Asgard were one of the top Coventry progressive rock bands in the early 70’s, with their own experimental numbers influenced by bands like the Nice and Pink Floyd and picked up and promoted by John Peel with a view to being recorded for his Dandelion label alongside acts like Medicine Head and Principle Edward’s Magic Theatre.

The band practiced at the Coventry Arts Umbrella club and were sometimes joined by Neol Davies (The Selecter) on sitar. Peter Clemons has the full story of this fascinating band in an article from the Coventry Telegraph. Below is further information and photos on the Hobo A to Z of Coventry bands and some youtube of the band, giving an idea of their sound – but first Pete’s article –

 

 

The prog rock trio who filled in for Black Sabbath; ROCK fan and regular contributor Pete Clemons tells the little known story of Asgard after listening to rare recordings kept safe by a band member for nearly 40 years. Pete, from Keresley, charts the “refreshing” sound of the Eastern Green outfit.

In October 1970, the UK music magazine New Musical Express reported that Dawn record label acts Demon Fuzz, Heron and Comus were due to take part in a series of UK gigs during November. It was a promotional tour and at all venues the price of admission was one penny.

Although not signed to the Dawn label Asgard joined the tour.

March 1971 saw Asgard back in Coventry making one of their final live appearances at the Warwick University Arts Festival alongside The Pink Fairies, Skin Alley and Whistler. The band then relocated to Devon for inspiration and to be able to write and lay down some new music. But in a rented cottage with no gas or electricity the idea never got off the ground and, in 1972, the band fizzled out. Soon after Bill Walker went off to university, Terry Westwood returned to Coventry with Bob Mansfield while Richard Kilbride remained in Devon.

Shortly after the split they learned that a band called T2 had also split and that band’s tour dates including the U.S. had been offered to them. The band got back together for one final appearance at Tantons hotel in Bideford North Devon to an invited audience.

The magic was still there but by then they had all moved on. Richard Kilbride formed a new band in Devon called Bo-Speak that, again, skirted the doors of fame only to crash and burn as did Asgard. Manager Paul Padum went on to share an apartment with John Peel in London and worked for bands like Roxy Music, Rocket 88, Alexis Corner, Renaissance and Pink Floyd.

Unfortunately the story does not really have a happy ending and from here it all gets quite sad. Bill Walker suffered a fatal heart attack soon after getting married during the mid 1970s. Manager Paul Padum suffered a similar fate around 1980 while working with Charles Aznavour in Bahrain. Terry Westwood, after living with Bob Mansfield for a while, eventually settled in Kings Lynn where sadly he passed away in 2009. And finally Richard. He himself has been very ill recently with prostate cancer. But thankfully he now seems to be on the road to full recovery.

The band had also gigged heavily with a band called Principle Edwards Magic Theatre and clearly impressed their tour manager Chris Runician wrote the following words: “The original sound produced by Asgard comes as a refreshing change from usual heavy clich ridden bands who ‘blow the mind’ with volume and distortion. Asgard put the emphasis on quality and clarity of sound. Their sound has been described by other musicians as ‘atmospheric’.

The best example is the climax of their act, simply called K511 which is concerned with the emotional rejection intolerance towards love, peace etc. A very powerful end to their act.”

It all makes you wonder just what other musical gems are out there in Coventry just waiting to be discovered.

…………………………………

 More material and photos via Trev Teasdel on Hobo – The A to Z of Coventry Bands

YOU TUBE

The following tracks by Asgard were digitised and cleaned up by producer Roger Lomas from a rare live acetate of the band which unfortunately was partially damaged with solder splashes along with the customary vinyl clicks and noises. Although Asgard were lined up to do some professional recording for John Peel’s label at one stage, it never happened and these demo tracks are all that we have. However, they give a good idea of the band’s sound and material at the time they were recorded.

 Asgard – Sunrise

Asgard – Month Part 1 and 2

Asgard – Trivialities parts 1 and 2

 

 

Follow the link to A to Z of Coventry bands for more photos and material.


Photo of  Neol Davies wirth his long hair playing sitar c 1970.

