This picture was taken in April 1964 during rehearsals for the Ready, Steady, Go Mad Mod Ball at the Empire Pool Wembley (later the Wembley Arena, now the SSE Wembley Arena).
Apart from the Beatles, who that week held the top five records in the US, just about everyone of note from the Merseybeat boom is here.
Of the 40 faces here how many can you identify? Some are obvious but others are perhaps not so easy.
I’ll post a key diagram and a list of names shortly.
http://i.imgur.com/G9Ofc6M.jpg
—> Now Read On
The joy that is was Freddie Garrity.
Kenny Lynch
Manfred Mann
Don’t you mean ‘me ol’ mate Lynchy’?
Or, “the first artist to record a Lennon & McCartney song and future Band On The Run cover star”
From left:
Teddy Braithwaite (bs. The Stupenders)
??
Ozzie Chalmers (Judith’s dad, tpt. the Nev Lettuce Singers)
Derek Symes (kbd. The Ravedowns)
Nod Parks (dr. The Porkeaters)
??
Harry Pong (gtr. Kevin and the Wheelbarrows)
Janice Fleabottom (the “Pie On The Windowsill” hitmaker)
Ron Tease (gtr. The Teasemades)
??
??
Gerry Gash (bs. The Big Set)
Geoff Handyman (kbd. Nod And The Winks)
??
Barry Pryce (vocals, The Welsh Nits)
Simon “Sod” Bonks (dr. The Next Ones)
… all for now.
That’s some good spotting there HP.
I think if you click on the image it should produce a bigger version.
The thing that struck me about the picture was the amount of Anello & Davide Cuban heel boots on display. Almost everyone’s wearing them, except for the squares like Kenny Lynch.
Also, most of the bands look like bank clerks and only the few that went on to greater things have any degree of coolness about them. You know who they are.
Top row, second from right – Guffy Piles (bs. Dave’s Downtown Dingleberries. Guffy died tragically when a Bayko semi-detached house he was building caught fire)
That couple of Herberts over on the left are spoiling it for everyone else with their sloppy joe sweaters and “can’t be bothered” expressions.
6th from the right, heavy glasses, head above the others….is that Christopher Biggins?
Getting warm
Has he got a coat on?
Nasry, Dirk, Stig and Barry are there somewhere (Leppo just out of shot)
Yep. I spotted all five Strolling Bones. Do I win a prize?
That’s the easy ones. I’m looking for a future Roxy Music member and Elkie Brooks’ brother.
That’d be Johnny Gus, two to the side of Cathy thingummy in the centre. But where are the rest of the Big 3? Or had JG joined another Mersey act by then?
Gus had left the Big 3 by that stage and was with “another Mersey act” as you suggest
Just to clarify: Elkie Brooks’ brother is not the same person as the future Roxy Music member.
Two different people.
Is he wearing a Brooks’ brother’s suit?
Ah, but the family name was Bookbinder and he worked under the stage name of Tony Mansfield.
Also although the Beatles weren’t present, one of the people in the picture would play on Sgt Pepper.
Well is that Manfred Mann about 7th from the left? Only cos of the glasses.
And Mick and Keef are over on the left and Bill is over on the right. Hmm so early?
That’s all from me.
At the time I was a ten year old in New Zealand and not even considering whether I could go and see The Beatles at the Wellington Town Halll
Yes, MM is 6th from left. All the Stones are there, with Charlie right at the back in the middle
Another interesting factoid. 3 years hence one of the people pictured here would form Deep Purple.
That’s be the Searchers guy with the angular face, middle back.
Yes, that’s Chris Curtis, drummer for the Searchers (behind Cilla). Left the band in 1966. Formed Deep Purple but left before they recorded. Died in 2005.
There’s a surfeit of Searchers, Dakotas, Dreamers and Swingin’ Blue Jeans, there’s Keith Fordyce saying ‘left a bit, down a bit’ to Kathy Kirby, there’s wor Cilla, Cathy McGowan and a Merseybeat at the front, maybe Paul Jones behind Keef.
The one that completely defeats me is the dapper bloke second left. TV executive, maybe?
No Swinging Blue Jeans present. Otherwise you’re correct.
Dapper bloke second left is Patrick Kerr, dancer and co-presenter on Ready, Steady, Go! Famous for demonstrating the latest dance ‘moves’ for eager viewers.
If I’m not much mistaken, the big bloke at the back on the left is a Fourmost. So probably the bloke I thought was a SBJ fourth left is a Fourmost too.
Yes, there’s a full complement of Fourmost members
Brenda from Leighton Buzzard writes, fear Keith ‘n’ Cathy, my friends and I have heard about the latest dance craze from America called ‘ twerking’, and we’ re keen to try it out at our next Church dance, where we’re sure to cause a sensation! Perhaps Patrick could oblige us with a demonstration?
PS we think the Beatles are really ‘fab’ and ‘gear’! Our favourite is John, especially when he does his ‘crip face’!
