The Artists – 1970

JANUARY

1970 was certainly a slow burner. There literally was nothing to report during the first 2.5 months for reasons unknown, though sometime in March all was revealed as to the reasons for this. But on the 20th Mike posted the following. The Fantastics, accompanied by The Globe Show, generated a terrific atmosphere at the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater where the audience chanted “They are the greatest!” soccer crowd style. The date for this show was not given but at a guess I would say it was likely to be the 10th January. Elsewhere there seemed to be a lot of flux regarding the state of our local bands, most of which, it would seem, were splintering or suggesting a change of musical style. The only newsworthy item was the return of Adge Cutler & The Wurzels to our town centre.

Later that month Mike gave us the tantalising news that “Open air blues festival rumoured for Bridgwater this year”… whilst Jackie Lee made an appearance at Taylor’s Record Store to promote her latest single “which is based on the ITV Campbells Soup commercial.” I’m guessing this is the same Jackie Lee who had hits with both “White Horses”, as Jacky in 1968 and “Rupert” (“Rupert, Rupert the Bear, everyone knows his name”) as Jackie Lee in 1970 and who provided vocals for many a TV themed song. She also provided backing vocals for Tom Jones (“Green Green Grass Of Home”), Englebert (“Release Me”) and apparently Jimi Hendrix (“Hey Joe”).

28th February 1970
IAN CAMPBELL FOLK GROUP (Bridgwater Arts Centre)

Visiting Bridgwater Arts Centre is the Ian Campbell Folk Group. Ian Campbell first formed a folksong group at the beginning of the Great Skiffle Disaster. It was the only skiffle group in the country with a repertoire of British songs, and was thus able to outlast the skiffle craze and develop into the Ian Campbell Folk Group. While still earning his living as a silversmith-engraver, Ian broadcast frequently on BBC Radio, singing Scottish traditional songs. He has composed many songs, several of which have been successfully recorded in Britain and the U.S. His sister, Lorna, is the only surviving member of the original skiffle group. She has a remarkable contralto voice which attracted early attention and led to broadcasting work while she was still at school. Brian Clark, the groups’ guitarist and singer, has had an incredible variety of jobs, which included film stunts effects man, escapologist, dog-handler and security guard. Andy Smith is the most recent addition to the group. He is a first-generation Englishman of Lithuanian extraction, and his interest in Slavic instrumental music developed into a passion for American Bluegrass.

Ian Campbell Folk Group totally shine. They gave untold pleasure to hungry followers of folk singing in the area besides proving that the line between them and such progressive pop groups as Fairport Convention is indeed thin. Bridgwater and District Arts Guild are to be congratulated on providing the opportunity of seeing such an eminent folk group in the town, and it is to be earnestly hoped that we won’t have to wait too long before we can see the likes of them again.

Mike Guy unquestionably knew his musical onions as the link between the Ian Campbell Folk Group and Fairport Convention was a strong one. Apart from cutting his teeth as part of a duo with the mighty Martin Carthy in the mid-60’s, fiddle player Dave Swarbrick was with Campbell from 1960-1966. Swarbrick brought some folk authenticity to Fairport when he joined in 1969 and was also partially responsible for introducing the band to a large selection of traditional folk music. And that’s not all. When founder member and bass player Ashley Hutchings left, also in 69, Swarbrick brought Dave Pegg into the line-up as his replacement. Pegg was another ex-member of Campbell’s entourage and in fact continued playing with him for several years after he joined the Convention. One final factoid about Campbell is that he is the father of Ali, Robin & Duncan of UB40 fame.

10th March 1970
The exorbitant fees being charged by many of today’s bigger groups have been blamed by Bridgwater’s leading dance promoter for a large reduction in the number of national attractions appearing in the town. Terry Clare, who runs the New Market Discotheque, scene of many “name” dances in the past, said that the high prices quoted by a substantial majority of groups he had been keen to book meant that he could not afford to have them. “Some people get the idea that we are no longer interested in putting on groups here any more. But this isn’t true. We do want them. But unless you have a venue holding 2,500-3,000 people, you just can’t afford many of the “in” attractions.” He said that the chief offenders were progressive groups, who were pricing themselves out of the range of many promoters. He had thought of planning an open-air music festival for Bridgwater this year, but when he approached Led Zeppelin, they wanted £1,500 for just one night’s performance – and this was typical of many of the outfits in this category. “We also wanted to bring down this month Juicy Lucy, who quoted £100. But when I rang up their agent he said they were booked on 14 days in March and if I wanted them I would have to pay £200 to get them. This is the kind of attitude we’re coming up against. Terry did point out, however, that this situation did not so generally apply to Tamla and reggae acts, who were only too pleased to do a night’s work for a more reasonable fee. But he criticised the Musicians Union for not taking a tougher line over the savle of group rates and for attacking promoters for featuring records when promoters had been forced into doing this. “You can’t put on good local groups like Time Cycle week after week” he added. Yet despite all the hangups, Terry has revealed that he is hoping to start booking bigger names again in May.