Asgard were under the wing of  John Peel for a while and they were mentioned in his column in Disc and Music Echo early 1970

In the article John Peel writes “Paul Padum and elements of Asgard stayed at Peel Acres. Tonight we were supposed to drive to Coventry to see Asgard play but there was talk of fog on the M1“

Richard Kilbride (bass player) wrote “

John Peel
“We were taken under the wing of John Peel for some time, through the efforts of Paul Padun our manager,We played with John Peel on his new band spot at ‘Mothers’ – Erdington in Birmingham / Asgard made its debut at the Torbay Blues Festival and also appeared at Torquay Town hall with John Peel at a Blues festival as support to Blodwyn Pig who failed to turn up! So we improvised a set to fill their spot. He also put us on a C.N.D festival in Victoria park (with a huge audience), headlined by The Crazy world of Arthur Brown and The Liverpool Scene. We also did many Gigs with Principal Edwards Magic Theatre in St. Ives, who were also his protogies. The Roundhouse in London“

Peter Clemons recommends one of Coventry’s newest bands – The Moonbears.


In this article from the Coventry Telegraph Alan Poole introduces the band –

ROCK fan and regular contributor Pete Clemons charts the career of Coventry singer Beverley Jones, who died this month.

Pete, from Keresley, said the Sixties starlet never hit the bigtime her talent deserved.

IT was sad to read about the recent passing of Beverley Jones, the Coventry singer who cut several 45 rpm singles and who had, early in her career, styled herself on little miss dynamite Brenda Lee, yet had her own very distinctive voice.

After winning a local talent competition, Beverley had a brief stint with local band Johnny and the Rebels who at that time included Johnny Miles on guitar, Johnny Gibbons on bass and Nigel Lomas on drums.

She first began to perform solo at pubs like The Craftsman and The Pilot during Sunday lunchtimes between noon and 2pm. This was early 1962 and she was going out under the name ‘Beverley’. But this was soon changed and by April she began to use the name of Jackie Lane. However, and just as quickly, she had to revert back to her birth name when it was come to light that an American actress shared the same name.

During 1963 Beverley spent a lot of time in London recording three of her singles beginning with ‘The Boy I Saw With You (I Know Him Well)’ c/w ‘When It Comes To Love’ for the HMV label in January of that year.

Her other two singles that year were ‘Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Heart’ c/w ‘I’m Just An In-between’ and ‘Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home’ c/w ‘A Boy Like You’. Again, both records were recorded and released by His Masters Voice.

ROCK fan and regular contributor Pete Clemons charts the history of a building which has provided films, ballroom dancing and live music over nearly half a century.

Pete, from Keresley, looks at the forerunners to the Kasbah, including The Globe Picture Theatre, Majestic and Orchard Ballrooms, and the Tic Toc .

THE venue that we currently know and love as the Kasbah is soon to be 100 years old and is one of the oldest and most enduring entertainment rooms in the city.

Situated at 51 Primrose Hill Street, this incredibly proud looking building first opened as the Globe Picture Theatre in 1914. Quite incredible when you think about it now but at the time it was one of four cinemas in Hillfields alone. Movies were shown within it for more than 40 years until it closed in 1956. The venue was then re opened in 1957 as the Majestic Ballroom.

The Majestic, in the main, had resident big bands such as the Wylie Price Orchestra augmented with singer Jean Hudson. Fridays and Saturdays were advertised as evenings of modern dance. Although during the afternoons you could attend rock ‘n’ roll dances and learn to jive to band and disc. These sessions continued until July 1961. The venue was then taken over by the Mecca organisation that spent the rest of the year rebuilding and redecorating. During early 1962 announcements began to appear that bookings were now being taken at the renovated building with its luxurious decor and modern amenities. 

March of that year the venue opened as The Orchid Ballroom.

Initially the venue held beat, gala nights and bingo but The Orchid quickly became the premier venue for Irish entertainment. The show bands had now arrived and they were led by the likes of Johnny Flynn, Hank Locklin, Maurice Lynch and Jack Ruane.

Early 1963 and the Orchid Ballroom had now come under the control of entertainer and entrepreneur Larry Page. Larry had actually been a pop star in his own right, having toured with Cliff Richard and the Shadows and became known as the ‘teenage rage’. Page retired from performing at the end of the 1950s and joined Mecca as a consultant manager.

During his stay in Coventry he hosted many Sunday night talent contests and had even managed to get record deals for local artists Johnny B Great and the Goodmen, Shel Naylor and The Avengers.

