5 the following month. Originally written for
an aborted Ziggy Stardust musical in late 1973,
'Rebel Rebel' was Bowie's last single in the glam
rock style that had been his trademark. It was
also his first hit since 1969 not to feature lead
guitarist Mick Ronson; Bowie himself
played guitar on this track.
 1976, AC/DC shot the video clip
for "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock
'n' Roll)" for the Australian music television
program Countdown. It featured the band's
then-current lineup, along with members of the
Rats of Tobruk Pipe Band, on the back of a
flat-bed truck travelling on Swanston Street in
Melbourne. In May 2001, Australasian Performing
Rights Association celebrated its 75th anniversary
by naming the Best Australian Songs of all time,
as decided by a 100-member industry panel. "It's a
Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)"
was ranked as the ninth song on the list.
2003, Howie Epstein
bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
died of a suspected drug overdose in New Mexico.
He had replaced The Heartbreakers original bassist
Ron Blair, Epstein also worked with Bob
Dylan, Johnny Cash, Stevie
Nicks, Roy Orbison, Carl
Perkins, Linda Ronstadt and Del Shannon.
1967, Pink Floyd started their first sessions
at the EMI Studios, St. John's Wood, London on their
debut album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, working
on the song 'Matilda Mother'. While Pink Floyd were
recording their album with former Beatles engineer
Norman Smith, The Beatles themselves were
working in the studio next door, recording 'Fixing A
Hole' for their Sgt. Pepper album. Micky Dolenz from
The Monkees attended the mixing session during
the day.
1972, Led Zeppelin released
'Rock And Roll / Four Sticks' as a 7 inch
single in the US, peaking at No.47 on the chart.
The song was written as a spontaneous jam session,
whilst the band were trying to finish 'Four
Sticks'. Drummer John Bonham played the
introduction to Little Richard's 'You
Keep A-Knockin' and Page added a guitar
riff; with the tapes rolling the basic song was
finished fifteen minutes later.
1986, Metallica released
their third album, the highly influential album,
Master of Puppets, considered by many in the metal
community to be the best metal album of all time.
This was the last Metallica album with bassist
Cliff Burton who was killed when the group's
tour bus over-turned in southern Sweden while
touring to promote the album.
2004, Mud singer Les Gray
died of a heart attack, whilst fighting throat
cancer, aged 57 (1974 UK No.1 single 'Tiger Feet'
plus 14 other UK Top 40 singles').
2014, A statue of a weeping
Kurt Cobain was unveiled in Aberdeen,
Washington - the hometown of the late Nirvana
frontman. The statue, which sees Cobain crying a
single tear, is situated in the Aberdeen Museum of
History. Kurt Cobain Day would now be celebrated
annually in the city of Aberdeen. Of the day,
Mayor Bill Simpson recently read a proclamation,
which stated: "Aberdeen residents may
justifiably take pride in the role our community
played in the life of Kurt Cobain and the
international recognition our community has
gained from its connections with Kurt Cobain and
his artistic achievements."
2014, A crew member working on a
biopic about Gregg Allman died after
being hit by a train during filming. Police in
south Georgia said the woman was struck after
the crew for Midnight Rider placed a bed on the
railway tracks in Doctortown. Wayne County
Sheriff John Carter said several other people
had been injured, two of them seriously.
1965, The Kinks were at No.1 with
'Tired Of Waiting For You', the group's second No.1.
According to Ray Davies, the music for 'Tired of
Waiting for You' was written on the train to the
recording studio and the words were written at a
coffee shop during a break in the session.
1972, On their first Australian tour,
Led Zeppelin rescheduled to the following
night their concert at the Memorial Drive, Adelaide,
after heavy rain left the stage and equipment
unsafe. Zeppelin had brought to Adelaide the largest
PA system seen in Australia to produce what was
expected to be the loudest rock show ever heard.
2000, An American court ordered
the release of FBI files relating to John
Lennon's interests and activities
including his support for the Irish Republican
cause and the Workers Revolutionary Party. The
British Government told the US that it wanted
the files to remain secret. MI5 also had files
on Lennon, which they had passed on the FBI
during the 70s.
Week
commencing February
12
. . .
1970,
On this day, Friday the 13th, Black Sabbath released
their debut self-titled studio album on Vertigo
records in the UK. Peaking at No.8 on the charts,
the album has been recognised as the first main
album to be credited with the development of the
heavy metal genre.
