The Artists – 1969

10th January 1969
THE BANDWAGON

American coloured group, The Bandwagon, who rocketed to fame with “Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache”, come to the NewMarket Discotheque on Friday for the first show of 1969. The Bandwagon are led by 23-year-old Johnny Johnson, although each member of the unit is able to sing lead. He is joined by Arthur Fullilove (21), Terry Lewis (22) and Billy Bradley (23). Talking about their act, Johnny says, “We really like to get into a groove becuase we feel that when people pay to see us they want to see a good gig. Something really visual. We have most of our movements worked out together, but then at the end we kinda give ourselves freedom to ad-lib and be a bit more individual”. Their first trip to Britain has been a bit of an eye-opener for them. “The cars look old-fashioned” states Johnny, “somewhat like America in the 30’s, but there’s nothing old-fashioned about the music here. It’s fantastic.” “The reaction to us has been great, and now we’re staying on in the New Year and also taking in Continental dates. We’re definitely a bigger name in Britain and Europe than in the States, so you can appreciate how we need to stay on here while things are going so well. The good thing is that we’ve just released our follow-up to “Heartache” – it’s called “You”. We shall probably use the last few weeks of our stay here to promote the new single. I don’t know. But it’s an idea. That follow-up single is an important one, and I know some visiting artistes have missed out when the’yve gone back to the States and haven’t been able to back up their initial success.”

Probably better known as Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon, here was another band from the USA who played the Newmarket just 3 months after scoring a Top 5 hit in the UK. Johnny Johnson (real name John A.Mathis) was born in Florida but moved to New York as a kid and later sang in a number of local groups, including one called The Bandwagon. After coming to the attention of producer Denny Randell of Epic Records, the vocal group underwent some personnel changes and in March 1968 recorded “Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache” a song that had been co-written and produced by Randell. It received a lot of local airplay in Philadelphia but was more successful in Europe and the UK, consequently the band toured both and eventually, in October 1968, the single climbed the UK charts, finally reaching the heady heights of No.4. By 1969 this 4-piece vocal group had disbanded but Johnson, using a succession of additional vocalists to suit his purposes, continued with his name now permanently promoted to leader. Just like both The Flirtations and The Fantastics before them, Johnson quickly understood that his new audience was in Britain and he soon made London his base. With Tony Macauley given the job of providing Johnson with material they enjoyed two more Top 10 hits in 1970 (“Sweet Inspiration” which got to No.10 and “(Blame It) On The Pony Express”) and continued to release material during the 70’s, recording for both the Bell and ABC labels. However their version of 70’s soul soon became a little predictable and out-dated and their commercial success waned though they were later re-discovered by a new generation of Northern Soul enthusiasts. Johnson later retired from the music business altogether, partly due to ill health, and at one point was working as a school bus driver. He died in 2023 at the age of 80. “Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache” was later released by Dexy’s Midnight Runners as the B-side of “Geno” in 1981.

NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Yes, it was just that at the New Market Discotheque when the Bandwagon came along and presented one of the most polished acts I’ve seen. Putting everything into it, the four coloured gents, led by Johnny Johnson, offered an energetic programme of good soul music, featuring strong vocals, good harmony and infectious movements. Supported by The Grand Union, an excellent British group who had their first single issued on Friday, they whipped up excitement with such material as “Stoned Soul Picnic”, “Love In Them Hills” and, inevitably, “Breakin Down The Walls Of Heartache”, yet strangely enough they did not air the follow-up, “You”. There’s no doubt that The Bandwagon proved themselves firm favourites with the large and enthusiastic audience, but I’d estimate that at least half of the fans there were folk from outside the Bridgwater area. Those of you who didn’t attend missed a terrific evening.

17th January 1969
THE SONIC INVADERS
24th January 1969
JUST THAT

2 bands of which there is precious little information. The advertisement for The Sonic Invaders informs us that they were “A brilliant All-Coloured Soul Band” but a quick Google serach reveals nothing whilst “Just That”, according to Mike Guy were an “up and coming soul band from Salisbury”.

