IF you were part of the local scene in the early 60s the name Tony Martin and the Echo Four will be a familiar one. Always gigging and always getting a huge crowd, they were a big deal back then. Today we talk to the band’s guitarist Mac Watts about his life, his musical career and a lost guitar!

MAC was born on August 9, 1943, in a small Town in Scotland called Forres.

His father was working at the time repairing the aircraft after they had been bombing over Germany. At about two years old he moved to a small village called Yelvertoft, not far from Rugby.

He said: “From there we moved to Coventry where my parents had acquired a council house in Radford. My first school was Hillfarm then on to Barkers Butts.

“At the age of 15 I went to work at Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft in Baginton, stayed there until it closed, then worked for a short time at East Midlands Electricity before turning professional with the group.

“My brother Roy, who was in the Fleet Air Arm serving on HMS Victorious at the time, stopped off at Gibraltar and he bought me my first guitar. The action was about an inch high, but that was OK, it was a start.

“After seeing Bert Weedon on the TV, I decided that his guitar was the one for me, so a few days later I went down to Crane’s in Far Gosford Street and ordered my Hofner Committee Deluxe Club 50 which I had to wait six months for.”

Mac began guitar lessons, and it was here he would meet band-member-to-be Alan Gee.

The pair, along with their teacher Ken, formed a makeshift band, trying to emulate their guitar heroes of the time The Shadows, The Ventures and Chet Atkins.

“One evening two fellows came up to us and asked us if we would like to form a group,” reveals Mac. “And of course we said ‘yes’. These two fellows were Tony Lucas (later Martin) and Rod Simpson. As we had no drummer we decided to put an advert in the Evening Telegraph. I think we had about three or four applicants.

“One drummer was a big fellow who put cloths over his drums to quieten them down, after persuading him to remove them we realised at once that was our man, which was Malc Jenkins. So then we practised and practised got a few gigs until Mick came along. After Mick came we had so many gigs we had to turn pro. The Tony Martin and The Echo Four were up and running.

“A few funny things happened to us,” said Mac. “One evening we did a comedy number called Who Wears Short Shorts by Freddy and the Dreamers, where we would drop our trousers on the stage. Underneath we had on Bermuda shorts that Malc’s mother had made for us. On this particular night a young girl came to the front of the stage to stroke Alan Gee’s legs. I guess she did it for dare because she wasn’t looking at what she was doing, she was looking at her friends. Suddenly, Alan’s eyes almost popped out of his head and the girl disappeared with a very red face into the crowd – I guess her hand must have gone up too high!

“Another memory was the time while doing a gig with Screaming Lord Sutch at the Coventry Flying Club. Lord Sutch, as part of his shock stage act, put a hole in Malc’s bass drum skin with a knife. It was all part of his show and he, of course, paid Malc the money for a new skin, but his guitarist told us after he was thinking of leaving Sutch or asking for danger money.

“On the same evening I went into the back into the changing rooms to get something when I noticed someone opening a window to let some gatecrashers in, so I was just about going to tell them to clear off when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘I wouldn’t if I were you, that fella there is the Midlands Middleweight Boxing Champion’. He did look big, so I decided to let them in.

“We had a great time in the bands,” reveals Mac. “It was so sad when Tony died of cancer. I live in Germany now, but I would like to say a big hello to everyone in Coventry and Warwickshire and a special hello to any of our old fans who remember Tony Martin and the Echo Four.

“One big regret is selling my guitar. I would dearly love to own it again. It was a Hofner Committee Deluxe Club 50 with blond curls in the woodwork; semi-acoustic with F slots, mother of pearl set into the fingerboard and machineheads. It had a Bigsby tremolo arm from the USA, with the name Mark Guido engraved on the plec’ guard. It was similar to the one used by Bert Weedon. If you have this guitar or have seen it somewhere, maybe in a second-hand shop or lying in a loft, even if it’s damaged, I would still like to buy it back. Please contact me in Germany on 0049 7121 311616, or get in touch with Pete Chambers.”