He even discovered and created an all girl group, The Orchids, who legend has it, were named after the venue. The Orchids, along with the bands named above all signed to Decca records and all had several minor hits on that label, although The Avengers had, by then, become The Mighty Avengers when their singles were released.

His time in Coventry was relatively short. The Orchid ballroom had, by now, become a magnet for some of the most influential record producers and music publishers of the early Sixties. Both Phil Solomon, of Decca records, and Edward Kassner , of President records, were both serious players in the music industry back then and their remit was to entice Larry back to London.

Of course they succeeded but the legacy he left us with was long lasting and continues to impress today. After he left Coventry during 1964 Larry then went on to manage The Troggs and The Kinks and, of course, set up his own Page One record label and later The Penny Farthing label.

From the mid Sixties the emphasis switched from beat to ‘pop’ music but throughout all this change the Irish 32 club continued through till the end of the 1960s when, as a music venue, the Orchid Ballroom closed its doors.

After that the venue became a bingo hall. And then some years later the venue closed for good and lay dormant.

That was until during the very late 1980s when Jon Gaunt began to breathe new life into the building.

Jon had founded a co-operative theatre company called Tic Toc. The theatre company, along with its other spin offs had performed at other venues within the city such as the Coventry University and at Hertford Place but now wanted its own permanent home.

The company received funding from West Midlands Arts and the Arts Council of Britain. With this money they bought and renovated the disused and now derelict hall. It reopened in 1990 as The Tic Toc Club. Looking back the Tic Toc Club had an illustrious history albeit a short -lived one. The Britpop scene was then in its infancy and the club captured the magic of those early days by playing host to Blur and the Ocean Colour Scene.

The Tic Toc also embraced the buildings earlier history by naming its two rooms the orchid suite and the majestic ballroom.

The Tic Toc club even teamed up with the Coventry Telegraph music column ‘Street Talk’ to bring some valuable exposure to the local scene at the time with performances by Splash With Sonya, The Giraffes, The Bonediggers and many others.

For a brief while in 1993 the venue became known as Antics and played host to future internationally important bands like Porcupine Tree and Ultramarine but by early 1994 it was all over.

But it did not remain closed for too long as it soon re-opened as The Colosseum.

The Colly, as it was fondly known as, opened in 1995 and initially concentrated on the dance scene holding regular themed nights such as Fundamental and the Groovy Garden which began at the Dog and Trumpet in the early 1980s and still continues today.

However, by the turn of the century it had established itself as an incredibly important live venue for local bands and also attracted future household names like The Libertines, The Arctic Monkeys and Keane as its fame widened.

During late 2007 and after around 12 years The Colosseum was refurbished and re-launched as its current incarnation The Kasbah. The Kasbah is very popular with Coventry’s strong student base and holds a weekly mix of club nights along with regular live bands.

As a live venue the Kasbah has built on the successful foundations of the Colly and is also well established on the national touring map. Recent highlights include Cage the Elephant, La Roux and Noah and the Whale.

One hundred years of history is an astounding feat for any building nowadays. Let’s hope, after this future landmark birthday, that it continues to grow for years to come.

When two nightclubs ruled city’s music scene; ROCK fan and regular contributor Pete Clemons looks back to when two rival nightclubs dominated the live music scene in Coventry. Pete, from Keresley, charts the heyday of Mr George and the City Centre Club which were a magnet to revelers eager to see both local and national bands. past up The The 8 dispatches. Club YOUR nostalgia.

The Coventry nightspot where crowds danced to rock legends; YOUR nostalgia ROCK fan Pete Clemons recalls when The Locarno/ Tiffany’s put Coventry on the map as a major music venue and a must-play for big name bands. Pete, who is compiling a history of the city’s music scene, recalls when the building rocked from the 60s to the 80s during its pre-library days.

Radio 1 celebrities Noel Edmunds, Dave Lee Travis and Johnny Walker all did gigs as the 1970s saw guest DJs do one nighters. And while mentioning DJs, another noteworthy thing to mention, is the fact that Pete Waterman spent 12 years their spinning the records.