Students of Bridgwater Tech, have been lucky enough to secure Liverpool Scene for their next dance-cum-concert at the New Market Disco on Wednesday 1st April. Organiser Nick Littlewood rightly points out that Liverpool Scene are really going down a bomb everywhere at the moment…

1st April 1970
LIVERPOOL SCENE

Tomorrow is the big night for students of Bridgwater Technical College when they present that well-known national attraction Liverpool Scene at the town’s New Market Discotheque. Heralding the return of famous group names to the Borough, this promises to be the most rewarding dance – concert ever organised by the students, who have shown much taste and insight in their choice of entertainment. Liverpool Scene, one of the most popular acts on the university and college circuits, are all-rounders in the true sense of the word. They started in a folk and poetry bag, worked into rock and roll at concerts and festivals and now appear to be leaning towards Chicago blues and country music while keeping up their tradition of making social and political commentaries. Satire is an essential part of their performances and much of it comes from poet Adrian Henri. Their moniker was taken from a book of the same name published in 1967, when a ready-made group was formed comprising Adrian, Mike Evans on sax, guitarist Andy Roberts, who also doubles on flute, organ and violin, Mike Hart, Percy Jones and Neil Crawford. A little later, drummer Brian Dodson came into the line-up and progress was made with help from John Peel. But at the end of 1968 Mike Hart left and then Brian Dodson contracted tuberculosis, and Pete Clark, formerly with The Escorts, left his session work with Apple to join them, stepping in at short notice to play at the Bath Festival and the Pop Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Now, Liverpool Scene have settled down again. They toured the States for three months towards the end of last year and have a lot of recorded material coming out shortly. There’s a group album called “The St. Adrian Co. Broadway and Third” and Andy Roberts has completed his own LP, “Home Grown”, which contains many good things and has backing by members of Mighty Baby. We may be fortunate enough to hear some of the tracks previewed tomorrow night, but whatever the group choose to air it is certain to be of considerable interest. I only hope you have all managed to get a ticket. This is one concert I know many folk will not want to miss.

Liverpool has always a had a strong poetry tradition with the 3 main protagonists – Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten – all being heavily influenced by the beat poets of the USA. A book called “The Mersey Sound” (not “The Liverpool Scene” as Mike suggested), featuring the collective works of all 3 was first published in 1967 and is still in print today. The first album to be released by the band that were formed on the back of the book’s success – “The Incredible New Liverpool Scene” – was made in the same year that the book was published and featured readings by Henri & McGough with musical backing by Roberts. McGough, of course, went on to become a founder member of The Scaffold and Henri & Roberts claimed the band for themselves (though Henri was a member of The Scaffold for awhile). John Peel’s importance cannot be underestimated. He played their music regularly on both his “Perfumed Garden” and “Top Gear” programs and even produced one of their records. One of the bands that came out of this poetic conglomeration that is worth mentioning is Grimms. They were together from 1971 to 1976 and not only included, at some point or another, all 3 members of The Scaffold, Henri ,Roberts and Brian Patten but Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall of the late, great Bonzo Dog Band amongst others.

Marv Johnson, Tamla Motown star of “I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose” fame, returns to the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater, on Saturday 30th May. It’s the Disco’s first really big booking of the year, and Marv has a new single to tie in with the visit, “So Glad You Chose Me”.

30th May 1970
MARV JOHNSON

Tamla man Marv Johnson has lost none of his polish and dynamism. Making his third appearance at the New Market Discotheque recently, he had a sizable and happy audience eating out of the palm of his hand with a gig full of goodies. Admittedly the microphone hang-ups at the beginning were unfortunate, but Mr.Rhythm is too much of a professional to let anything like that worry him. Taking over the D.J.’s mike, he swung and danced his way through such ever-popular hits of his as “I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose”, “Oh Baby How I Miss You” and the vintage “You Got What It Takes”, also including some new Motown smashes, the moving “Abraham, Martin And John” being one of them. Surprise inclusion in his set was an unrehearsed reggae-soul version of the oldie “If I Had A Hammer”, which left the audience cheering and applauding for more. Marv would do well to feature some more of this musical combination in the future. It was totally irresistible. Backing him, as they did on his previous visit to the disco, were the cosmopolitan-looking Pavement (with lead singer Horatio Soul), who produced a tight, powerful sound and did a good warm-up. Pavement released a single on Crystal not long ago entitled “Double Decker Of A Man”. They have a new disc being issued shortly; “Wheel Of Fortune”, an original soul ballad, backed by “Hey Little Girl”. This was the New Market’s first major pop booking of the year and was an undoubted success, with everyone having a ball. It augurs well for more Saturday night “live” shows there in the weeks to come (after The Flirtations) which disco organiser Terry Clare is currently looking into. Congratulations all round for a grand evening.