31st January 1969
THE MAGIC LANTERNS

Terry Clare, who runs the New Market Discotheque, has made a change of booking for this Friday and has now managed to secure The Magic Lanterns, a British 5-piece, whose record “Shame, Shame” has been bubbling under the charts for ages. Already successful twice over in the Hit Parade, The Magic Lanterns are bidding for a hat-trick with “Shame” – a strong American song which is their first recording under the direction of Top Twenty wizard Steve Rowlands. It has brought a first-time smash for the group in the United States, where the number rocketed into the charts not so very much long ago and earned them much praise from folk in the music world. About two years ago The Lanterns made the charts ripple with “Excuse Me Baby” and “Knight In Rusty Armour”. Then management of the Camp label plus The Magic Lanterns passed to Double R. Productions who have invested a lot of hard work and faith in the lively singing style of this experienced quintet. All five members of the unit come from the Warrington area of Lancashire and they bow in as Jimmy Bilsbury (21), singer; Harry Ward (21), lead guitar; Bev Beveridge (23), rhythm: “Ozzy” Osborne (21), bass and Peter Garner (21), drums. Four-part harmony vocals are their trademark, especially on the many songs written by Bev Beveridge and Jimmy Bilsbury, so you can expect to hear plenty of this when they make their Bridgwater debut on Friday.

A group that contained some very interesting and influential band members, though sadly none of them appeared at the New Market Discotheque. Hailing from Warrington in Lancashire they formed in 1962 as The Sabres but changed their name to The Magic Lanterns a few years later. Their early line-up included Kevin Godley & Lol Creme of 10CC fame, though it’s just possible that their tenure in the band was extremely short-lived. Having signed to CBS Records they enjoyed a No 44 hit in 1966 with the whimsical “Excuse My Baby”, a song that was later covered by Chicory Tip, which gives some indication of where they were at musically at this time. In 1968, they were snapped up by one of the most influential and important record labels of all time, those denizens of good musical taste, Atlantic Records, home of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Led Zeppelin and Crosby Stills & Nash, a decision that, with the benefit of hindsight borders on the bizarre. However, at least initially, it appears to have been a move that benefited both parties as during that same year, the single “Shame, Shame” reached No 29 on the Billboard Top 100 and No.3 in Canada. However, for some reason, the single failed to chart in their country of birth, as did their follow-up and by 1970 they had moved on to Big Tree Records, a label that gave us Lobo, Dave & Ansel Collins and Hot Chocolate. During that same year their main singer-songwriter, Jimmy Bilsbury left the band and the group slowly disappeared from view though they did succeed in achieving two more Billboard Top 100 hits in the States in 1971 and 1972 respectively before releasing their final 45 in 1973. Two more factoids about this elusive group is that during their Atlantic residence, songwriter for hire Albert Hammond, he of “Free Electric Band” fame and a man responsible for the The Hollies “The Air That I Breathe”, Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”, Whitney Houston’s “One Moment In Time” and Leo Sayer’s “When I Need You” was a Magic Lantern, at least for a short while though by the time the band had succeeded in making their New Market appearance, it would appear that he had already left. Factoid No 2 is that, contrary to rock n’roll myth, John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne, the bat biting Black Sabbath vocalist was NOT a member of the Magic Lanterns though bassist Mike “Ozzy” Osbourne most certainly was.

7th February 1969
THE MID-ROD ENDS
14th February 1969
THE LURK(E)S
21st February 1969
THE FANTASTICS

February 1969 saw The NewMarket adopt a “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” attitude with repeat performances from that hardy Street band The Mid-Rod Ends and a 3rd visit for the Fantastics. Even The Lurks (or “Lurkes” according to the Newmarket advertisement – a Soul band from Bristol) had apparently appeared before according to Mike Guy though this is the first example of them appearing in the local press. The Orange Bicycle also made a 3rd Bridgwater visit during February with a gig at the Hinkley Point Sports and Social Club, supported by local band The Re-Action. Elsewhere it was reported that the Discotheque had taken on a new DJ – Mike Henderson – and that the once popular Raves at the Sydenham Community Centre were in danger of folding. Talking to the Bridgwater Mercury Terry Clare had refuted claims that punters were losing interest in live performances by supplying audience figures ranging from 250 to 400 for a really big group.

26th February 1969
DUSTER BENNETT

HAPPY NEWS – BLUES FANS
Don’t forget that tomorrow Bridgwater Tech are offering a blues concert at the New Market Disco, tickets 7 shillings for Student Guild members and 8 shillings for non-members. Star of the event is Duster Bennett who, since his emergence earlier this year, has proved to be a most popular figure on the college and university circuit. His originality lies in the fact that he is a one-man band and is proficient on drums, guitar and piano. Originally from Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, where he was born on 23rd September 1946, Duster and family moved to Kingston in Surrey when he was two years old. The first instrument Duster became involved with was the mouth organ, and for some time he studied the classical side and the work of Larry Adler. He was entirely self-taught, as he is on all the instruments he now plays. The piano was the second musical diversion he made, again not initially in blues style, but with a leaning to jazz. But he found what was to be his future path when, at the age of 17, he took up the guitar. From an early interest in country blues he immediately started in this vein, emulating at that time such artists as Blind Boy Fuller and Tommy Johnson. Over a number of years, his love for the blues strengthening, he became a member of various country blues and jug bands, but they always found it difficult to obtain work and so he returned to manily playing for his own amusement. He also had difficulties in finding the right musicians for his bands and so decided that he should start to combine his talents and form a one-man band. Appearing with Duster will be relatively new Bridgwater area group Kwarto Feelay.