As punk rock / new wave then ska took hold of the country toward the end of the 1970s and into the early 1980s it became almost compulsory for the bands to play Tiffany’s. This period saw The Clash, The Stranglers, XTC, Blondie, The Specials, The Selecter, UB40 and The Undertones all hold court. The list was almost endless as Tiffany’s became one of the nation’s major venues.

It is believed to be the club that is made infamous by and referred to in the Specials song ‘Friday Night and Saturday Morning’. And if he ever puts on another exhibition then be sure to catch renowned photographer John Coles priceless photographs from this period.

As I said, I have only touched on part of the story of The Locarno. I have not even mentioned the Bali Hai bar, the revolving stage, the many resident bands, the lunch time sessions or the glitter ball.

And whenever I visit the library, and I imagine I am not alone, my mind wanders back to a time when that room was full of music and the dance floor and balconies full of revellers. The complete antithesis of how it is used nowadays.

Queuing up for band nights at The Walsgrave; YOUR nostalgia ROCK fan Pete Clemons recalls the days when Coventry’s The Walsgrave pub was a top music venue, attracting the region’s best bands. Pete, who is compiling a history of the city’s music scene, remembers long queues forming in wait for its doors to open and of its switch to the Carolina Club in the 1960s to satisfy strict Sunday licensing laws on dances.

ONE of the most popular local pubs of the 1960s was Coventry’s The Walsgrave.

This majestic looking building sits proudly out past the Forum, on the bend where the Walsgrave Road meets the Ansty Road and where Dane Road intersects.

It was once Coventry’s flagship and benchmark for all things required for a memorable night out. Thursday nights, for example, were hen party nights. Long queues would begin to form at 7pm for door openings at 7.30pm Nurses were always allowed in free of charge in acknowledgement for their outstanding work and devotion at the hospitals.

Sundays would quite often see two sessions. The first at midday till 2pm and then again from 7pm till 10pm.

Strict Sunday licensing laws existed back then which meant that dances were only allowed in clubs. So to satisfy those laws the pub became a club and, as such, the Carolina Club was born with a two shilling (20 pence) membership. There would be band nights that included local (to the region) crowd pullers such as The Mighty Avengers, Tony Martin and the Echo 4, The Matadors and The Beat Preachers (who once supported The Who). As the reputation of the Walsgrave spread it attracted bands from further afield like Denny Laine and the Diplomats, Carl Wayne and the Vikings, Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders and Lady Jane and the Royalty.

The pub was fitted out with permanent state of the art double decks that attracted the city’s top DJs such as Mark Brown, Tommy T, Dr Vince and Freddie Flea.

DJs were paid around pounds 1.50 per night while the bands were given between pounds 10 and pounds 15.

The organisers of these dances, Friars promotions, also made sure that a team of bouncers was on hand to cater for any trouble. These included none other than Ken Brown, now proprietor of the popular Browns bar in the city centre.

Ken is, of course, very well known for his time in charge at the General Wolfe at the time it gained its ‘legendary’ status within Coventry music history.

Thankfully though, trouble at the venue was very infrequent although a set of double doors, similar to those seen in a wild west bar saloon, were left damaged by way of a permanent reminder of the results of some past evictions.

Despite this heavy presence it did not stop the inevitable ‘pass out’ scams. In essence, people leaving a dance early were handed a pass out which, in turn, was being sold on to late incoming punters for 2/6 (12-and-a-half-pence) or simply being used for another dance.

Management and promoters became aware of this issue and were kept on their toes combating the problem by having to introduce new measures such as different coloured passes for different nights.

Of course disc jockeying back then was a world away from today. Back then DJs had to be real showmen and have bags of personality.

On top of that they selected, introduced and played records for an audience.

They relied on good use of headphones to achieve the smooth cueing of tracks and a flexible microphone in order to introduce the songs.

You also needed a great rapport and a natural patter with the listeners and hecklers. Nowadays, you still need an abundance of showmanship, but the objective is achieved through the use of multi playback devices, cross faders and equalisation in order to deliver the continuous wall of sound required to satisfy the ‘clubbers’ of today.

By the early 1970s Friars had moved on but The Walsgrave pub still continued to be a popular venue.

The music scene had also changed.

The beat groups had gone and rock was now in vogue.

One of the main protagonists of this new scene was Pete Waterman.

By day Pete worked at the GEC, but by night he was a well known DJ who could be seen at any number of venues across the city.