9th June 1970
RADIO 1 CLUB BROADCAST
RADIO 1 CLUB IS TO VISIT BRIDGWATER FOR THE FIRST TIME NEXT MONDAY. IT WILL BE BROADCAST “LIVE” FROM THE NEW MARKET DISCOTHEQUE, BATH ROAD, WITH COMPERE DAVE CASH. FEATURED GROUP WILL BE THE BALLOONS, FROM WESTON-SUPER-MARE AND THERE WILL ALSO BE SURPRISE GUEST ARTISTES. AS RADIO 1 LISTENERS ARE AWARE, THE CLUB PROGRAMMES ARE TRANSMITTED BETWEEN 12 NOON AND 2 P.M, BUT THE AUDIENCE WILL BE ALLOWED IN FROM 11.45 A.M. ADMISSION IS FREE AND THERE WILL BE ADEQUATE FACILITIES FOR FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS. SINCE THE CLUB ACCEPTS RECORD REQUESTS, A NUMBER OF LUCKY YOUNGSTERS WILL BE INVITED TO MAKE DEDICATIONS OVER THE AIR. THE RADIO 1 CLUB DEAL WAS CLINCHED ONLY LAST MONDAY AFTER THE DISCOTHEQUE HAD BEEN VISITED BY MR. BRIAN PATTEN, LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCER AT THE B.B.C. NETWORK PRODUCTION CENTRE, BRISTOL. DISCOTHEQUE ORGANISER TERRY CLARE SAID THEY HAD APPLIED TO THE B.B.C. SOME WHILE AGO, BUT HAD NOT EXPECTED A BROADCAST TO BE ARRANGED SO QUICKLY. “BRIAN PATTEN WAS AGREEABLY SURPRISED WITH WHAT HE SAW. HE SAID ONE SOMETIMES DID NOT REALISE WHAT EXCELLENTLY EQUIPPED CLUBS EXISTED OUTSIDE THE CITIES AND LARGER TOWNS. TERRY ADDED THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE DISCOTHEQUE’S SENIOR DISC JOCKEY, MALCOLM JONES, OF BRIDGWATER, MIGHT TAKE PART IN THE BROADCAST. HE WOULD HAVE TO GET TIME OFF WORK AND PASS AN AUDITION. IT SHOULD BE EMPHASISED THAT THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 15 WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE BROADCAST. BRIDGWATER MERCURY Front Page.

COMING – EDISON LIGHTHOUSE and RADIO 1 CLUB
Yes, that’s the news which is going to the next week the most star-studded time in the history of the local pop, Edison Lighthouse, chart-topping recorders of “Love Grows”, come to Bridgwater on Friday, followed on Monday by the first visit to the Borough of Radio 1 Club. And if that wasn’t enough, The Flirtations, one of America’s top female singing groups, hve also been booked for Bridgwater, to appear on Saturday. But first things first, Edison Lighthouse check in at Sydenham Community Centre on Friady evening for the venue’s biggest pop dance since it opened. One month totally unknown, next E.L. were riding on the Hit Parade pinnacle with a song destined to become one of the fastest-selling successes in years. “Love Grows”, written by Tony Macauley and Barry Mason, stayed at number one for four weeks ten took off in America and a host of European countries. Which isn’t bad going for a first single! And I can exclusively reveal that their next disc will be “Lonely Summer”. They may even introduce it during their performance at Sydenham. Lead singer-guitarist Ray Dorey told me by phone; “It will be on release in about three weeks. We scrapped plans to issue “She Works In A Woman’s Way” as a follow-up becuase we didn’t think it had the impact of “Love Grows”. “Lonely Summer” is similar in some respects to the oldie “Wooly Bully”. Edison Lighthouse, a Southern-based group, started life quite a while ago as Greenfield. Ray recalled; “Things weren’t too good and we really began to think we weren’t going to make it. Then, out of the blue, we met up with Tony Macauley and Barry Mason – and everything started to happen fast.” The boys can present a wide variety of material, from hard rock, through straight ballads to the Tamla-bubblegum sound their hit exemplified. So get to Sydenham early. There’s a local supporting outfit too, the relatively new Beat Route, as an added attraction. The following night you can see The Flirtations at the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater. They are probably the best American girl harmony group to have toured Britian of late and they have several excellent discs and broadcasts to their credit. It’s the same venue which will be host to Radio 1 Club on Monday. The compere will be ex-Radio London disc-jockey Dave Cash and billed group are The Baloons, from Weston-Super-Mare. Turn up in force and you’ll help agreat deal in ensuring that the Club puts Bridgwater permanently on it’s itinerary for future dates.

12th June 1970
EDISON LIGHTHOUSE

The proverbial “one-hit wonder” band they were originally called Greenfield Hammer and played the home counties circuit. “Love Grows”, the sum total of the group’s legacy, was recorded late 1969 and stayed in the No 1 spot for 5 weeks during the early part of 1970 before also conquering the States, where it was an even bigger hit selling over a million copies. Lighthouse’s lead vocalist Tony Burrows didn’t overstay his welcome, leaving the band after their follow-up single “She Works In A Woman’s Way” failed to chart. It’s not that Burrows needed the band anyway, as he was an “in-demand” session vocalist, making countless appearances in a variety of makeshift vocal groups. During 1970, he appeared on four singles by four different acts, all of which charted in the UK singles charts (these were “Love Grows”, “Divided We Fall” by a pre-Eurovision Brotherhood Of Man, “My Baby Loves Lovin” by White Plains and “Gimme Dat Ding” by The Pipkins.) If only Edison Lighthouse could have been half as successful. The single “It’s Up To You Petula” reached the Top 50 but after their final 45 “Find Mr.Zebedee” failed to bounce into the chart Edison’s light was finally extinguished. They reformed with a completely different line-up in 1973 and a version of the band are still out there somewhere (with Burrows taking an active part no doubt) but their only contribution to popular music history is one song.

….Pathetic turnout for chart artistes Edison Lighthouse…..

13th June 1970
THE FLIRTATIONS

15th June 1970
RADIO 1 Club with DAVE CASH

Radio 1 Club expected to return to New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater, in the Autumn after the recent successful broadcast from there. And Phil Jay, guest radio disc jockey on the Bridgwater transmission, will probably present his own closed circuit show at the venue on a future Monday evening… Two grand Sydenham Community Centre evenings, respectively featuring Edison Lighthouse and Portrait, marred by low attendances. Portrait closed with almost 20 minutes of rocking oldies and received a standing ovation. New Market Disco’s Terry Clare to be congratulated for presenting Mungo Jerry when they were top of the charts.

