1961:
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – The Raindrops with possibly Vince Hill? (Oriole Jan 61)
Derinda – Johnny Washington – Oriole early 1961.
That’s the Way it Goes / Hoebe Snow – Frank Ifield (Columbia Jan 61) (No Chart Position)
Tomorrow Is Another Day – Johnny Washington – Oriole That’s The Way It Is – Frank Ifield (Columbia Nov 61)
The River’s Run Dry / Not Anymore – Vince Hill (Piccadilly May 62)
I Remember You / I Listen To My Heart (Written by Frank Ifield) – Frank Ifield (Columbia Jun 62) No1 for 7 weeks on UK singles chart.
Traitor in Disguise / I Love Oh Yes I Do – Sue and Mary (Decca Sept 62)
The Wayward Wind / I’m Smiling Now (Written by Frank Ifield) – Frank Ifield (Columbia Jan 63) No 1 for three weeks in UK Singles Chart Shared one week at No 1 jointly with the Beatles Please Please Me in the NME chart.
As it Was Written / Is There Anyone At Home? – Vince Hill (Piccadilly Apr 63)
Nobody’s Darlin’ But Mine / You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry – Frank Ifield (Columbia Apr 63) No 4 in UK Singles Chart
School is In / She’s a Much Better Lover Than You – Johnnie B Great (backed by the Orchids) (Decca Sept 63), Stay At Home – The Orchids (backed by Johnny B Great) (Decca Sept 63),
How Deep is the Ocean / La Bamba – Shel Naylor (Decca Nov 63) (Rob Woodward later of Lieutenant Pigeon)
If You Knew / Blue Velvet – Vince Hill (Piccadilly Jan 64)
Acapulco 1922 / You’ll Never Leave Him – Johnny B. Great Decca Jan 1964 It’s Gonna Happen Soon – Shel Naylor (Decca Mar 64)
Gonna Make A Man Outta You’ / ‘The Night of The Dance Lynne Curtis (President) Unreleased and for the US market.
It’s Only Make Believe / Let The Wind Blow – Vince Hill (Piccadilly July 64)
I Should Care / Another Cup Of Coffee – Frank Ifield (Columbia July 64)
Summer is Over / True Love Ways – Frank Ifield (Columbia Sept 64)
Heatwave /
Hear You Talking – Beverley Jones with the Prestons (Parlophone Oct 64)And the Heavens Cried / Living Without Love – Vince Hill (Columbia Jan 65)
Show Me Around / Only Two Can Play – The Midnights (Ember Mar 65), Soldier Boy – The Exceptions / The Orchids (Decca Mar 65),
Unexpectedly / Looking At Me – Vince Hill (Columbia Jun 65)
I Could Have Loved You So Well / Yesterday’s Hero – Vince Hill (Columbia Aug 65)
We Will fall in love / Coffee Break – The Angstroms,
Inside Out / Up My Street – The Caribbean (Pye Oct 65), (The Beat Preachers)
What Can I Say – The Peeps (Philips Oct 65),
No No No No – The Sorrows (Piccadilly Oct 65)Babe I’m Leaving You / Wild About My Loving – Levee Breakers featuring Beverley Kutner (Martyn) – Parlophone – June 1965
Michelle / Cradle Of Love – The Overlanders – Singer Paul Arnold Friswell was born in the village of Bretford near Brandon. Pye Jan 1966
Got a Get a Move On / I Told You So – The Peeps (Philips Mar 66)
There’ll Be Another Spring /
Don’t Be Afraid – Frank Ifield (Columbia Mar 66)The Better To Love you / Love Me True – Vince Hill (Columbia Aug 66)
Tra La La / Loser Wins – The Peeps (Philips Aug 66) It Ain’t Right – Pinkerton’s Colours (Decca Sept 66),
Happy New Year / Where the Good Times Are – Beverley (Kutner / AKA Beverley Martyn (Deram Sept 66) All My Daydreaming – Frank Ifield (Columbia Nov 66)
Picking Up The Sunshine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSQyFxmUD1A/
B side Me and My Gin – Beverley Kutner (Martyn) Unreleased single.