Bennett was signed by Mike Vernon to the same Blue Horizon label that originally gave us Fleetwood Mac, possibly the best ever British Blues band. In fact Bennett’s debut album, released in 1968 and entitled “Smiling Like I’m Happy” featured the band on 3 tracks whilst Bennett played a Les Paul that was given to him by Peter Green. He was to make a further 3 albums for the label and was championed by John Peel, making countless appearances on his “Top Gear” program. In 1970 he became a member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. His final album “Fingertips” was issued in 1975 on the somewhat obscure Toadstool label and by then his style had changed to incorporate soul, R & B and funk. Sadly, in 1976, at the tender age of 29, after appearing at a gig with the great American artist Memphis Slim, Bennett fell asleep at the wheel of his van and was killed in a head-on collision.

Mike Guy, who seemed more enamoured by the support band than the main attraction, enters into the vernacular of the day in order to express his enthusiasm.

Although not a wild admirer of blues by any means, I could fully acknowledge the technical wizardry of Duster Bennett, who turned many on with slow and fast numbers. His harmonica and guitar playing was something which had to be heard to be believed and the purists refused to let him leave, applauding at the end of the opus. I do hope that the students will arrange another evening like this as soon as they can. You’re a really groovy crowd and togeter you brought to the current scene a special kind of audience atmosphere that has not been observed before.

28th February 1969
THE BEDROCKS

On the final Friday of February, Bridgwater punters were given 2 options to choose from, both of which have a slightly tentative Beatle connection. Whilst the psychedelically-challenged band Rainbow Ffolly (responsible for the decidely un-trippy Parlophone single “Drive My Car” in 1968 – NOT the Fab Four creation, but a song that bore the same title as the opening cut from “Rubber Soul”), the NewMarket stuck to it’s regular Friday night policy of booking mostly coloured artists, and on this evening they welcomed a 6-piece aggregation of West Indian immigrants from Leeds who apparently took their name from The Flintstones! Originally called The Bedrock Sunshine Band, they offered an amalgamation of ska and reggae as well as boasting a soulful brass section and having signed to Columbia they issued a cover of Macca’s “Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da” in 1968, which was recorded at Abbey Road and produced by Beatle engineer and Pink Floyd producer Norman “Hurricane” Smith. Due to it’s authentic Carribean rhythms, It received a lot of airplay, but it was in direct competition with Marmalade’s poptastic version and suffered accordingly with the latter’s take on McCartney’s jaunty ditty going all the way to No.1. Despite this, The Bedrocks still managed to reach No 20 in the singles charts but soon discovered that it was probably the song that had got them there as they were unable to follow it up with anything resembling a chart hit. At the time of their appearance their follow-up “The Lovedene Girls” (an old Rugby song which somehow unsuccessfully manages to make the less than obvious link between ska and music hall) had just been issued and after a 3rd single, a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” sank without trace, the band soon followed suit. (Lead guitarist William Hixon had both of his legs amputated in 1970 having been hit by a drunk driver.)

I must say how enjoyable their programme proved to be – pure, undiluted Ska as opposed to all the pseudo bluebeat so often heard nowadays. The boy’s sang and played with polish and, with a line-up of sax, trumpet, guitars, organ and drums, crisply punched home such numbers as Amboy Dukes “High Life In Whitely Woods”, “Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da” and of course, “The Lovedene Girls”. During a backstage chat, I found them to be the same happy fellas they are in public and discovered they were based in Leeds and have been in existence for some 10 years – which shows that it’s never too late to achieve fame. While The Bedrocks were generating a Caribbean atmosphere, London unit Rainbow’s Ffolly were earning for themselves a good reception at the Sydenham Rave. They brought all their own lighting equipment and flourescent effects, and offered a string of current pops, styled midway between The Move and The Marmalade. Unfortunately the attendance figure was down again (to around 120) but this was probably due to the intense competition created by The Bedrocks.