Sadly, due to a “production” problem at the Bridgwater Mercury, 3 weeks worth of “Pop Topics” were unavailable. This sadly coincided with a weekend in which 3 shows occurred within 4 days though it seems (from reading the above) that the Radio 1 roadshow was a resounding success whilst Edison Lighthouse (and despite their “standing ovation” Portrait) were not. Thankfully I am able to throw some light on the Radio 1 Roadshow appearance as it was mentioned in an interview that Terry conducted with Dave Chapple.

“We had to be strict on age. The law was you could enter a pub aged 14 if you were accompanied by someone over the age of 18 and did not consume alcohol, otherwise it was strictly over 18’s. Of course, the security checks weren’t perfect and quite a few (under-age) managed to get in, especially the girls as make-up could easily make them look older than their true age. Dave Cash pulled in 200+ local and college kids. The BBC crew said “just let them in!”. There was no way we were going to risk our licence. So, the BBC Radio One Club session got under way,. broadcasting live across the country. The hall had skylights all around the perimeter and after a few minutes when I walked into the hall from the main door, I could see dozens of young faces beaming down at us through the open skylights of the roof. They must have gone round the back and climbed up on the roof. I thought this was very enterprising as they did not want to miss the show!”

Mike Guy’s post (above – dated 14th July) also casually mentions the appearance of Mungo Jerry at the discotheque. At this point in their fledgling career, “In The Summertime” was enjoying a 7-week stint at the top of the UK charts. Catching bands at exactly the right time is down to either good luck or great judgement. Terry Clare seems to have had plenty of the latter as this wasn’t the only time that a band enjoying exceptional chart action found themselves promoting their latest big hit in his venue.

MUNGO JERRY
(date unknown – potentially 24th June 1970 or 1st July 1970)

Mungo Jerry were, in fact, a brand new band, formed in the year of their NewMarket appearance. They were originally called The Mungo Jerry Blues Band and were formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex after a stint in a group called The Good Earth which were formed in 1968. If you have ever wondered where they got that strange name from, it was from the poem “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser” from T.S.Elliott’s “Old Possum’s Book Of Practical Cats”, the same source that spawned the successful Andrew Lloyd Webber musical though as Bob Dylan once said on his “Theme Time Radio Hour” program, “I’d rather listen to Mungo Jerry”. They sprang to prominence at the Hollywood Music Festival which was held on the 23rd and 24th May 1970 in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and in fact made such a good impression they were asked to re-appear for a 2nd day after their initial performance. “In The Summertime”, a song that harkened back to the days of the jug band, was their debut 45, and was also the very first “Maxi Single”, which means that it contained more than just an “A” and “B” side. “In The Summertime” with it’s feel-good vibe, captured the public’s imagination, and after it went to No.1 on the 29th May, it stayed there for 7 weeks, becoming one of the biggest selling UK singles of all time, shifting 30 million copies. Dorset, who was semi-professional at the time, had to ask his boss for time off in order to appear on “Top Of The Pops”. Mungo Jerry’s amazing rise to prominence, was, at one point, likened to Beatlemania but despite the fact that their follow-up single, “Baby Jump” also reached the toppermost of the poppermost, single No.3 “Lady Rose”, was banned by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, as it “apparently” contained elements of the song “Have A Whiff On Me” which references the use of cocaine (if you can find these references, best of luck.) Dorset, however, soon got tired of being restricted by the band’s “good time blues” and made an attempt to spread his musical wings by releasing a solo album in 1972. After he also made an effort to broaden Mungo Jerry’s appeal by daring to suggest that they bring in a drummer, two band members decided to sack him, but the management, understanding that Dorset was the main focal point of the group sacked the perpetrators instead. From that point on, Mungo Jerry effectively became Dorset’s vehicle and they enjoyed sporadic hits both in the UK and Europe (amongst them “Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black”.) Dorset also wrote “Feels Like I’m In Love”, the No.1 disco hit for Kelly Marie in 1980, a song that started life as a Mungo Jerry “B”-side and which was originally written for, of all people, Elvis Presley, though I’m guessing this was not a song that the king of rock n’roll had specifically asked for. Apart from a brief sojourn in the band Katmandu, which also featured Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green and Atomic Rooster’s Vincent Crane, Dorset, now 79 years old, and Mungo Jerry are still treading the boards.

LOVE CHILDREN
31st July 1970

Love Children, that very acceptable bubblegum group, played two good rocking-pop sets at Bridgwater Sydenhem Community Centre’s last “live” dance before the summer break. Their programme, which included such favourites as “Yellow River”, “Hitchin’ A Ride”, “Sugar, Sugar” and “Come On Sloopy”, was just what the disappointingly small audience wanted. It was an excellently planned and presented gig, featuring virile close harmony work together with solid instrumentation and also containing and exciting rock n’roll medley and an extended version of the standard “Land of 1000 Dances” (for the latter they invited fans to join them on stage.) The boys also performed their latest single “Paper Chase”, a catchy little sing-along which last week was made a hitbound sound on Radio North Sea International.

Wish I could add to Mike’s brief description regarding this band (above) but a deep search on the internet wasn’t too successful in providing solid facts about this band. They were signed to the ultra trendy record label Deram, a London based guitarist called Rod Jones was a band member and apart from the above, they also released a single called “Eazy Squeezy” with someone called “Little Joe”. Not much to go on really.