1967:
Edelweiss / A Woman Needs Love – Vince Hill (Columbia Feb 67)
Kaw-Liga / Out of Nowhere – Frank Ifield (Columbia Mar 67) Micky Dunne – Vince Hill (Columbia May 67)
Museum (written by Donovan) / A Quick One for Sanity – Beverley (Kutner aka Martyn) (Deram July 67),
I Can Make the Rain Fall up / It’s All Over Now – Martin Cure and the Peeps (Philips Sept 67)
All the Time / In The Snow – Frank Ifield (Columbia Nov 67)
Verde Rossa Gialli Blu / No No No – 1967 (A side is an Italian version of the B side – Italian single The Sorrows
Zabadak / “LA LIBERTA COSTA CARA” (a version of “HOW LOVE USED TO BE”) 1967 Italian single The Sorrows (After Roger Lomas and Pip had left.
1968:
Can’t Keep You Out Of My Heart /
I Can’t Make It Alone – Vince Hill (Columbia Mar 68)(You’ve Got) Morning in Your Eyes / Don’t Forget To Cry – Frank Ifield (Columbia Jun 68)
You forgot to Remember / So Near And Yet So Far Away – Vince Hill (Columbia Sep 68)
Doesn’t Anybody Know My Name? / Dream Of Tomorrow (written by Ray Davies) – Vince Hill (Columbia Dec 68)
Race With the Devil / Sunshine – The Gun (Producer was Johnny Goodison of Cov’s Johny B Great) CBS.Reached No 8 Nov 1968.
Hey Hey / 6 Ft 71/2 Inch Shark Fishing Blues
1968 -a single in Italy not the UK – The Sorrows
1969:
Let Me Into your Life / MARY IN THE MORNING – Frank Ifield (Decca Mar 69)
Your Still Mine / Hookey – The Eggy (Spark Mar 69)
The Wonderful Season of Love /
There Is So Much In My Heart – Vince Hill (Columbia Mar 69)It’s My Time / I Love You Because – Frank Ifield (Decca Sep 69)
Flashpoints on Coventry Music Scene during the 1960’s.
Notes…
MUSIC impresario Reg Calvert was a key figure on the sixties music scene, managing bands which packed out local dance halls and who all lived and practiced at his mansion in Rugby.
4. ‘The Coventry Sound’ by Pete Clemons
After moving to the Orchid to become its new manager during April 1963, one of Larry Page’s first decrees was to set about adding extra dance nights. By September he began advertising gigs as ‘The Coventry Sound’. It is fair to assume that Larry Page had a good eye on what was happening in other areas of the country and had clearly seen something within the talent of Coventry.
While all this was happening so was a little matter of the Mersey Scene spearheaded by a group called The Beatles. The Beatles visited Coventry during November 1963 and, judging by the column inches they were getting in the press, this could possibly have averted people’s attentions. Similarly, when Coventry showcased some of the top local bands at the Coventry Theatre early in 1964, at a couple of gigs – one of which was headlined by Brian Poole and the Tremeloes – it kind of coincided with a gig at the same venue by The Rolling Stones who had been sandwiched between it all.
These, however, were the more obvious signs that things were happening in a bid to create a Coventry scene. And of course, given that these events are getting on for 60 years ago, I am only surmising. But I do feel that genuine efforts were made, particularly by Larry Page, to create a scene to rival that of Merseyside and Birmingham. It wasn’t as though Coventry’s bands never put up a good showing. Sadly, Larry wasn’t to remain in Coventry long enough to see the job through. He was to move on to more challenging jobs.