PopTrivia

– TONY MARTIN AND THE ECHO FOUR

* THE band took part in the now legendary gig at the Coventry Theatre, January 12, 1964, supporting Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Also on that night were other local acts such as The Matadors, The Mustangs, The Mighty Avengers and Lynn Curtis.

* TONY MARTIN was a former printer, he began his career in a skiffle band, he became part of the Pickwicks, then later joining Roger Lomas in the Clouds

“Many articles surrounding the band have stated that they were originally Tony Martin and the Echo Four but that is in fact false information as only three members were in the Echo Four. The fourth member was actually called Malcolm Watts but during 1964 the year of their formation Watts left to be replaced by John Miles and join the band too then go on and become The Pickwicks. Dressed in top hats and long waist coats as if they had come straight out of the Pickwick Papers they began their journey. Both bands were under the management of Larry Page during 1964-1965“

Tomorrow’s Kind was one of two bands Pete Waterman played with during the mid to late sixties. The other band was The Pilgrims.

Paul Hatt has sent some details about the Line Up and these two photos – 

Tomorrow’s Kind playing at the Navigation Inn

Photos from Maryjane Hatt.

From Rex Brough
Another band featuring Pete Waterman, formerly of the Pilgrims. He commented that they looked like they could have made it, but they didn’t. Apparently they did motown covers. Recently their photo was in a picture of Q magazine. Anyway, one gig, one of the bands didn’t turn up, so to fill time, Pete got his records out and started to DJ…and the rest is history.

From I Wish I Was Me – Pete Waterman‘s Autobiography

” By 1965 the whole Beatlemania phenomenon had gone barmy……..for a while at least I

was in a band called Tomorrow’s Kind who actually looked like they might have gone on to be famous. They didn’t, of course, but we did pick up a bit of a following and we started gigging three or four nights a week while I was still holding down the day job at the GEC. That continued for a couple of years but I eventually realised that I didn’t have any genuine talent. I could fake it like buggery, but I was never going to be top of the charts.

One night in 1966 we were playing a gig and one of the other bands didn’t turn up, so I dashed home, got my records and played them before the band came on. Now no one really did this at that time and the Landlord of the pub where we were playing said he really liked it. He offered me 10 bob to come back again and play records the following week. This wasn’t some kind of complicated system, it was a record player with a microphone next to it going through the PA,but for 10 bob. I wasn’t about to complain. So by a quirk of fate, I went from being the lead singer in a not very good band to being the only DJ in Coventry. ….I began to play records more than I played instruments, and because I got to know the right people, I started to get people asking me to play records.”

“I didn’t know Pete Waterman when he was playing in Tomorrow’s kind or The Pilgrims – he was a few years older than
me and I was still at school in 1965 but I met him at the GEC in 1970. He was my shop steward and someone told him I was writing lyrics! I didn’t realise he was a Coventry musician and DJ outside of the GEC
until then. Without knowing his name, I’d probably been to a few of his discos at St. Osburgs and the Locarno. Anyway he came over and asked to see what I was writing and took my lyric – A Lotta Rain is Fallin’ to put music to. It was a Dylanesque type of lyric and I’d only completed the first verse and bridge. The next week he played it to me on a small mono cassette player. He performed it on acoustic guitar and his voice sounded a cross between Dylan and Paul McCartney. He particularly liked the line “There’s a lotta rivers flowing but the sea’s learned how to fly” and repeated that line in the verse. I finished the lyric and gave it too him but nothing further happened with it. Pete teamed me up with a few bands to write lyrics for and sometimes made suggestions for themes.

However, as I was putting on bands at the time at The Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, he invited to his Tuesday night gigs at the Walsgrave pub. It was a ‘Heavy /Progressive’ club with Pete playing both chart hits and progressive
music and putting on local bands, some of which I booked for the Umbrella. I did the door for Pete and helped the bands set up.