22nd August 1970
JOHNNY JOHNSON & THE BANDWAGON

Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon, firm favourites at Bridgwater’s New Market Discotheque, make a welcome return there on Saturday. The visit ties in with their latest disc success, “Sweet Inspiration” which is currently moving up the charts….

A rather lengthy piece in the 25th August 1970 edition of the Mercury under the title “New Market’s New Look” talks at length about some changes to the lighting rig and sound system at the venue. It concludes with a Terry Clare quote “This is only just the start of things here. There is a lot more to come in the future. And as far as “live” entertainment is concerned, I am negotiating for some good groups and hope to pull off a few scoops”.

5th September 1970
HOT CHOCOLATE

Recorders of one of the fastest rising discs in the national charts at the moment, Hot Chocolate, appear at the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater, this coming Saturday. The “Love Is Life” crew, five coloured boys, one whie boy and a coloured girl – did a cover version of “Give Peace A Chance” which John Lennon approved of. Two members also wrote “Bet Yer Life I Do”, the recent Herman’s Hermits smash, and have penned the next record for Mary Hopkin, “Think About Your Children”, and for Julie Felix (as yet untitled). Don’t miss seeing them.

Hot Chocolate were, if anything, one of NewMarket’s favourite bands and, it would seem, the feeling was mutual. But this was just the beginning. They were formed in 1968 as Hot Chocolate Band and featured the two members of the group that became synonymous with their success, bass player Tony Wilson and vocalist Erroll Brown MBE. Their big break came in 1969 when they recorded a reggae version of John Lennon’s “Give Peace A Chance” but required his permission to release it. Not only did Lennon give them the thumbs up but they were signed to Apple Records on the strength of the recording. Now christened The Hot Chocolate by a member of the Apple press office, sadly they’re association with the Fab Four ended prematurely as The Beatles split meant that Apple were no more. However, RAK Records and producer Mickie Most signed them up (Most was the man who truncated their name to just “Hot Chocolate”) and after obtaining a No 6 hit in 1970 with “Love Is Life”, they began a love affair with the UK charts that continued right up to 1984. Initially utilizing the songwriting talents of Brown and Wilson their amazing run of hits included a No.1 (“So You Win Again”, written by Russ Ballard) and 10 other songs that reached the Top 10 (including “You Sexy Thing” and “No Doubt About It” both No.2, “Emma” No.3 and “It Started With A Kiss” No.5.) whilst “You Sexy Thing” and “Everyone 1’s A Winner” reached the Top 10 in the USA. Wilson left the band in 1976 but Hot Chocolate continued to rack up the hits with Brown taking over the songwriting duties by himself. They took advantage of the disco boom of the mid-70’s and the statistics surrounding their success making impressive reading. The band not only had at least one hit every year between 1970 and 1984, they became the only group, and one of just three acts, that had a hit for every year of the 1970s in the UK (the other two were Elvis Presley and Diana Ross). Despite the fact that their last hit occurred in 1984, Hot Chocolate’s shelf life was lengthened by re-mixes, re-issues (“You Sexy Thing” is the only song to have been a Top 10 hit in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s) and appearances in film soundtracks (most famously in “The Full Monty” in 1997). After they originally disbanded, Errol Brown enjoyed a solo career, was given the MBE in 2003 and won an Ivor Novello award for his contribution to music the year afterwards. Sadly, in 2015 he died of liver cancer at the age of 71.

Billy J.Kramer and The Dakotas, our old friends, plus local group The 3D Showband headline Hinkley Point Pontoon Club’s Grand Tramps Ball at Bridgwater Town Hall on Friday. Nice to see the venue used for beat functions again…. Besides the Billy J.Kramer show, Friday evening also sees Natural Gas playing at a grand gala at Bower Lane, Bath Road, Bridgwater from 8.30 p.m.

HOT CHOCOLATE’S NIGHTCAP
Take seven very happy lads, add an infectious sound, then stir with plenty of love and life and you have what is undoubtedly the most potent pop brew of the moment – Hot Chocolate. Making their first appearance in the West Country at the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater, the latest Hit Parade attraction had a packed audience swaying away to their own particular brand of music and song. Their highly enjoyable set naturally included “Love Is Life”, plus many other goodies such as “Bet Your Life I Do”, which the two much-in-demand composing members wrote for Herman’s Hermits, “Freedom Train” and “Without You”. The fans loved it, applauding each number and demanding a second performance of their chart winner. At the end, the crowd refused to let them go, so the boys went into an impromptu jam session foir a bonus five minutes. I was impressed with the group’s simple yet effective style and their wit and repartee both on and off stage. Refreshingly, the amplification was at a tolerable level, while presentation was slick and showmanlike. You might think that Hot Chocolate are a reggae band, but in a dressing room interview they insisted that their musical boundaries went far beyond this. The New Market Disco was the first official date in a nationwide tour of clubs and ballrooms and they were going to feature everything from pop to progressive. Erroll Brown, chief spokesman and songwriter and the shaven-headed one, spoke enthusiastically about the numbers they have penned for the next singles by Mary Hopkin and Julie Felix. “Julie’s will be “Heaven Is Here”, to be released later this month. Both mark a complete change of material for the artistes” he revealed. “As far as our own follow-up is concerned, we have two songs in mind at present. We don’t quite know which one to choose – it will probably be decided by our producer, Mickie Most. But either way our next disc will be entirely different from “Love Is Life” “. Hot Chocolate are a real cosmopolitan group. There are two English-born boys (one of them being Harvey Hinsley, the newest recruit and ex-member of the old Rebel Rousers group), while the others come from Trinidad, Grenada and Jamaica. Missing was the coloured girl seen with them on “Top Of The Pops”. Erroll soon cleared up the mystery however. “She is not a member and only appeared with us on television dates, although she is on the record as one of The Trinidad Folk Singers who sing the chorus”. So now we know!