Interestingly, I asked a couple of the more prominent musicians from that time, as to their own view and what they remember about The Coventry Sound of the early 1960s:
Nigel Lomas: “I would say nothing specific, we (Johnnie B Great and the Goodmen) did not play a lot in Coventry when we turned full time July 1963, apart from the odd Orchid Ballroom gig backing the Orchids, until we changed the line up in October 1964, most groups played bits of Chuck Berry plus other imported American songs until The Sorrows started writing a lot of their own songs. Most groups had their own unique sound, Matadors, Mighty Avengers, Beat Preachers, Tony Martin and the Echo Four, Flamingoes and so on….,The Mersey beat was more of a line up sound than anything else i.e…two guitars, bass, drums and usually at least three or four on vocals. As opposed to The Shadows, Tornadoes, . I would say most of the Mersey lot were initially bought into the charts, especially all those tied to Brian Epstein. In my opinion the best bands around at that time came from Brum.”
Alan Payne: “In the Flamingoes we were leaning more towards soul /Motown (Otis Redding, The Temptations (we did a 7 minute version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone) Curtis Mayfield etc. I was trying to steer the band in a different direction to other local bands at the time – a lot who were doing Liverpool band covers so I don’t think that was a ‘Coventry’ sound as such. I have spent my life trying to be different and not doing the predictable – that is probably what has led to my session work.”
All in all then, and despite the romance, it appears that the Coventry Sound of the early 1960s never really came to fruition. The city would have to wait until several years later until it really stamped its mark on the map. Deep down though, I do believe that we were onto something back then. And it wasn’t that far out of reach.
Brian Matthew, born in Coventry on September, 17 1928, attended Bablake School. He began his broadcasting career for forces radio in Germany during 1948. He was the son of musical parents. His father was a conductor of the Coventry Silver Band and his mother a professional singer. Almost all the big names appeared on Brian’s shows, many of them live on air, and one of the biggest and most popular at that time were The Beatles who he developed a friendly relationship with. He even spent a week in the US touring with the mop tops. Saturday Club was a prestigious radio show, originally launched in 1957, and was a showcase for up and coming talent. Brian was presenter of this show when, for example, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran appeared on it. The Beatles also gave their first performance on Saturday Club during January 1963. And Brian Matthew was also host for the Easy Beat programme when The Beatles first appeared on that show later the same year. More here from Pete Clemons.
Pete Waterman didn’t make any singles in the 1960’s, his many hit productions came a couple of decades later, but still he was a force to be reckoned with on the Coventry music scene in the 60’s, primarily the singer and rhythm guitarist with two Coventry R & B bands – THE PILGRIMS 1965 featuring Pete Waterman on Vocals and guitar / Kingsley Joyce on Organ, Keith Jackson on bass, John (a cousin of Keith Jackson) on drums, Duncan Hall on drums and TOMORROW’S KIND 1965 Pete Waterman on guitar and vocals, Keith Jackson on bass, Duncan Hall on drums, Richard Hollis on lead guitar , and myself Paul Hatt on vocals. Pete said of the band “it 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.“
Pete also worked for Friars Promotions, led by Vince Martin (Holliday), the lead singer of Coventry’s first Rock n Roll band – The Vampires. Friars Promotions (formed in 1962) ran and promoted many of the venues in Coventry in the 60’s and early 70’s. Read more about Friars Promotions here
BORN in Rugby, brought up in Bell Green, lives and performs in Las Vegas, nominated for a Grammy award and an author of several books. During the early 1960s Johnny got his first break and became a member of Coventry rock ‘n’ roll band The Vampires. At aged 16 Johnny had been signed to Reg Calvert’s Clifton Hall Artists. And then during 1961 he had recorded his first 45 ‘Darinda‘ on the Decca label. Through that association he was involved in the embryonic stages of The Fortunes who were, back then, known as The Cliftones. In fact Rod Bainbridge (Allen) and Barry Pritchard were involved in the recording of ‘Darinda‘. Washington left the group early in it’s development and was replaced by another Clifton Hall artist, Glen Dale. Several more singles followed and Johnny joined the Applejacks. Read more by Pete Clemons here and his bio here