One Tuesday he organised a blues concert with Rod Felton, a blues band called Gypsy Lee and the acoustic blues outfit – Last Fair Deal. Gypsy Lee played covers like the Lemon Song (Killin’ Floor) and Pete joined them on stage and they launched into Rock Me Baby with Pete on vocals. It was a raunchy hard hitting vocal and Pete played flute in a style similar to Jethro Tull – very breathy and staccato. I was pretty impressed – it definitely had balls. I didn’t know then that he’d played in bands but if that was a sample of his vocals, it was pretty damn good. He must have lent his flute to Rod Felton
because on another Tuesday in 1970 we went over to the Earlsdon Cottage Folk club before the Walsgrave gig opened as Pete wanted to retrieve his flute. Rod was sitting on the grass at the back of the Cottage jamming with other folkies. Pete picked up the flute and accompanied Rod on one of his songs. This time Pete’s flute playing was superbly melodic.

So Pete was definitely a good vocalist and musician and it’s a shame in some ways that his musical talent got over shadowed by the DJ ing but then he certainly did well by the DJ ing and record producing, !”

They played the usual heavy rock and progressive gigs in the Coventry area such as The Village (Colin Campbell), Plough Club – London Road / and in 1971 The Walsgrave Pub.

Bob Poole’s biographical piece tells us how he went from Tobias Heat to Cupid’s Inspiration.

“Tobias Heat”, playing Cream and Hendrix stuff. A guy my age lived down the road from us

and we would have friendly competitions playing our guitar as loud as possible as the other walked past, trying to impress. He was in a soul group called “Jalopy Ride” and his name was Paul Shanahan. Paul then went off to play for 6 months in Canada and when he returned he got a job with Cupid’s Inspiration. I was well pissed off until one day not long after he asked me if I would like to be their roadie. I immediately said yes as this was a chance to travel and be on the road and who knew what might happen? In 1971 I got my break. We were in Scotland in Kirkcaldy on New Years Eve, a big money night and Cupids bass player was too drunk to stand up on the stage. I had been watching carefully and knew all the songs so I grabbed his bass and said words to the effect of “I can do that”. That was my first real professional gig and from then on I became a bass player.”

C 1969 – 71 – Cliff Wagstaff’s band. They played locally in the Coventry area and including the Music Marathon at Coventry arts Umbrella Club, Queen Victoria Road November 1969. Cliff Wagstaff is now with Third Alert. They played local venues like The Village (Colin Campbell), The Plough club (London Road). Heavy Rock / progressive.

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Line up
Tina Sedgley (vocals), Graham Rodgers (guitar), John Casey (drums), plus another guitarist.

4-piece vocal outfit who cut ‘an improvisation’ of Marianne Faithfull’s Come And Stay With Me at Panthos Studios in 1965.

David Walls (guitar) joined August 1965. They signed to Polydor in 1967, changing their name to the more contemporary Orange Flavour.

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On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TBJazzVets

The Tierra Buena Jazz Band, formed in 1958, has been going for some 60 years and in 2008 they made a CD. they formed in 1958.

The line up included Trumpet (Trombone / cornet) / Double Bass / Electric guitar / and Drums and vocals. Three founder members are still involved with the band today.

Here’s a link to their CD Linger Awhile 

http://www.upbeatmailorder.co.uk/product.asp?cdref=1810

From their former website –
“Their music covers a wide spectrum of traditional jazz styles, as the list of tune titles shows, and everything they play is done with great enthusiasm and good taste. An all-round excellent band, which really should be much more widely known. They had a cassette recorded about ten or so years ago but amazingly this is their first CD! 

The tune titles are:- Bouncing Around, Some Of These Days, Faraway Blues, I Saw Stars, Frog-I-More Rag, Big Fat Ma And Skinny Pa, Paramount Scuffle, Linger Awhile, I’m Minding My Own Business, When I Come To The End Of My Journey, Oriental Man, For All We Know, Just Wait ‘til You See My Baby Do The Charleston, Saratoga Swing, I Lost My Girl From Memphis, Swing That Music. 

The line-up is Brian Bates cornet; Dave ‘Spud’ Taylor clarinet & tenor sax; Brian ‘Watty’ Wathen trombone; Dave Wagstaff banjo; Barry Potts bass; Al Sharpe drums.”