Introduction of a “flashing ceiling” at the New Market brings the Disco up to the standard of London clubs…Would you believe, Hot Chocolate preferred to seatrch for Somerset Cider!

11th September 1970
BILLY J.KRAMER & THE DAKOTAS
Natural Gas

There were no less than 3 bands playing in different venues on this date but these two were the main attractions despite the fact that one could be excused for suggesting that Kramer was well past his prime whilst “Natural Gas” are only worth mentioning for who they “might” or might not be. In fact Kramer would have been better suited to the Top Twenty Club’s peak 60’s period but despite several Merseybeat artists appearing under that banner, Kramer wasn’t amongst them. From Bootle, William Ashton was born in 1943 and served his apprenticeship by working for British Rail. Having obtained his new surname by thumbing through the telephone directory, he had been part of the local Liverpool beat scene for awhile before catching the attention of Brian Epstein who was busy building his musical empire (John Lennon suggested that the letter “J” be added to his name in order to give him a “tougher edge”). Backed by Mancunian band The Dakotas (who wouldn’t sign to Parlophone unless they got their own separate deal) Kramer’s biggest successes primarily occurred during either 1963 or 1964 and he was in fact the biggest benefactor of Beatle cast-offs (most of which were written by John Lennon). He obtained Top 10 hits with 4 Fab Four songs – “Do You Want To Know A Secret?” (which was turned down by Shane Fenton), “Bad To Me” (which got to No.1), “I’ll Keep You Satisfied” and “From A Window” but despite further hits with “Little Children” (his 2nd chart topper) and, in 1965, Bacharach’s “Trains, Boats & Planes”, he never troubled the Top 20 again. By 1970 he was effectively a cabaret artist re-living his glorious past, backed by his umpteenth set of Dakotas. Incidentally there is a word-of-mouth rumour that Billy J & His Dakotas once stayed at a humble Bed & Breakfast hostelry situated in Quantock Road and in true rock n’roll fashion, trashed their hotel rooms. The only problem with this story is that it apparently dates from the early 60’s and even though it’s possible that Kramer was staying in Bridgwater having played a gig at nearby Taunton, I’m not sure that such reckless behaviour was commonplace back then. Besides, I thought they looked like such nice boys.

Natural Gas were a curious booking for a “Bridgwater grand gala” which makes me think that the band who played this gig are not the group I think they might be. There was a “Natural Gas” from Canada who were based upon the same musical principal as Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago, an 8-piece group with a large brass section. They were formed in 1968 and were intially championed by such weighty publications as “Billboard” and “Record World” but the sum total of their output appears to have been a single (“All Powerful Man”) and an album (simply called “Natural Gas”) recorded in the very year they would have played Bridgwater. “All Powerful Man” successfully dented the US Top 50 but after a promising start to their career, the group splintered and Natural Gas’s musical supply was cut off. ANOTHER group called Natural Gas also existed featuring ex-Badfinger member Joey Molland and Jerry Shirley from Humble Pie but despite the fact that their credentials were more suited to a Bridgwater booking it would appear they were not formed until 1975. My guess is that the “grand gala” combo were local if only becuase in a 6th October 1970 post Mike Guy mentions a guy called Clive Browning, ex-member of Bridgwater group The Insexts, being their lead vocalist. Unless Browning got snapped up by the Canadian Octet in order to become their David Clayton-Thomas I very much doubt that the band from the Maple Leaf graced our shores let alone played in a field situated somewhere in the town centre.

Desmond Dekker whose “You Can Get It If You Really Want It” is racing towards the upper section of the Hit Parade, returns to the New Market Disco on Saturday. This makes it three scoop bookings of chart names in a row for the niterie…

19th September 1970
DESMOND DEKKER

Dekker’s 2nd appearance at the NewMarket occurred one day after the death of Jimi Hendrix and coincided with a brand new “Pop, Folk & Blues” Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton. Headliners The Kinks were replaced by Tyrannosaurus Rex. Free milk was given out to approximately 1500 revellers. Duster Bennett and Marsupilami (credited as “Malsulami” on the poster) were two mainline artists to make an appearance that had, or were about to, play Bridgwater. Ticket price? £1.00.

Desmond Dekker wowed ’em at The New Market Disco. This niterie is going from strength to strength.

22nd September 1970
Radio 1 Club is unlikely to visit the New Market Discotheque again this year. The BBC have announced seven more South and West dates in 1970, but none of them include Bridgwater. The Club will, though, be returning to Taunton on 24th November. We must just hope for a New Market booking as early as possible next year.