7th March 1969
P.P. ARNOLD (Time Cycle)

It’s always nice to be able to welcome a girl vocalist to the town in a pop world dominated by male groups, and on Friday we’ll be able to do just that when the New Market Disco presents none other than that “Angel Of The Morning”, Miss P.P. Arnold. The individual singing style of this coloured star was first brought to the attention of British fans in November 1968, when The Ike & Tina Turner Review toured the country with The Ikettes and had such record success as “River Deep, Mountain High”. Lead singer with The Ikettes was P.P. Arnold, or Pat as she is known in the music business, and with the Review returning to America she stayed in England and signed with Immediate Records. “The First Cut Is The Deepest” was released and smashed straight into the charts. With a string of television engagements to consolidate her initial success, Pat was to travel Europe in two major promotion campaigns where she achieved equal fame in each country she visited. Two more records were issued which were to reveal her versatility, and a series of concerts throughout Britain and many continental countries was arranged, which created demand for an album to further reveal Pat’s voice. Together with such record producers as Andrew Loog Oldham, Mick Jagger, Mike Hurst, and Small Faces Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, a number of songs became an album, “The First Lady of Immediate”. Since then, it is true to say that Pat has not been able to match the Hit Parade popularity she found with “Deepest”, but nevertheless she has cut some very fine singles, among them “The Time Has Come”, “If You Think You’re Groovy” and “Angel Of The Morning”. If you like Pat, go along on Friday and give her your support.

Unquestionably, a lot of people did like Pat and subsequently The New Market was fairly full on this particular evening. However, with 10 minutes to go before she was due to take the stage, Miss Arnold was very much NOT in the building. In an interview conducted with Dave Chapple many years later, Terry Clare explained that he attempted to find out what had happened to his star turn and having obtained Pat’s phone number from her agent, rang her to discover that she was at home. The reason for her non-appearance was a malfunctioning car which had apparently broken down en route to the venue. How she had managed to get home under these circumstances was a question she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer. Terry, quite rightly, made it known that having signed a contract, the gig would have to be re-arranged and negotiations occurred as to when this might be. P.P. suggested that she should be able to atone for her non-appearance with a performance in a couple of months time. Terry, understandably peeved, suggested that this was not satisfactory and, sticking to his guns, finally got Pat to agree to return after a few weeks absence. Mike Guy takes up the story.

Time Cycle have been widely praised for stepping in at the eleventh hour to replace star singer P.P. Arnold when she failed to appear at the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater. The lads, who were hurriedly rounded up from various parts of the district, received a heroes welcome from an understanding and completely sympathetic audience. Relating the course of events which could easily have proved catastrophic, Discotheque organiser Terry Clare said he received a phone call at 7.15 p.m. to say Miss Arnold would not be appearing. “I discovered Time Cycle had a free night and while we tried to trace everyone in the group, I explained to the youngsters coming in what had happened and reduced the admission price from 10s to 6s. Taking over the story, Time Cycle drummer Paul Berryman told me; “We were all collected from various places within an hour and went on stage at 10, doing a 60-minute performance. Then later we returned and did a further half-hour.” For the first time, the group featured two girl singers, Jean Haggett and her twin sister Jill of Woolavington, who went down quite well. Terry, who would like to apologise to the fans for the non-appearance of P.P. Arnold, said he had been given to understand that the artiste had missed several other engagements in the past. He wished to congratulate Time Cycle and said he was endeavouring to re-book P.P.Arnold for later on, when patrons would be charged half-price to see her. So there we are. Thank goodness this was a tale with a happy ending.

The irony of this story, and there are two, is that this was the 2nd time that P.P.Arnold had been booked to play the New Market but due to completely different reasons, at this point she had yet to make an appearance. On the 1st occasion, Arnold was booked to play by the previous promoters Westside Promotions in February 1968. However due to Westside’s decision to move their gigs from a Monday to a Friday evening, they apparently pulled the plug on Arnold’s performance as it was due to occur in the week that the change was made. Is it possible that Arnold and her agent had taken this into consideration when choosing to veto this gig? As it happens, the New Market story where Miss P.P. is concerned does have a happy ending but fast forward to 2024. Now a veteran of the music scene, she is booked to play the local McMillan Theatre in Bridgwater as part of her “Soul Survivor – An intimate evening of Music and Conversation” tour. The result? The show gets cancelled. Well I guess 1 out of 4 isn’t bad.