From The Coventry Telegraph – by DAVID McGRORY 2006 – 

A good grounding in jazz for Tierra Buena
GET INTO THE SWING ON A MUSICAL TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH SOME TOP LOCAL BANDSMEN.

THE Tierra Buena Jazz Band have been entertaining the good people of  Coventry for more than 47 years – not a bad record by any standard. Brian recalls the band’s beginnings. “I guess it all started in the early 1950s when me and my school pals were watching the Coventry Carnival and a lorry went by with a band on the back. “They had a stripped-down piano, bass, drums, banjo, guitar and the usual front line of trumpet, clarinet and trombone.

“They wore pork pie hats and shades and they were playing the most wonderful music. We were all really knocked out and all agreed that we had to have some of this.

“Afterwards we found out that they were a band from the Coventry Jazz Club, so we started going there to listen and learn. Although we were not old enough to be in a pub, they let us stay, although we weren’t allowed to drink.” The boys were determined to form their own band and started as a basic mouth organ band, then an accordion band. Brian recalls: “Jazz was the music for us, so we bought some cheap instruments and taught ourselves to play them. We formed a band called The Sherbourne Jazz Band and our first public appearances were doing the interval at the local jazz club.

“The break-through came when we started a regular Monday-night slot in Rugby at the Co-op Club.

“The line-up then was me on trumpet, Brian Wathen on trombone, Dave Wagstaffe on banjo and guitar, John Read on clarinet, John Astle on drums, Len Young on sousaphone and Bernard Overton on piano.

“I suppose the most notable thing that happened to us there was when they booked the

Mike Mulligan Band with George Melly and we were the support.” The band became The Tierra Buena Jazz Band in 1958 and began their 11- year stint at the Pilot Hotel in Coventry.

Brian says: “We had reasonable audiences when we started, but after we represented Coventry on television on the BBC’s Top of the Town it really took off. We had met some dancers on the show and invited them to come to our Monday sessions. “In those days we charged two shillings at the door and we had a line of people down the stairs and across the car park waiting for us to open up.

“The Pilot was a really good dancing club. During our time there a friend of the band, local jazz writer Roy Whitehead, had Wild Bill Davidson staying with him and Bill played with the band, which was a great thrill for us.”

Mac Randle replaced John Read when he left the band, but the swinging 60s and rock bands saw audiences dwindling. Brian says: “We were moved downstairs to a smaller room with no piano, so we lost our pianist, Bernard Overton.

“When Mac Randle left us Watty Wathen switched from trombone to clarinet and Graham Slann joined us on trombone. Then John Astle left and John Ashby came in on washboard.” The band began playing jazz at The Cottage in Earlsdon in 1969 and John Ashby went from playing washboard to drums. The band played at The Cottage until 1976 and during that time Graham left and Paul Munnery joined on trombone.

They’ve played in and around Coventry over the years including Virgins & Castle in Kenilworth, the Black Horse at Marton and Princethorpe Social Club, but have played Monday nights at the Cocked Hat in Binley since 1993.

The line-up has changed quite a few times over the years and bass player Sam and drummer John Ashby have both died.

John collapsed and died at the Cocked Hat on August 16, 1999, when they were playing the last tune of the night. Despite this the band went on and Al Sharpe is now the resident drummer.

Brian says: “The Tierra Buena Jazz Band has been ‘blowing’ around Coventry for 45 years plus. It may not be unique, but it’s quite a record. “The sad thing for us now is that we feel like the last of the dinosaurs and wish that a few youngsters would come along, like we did, so we could encourage them to play, as we were encouraged. I’m glad to tell our story before we all disappear into the mists of time.”