1972,
The Greasy Truckers concert took place at
the Roundhouse in London, featuring Man,
Brinsley Schwarz and Hawkwind.
The eveining was recorded and released as a double
vinyl album, in a limited edition of 20,000 which
sold at just £1.50. The release rapidly sold out,
becoming a collector's item.
1980,
Police raided the home of former Sex Pistols
John Lydon, who greeted them waving a ceremonial
sword. The only illegal item they found was a
canister of tear gas, which Lydon claimed to be
for defence against intruders.
2005,
Readers of The Sun voted George Michael’s
‘Careless Whisper’ as the greatest British pop
single of the past 25 years. Oasis came
second with ‘Wonderwall’ and Kate Bush
third with ‘Wuthering Heights’. The rest of the
Top 10: No.4, Robbie Williams ‘Angels’,
No.5, The Jam ‘Going Underground’, in equal
6th, Sex Pistols ‘God Save The Queen’ and
Joy Division ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’,
7th was Queen ‘We Are The Champions’, 9th,
The Stone Roses ‘Fool’s Gold’ and 10th The
Undertones ‘Teenage Kicks’.
2016,
All four members of English indie rock group
Viola Beach; Kris Leonard (guitar and
vocals), River Reeves (guitar), Tomas Lowe (bass
guitar), and Jack Dakin (drums) along with their
manager Craig Tarry, died in a car crash in
Södertälje, Sweden. Witnesses said they saw the
car fall through a gap on the E4 motorway bridge,
which was open to let a boat pass. The band had
played at the Where's the Music? festival in
Norrköping the previous day. The band had been
scheduled to support Blossoms on a tour of
the UK and Ireland during February and March 2016.
The following year Arriva Buses
launched five buses in the home town of Viola
Beach in Warrington. Each vehicle had a picture of
one of the band members and their manager.
1968, Hal Cone former manager of The Monkees
and Head of Jones Records was found guilty of theft,
forgery, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
1981, American singer and musician
Bill Haley who became known as the first
Rock 'n' Roll star, was found dead, fully clothed
on his bed at his home in Harlingen, Texas from a
heart attack, aged 55. He scored the 1955 UK &
US No.1 single 'Rock Around the Clock'
as well as 'See You Later, Alligator’, ‘Shake,
Rattle and Roll’, ‘Rocket 88’, ‘Skinny Minnie’,
and ‘Razzle Dazzle’. Haley was blinded in his left
eye as a child due to a botched operation and
later adopted his distinctive spit-curl hairstyle
to distract attention from his blind eye.
1997, Scottish singer Brian
Connolly with the Seventies Glam rock group
Sweet died of kidney and liver failure aged
51. Connolly replaced Ian Gillan (later of
Deep Purple and Black Sabbath )
in Wainwright's Gentlemen who became Sweetshop
and then shortened to Sweet. The group
scored 15 UK top 40 hits including the 1973 No.1
hit ‘Blockbuster’.
Week
commencing February
5
. . .
1971,
Led Zeppelin announced a small club tour
which would see the group playing Universities and
small venues with ticket prices at 12 shillings
(60p). Zeppelin manager Peter Grant said 'We
decided to do the clubs and forget about the bread
and the big concert halls'.
1982, Kraftwerk were
at No.1 on the singles chart with 'The Model /
Computer Love', the first German act to score a
No.1 single. The single spent 21 weeks on the
chart.
1990, Billy Idol suffered
serious injuries when he failed to pull up at a
stop sign and crashed from his Harley-Davidson
motorbike into a car.
1996, Former Jam members
Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler reached a high court
settlement with Paul Weller after suing him for
more than £100,000, after claiming they were owed
royalties and group assets.
1998, American singer and guitarist
Carl Wilson from The Beach Boys
died aged 51 after a long battle with lung cancer
(Wilson was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer
in early 1997). He sang lead vocal on 'God Only
Knows', 'Good Vibrations,' and 'I Can Hear Music.'
Wilson also sang backing vocals on Elton
John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me.'
1998, Austrian singer Falco
(Johann Holzel) was killed in a road
accident after his car collided with a bus. He
scored the 1986 UK & US No.1 single 'Rock Me
Amadeus' making him the first-ever Austrian act to
score a UK and US No.1 hit single.