4th October 1970
MARSUPILAMI

FIRST HEAVY ROCK CONCERT
Next Sunday at 2.30pm, The Classic, Bridgwater, will explode to the sounds of Marsupilami and Nulli Secundus, performing “live” on stage in the theatre’s first ever concert of heavy rock music. The event is the most ambitious new pop venture to be attempted in the town this year and could, if it is well supported, pave the way for many more beat shows at The Classic in the months to come. So much depends on the outcome of the concert that I must ask each and every one of you to do your bit by being there on Sunday. I don’t think you will be disappointed. Marsupilami are, of course, Somerset’s top professional recording group and their harmonica player and vocalist Fred Hasson told me their 1 to 2-hour programme will contain a scoop for Bridgwater fans – items from their second album on Transatlantic, which won’t be released until December. Besides this preview there will be numbers from their first L.P. which sold very well, especially on the Continent and in the States, and a half-hour jam session to wind things up. The date will also mark one of the very first public appearances of their newest member, known as “Mandy”, who plays tenor sax, soprano sax and flute. Marsupilami, who recently returned from their fifth European tour, have been in existence for 1.5 years and feature self-penned material. When not on tour abroad they reside on a farm owned by the parents of the group’s leader, Leary Hasson, near Wellington. They are without doubt the most successful group ever to come from the West Country and are sought after for concerts up and down the country with their specialist underground music. Jessica Stanley-Clark is the only girl member. A classical trained flautist, she was a student at Somerset College of Art and later won a scholarship to The Royal Academy of Music. The aforementioned Fred Hasson is the brother of the group’s leader and was educated at Epsom College. Richard Hicks, whose family settled in Somerset many years ago, was for a while a member of the now defunct Taunton outfit Justin’s Timepiece and is Marsup’s bass player and a vocalist. Then there’s Mick Fouracre, the drummer, who was also in Justin’s Timepiece and is a devotee of the great Buddy Rich. And last but not least, is lead guitarist and vocalist Dave Laverock, a native of Taunton, who also attended the Somerset College of Art. At one time Dave was thinking of giving up the pop scene and concentrtaing on art, when Marsupilami asked him to join them. He writes some of the lyrics for the unit and is the son of Taunton Classic’s cinema manager, Mr. Leslie Laverock. Remember, your attendance is vital. Miss Doreen Jeffree, the manager of the theatre, is very keen to have regular beat happenings at the Classic. So if you really care where Bridgwater’s pop scene goes from here, provide a show of force next Sunday and prove to her that you want them too.

Marsupilami may well have been the first “major” rock band from the South West but they didn’t last very long. In 1969 they toured with Deep Purple and not only played at the opening of the Isle of Wight festival after King Crimson withdrew but were also on the bill at the very first Glastonbury festival (see above). But after just 2 albums for Transatlantic Records (“Marsupilami” in 1970 and the Pete Bardens produced “Arena” in 1971) they not only split up but most of the band members seemed to become so disillusioned with rock n’roll that they left the business altogether. Mike Fouracre works for the Arts Council, Jessica Stanley-Clark became one of the UK’s best-known organic farm experts, Fred Hasson got into the media industry whilst brother Leary still lives on the Wellington farm. And if you have ever wondered where they got their name from, it was taken from a Belgian comicbook character.

10th October 1970
DUSTER BENNETT

Folk and blues artiste Duster Bennett is coming to The New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater, on Saturday! He was captured for the town by the Disco’s operator, Terry Clare, after very favourable reports of his performance at the Pilton Festival a few weeks ago. Duster, who first appeared at The New Market in February 1969, for a dance arranged by the students of Bridgwater Technical College, has quickly become an established figure on the scene, and news of his return will be welcomed by his many local fans. The first instrument he 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 taugght, as he is on all the instruments he plays. The piano was the second musical diversion he made, again not initially in the folk and 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 artistes as Blind Boy Fuller and Tommy Johnson. Over a number of years, his love of blues strengthening, he became a member of various country blues and jug bands, and earlier this year was with John Mayall’s band. Now, he has made a name for himself in his own right, and next week sees the release of his latest album, “Twelve DB’s” on Blue Horizon.

MORE ROCK FOR THE CLASSIC
It was an experiment. No-one knew how many would attend or what the reaction would be. But even the most optimistic could not have expected such a rapturous reception from over 300 young people for the first concert of hard rock music to be staged at the Classic, Bridgwater. For 2 and a half hours the assembly listened to the sounds of Marsupilami and Nulli Secundus and at the end the spontaneous release of emotion resembled that normally heard only at a promenade concert. The audience shouted abd clapped for more. And the management of the cinema promised them more. Another concert is to be arranged this side of Christmas and, subject to licence approval, will take place early in December. So, in one giant step, the Classic has put a finger right on the pulse of the scene as it is now and proved once and for all that there is a sizeable number of young people in Bridgwater who want to hear this type of music but are not being catered for at the other pop venues in the town. The audience gave Marsupilami a heroes welcome, apllauding many of the numbers on announcement. With a good sound mix, excellent arrangements and much togetherness, they raced into the mystical “Dorian Deep” and the powerfully emotional “And Eagle Chased The Dove To It’s Ruin” from their first album. This was followed by a new opus “Byzantine Winter”, a chant-like offering culminating in frenzied instrumentation which was composed by lead guitarist Dave Laverock. Then Jessica Stanley-Clark (who is shortly to phase herself out of the band) and newest recruit, “Mandy” teamed up on flutes for “Spring”, to be joined by the others. As promised, Marsupilami introduced tracks from their next L.P., performing the entire “Roman Games Suite”, which will occupy 1 and a half sides. Rich in colour, this is a formidable and extremely atmospheric work, divided into four parts – “Prelude To The Arena”, “The Peace Of Rome”, “The Arena” and “Time Shadows”. Then came the popular “Spoonful”, which led into a magnificent jam-up lasting nearly 25 minutes and affording everyone the chance to display their individual prowess. Marsupilami shine out from Somerset as both original writers and equipped musicians, and it is good news indeed that they will be returning for the next concert at the Classic.