Beverley Jones –
Lynne Curtis (Single – House for Sale)
Lynne Curtis began her career singing for Larry Page at The Orchid Ballroom in Coventry. She was a temporary member of Coventry band The Challengers and later The Mustangs and The Matadors (The Four Matadors). She appeared on a bill at Coventry Theatre supporting Brian Poole and the Tremeloes along with The Orchids, The Matadors, The Mustangs, The Midnights and The Avengers. She made a single for Decca – House for Sale in 1964 https://www.discogs.com/Lynne-Curtis-House-For-Sale/release/2656834 and an American release on President was apparently planned to coincide with the UK release. ‘Gonna Make A Man Outta You’ and ‘The Night of The Dance‘ seem to have remained on the shelf.” http://www.45cat.com/record/f11869
The Mighty Avengers
(Singles – Hide Your Pride / So Much in Love / (1964) Blue Turns To Grey (Jagger / Richards) / (Walking thru the) Sleepy City – Decca)
The Mighty Avengers were a beat group formed in 1962, originally called The Avengers. This was Reg Calvert’s venue Buddy Brittain and the Regents and The Beatles at the Co-op hall in Nuneaton on October 5, 1962. Note that The Beatles were not the headliners that night! This gave them an early break. The recorded four singles for Decca, some under Andrew Loog-Oldham. So Much in Love and Blue Turns To Grey were Jagger / Richards compositions and Blue Turns to Grey was recorded before Cliff Richard covered the song in 1966 reaching No 15. So Much In Love spent two weeks in the charts, reaching No 46. Tony Campbell of the band would go to record with Coventry band Jigsaw.
More here on the Mighty Avengers from both Pete Clemons and Pete Chambers.
The Pickwicks
(Singles – Apple Blossom Time / You’re Old Enough (64), Little By Little (65) – Decca.)
The Pickwicks were one of the earliest Coventry beat groups and three out of four of them began in 1963 as Tony Martin and the Echo Four. They came to the attention of Larry Page at the Orchid Ballroom who changed their name to The Pickwicks and through him got a recording contract with Decca. Their third and final single Little By Little was for Warner Brothers label and the B side was an early Ray Davies composition I Took My Baby Home. Jimmy Page played lead guitar on the single. In keeping with the Charles Dickens theme the band had a photo shoot where they were dressed in Dickensian attire complete with top hats. Larry Page would build on this kind of image when went on to manage The Kinks. Read more about The Pickwicks here via Pete Clemons.
Also check out a great new article on John Miles of The Pickwicks by his granddaughter Leah D’Archy which gives some great background to the band Here.
Leah tells us “During 1964 a musical relationship was forming between The Pickwicks and The Kinks which went as far as having John Miles as a backup vocalist on the very well known song ‘You Really Got Me’ which was only discovered this year when John Miles confessed to working closely with Ray Davies.”
The Little Darlings
(Singles – Little bit ‘O Soul- Fontana 65)
Formed in 1964, Freakbeat / Mod. Previously known as The Pines. Joe Meek was their recording manager. Featured for a while, Roy Butterfield who went on to play with an early version of Indian Summer and latter wrote and played with The Tom Robinson Band in the 70’s. Their 1965 single didn’t chart but they also cut ‘Good Things Are Worth Waiting For‘ in March 1966. (Written by Ivy League songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis) which Manager Ken Waites described as “…strong pumping bass and slight pop-art touch in the middle…”.They became The Sensations in May 1966. Read more here by Pete Clemons and Pete Chambers.
The Midnights
( Singles – Show me Around – Ember 1965)
Warwick based beat group, played at the Coventry Theatre December 1963. Released debut single on Ember in August 1965, but were ‘unhappy about the promotion of it’ .
Appeared on ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ in June 1965 as well as at Coventry Carnival the same month. Read more here .