This Brenda, is she spending Saturday night beneath the plastic palm trees dancing to the rhythm of The Guns of Navarone by any chance?
The chap back right is waving to David Bowie who will arrive at Victoria Station in a mere 12 years time.
Oh yeah. That’s John Banks, drummer for the Merseybeats. Died 1988.
Is Kathy Kirby saying to the chap with the white tie *sotte voce* ” You’re flying low”
Could be. That’s Keith Fordyce, disc jockey and TV presenter. Died in 2011.
Here’s the key:
http://i.imgur.com/UjNdIpg.jpg
And here’s the list of names. At least 13 now dead, possibly more since this list was published.
1 Mike Millward, guitar and vocals for the Fourmost. He died from leukaemia in 1966.
2 Mike Maxfield, lead guitar for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Later suffered a stroke but still involved with the band behind the scenes.
3 Robin MacDonald, bass guitar for the Dakotas. No longer involved with music.
4 Billy Hatton, bass guitar for the Fourmost. Now seen on YouTube giving guitar lessons and talking about the Merseybeat boom.
5 Charlie Watts, still drumming for the Rolling Stones after all these years.
6 Chris Curtis, drummer for the Searchers. Left the band in 1966. Died in 2005.
7 Dave Lovelady, drummer for the Fourmost. Their first hit was the John Lennon song Hello Little Girl, which Lennon didn’t think good enough for The Beatles.
8 Griff West, tenor saxophone and flute for Sounds Incorporated -one of the great backing groups of the Sixties.
9 Tony Newman, drums for Sounds Incorporated. Became a top session player, working with David Bowie, Crystal Gayle, the Everly Brothers, and on the rock musical Tommy.
10 Brian O’Hara, lead guitar with the Fourmost. Died in 1999.
11 Aaron Williams, guitarist with the Merseybeats. Now retired from music and still living in Liverpool.
12 John Banks, drummer for the Merseybeats. Died 1988.
13 Mike Hugg, drummer with Manfred Mann. Now plays keyboards with reformed Manfreds.
14 Patrick Kerr, dancer and co-presenter on Ready, Steady, Go! Famous for demonstrating the latest dance ‘moves’ for eager viewers.
15 Paul Jones, vocals/harmonica, Manfred Mann. Went solo in 1966.Starred alongside Jean Shrimpton in the movie Privilege. Now back with the reformed Manfreds.
16 Keith Richards
17 Mick Jagger
18 Manfred Mann, jazz musician and founding member of the Manfreds. Now lives partly in Sweden and has his own band.
19 Kenny Lynch, East Ender who was one of the first black UK singers to achieve success. Also a songwriter, he is still a lively raconteur, TV personality and occasional actor.
20 Peter Birrell, bass guitar for Freddie and the Dreamers. Later became a taxi driver.
21 Tony Jackson, bass player with the Searchers. Later played with the Vibrations and died in 2003.
22 Roy Crewdson, guitarist with Freddie and the Dreamers. Owns a Tenerife bar called Dreamers. Still lives in Manchester.
23 Freddie Garrity, leader of Freddie And The Dreamers. After string of hits, he became a children’s TV star. Died 2006.
24 Kathy Kirby, singer whose big hit was Secret Love. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, she died in 2011.
25 Keith Fordyce, disc jockey and TV presenter. Died in 2011.
26 Cilla Black, singer. From Liverpool’s Cavern to TV presenting and national treasure status – Died in 2015
27 Alan Holmes, saxophones and flute with Sounds Incorporated. Later played on The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
28 Tony Crane, guitar and vocals as founding member of the Merseybeats. Went into property and now owns a hotel. Still with the Merseybeats, who continue to perform.
29 Cathy McGowan, breathless young presenter on Ready Steady Go. Divorced actor Hywel Bennett and now the long-term partner of singer Michael Ball.
30 Michael Aldred, co-presenter on Ready Steady Go. Now deceased.
31 John Gustafson, bassist with the Merseybeats previously in highly-respected Big Three. Played in hard rock bands and later worked with Roxy Music. Died earlier this year.
32 Billy J. Kramer, singer. Now lives in America and still tours with the reformed Dakotas.
33 Brian Jones, guitarist and founder of Rolling Stones. Found dead in his swimming pool days after being sacked in 1969.
34 Bill Wyman, original Stones bass player. Now tours with his band, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings.
35 Barrie Cameron, keyboards and baritone sax with Sounds Incorporated.
Played on a Beatles session.
36 Tony Mansfield, Dakotas drummer. Real name Tony Bookbinder, brother of singer Elkie Brooks. Left for a career in finance.
37 Mike Pender, guitarist with the Searchers. Left the band in 1985 and now leads his own line-up, Mike Pender’s Searchers.
38 Derek Quinn, guitarist with Freddie and the Dreamers. Now retired and living in Hyde, Greater Manchester.
39 John McNally, Searchers guitarist. Still touring with the band.
40 Bernie Dwyer, drummer with Freddie and the Dreamers. Died in 2002.