14th March 1969
MARV JOHNSON

Mike Guy was obviously under the impression that booking Johnson was something of a coup (see below). The fact that he was one of the very few Tamla Motown artists to ever play Bridgwater is something but despite the fact that he was in the charts at the time of his appearance with his biggest ever hit, in Motown circles he wasn’t what you could call a major artist but he was certainly an important one, historically speaking. Born in Detroit (of course) he started his career in the doo-wop group Junior Serenaders before being discovered by Berry Gordy. This, incidentally, was BEFORE Gordy had founded Motown. Johnson’s “Come To Me” from 1959 (co-written by Johnson & Gordy) effectively became the first record released by Tamla (as it was called then) though due to a lack of national distribution, it came out on the United Artists label. With Berry Gordy producing, it sounds about as far removed from a classic Motown song as it’s possible to get but this was way before the label had developed it’s influential style. This arrangement led to Johnson signing to UA permanently though he continued to record at Hitsville USA and with Gordy overseeing Johnson’s career he achieved some impressive results. Also in 1959 “You Got What It Takes” and follow-up “I Love The Way You Love”, got to No 10 and No 9 respectively in the Billboard charts whilst the first of those two songs also reached No 10 in the UK. (“You Got What It Takes”, which is a more well-known song than you might think, was actually written by blues man Bobby Parker, but Gordy “appropriated” it – which means that he stole it and is now credited as having written it. Parker was conveniently airbrushed out of the picture and received no royalties despite it’s huge success) After “(You’ve Got To Move) Two Mountains” (No 20 in America in 1960) had given Marv his 2nd gold disc, he was retained by his label for a few years but despite doing well in the R & B charts, the law of diminishing returns eventually resulted in him being released and in 1964 he re-joined Motown where he was employed as a jack of all trades – songwriter, performer and producer. Despite being on the label during it’s heyday, Johnson never achieved another hit in America, in fact none of his singles dented the Top 100, including “I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose”, released in 1969. In the UK however, it was a different story and after the song was picked up by a legion of Northern Soul aficionados it reached No 10 in the UK chart. Johnson continued with Motown for awhile but was eventually released from his contract during the 70’s. In the 1990’s he made a comeback by recording for the MotorCity label, owned by a Northern Soul enthusiast, but in 1993 Johnson sadly died from complications after a stroke.

Marv Johnson, Tamla Motown hit recorder of “I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose”, which is till high in the charts, has been snapped up by Terry Clare of Bridgwater’s New Market Discotheque for an appearance there this Friday. Terry heard of Marv’s visit to Britain several weeks a go and it was swift business dealings which allowed him to pull off this all-time scoop for pop fans in the area. The visit of the coloured singer, who flew into this country just yesterday (Monday), is exciting for two main reasons. It will be the first time an artiste from the legendary Motown label will be seen in Bridgwater, and when Marv comes to town it will be only the second night of his three-week tour of British clubs and ballrooms. The previous evening he is due to take part in BBC1’s “Top Of The Pops”, followed by a performance at the Assembly Hall, Worthing, and then he will be travelling to Bridgwater before any other live dates! I need hardly say that there will be an exceptionally large audience at the New Market, particularly as the event has been publicised in the musical Press; so you would be well advised to arrive early to be certian of watching him. Not only will this be of interest to young people from the immediate locality, but also from a large part of the West Country. Marv will join a growing and impressive list of big-name attractions that have topped the bill at the New Market in recent months. They include The Moody Blues, The Equals, Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon, The Bedrocks and P.P. Arnold. In fact, we’re now getting back to the days of the old Top Twenty Club when you can be certain of seeing chart celebrities in the very town in which you live.

Marvellous Marv
It was a night to end all nights when Tamla Motown star Marv Johnson came to the New Market Discotheque. His impeccable singing, total sense of rhythm and smooth stage movements stunned every single fan in the venue, and he received terrific audience participation, the likes of which I have not witnessed in Bridgwater for a long while. Marv is the complete professional, a man who puts all he has into his show, and who certainly gave this large gathering it’s money’s worth. He swung smoothly through a gorgeous set, including “And I Love Her”, a new interpretation of “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” plus his first real smash of a few years back, “You’ve Got What It Takes”. To close with, he offered an extended version of his most recent winner, “I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose”, which had the entire house applauding wildly and chanting for his return. There is so much one will remember about this evening, but perhaps more than anything it will be the greatness of the artiste which will live on in our minds. Backing Marv was the excllent Eddie Thornton Outfit. Eddie being an ex-member of Georgie Fame’s Blue Flames, who played some authoritative music that owed quite a bit to their interest in jazz.