2001, Guitarist Don Felder
was fired from The Eagles. He would later
launch a $50 million law suit against drummer Don
Henley and guitarist Glen Frey, alleging wrongful
termination and breach of implied-in-fact
contract. Henley and Frey then countersued Felder
for breach of contract, alleging that Felder had
written and attempted to sell the rights to a
"tell-all" book. Both parties settled out-of-court
for an undisclosed amount.
2011, Irish guitarist and singer Gary
Moore died aged 58 in his sleep of a heart
attack in his hotel room while on holiday in
Estepona, Spain. Moore had been a member of Skid
Row, Thin Lizzy, and Colosseum
II, before going solo, scoring the 1979 UK
No.8 single 'Parisienne Walkways'. Moore's
greatest influence in the early days was guitarist
Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, who was a
mentor to Moore when performing in Dublin. His
1990 album Still Got the Blues featured
contributions from Albert King, Albert
Collins, and George Harrison.
Week
commencing January
29
. . .
1967,
Pink Floyd spent the day recording parts for
the Syd Barrett songs 'Arnold Layne' and
'Candy And A Current Bun' at Sound Techniques
Studios, Chelsea, London. Floyd also turned
professional on this day after signing a deal with
EMI Records.
1972, Chuck Berry had his
first UK No.1 single with a live recording of a
song he'd been playing live for over 20 years 'My
Ding-a-Ling'. UK public morality campaigner Mary
Whitehouse attempted to have the song banned due
to its innuendo-laden lyrics. The Average
White Band members guitarist Onnie McIntyre
and drummer Robbie McIntosh played on the single.
1979, Sex Pistols bassist
Sid Vicious was released on bail after attacking
Todd Smith, singer Patti Smith's brother,
at a Skafish concert. John Lydon
has since stated that Mick Jagger stepped
in and paid for the lawyers for Vicious.
1995, Richey Edwards
guitarist with the Manic Street Preachers
vanished leaving no clues to his whereabouts. He
left The Embassy Hotel in London at 7am, leaving
behind his packed suitcase. His car was found on
the Severn Bridge outside Bristol sixteen days
later. Edwards has never been found, despite
constant searching, and in November 2008 he was
declared officially dead.
Week
commencing January
22
. . .
1968, Pink Floyd played their first gig
without Syd Barrett at Southampton
University. They were supported by Tyrannosaurus
Rex (later to be renamed T Rex) featuring
Marc Bolan and percussionist Steve
Peregrine Took.
1973, Sweet were at No.1 on
the UK singles chart with 'Blockbuster'. The glam
rockers only No.1 of 15 Top 40 hits.
1975, The BBC 'Omnibus' documentary
'Cracked Actor' a film about David Bowie
was shown on TV. Filmed in 1974 when Bowie was was
a cocaine addict, the documentary has become
notorious for showing Bowie's fragile mental state
during this period.
1977, Former Fleetwood Mac
guitarist Peter Green was committed to a
mental hospital following an incident when he
threatened his accountant Clifford Adams with an
air rifle when he was trying to deliver a £30,000
royalty cheque to him.
1986, Allen Collins, guitarist from
Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed his car, paralysing
him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend
Debra Jean Watts. Collins had survived a plane
crash in 1977 that killed two other band members.
1989, American soul singer Donnie
Elbert died of a stroke aged 52. In 1955 he
formed a doo-wop group, the Vibraharps
making his recording debut on their single ‘Walk
Beside Me’ but it wasn’t until the Seventies when
he had major success with the solo hit 1972 US No.
22 & UK No.11 single 'I Can't Help Myself',
Sugar Pie Honey Bunch', as well as the hits 'Where
Did Our Love Go?' and 'A Little Piece of Leather'.
1948, Born on this day (Friday), Corky
Laing, drummer with heavy rock group Mountain
who had the 1971 album 'Nantucket Sleighride'.
Also worked with Jack Bruce.
1969, Pink Floyd appeared at the Sixty Nine
Club, Royal York Hotel, Ryde, Isle of Wight. Support
band was The Cherokees, who
had had a minor hit single in 1964 with Seven Golden
Daffodils produced by Mickie Most. They later
changed their name to New York Public Library.
1975, The last Sunbury Rock Festival
in Victoria Australia was held. The promoters who
had made heavy losses only paid Deep Purple.
AC/DC were scheduled to play after
Deep Purple but a fight started on stage between
road crews after Purple's set when they began
packing up the lights and PA and denied AC/DC use
of them, who then left the festival site without
playing at all.