Buena’s eras
*THE band play every Monday night at the Cocked Hat, Binley.
*They recorded a cassette “many years ago” with Lake Records, entitled Our Monday Date because they always play on Monday night.
*THE band recently played four dates in Gibraltar.
……………………

This six-piece band started playing Traditional/Dixieland/New Orleans Jazz in 1958 at The Pilot Hotel, Radford, just as the ‘Trad Boom’ started (band and audience were very young then!). Several years at The Pilot were followed by years at The Cottage, Earlsdon, then other residencies at pubs and clubs in Coventry and in Warwickshire, and more recently ten years at The Cocked Hat, Binley. Almost always it has been on Monday nights, and most remarkably half of the current band have been playing since the earliest days. The band has increased its expertise and its repertoire with the years, yet kept its enthusiasm and stayed true to its jazz idiom.

https://www.coventry.gov.uk/events/event/5352/traditional_jazz_live_with_the_tierra_buena_jazz_band

From The Coventry Telegraph 2008 by Pete Chambers

50 years and all that jazz
The Tierra Buena Jazz Band is 50 years old this year.

I have never been a lover of modern jazz, too much pretension, not enough music.

Trad Jazz however, has never failed to put a smile on my face, and a tap to my foot, especially when it’s done well, and after 50 years you can bet these guys have learned their craft.

I caught up with the band’s trumpeter Brian Bates at a recent gig, and learned the story of a band who has turned out superb music for so long.

IT all began back in the early 1950’s, when friends Brian Bates, Dave ‘Spud’ Taylor, Dave Wagstaff and Len Young happened to spy a Coventry Carnival parade.

Along came a lorry with a band playing on it,

“They had a stripped-down piano, string bass, drums, banjo, trumpet, clarinet and trombone” said Brian.

“They wore ‘pork-pie’ hats and ‘shades’ and they were playing the most wonderful music. We were so impressed and agreed that we would find out more.

“They turned out to be The Godiva Jazz band who played at The Queen’s Pub, so we started going there to listen and learn”.

The guys had toyed with mouth-organ bands and accordion bands, but they all knew that Trad jazz was what they wanted to play.

“We brought some cheap instruments” added Brian.

“We taught ourselves to play over the next year and formed the Sherbourne Jazz Band. We started our public appearances by playing in the interval at The Coventry Jazz Club, and we seemed to be getting better and more popular”.

From there came regular Monday nights at the Rugby Co-op club. Band members at this point included Brian Bates, Brian Wathen, John Read, Dave Wagstaff, Len Young, John Astle and Bernard Overton.

In 1958, the band moved base to Coventry and took the new name of The Tierra Buena Jazz Band.

From 1958 to 1969, the band held court at The Pilot Hotel. The crowds were good, but after representing Coventry on the BBC show Top Town, the numbers swelled and as the ‘Trad boom’ took off the band enjoyed packed nights at The Pilot, with as many as 300 people up and dancing.

By 1969 the ‘Trad Boom’ was well and truly over, and rock bands were bringing in the punters at The Pilot.

After a few line-up changes, the band took a residency at The Cottage in Earlsdon, soon to become Coventry’s number one jazz club.

The band played here to 1976, with standout guests appearances from the likes of jazz legend Ken Colyer and Sammy Rimington.

Virgins and Castle, Kenilworth and the Princethorpe Social Club, also became homes to the band, as did the Cocked Hat in 1993.

“We played on the opening of the pub” says Brian. Our most traumatic night there was on August 16th 1999, our good friend and drummer John Ashby collapsed and died at the drums, while we were playing our last tune.

We stayed at the Cocked Hat till March 2008, and we are now based at The Coventry and North Warwickshire Cricket Club, Binley Road”.

It was at that very club I had the pleasure to see the band, as they worked their magic through a large and impressive set-list (but just a tiny part of their 600 song repertoire).

On stage that night with the band were Spud Taylor (Clarinet & Tenor Sax),Al Sharpe (drums), Roscoe Birchmore (bass) and the original members from right back in 1958, Brian Bates (trumpet), Watty Wathen (trombone) and Dave Wagstaff (banjo and guitar).

They boys have a CD available entitled Linger Awhile, that includes such favourites as, Paramount Scuffle, Saratoga Swing, Just Wait Till You See my baby and I Saw Stars.

“It’s been a pretty fantastic journey” reveals Brian, “we have sadly lost a few on the way, but we have just carried on.