21st March 1969
THE LOCOMOTIVE

The Locomotive are a Birmingham band with a chequered history who, like many bands before them, changed their style of music either to suit the prevailing trends or simply due to changes of personnel. Formed in 1965, they were originally called The Kansas City Seven and as the name suggests were ostensibly a jazz band that had been taken from a number of different Brummie groups. Original members included Chris Wood, who went on to become an original member of Traffic and drummer Mike Kellie who later turned up in Spooky Tooth. After changing their style to incorporate soul & R&B, by the following year Wood & Kellie had departed whilst one of the new members of the group was a keyboard player called Norman Haines. Haines had worked in a record shop in an area of the city that was predominated by people of West Indian descent, consequently he became interested in ska music and having eventually become the band’s leader, he began to change the style of the group to reflect his interests. The band’s first single, released on the Direction label, featured a version of Dandy Livingstone’s “A Message To You Rudy” as it’s B-side, pre-dating the 2-Tone revolution by a good 10 years. With Jim Simpson, the only original member of the band, leaving to become the manager of Black Sabbath (he made an unsuccessful attempt to take Norman Haines with him), in 1968, having moved to Parlophone, the Haines-penned “Rudy’s In Love” reached No 25 in the UK singles chart. However Haines prowess as a keyboard player eventually led to another musical change with the band adopting a more progressive style and at the time of playing the New Market they seemed to be a band in limbo. With the venue currently in the habit of booking soul and ska bands, I have no doubt that they were obtained on the strength of their Parlophone hit. Colin Heath of Time Cycle stated that they were a “ska band from Birmingham”. But there were suggestions by Mike Guy (see below) that their performance might not be exactly what some punters were expecting. They recorded an album at Abbey Road with Gus Dudgeon entitled “We Are Everything You See” that was as about as far removed from ska as was humanly possible. In fact there is a chance that this record had already been cut by the time they played Bridgwater. It was not released until 1970, mainly due to the uncertainty as to how their fans would take the new direction they had chosen. Haines left in 1969, the album was released to positive reviews (it contains a track called “Mr.Armageddon” that has appeared on a number of trendy compilations) but nobody bought it. They changed their name to Steam Shovel and then, in 1970 to The Dog That Bit People but to no avail. I guess you can’t fault them for trying.

The Locomotive of “Rudi’s In Love” fame are the Friday night attraction at the New Market Discotheque. They’ll spotlight their new approach, which leans more towards progressive pop than Ska.

28th March 1969
THE SKATALITES

One of the most oft-requested records at the New Market Discotheque is an instrumental version of the theme from the film “Guns Of Navarone”. It was done by an aggregation known as The Skatalites and on Friday you’ll be able to hear them performing it in person when they head the bill at the New Market. Since it was released in 1965, “Navarone” has sold in the region of half-a-million copies and is still being bought today. The group have also had several albums issued by Island and in about four weeks will have a new 45-er out, probably on Decca. The Skatalites are no longer just a Caribbean rock steady attraction, however. They now lean more towards soul and display their musicianship on sax, trumpet, lead, bass, organ and drums. Tony Jackson is their soloist, who formed the group when he came in the country some four years ago after having had about three number ones in his native Jamaica. The seven-piece – five negroes and a white bassist and drummer – are in demand throughout Britain’s clubland and on the Continent, especially in Germany and Italy. They have also acted as session men on numerous discs which subsequently became Top Ten hits. So they obviously know their stuff – as you can discover at the New Market Discotheque on Friday.