1986, US manager Albert Grossman
died of a heart attack while flying on Concorde
from New York to London. He managed Bob Dylan
(between 1962 and 1970), Peter, Paul and Mary,
The Band, Janis Joplin and Todd
Rundgren. Grossman built the Bearsville
Recording Studio near Woodstock in 1969 and in
1970 he founded Bearsville Records.
1992, The inaugural Big Day Out
festival took place at the Hordern Pavilion in
Sydney. Acts appearing included, Nirvana,
Beasts of Bourbon, Box The Jesuits, Celibate
Rifles, Cosmic Psychos, The Clouds, Club Hoy,
Died Pretty, Falling Joys, The Hard Ons with
Henry Rollins Hellmen, Massappeal, The Meanies,
Smudge, Sound Unlimited Posse, Ratcat, The
Village Idiots, Violent Femmes and Yothu
Yindi.
1949, Born on this day (Thursday),
John Cooper Clarke, 'Bard of Salford',
Manchester, poet laureate. Well known for 'Kung Fu
International', 'I Married A Monster From Outer
Space', 'The Day My Pad Went Mad'.
1967, Pink Floyd spent the second of three
days recording the Syd Barrett songs
'Arnold Layne' and 'Candy And A Current Bun' at
Sound Techniques Studios, Chelsea, London. 'Candy
And A Current Bun' was first known as 'Let's Roll
Another One' and contained the line 'I'm high -
Don't try to spoil my fun', but it was decided that
Syd Barrett should rewrite it without the drug
references.
1969, New Jersey state prosecutors
issue a warning to US record dealers that they
would be charged with distributing pornography if
they were caught selling the John Lennon /
Yoko Ono LP 'Two Virgins'. The front cover
of the album showed the pair frontally nude, while
the back cover showed them from behind. The album
still managed to reach No.124 on the US, but
failed to chart at all in the UK, where only 5,000
copies were ever pressed.
1970, James Sheppard, the lead
singer from the Heartbeats and Shep
and the Limelites, was found murdered in his
car on the Long Island Expressway. The US singer
had been beaten and robbed. The Limelites reached
No.2 in the US in 1961 with 'Daddy's Home'.
1970, Led Zeppelin appeared
at Leeds University. It was at this show when
Zeppelin had a meeting with fine arts lecturer
Zacron to discuss their ideas for the album sleeve
of the band's next album, Led Zeppelin
III. Zacron, born Richard Drew, had studied
at Kingston College of Art with members of the
Yardbirds.
1977, The Buzzcocks appeared
at the Roxy, in London, supported by Chelsea.
Also appearing at the venue over the last week; The
Damned, The Boys, The Adverts, Slaughter And The
Dogs and Squeeze.
1981, Adam And The Ants
started a 10-week run at No.1 on the chart with
their debut album 'Kings Of The Wild Frontier'.
2017, American drummer Butch
Trucks from The Allman Brothers Band died
of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in
West Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 69. He
played in various groups before forming the 31st
of February while at Florida State University in
the mid 1960s. He joined the Allman Brothers Band
in 1969. Their 1971 live release, At Fillmore
East, represented an artistic and commercial
breakthrough.
1967, The Monkees performed live for the
very first time at The Cow Palace, San Francisco to
a sell-out crowd.
1994, American musician Rhett
Forrester was shot and killed at a Northwest
Atlanta intersection after he refused to give up
his vehicle in an attempted carjacking, he was 37
years old. He was best known as the lead singer
for New York-based band Riot from 1981
until 1984.
2002, English keyboardist Peter
Bardens died from lung cancer aged 57. He
was a founder member of the British progressive
rock group Camel and also worked alongside
Rod Stewart, Mick Fleetwood and Van
Morrison, and recorded solo albums.
2017, English bass guitar player
Pete Overend Watts and founding member of
the 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople
died from throat cancer aged 69. Watts helped
start the Buddies with guitarist Mick
Ralphs, a band that evolved into Mott the Hoople
after periods in which it was known as the Doc
Thomas Group, the Shakedown Sound, then Silence.
They became Mott the Hoople after Ian Hunter
joined in 1969. Watts continued with Dale Griffin,
Morgan Fisher and Ray Major in the Mott successor
British Lions. He later became a record
producer, producing albums for artists including Hanoi
Rocks and Dumb Blondes.
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