One of his ventures was the Tuesday night progressive evening at The Walsgrave.

Trevor Teasdale, luminary, promoter and poet from that period remembers those evenings well.

Trev would help the bands unload equipment, set up and run the door.

Pete would put bands on like Indian Summer, and Wandering John but would also find slots for folk acts like Rod Felton and Dando Shaft.

Apart from the DJing, Pete would quite often join the bands on stage accompanying them on flute. This was, of course, during his early days and Pete would find worldwide fame in his own right, particularly with the creation of Stock Aitken and Waterman.

Today The Walsgrave still stands proud. It is more renowned for its food, but even now, after all these years, they can still occasionally find the room for a band to play.

In this article Pete Clemons mentions that i (Trev Teasdel) helped with Pete Waterman’s Tuseday night Progressive Music nights 1970 / 71. So below I’ve included a few tickets from those gigs. I used to do the door and help set up.  Pete and I both worked at the GEC Telecommunications at the time where Pete also the shop-steward. Pete had written some music to one of my lyrics (A Lotta rain is Fallin‘) while there and asked me help out at the Walsgrave. It meant I got in free and witnessed some great local bands, some of whom I knew and had put on at the Umbrella Club and a lot I hadn’t.

Bands included Indian Summer, Wandering John, Last Fair Deal, Asgard, Rod Felton, New Modern Idiot Grunt band, April, Audience (from Birmingham),  Gypsies Kiss. Roger Williamson’s East Light, Dando Shaft, Pantomime (Birmingham band), Skid Row, Flying Hat Band and many more.

Pete Waterman – Coventry Days

I’d get there about 7pm and we’d open at 8pm. Pete would go through the records he was intending to play, current hits like – Yellow River, In the Summertime, Alright Now, soul and progressive tracks and oldies seg  The Small Faces, to name but a few. I’d help the bands in with their equipment, talk to him about music and on one occasion he introduced me to Rod Felton ( a solo contemporary folk and blues artist). The next week we went on walkabouts before the gig to Pete’s parents house, (where the road is now named after him!). He’d be collecting bits of disco gear, and then caught the bus from Ball Hill to town calling in at a record shop near the arcade. Some of his fans from his Locarno discos would wave and call out to him. After that it was a trip up to Earlsdon Cottage – where they had jazz and folk nights. On this occasion  Rod Felton was on and was sitting on the grass playing guitar as we arrived. Pete had gone to collect his flute from Rod as he intended to play it later at the Walsgrave. Before we left Pete played some melodic flute to one of Rod Felton’s songs. Sadly we didn’t have mobile vids back then!

Gypsy Lee were on that night, a heavy R & B band and Pete got up to sing a raucous version of Rock me Baby, giving the flute some welly Jethro Tull style. They were popular nights with some good music and some good bands. Pete was a workaholic, DJing 7 nights a week and working at the GEC during the day – until about 1973 when he left to open Soul Hole Records.

Trev Teasdel – Cov Telegraph pic 1973

Ad from Broadgate Gnome 1970

How soul man Ray went from city pubs to big Playboy clubs; FOLLOWING soul legend Ray King’s induction into the Coventry Music Wall of Fame, Telegraph contributor Pete Clemons looks back on his career. Rock fan Pete, who lives in Keresley, is currently compiling an archive of the Coventry music scene. YOUR nostalgia.

LAST year I saw Vibert Cornwall, better known as Ray King, host a conversation at Central Library.

It was a fascinating talk and it quickly became obvious that Ray is a man of different facets. It also revealed some news that I for one was incredibly excited to hear. More on that later but first a summary of Ray’s lecture.

Vibert had been influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and as diverse as Doris Day. 1965/66 saw him begin singing in the clubs of Coventry.

He then decided to take lessons in order to improve his voice. “But it was clear that he had a natural talent that did not need to be coached and the pounds 5 he had paid for those lessons was returned”.

Quite by coincidence a friend of the singing teacher was a promoter and she agreed to get him bookings.

She also arranged for Vibert to have promotional photographs taken and secured his first real gig at the Craftsman Pub on the corner of Rotherham Road and Beake Avenue. Further gigs were arranged by Stan Brooks at venues like The Pilot Hotel on the corner of Burnaby Road. He then linked up with a band called Suzi and The Kingsize Kings.