The Skatalites are not so much a group of musicians but a musical institution. The origins of the band go back to 1955 when a loose aggregation of jazz players, amongst them Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, and Don Drummond began working in Jamaica – not as a collective but as a selection of independent musicians. Between them, from 1962 onwards, they began to appear on a bewildering amount of record releases, consequently their paths crossed on a fairly regular basis. They became, effectively “The Sound Of Jamaica” but despite being in constant demand they were never credited for their work and were paid poor wages at lowly session rates, a situation that became a bone of contention. In 1964, a family called the Tawani’s, who owned several theatres, wanted to hire them for live shows but could only do so if they formed a band and after a meeting at the Odeon Theatre and with the help of the calypso musician Lord Tanamo, The Skatalites were born. Their first gig, in May of that year, at a club called the Hi-Hat, was supposed to be a rehearsal but so many people turned up to watch them play it was decided to charge admission. As a band they were used by nearly all of the best Jamaican producers on countless records with Prince Buster, Leslie Kong and Coxsone Dodd all utilising their services (they appeared on The Wailers “Simmer Down”, produced by Dodd in 1963) but live performances were now giving the group an extra source of revenue. However, the band didn’t last very long. As early as 1965 they had ceased to exist as a live act. This was partially due to the fact that trombonist Don Drummond, responsible for 1964’s huge hit “Man In The Street” was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend after she was discovered with 4 stab wounds to the chest in Drummond’s flat at the beginning of 1965 (he was jailed one year later and certified insane.) At this point the band effectively split into two supergroups, Roland Alphonso & The Soul Vendors and Tommy McCook and The Supersonics but this is where it gets a little confusing. It would appear that they continued to record under their musical collective as a discography reveals that albums bearing the original band name were issued every year from 1964 to 1969 and in 65 the aforementioned “Guns Of Navarone” was recorded. Credited to The Skatalites by all and sundry, the 45 of that record reveals that it was actually performed by “Roland Alfonso with The Studio 1 Orchestra” but my guess is that it was easier to go with a brand name that was rapidly being associated with all that was good about Jamaican music. (Incidentally it is worth mentioning that it took 2 years for this song to become a hit in the U.K., reaching No 36 in the spring of 1967. It also features Reggae pioneer Lee Perry on “vocals”.) One thing we do know is that the version of The Skatalites that played Bridgwater bore little resemblance to those pioneering musicians that provided the bedrock of Ska. The original musicians didn’t get back together again until 1974 and of these, the last to survive was saxophone player Lester Sterling who died in 2023 whilst Don Drummond died as early as 1969. Their have been countless reunions over the years and even more personnel changes. Wikipedia lists 30 musicians who have passed through their ranks since 1964 but curiously, Tony Jackson, mentioned in Mike Guy’s Mercury post, is not amongst them. Wikipedia isn’t always right of course but ignoring the spelling error in the Newmarket’s advertisement, one wonders whether the band that played this gig were nothing more than a tribute band (before it became a lucrative market) that were “holding the fort” until the group’s reunion 5 years later. Mike Guy’s suggestion that the 1969 line-up “lean towards soul” kind of backs up this claim. As for the original members, they will never be forgotten for creating a history of music that is still played today.

11th April 1968
FREDDY MACK SHOW

Freddy Mack appears to have been quite a colourful character, equally well-known as a professional boxer as a musician. He was born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina and as a kid he befriended future heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson who introduced him to Cus D’Amato’s famous gym in New York. At one point, Mack was ranked the 3rd best light-heavyweight boxer in the world and after he gave up the ring he acted as a sparring partner for both Henry Cooper and Billy Walker. In 1966, after a period living in Rome, Mack retired in the UK and having rubbed shoulders with boxing fans Richard Burton and Rex Harrison, became a bit part actor, famously appearing as an extra in “Cleopatra”. (In later years he also appeared in both The Sex Pistols “The Great Rock N’Roll Swindle” and various episodes of the Scottish detective TV series “Taggart”.) He next turned his attention to music and in the Mid-60’s fronted an R&B/Soul revue show that eventually became known as either The Freddie Mack Sound or The Fantastic Freddie Mack Show. This not only included two bands, a variety of lead vocalists and go-go dancers but featured in it’s line-up, a variety of top flight British musicians. Drummer B.J. Wilson and bassist Alan Cartwright both eventually appeared in Procol Harum, whilst saxophone players Jimmy Jewell and Dick Morrissey enjoyed high profile careers as session musicians. As for Mack’s 1969 line-up, it’s anybody’s guess as to who was on his payroll at that time but later during that same year Mack’s own career was placed in jeopardy when he was arrested for being an illegal alien though somehow he managed to avoid deportation. Mack was a true survivor and in 1974, after calling himself “Mr.Superbad”, he signed a deal with K-Tel Records and released several albums under this name. In 1979, having relocated to North Lanarkshire, he re-invented himself once more, this time as a popular DJ, and held down a regular Saturday night residency on Radio Clyde before moving on to both East End Radio in Glasgow and in 2002/2003 hosting his “Superbad Saturday Night” programme on Clan FM. His popularity was such that when he finally died in 2009, several Scottish newspaper publications included his obituary. The final word comes from one of his musicians, a keyboard player called Brian Morris. “He couldn’t sing a note but commanded the audience like he was a magnet.”