I really can’t believe it’s been fifty years, we are just hoping we can go as long as we can, because we love it and we love the music.

The sad thing is we feel like dinosaurs now. We just wish a few youngsters would come along and get inspired to play as we did, maybe we should take a lorry on the carnival parade”?

So if you’re young or not so young get yourself down to The Coventry and North Warwickshire Cricket Club, Binley Road any Monday night from 8.30pm, and put a smile on your face, with some great people, a great atmosphere and some superb music.

The band celebrates their 50th birthday on 22nd December at the venue, it promises to be an exciting night.

Trivia

* The name Tierra Buena, actually means ‘good earth’, but over the years their name has been mispronounced as Terry Beano and even Terrible Banana.

* The boys recently did a world tour of Gibraltar, playing four dates on the rock.

* During their Rugby days, they had the pleasure of supporting, The Mick Mulligan Band featuring the late great George Melly. However, they as the supporting band got the best reception!
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle/nostalgia/50-years-jazz-3088862

…………….
Obituary to John Astle https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/jun/24/obituary-john-astle

Line Up

John O’Sullivan – vocals & guitar

Simon O’Grady – vocals & guitar

Peter Burke – drums

Martin Burke – vocals & bass

Memories from John O’Sullivan Via Rex Brough

“I played in Coventry bands from 1980 until the late 90s (nearly 20 years, man & boy!). The Time were a school band (Bishop Ullathorne being the school). We got together in 1978 when we were 13, but didn’t start playing the Coventry pubs until 1980, (all the regular venues like the Hope & Anchor, Climax, Zodiac, Queen Inn). Each pub seemed to have 2 or 3 bands on every night of the week (was it really like that or is my memory rose-tinted?) Our last gig as a 4-piece was supporting the Mix and the Reluctant Stereotypes at the Lanch in 1981, a charity gig organised by our ‘manager’ (aka school pal Graham Hopkins). We then became 20 Days…”

 Thoria

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 Temple

c 74 – 75 Bill Keller bass, Paul Samson vocals guitar, Francis Pettifer lead. Played Golden Cross / Climax.

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From left to right: John Hewitt, Lynn Thompson, Adrian Vaughan, Roy Wall, Sax
Jerome Heisler, Jim Lantsbury, Gary Summers

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Soul band along the lines of Dexy’s. Dave Pepper left to reform The X-certs. Jim later joined Raw Screens who became King.

Jerome Heisler – Vocals

Dave Pepper – Guitar replaced by

Jim Lantsbury – Guitar

Graham Smith – Bass

Adrian Vaughn – Keyboards

John Stonki Hewitt – Drums (later with King on Love and Pride)

Dave – Sax

Roy Wall – Sax

Single – Whatever Moves You / Move into the rhythm – Race 1981

Memories from Jerome Heisler via Rex Brough

“Graham Smith (previously of the X-Certs) asked myself, Adrian and John to form a band with him and Dave Pepper. This, under the watchful eye of Dave Chalmers (Mr.C.) friend / manager / sound technician is what became Team 23. Pep left (too many cooks) and was replaced by Jim Lantsbury (later of King etc). We started recruiting horn players and became the punk / soul seven piece known as Team 23. We supported Dexy’s, Madness, toured with the Specials and played a load of gigs of our own all around the country. We recorded one single funded and produced by John Bradbury and released on his own “race records”. By the summer of 81 the steam had gone out of it, I left and moved to London which is where my family originally come from. God bless you everyone‘

And from John Hewitt

” Team 23, great band that should have been massive. Toured with Specials in 1980, also with Madness, and John Bradbury paid for and did our single. Band split and reformed and did 1 gig at Sportsman’s Arms in Cov in 1981.”

More You Tube – links are
Touch Me
Nothing to Lose
Silhouettes
Room For Doubt (with John Bradbury – drummer of Specials)
What’s the Game
There are more and some live tracks from Norwich

Via John Hewitt – Photo of John Hewitt and Jerome Heisler as they are now.