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P H I L ' S B L O G |
| All dates are approximate - I didn't keep a diary and memory fades a little over the years! | |
| 1963 |
I got my first real drum after leaving school - a Premier Dominion Major snare drum - as a Christmas present from Mum and Dad Started practising with a couple of school mates in John's garage - not soundproofed but I can't remember any complaints from neighbours. |
| 1964 |
My first gig! - with a trio called "The Freeways" I was now using a John Grey "Broadway" 4 piece kit - double headed! (another Christmas present from Mum and Dad) The group consisted of three mates from school - John on bass/vocals, Malcolm on rythm guitar and me on drums. We played in an East End pub called the "Hand & Flower". The landlord waas called Jack and he used to cringe when we played "Bits & Pieces" by the Dave Clark Five because I'd just learned how to do rimshots! |
| 1965 |
Joined a group called "The Phantom Raiders" doing a variety of pop and rock numbers. We got a month's tour of Germany doing US army bases around Frankfurt and Wiesbaden and I was persuaded to upgrade my Broadway kit for a Ludwig Super Classic with Avedis Zildjain cymbals. We went out originally as a five piece, Singer, Guitar, girl Farfisa organ player, bass and me on my posh Ludwigs. Half way through the tour Joe the bandleader/guitarist decided that Keith the singer couldn't hack it and sent him back on the next plane home and took over the singing himself. Pat the girl organ player could sing a little too so we got by. |
| 1966 |
Got back to England and joined a group called "The Sidetrackers" with a singer called Derek (Del) Gibbons. We did country music and played at a pub called "The Weravers Arms" in Stoke Newington. We did some US army bases as a country band. |
| 1967 |
I went walkabout around London for a while getting gigs off an ad in "Melody Maker". I worked with Roger LaVerne (Jackson) of Tornados fame, as a piano and drums duo in pubs. Did a week's depping for Jon Boniface, drummer of The Tumbleweeds, as his wife was having a baby. We played US bases around Wiesbaden. The Tumbleweeds shared the bill with a girl singer in "The Glenis England Floorshow". Her husband was a guitar player named Dennis and they asked me to stay over and play drums with their new floor show they were putting together. They had contracted an English bass player who was living over there at the time and he joined the show. I stayed over for about six months travelling around the US bases doing Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Ansbach and various other US bases in that sector. Glenis and Dennis had a flat in Kaiserschlautern ("K" town) and I ended up in various gasthofs and the occasional unoccupied officers quarters at US bases. |
| 1967-68 |
Got back to England and got back with The Sidetrackers. A promoter called Chris Forde "discovered" us and promoted us to US bases and his own and other Irish dance halls. Chris finally installed a new singer with the band called Tex Withers, a country singer who lived near the Crooked Billet in Walthamstow. Tex was quite popular with the GI's and was invariably asked "where are you from buddy?" to which he replied "I'm from the State of Essex". In fact, Tex lived the country legend so well he was always dressed in his buckskins, even when off duty. Once when we stopped off at an Indian Restaurant after work for a quick Ruby he was thrown out for trying to capture a Confederate flag that was hanging on the wall. |
| 1968-70 |
Hooked up with Thom Fricker's band "The NiteLife" doing pubs and clubs. We appeared in the Country Music Festival at Cecil Sharpe House with Dave Peacock on bass. While I was with Thom he recommended me to Jon Derek of The Country Fever to dep for his drummer on a week's tour, which took in The Roebuck Lewisham, some dates in Preston and also The Poco a Poco Club in Stockport. That was at the time when Albert Lee was with Country Fever. |
| 1970-71 |
Played with another country band for a while doing the Hammersmith Circuit, then joined a pop group with a girl singer. The pop group played at the Adam and Eve pub in Homerton. |
| 1971-73 |
Got back with The Sidetrackers who by now had got a girl singer, Marie O'Brien (sister of Dermot O'Brien of Irish Showband fame). |
| 1974-78 |
Joined a piano/bass/drums trio with a great singer on bass called Norman Little. Norman appeared on Opportunity Knocks but unfortunately didn't get any further. We played pop songs of the day in pubs and clubs around East London. |
| 1978-81 | Played with another great singer, an Irish fellah named Frank Lacey. We did Irish social clubs and pubs in and around Cricklewood. |
| 1981- | odd jobbed with different bands and piano players in pubs and clubs |
| 2000-11 |
Joined my sister's traditional jazz band called "The Dixie Jazz Bandits". We played various clubs pubs and socials. It was a seven piece lineup with banjo/bass/drums in the rear and trumpet/trombone/clarinet-sax at the front, with my sister on vocals. We appeared on the Radio Suffolk show "Jazz by the Stour" along with a host of other local talent. |
| 2022 |
Hadn't done a lot since then. Got myself a new drum kit - Gretsch Catalina Club - and I love it! Now looking for a band with localish gigs and jazz or pop rock or even country leanings. Now playing drums with the house band at a local open mic venue. It's a weekly event and pretty informal but loads of fun. |
| onward and upward... | |