A spaniard who can play Flamenco guitar, an Italian who had a continental hit in his own right last year, a Frenchman, three coloured girl vocalists, two British girl dancers – these are just some of the people who form the new Freddy Mack Show which made it’s debut at the nitery. In fact, there are 14 of them altogether in this extraordinary line-up, and when you learn that Freddy himself used to be a professional boxer, the mind boggles even more. Unfortunately, the promise of seeing something really different didn’t materialise in their performance. The programme was too negative and samey, while Freddy’s attempts at satisfying as many tastes as possible slowed the pace right down. Perhaps we should try and see them in a few months time when they have found their particular groove. At the moment I feel they are still searching for it.

18th April 1969
DESMOND DEKKER & THE ACES

Desmond Dekker, “The King Of Blue-Beat” who had his first hit in 1967 with “007”/”Shanty Town” and who now, of course, is riding high again with “Israelites”, can be seen at the New Market Discotheque this Friday along with his group The Aces. Born in Jamaica 27 years ago, this likeable, quiet man has been to the top of the Caribbean Top 20 no less than 40 times since he entered the business seven years ago. He has also been awarded the coveted Golden Trophy for the best song of the year for the past five years in Jamaica, and had two number one L.P.’s. In fact, his name hasn’t been absent from the Jamaican charts for a single day in the past three years. Despite his enormous popularity, Desmond is a retiring man and leads a very easy going life back home in his beach house in Kingston – the only visible fruit of his success as an artiste and composer. He works only during the weekends in Jamaica, spending the rest of the time swimming and composing. “I’m not much of a talker” he admits, “but once I get up on stage, or even in a television studio, there’s no holding me. I’m like two different people. With the kids cheering me on, and the lights out, I just let go of my inhibitions. But even on stage I hate talking. I always sing my introductions. Revealing that he might settle in Britain for several months, Desmond says “I really do love singing, and what’s more, I would play three clubs in one night if they asked me. But I wouldn’t like people to think my act consists only of blue-beat. I do a lot of Tamla and soul numbers. I’m even trying to write some songs with a Motown sound, and it’s very difficult. For Bridgwater, he is expected to include in his gig Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life”, and may also promote a new dance – The Reggae – that has recently taken Jamaica by storm. For those who want a record souvenir of the occasion, the Trojan label have just issued a 14s 6d album of his called “This Is Desmond Dekker” (TTL 4). Once you have recovered from the shock that they have spelt his surname wrong on the cover (Dekkar!) I think you will find it quite enjoyable at the price. Admittedly, these seem to be early waxings and the quality on several of them is not too hot, but they do convey all the colour and basic simplicity of Ska music. Among the tracks are “007”, “Sabotage”, “Unity” which is extremely good, and “It Pays”.

Desmond Adolphus Dacre was born in Kingston, Jamaica on the 16th July 1941. Dekker was both a tailor and a welder and it was the latter that his workmates encouraged him to pursue a career in singing. After two unsuccessful auditions in 1961, he eventually signed with Leslie Kong’s Beverley label but it took another 2 years before he was able to release anything. During this period of inactivity, Dekker recommended a young musician and fellow welder called Bob Marley and in 1962 Marley recorded his first tracks for Kong. Dekker’s debut, the self-penned “Honour Your Mother And Father”, appeared the year after and was an immediate success. It was his 4th single however, “The King Of Ska” (with background vocals by The Maytals) that made him into a national star and soon afterwards, he formed The Aces which included 4 of his brothers as backing vocalists. Early singles concentrated on such subjects as family, education, religious morality and Jamaican culture but in 1967 he became involved in the sudden national interest in Rude Boy culture, which reflected the people of the ghetto. Not as hard core as some of the other Jamaican artists who highlighted the plight of the under priviliged, Dekker’s “007 (Shanty Town”) established him as a Rude Boy icon and also became an international hit, reaching No 15 in the UK charts.

It is no exaggeration to suggest that this was not only the peak of the NewMarket’s concert performances but it’s probably one of the most successful and most important gigs in Bridgwater’s live music history. The number of people who attended varies depending on which source you read, but the general rule of thumb is that approximately 600-650 people were crammed into the venue, well in excess of the capacity of the hall, but due to it’s two sizable bars, these punters would have been scattered throughout the pub, which could accommodate far more than the hall could hold. The advertisement may spell his name correctly, but the banner “From The USA” is a little confusing as is the price of entry with Terry Clare suggesting that admission was increased to 12s 6d owing to the fact that Dekker’s latest single, “The Israelites”, had reached the No 1 spot in the UK charts the day before the concert took place.

25th April 1969
THE COLOURED RAISINS (advertised in the Mercury as “The Coloured Raisings Show”).