Suzi left and at the same time Vibert became known as Ray King. The King Size Kings changed their name to the Ray King Soul Band (or Soul Pact as quite often advertised). Their first gig was at The Walsgrave Pub in Coventry and, under the management of David Owen, everything felt right.

“We knew we had something going on,” revealed Ray. “We were so tight in our playing, I was able to control the band with just the slightest movement of my hand. Their eyes were on me all the time”.

The band’s reputation quickly spread and gigs were arranged for venues way beyond the Coventry boundaries. News of The Ray King Soul Band reached London and they were asked by the famous Playboy Club (The Playboy Clubs were a chain of nightclubs owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises under the guidance of Hugh Hefner until 1991) to go down there.

The Soul Band were offered a residency.

At times during the residency luminaries such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davies Jnr, Lulu, Ringo Starr, Maurice Gibb visited the club and saw the band perform.

In between Playboy Club gigs Ray and the band played London clubs like Revolution where they supported the likes of Bill Haley and the Comets. According to Ray it that at one of these gigs the band were joined on stage by Jimi Hendrix. “Being left handed Hendrix grabbed the bass guitar, turned it upside down, and played some incredible stuff”.

Ray continued “Our time in London saw interest from Pye Records and we went to see them at their offices.

During a meeting with producer John Schroder and I had just began to sing when Lou Grade stuck his head out of his office and said ‘sign him’ and that was that”. The band went on to make several singles for Pye.

They then signed to CBS Records and recorded a live album at the insistence of Hugh Hefner. The resulting album ‘The Ray King Soul Band Live at the Playboy Club’ was released on the Direction label (Direction 8-63394 1968) a subsidiary of CBS. This album is simply 40 minutes of the most high energy music you are ever likely to hear and covers songs such as Stevie Winwood’s I’m a Man. Sadly the album has long been deleted and, to my knowledge, has never been released on CD. The band sadly split up in the 70s.

Next up for Ray was Pharaohs Kingdom. This band included the likes of Lynval Golding, Silverton Hutchinson and others he had met in Gloucester and who had moved to Coventry. Pharaohs Kingdom existed for a couple of years and gigged at the various nightclubs that existed at that time in Coventry. That association then led to Ray getting to know musicians such as Neol Davies and Jerry Dammers and together they formed a band called Night Trane. Regular rehearsals were held at the Bantam Pub in Hen Lane. Neol left the band and would eventually form The Selecter. Jerry also left the band and he would form what was to become The Specials. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since those days Ray has worked in management but has continued to help the West Indian Community where he is a great believer, advocate and champion of community spirit. He also runs a Saturday music school helps and offers advice to young offenders and is rightly proud when many come back and thank him. On November 23, 2010 Mr Vibert Cornwall was awarded an honorary degree of letters, by Coventry University, in recognition for his major contribution to music and his work in the community.

Oh yes, the good news I mentioned.

Ray’s LP, ‘live at the playboy club’ has long been sought after by a lot of people – me included. Well it looks like our wait will not be for much longer. It is hoped that a CD copy will be released by Ray during 2012. On top of that he is also planning to record again. This will hopefully be an album of songs that Ray has had a lifetime of love for. Coupled with talk of an album launch and gig I suspect that a memorable night is destined for the future.

RAY KING SOUL BAND / PACT
circa 1966 – 1968 – Source Braodgate Gnome

Soul band

Line up: Ray King (vocals), Jim Lang (tenor), Ken Horton (baritone), Terry Leeman (organ), Paul Williams (guitar), Paul Slade (bass), Malcolm Jenkins (drums).

Previously King Size Kings, they were signed to Pye Records’ Piccadilly label in January 1967 by Producer John Schroeder, who obviously had the successes of Geno Washington and Jimmy James in mind.

Cut first single “Behold” in February 1967 at Pye Studios in London.

Hard working outfit their residency at the Playboy Club in London resulted in a live album for

Direction CBS Records, produced by Phil Smith. Stand By Me was also featured on Direction CBS compilation album. Audiences at the Playboy Club included Lulu, Barry Gibb, George Harrison, Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jnr

After 1968 the band famously lived entirely in hotels for 18 months while they toured – Lands End to Northern Scotland and on to France, Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Belgium. The band worked Hamburg directly after the Beatles.