The New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater is to present Horace Faith on Saturday. He was standing at number 10 in last week’s New Musical Express chart with his reggae version of the Phil Spector soul ballad “Black Pearl”, originally recorded by Sonny Charles and The Checkmates Ltd. last year. Horace comes from the West Indies and this is his first record to break through in this country. It also marks yet another hit for the Trojan reggae label.

24th October 1970
HORACE FAITH

Not much to tell here. Horace was born in Jamaica, that much we do know. “Black Pearl” was not his first single, that was a cover of the Blood, Sweat & Tears hit “Spinning Wheel”, released in 1969 by the B&C label. Faith’s cover version of the Phil Spector song spent 10 weeks in the UK chart peaking at No.13. After a second Trojan record “Susie Is Tomorrow” failed to chart, Trojan dropped him from their roster and despite subsequent sporadic single releases (he appaered on both the A&M and DJM labels), Faith seemingly disappeared from the public eye. Something of a mystery really.

The Nashville Teens and Desmond Dekker return to Bridgwater this week as a result of two lucrative dance bookings. Blake Hall is the destination of The Nashville Teens on Friday, with the New Market Discotheque playing host to the star of reggae on Saturday night. Although they haven’t had a hit for quite a time, The Nashvilles continue to be popular with audiences up and down the country, having adapted themselves to the changing face of pop music over the years. Their most well known record was, of course, “Tobacco Road”.

Desmond Dekker will be making his third visit to The New Market. After his last performance at the venue in September, the “Israelites” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want” chart man expressed a wish to come back again. “He particularly likes the audiences he gets here” explained Disco operator Terry Clare. “And the patrons like him becuase he communicates with them in his enjoyment of his work”. The gig will coincide with the release of a new Trojan budget album that includes his latest hit.

27th November 1970
NASHVILLE TEENS

Commercial Carnival Club’s dance at The Blake Hall, Bridgwater, was also worthwhile. The Nashville Teens, now a quintet but still with two original singers, mainly showcased rock and roll but included “Tobacco Road” plus their early recording of “Indian Reservation”.

28th November 1970
DESMOND DEKKER AND THE ACES

There wasn’t enough room to mention it last week, but Desmond Dekker and The Aces wowed ’em again at the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater. They had a large gathering singing and dancing, applauding and shouting throughout a happy and very polished performance that incorporated many of Mr.D’s past chartbusters.

24th November 1970
Good attendance at Bridgwater’s Classic Theatre next Sunday for the second concert of contemporary pop music will be vital if further hard rock shows are to be staged there in the future. Over 300 young people were present in October and this was regarded as a highly sati sfactory turn-out. Now there must be a special effort to ensure that this figure is again reached or, better still, exceeded. In a statement issued at the week-end, Miss Doreen Jeffree, manager of the Classic, said “If Sunday’s concert is as successful as the last. more will be definitely be arranged – and local groups will be given the opportunity of taking part”. So it’s up to you! This time the entire program is being devoted to Marsupilami, who will be appearing fresh from their second week-long tour of Holland, during which they played the clubs Exit, A.M.V.J. and Villa in Rotterdam, and the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam. Before they departed for the Netherlands last week, I asked vocalist and harmonica player Fred Hasson what numbers would be featured on Sunday. He stated that the programme would closely follow the October one and include three tracks from the first album – among them “And Eagle Chased The Dove To It’s Ruin” and “Dorian Deep” – “The Roman Games Suite”, “Spring”, and a new opus containing some improvisation, “Meridian” to be used as the finale. The choice of material is similar to that made for the Dutch tour. Marsupilami will also be introducing their newest member, 17-year-old Paul Dunmall from London (described as “very promising”) who succeeds Jessica Stanley-Clark and plays tenor sax, flute and clarinet. Fred told me “We are looking forward to the gig becuase everybody gave us such a good reception last time”.

6th December 1970
MARSUPILAMI

Scenes resembling the rave-up which takes place after performances of “Hair” were witnessed at the second concert to be given by Marsupilami at the Classic, Bridgwater. No sooner had it been announced that the final opus would be “Spoonful” than a third of the audience leapt from their seats and rushed to the front of the auditorium to freak out, while others danced on the partitions at the rear of the stalls. It was the band’s first British gig after their scecond successful tour of Holland and the boys were in fine form, playing bold, crisply phrased and well distributed music. “Mandy” has settled in nicely on brass and reeds, while newest member Paul Dunmall revealed considerable expertise in theame section of the group. A repeat performance of the ceremonial and highly imposing Roman Games Suite was welcomed and other items included their new composition “Meridian” which is also symbolic and not a little evocative. Marsupilami are in a class of their own. They are a vital stimulating force for other musicians and audience alike and it is for this reason alone tha we’ll be pleased to see them back in Bridgwater any time. Although the turn-out was not as good as before, Miss Doreen Jeffree, Classic manager, is intent on arranging athird concert provided there is approval from her area controller and head office. This would present two local groups, each doing about an hour-long set, but it could not be held before Spring at the earliest becuase of other commitments such as the Pantomime.

Rumours that Somerset’s top contemporary band, Marsupilami, would be splitting up were denied this week by their road manager, Mike Dennison, of Bridgwater. But he confirmed that the outfit had monetary problems and would have to sell their transit van. Mike Guy January 1971. After the release of their 2nd album on Transatlantic, “Arena”, the band did indeed split during the course of the year.