The Liberators were spotted by Reg Calvert and became Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours. Their only single was produced by the legendary Shel Talmy. Read more here.
Chart toppers Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours were spotted by Reg Calvert and changed their name from The Solitaires to The Liberators to Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours end of 1965. ‘Mirror, Mirror‘ was the first record to be produced by the late Tony Clarke who went on to produce the classic albums by The Moody Blues. Read more here .
The Mad Classix was another of Coventry’s popular beat groups who existed from the early to mid 1960s. And August 1964 saw them appear on Hughie Green‘s version of Opportunity Knocks. The band had been put forward for the show by promoter Vince Martin of The Vampires and Friars Promotions.. And for their appearance the band traveled second class, with Vince, up to Manchester where they stayed overnight. The Classix rehearsed and recorded the performance the day before it went out at ATV studios in the city. The Classix did not win but performed really well and far from disgraced themselves. They finished a very creditable runner-up. Beverly Jones sang with the band at one stage. The A side ‘My Hunny Bunny with ‘It’s Never Too Late’ on the B side were released on the Storz record label. As far as I understand this record was only ever released in Germany. Jeff Lynne played with them for a short while in 1966. Read more here.
Played Star Club in Hamburg and cut a single in early 1965. ‘Angstrom is a technical term for a measurement of sound’ they told Midland Beat in 1965. Martin Jenkins joined this band before forming Coventry’s to progressive folk band, Dando Shaft who recorded on Young blood and RCA Neon labels in the early 70’s. Read more here
(Single – Inside Out (65) Pye.These are the R & B / Freak Beat band The Beat Preachers (by another name). Read more here
The Four Matadors (The Matadors)
(Singles – A Man’s Gotta Stand Tall (66) Columbia)
Formed in 1962, The Matadors received a break in 1964 when they were signed by Harold Davison who was also the manager of the Dave Clark Five and The Applejacks. He managed to get the band down to Decca Studios in London where they recorded six of their own songs along with another that Decca Records themselves had selected. 1964 also saw The Matadors tour Scotland where, according to their personal manager Mike James, they went like a bomb. The same year they also appeared with Billy J Kramer on a package tour down the south of the country.
1965 then saw the band sign up with top independent record producer Joe Meek, the man who had produced several million selling hit singles including ‘Telstar‘ made world famous by The Tornadoes. All the signs were good as a clutch of songs were recorded. Enough in fact to make three singles. However, a year later not one record had been released! After the well publicised delay and the band’s response The Matadors first single was leased by Meek to the Columbia Records label and was at long last released during January 1966.
Read the full story here
The Overlanders
(Single – Michelle)
The Overlanders were not a Coventry band but when their version of The Beatles song Michelle hit the charts, its success was down to a Warwickshire singer Paul Arnold Friswell. Paul Arnold Friswell was born in the village of Bretford, near Rugby, on August 18, 1942. Pete Chambers has the story here
Beverley Martyn nee Kutner.
(Singles – Babe I’m Leaving You (65) / Happy New Year (66) / Museum (A Donovan composition) (67) Derem.)
Beverley Martyn (born Beverley Kutner on 24 March 1947) is a singer, songwriter and
guitarist. Beverley was born near Coventry. While still a student, she was picked to front The Levee Breakers, a jug band featuring Mac McGann and Johnny Joyce, who played the folk circuit in south east England. At the age of 16 she recorded her first single. “Babe I’m Leaving You“, with the Levee Breakers, which was released on the Parlophone label in 1965. Martyn was then signed as a solo artist to the Deram Records label. In 1966 she released a single, “Happy New Year” (b-side “Where The Good Times Are“), written by Randy Newman, on which she was accompanied by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Nicky Hopkins and Andy White. “Happy New Year” was chosen, together with “I Love My Dog” by Cat Stevens, to launch Deram as the progressive branch of Decca Records. She also recorded an unreleased single in the same year, “Picking Up The Sunshine” / “Me and My Gin “. These last two tracks also featured John Renbourn and Mike Lease. During this period she was taught the guitar by the folk guitarist Bert Jansch who also encouraged her songwriting. Her follow-up single “Museum“, written by Donovan was released in 1967, produced by Denny Cordell. Beverley appeared on Bookends by Simon and Garfunkle – her part was the voice saying “Good morning Mr Leitch, have you had a busy day” in the song Fakin’ It. – Mr Leitch of course being Donovan. Of course she better known as the partner of John Martyn and her work on the album Storm Bringer.