Among many appearances alongside the super famous, the Soul Band played with Ike & Tina Turner (with PP Arnold), Solomon Burke, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Lee Dorsey, Jimi Hendrix (jammed on bass in the Revolution Club and later joined by Paul McCartney), Stevie Wonder.

Leeman left to join The Peeps (later Rainbows) in January 1968.

Jenkins had previously been in The Pickwicks.

Ray Borkowski remembers –
Ray King formed an 8 piece band sometime in 1972. We practiced for 6 months
but nothing came of the band.
It was though, a privilege to have co written several songs with him. He
was a gifted lyricist and I provided the melodies.

Neville Staples recalls in his autobiography
” Ray king touched the lives of three of the Specials very directly – me, Lynval Golding and Jerry Dammers but in very different ways. With me he launched Neville Staples on to the Sound System scene as a DJ in his own right. Lynval became part of the well established Coventry soul scene and Jerry …

Ray came to England from the Carribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines at the start of the 1960’s. he arrived just in time for Cliff Richard and didn’t get him at all. What he liked was the sound of Emile Ford and the Checkmates – a Jamaican-led pop group that got to No 1 in the UK charts in 1959 with Why Do you Want to make those eyes at me for?. Far better in Ray’s view than Cliff’s efforts.

Ray went from singing on the production line at a Morphy Richards iron factory in Northampton to being talent-spotted and propelled to fame in the 1960’s as leader of the Ray King Soul Band. After a long residency at the Playboy Club in London, performing for the likes of Frank Sinatra, recording an album there and dispensing singing tips to French Crooner Johnny Halliday, ray came back to Coventry. he played to a bigger crowd at the Locarno than the Rolling Stones got around the same time.”

Band has followed their Fortunes for nearly fifty years; YOUR nostalgia COVENTRY music expert and Telegraph contributor this week charts the incredible longevity of The Fortunes, who have their 50th birthday in their sights. Pete, who lives in Keresley, looks at how the band has overcome several tragedies and how musicians from Coventry and Warwickshire have been a mainstay of the group’s line-up for the past 30 years.

FIFTY years in the music industry is, by any standard, an incredible achievement. 2012 will see The Rolling Stones and Manfred Mann both reach this milestone. Another band who will hit that target next year, but I suspect not create as many headlines, are The Fortunes.

The Fortunes have always been considered a Birmingham band.

However, for the last 30 years, those roots have firmly weaved their way into Coventry and Warwickshire.

The story actually begins though in 1961 when, under the guidance of Reg Calvert, Rod Allen and Barry Pritchard became members of Robbie Hood’s backing group The Merrie Men. They played bass and guitar respectively. This lasted until early 1963 when they formed their own harmony group The Cliftones. A little later Glen Dale, who had been singing as a solo performer and had a fine falcetto voice, joined up with the Cliftones and by mid 1963 were known as The Fortunes Harmony Group.

During these early days the band served their ‘apprenticeship’ with Reg and learned how to perform and entertain on stage. They had also been signed up to Decca records where they cut their first 45rpm ‘Summertime Summertime’. This single was credited to The Fortunes and The Cliftones and released during August 1963. Support slots to the likes of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Lance Harvey and even The Beatles followed.

To fill the sound out several musicians came and went but by the end of 1963 Rod, Barry and Glen had added drums and keyboards and had become a five-piece.

The line up was now settled at Rod on bass and vocals, Barry on guitar and vocals, Glen on guitar and vocals, Andy Brown on drums and David Carr on keyboards.

A follow up single ‘Caroline’ was released in January 1964. And when Radio Caroline came on air on Good Friday March 27, 1964 the song was used as the station’s theme tune. This gave the band plenty of airplay and the platform they began to build from.

The Fortunes had now hit their stride and a couple of highly successful years followed. This period saw them release several singles of which ‘You’ve Got Your Troubles’ and ‘Here it Comes Again’ were incredibly popular and became hits on both sides of the Atlantic.

However mid-1966 was to be the start of a turbulent period for the band. They were rocked when in June of that year manger Reg Calvert was shot and killed. And then shortly after, in July, Glen Dale left to pursue a solo career.