The Coventry Folk Scene in 60’s.
The Coventry folk scene began in the early 60’s began to establish Coventry as a centre for Folk music that in later decades attracted …*The earliest venue seems to been the Coventry Arts Umbrella Club c 1962, moving to pub venues in 1963 like The Binley Oak, The Swanswell Tavern through pioneers like Ron Shuttleworth, Barry Skinner and Ben Arnold. The hosts were folk bands like The Troubadours, The Down Country Boys, The Kerries. The Kerries, of which group, Gill Thurlow, later married David MacWilliam who had a hit with The Days of Pearly Spencer. One young lady who made regular appearances as a singer / guitarist was a Beverley Kutner (later Beverley Martyn – John Martyn’s wife). Also seen performing there on occasions were The Furies. Sean Cannon of The Dubliners was another leading light on the Coventry Folk scene in the 60’s and beyond. In 1965 newcomer Rod Felton, playing his unique blend of blues, folk and Jug band tunes,along with his own compositions was hailed in the local press and Coventry’s answer to Bob Dylan! Rod formed with Beverely Kutner / Martyn and went on to form The New Modern Idiot Grunt Band with Rob Armstrong who later made guitars for the likes of George Harrison and Bert Jansch. The Grunt band took the national folk circuit by storm in the late 60’s / early 70’s and as a solo artist in the 70’s Rod Felton recorded a number of albums that never surfaced. Hobo has a full blog on the Coventry Folk scene with articles from the 60’s through to the present – here
The Ray King Soul Band.
(Behold / Ray King Soul Band album)
Soul man Ray King is a Coventry legend, mentor to members of Two Tone, he went from playing in city pubs to playing the big Playboy clubs. In 1967 he had a single out called Behold but the live albums were something else. Click the link above to read more about The Ray King Soul Band.
Goodtime Losers
(Single: Trafalgar Square/Where Did My Heart Go (Fontana TF791 – 1967)
Previously The Sensations. Trafalgar Square single was written by media personality, Barry Fantoni, although the self-penned b-side was better, being a brisk, almost folk-rock number.
Played at the Star Club in Hamburg. Read more here
(Singles – One Way Street /Mr Job / Let Me Go Home(68) Music Factory)
Jigsaw, formed in 1966 and their members came from Coventry and Rugby. They were born out of the ashes of Rugby group, The Mighty Avengers but also included members of The Antarctic’s, The Beat Preachers and others. They were active continuously for almost the next twenty years. They had more singles out in the 1970’s. Read more here from Pete Clemons
The Eggy
(Singles – You’re Still Mine, Spark 1969)
Formed after The Sorrows split in late 1967 by Roger Lomas. Both sides of the single had previously been demoed by The Sorrows.
Flying Machine
(Single – Smile and Little Smile / Send My Baby Home Again – Pye 1969)
The bulk of the outfit started their musical career under the title of Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours. “Songwriters Tony Macauley and Geoff Stevens wrote their hit “smile a little smile for me” which was a smash, Stateside.
Edgar Broughton Band
(Singles – Evil – Harvest 1969)
Warwick based band, both Broughtons were ex-Tony And The Talons and Original Roadrunners R&B/Blues outfits. This band was formed around 1967 and they based themselves in London in 1968, although retained strong links with Warwick. Unitt left before they signed with Blackhill Enterprises and recorded for Harvest.