Shel MacRae replaced him and the hit singles began again with ‘Is It Really Worth Your While’. August 1967 then saw the band leave Decca and move to the United Artists label where the band change direction to suit the times. After the release ‘Seasons In The Sun’ in late 1968 David Carr left. He would be replaced some time after, and briefly, by George McAllister.

A new dawn arrived for the band. in 1970. They had slimmed down to a four-piece and they recorded an album ‘That Same Old Feeling’ for the US World Pacific label. That, in turn, led to them signing up to Capitol Records in 1971.

Another very successful period of chart hits followed in both the UK and US with hits like ‘Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again’ and ‘Storm In a Teacup’. The band really were flying high again Toward the end of that decade music styles had changed immensely and another change in direction was required. The 60s harmony style bands were now playing within the club and caberet circuit that had developed.

Andy Brown and Shel MacRae had, by now, left but the core band of Rod and Barry continued with three new recruits. These were vocalist John Davey, Rick Purcell on guitar and drummer John Trickett.

This particular line up was highly professional and had the now impressive back catalogue to draw from. However, in the early 1980s Rick and John Davey left. Paul Keatley was enlisted to play on guitar and vocals and The Fortunes were once again a four-piece.

Cathedral has been the Ruins of many a musical career! WITH The Enemy set to play two open air gigs in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral next month, Telegraph contributor Pete Clemons takes a look back at other concerts that have taken place at the sacred venue over the years. Rock fan Pete, who lives in Keresley, is currently compiling an archive of the Coventry music nostalgia.

August 28, 1970 saw a fundraiser for the Coventry Diggers (a group of local hippies who

had produced our first arts and music magazine) in the grounds of the old cathedral. Bands like Ra-Ho-Tep performed and this is how the Telegraph reported it at the time: ‘More than 200 young people sat or stood around in the Cathedral ruins for Coventry’s own mini pop festival on Saturday evening. Fifteen minutes after the festival – called “A Digger’s feast” – started, there were 200 youngsters in the ruins, and more were coming in’.

World renowned classical guitarist, John Williams, also gave a recital in the cathedral on October 3, 1970, as did jazz great Johnny Dankworth on February 2, 1971 and Andre Previn a year later on February 2, 1972.

1975 saw the controversial decision to allow German band Tangerine Dream perform in the new cathedral.

This was part of a reconciliation tour that saw this electronic experimental outfit play at major cathedrals across Europe. The concert was performed on October 4 and was filmed by author and producer Tony Palmer.

According to my own listings the next 20 or so years produced very few noteworthy moments but of those that did happen some were quite momentous such as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Michael George and the Choirs of Coventry and Lichfield Cathedrals who performed and sang, among others, ‘the best carol of all time’, In The Bleak Midwinter. This concert took place on December 3 and was recorded on CD.

Other worthy mentions from the 80s and 90s include German electronic composer and one time Tangerine Dream band member Klause Schulze on April 26, 1983, Irish soprano and harpist Mary O’Hara on March 14, 1987 and a return visit to the old ruins for Ra-Ho-Tep’s Tim James on August 17, 1991 for an event called jazz on a summers day.

Toward the end of the 1990s and well into the early 2000s saw a series of jazz festivals in Coventry. The inclusion of world music recently saw it rebrand itself as the Rhythm Festival. But since their inception these festivals have always had links with the cathedral with artists appearing their most years.

Cathedral performances, normally in the old ruins, often under a huge marquee and always over the August bank holiday, include Steve Tayton in 1999, John Surman in 2003, Georgie Fame, Courtney Pine, Soft Machine Legacy in 2006, The Pirates and Tony ‘TS’ McPhee in 2007. A noteworthy performance as part of the May 2009 Rhythm Festival and held in the new cathedral was that by King Crimson leader Robert Fripp. This performance was also recorded and is available on CD.

November 2010 marked 70 years on from the destruction of the old cathedral and the loss of almost 600 lives during the Blitz. A series of major events was held at the cathedral.

These included a performance of The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace that was hosted by Karl Jenkins. This was Karl Jenkins second visit as he had previously appeared as part of his Stabat Mater tour in November 2008.

As mentioned previous the nearby university has hosted many events at the cathedral. More recently they have held their summer balls there within the ruins. The most recent was held in May 2011 and performances included Tinchy Stryder and a DJ set by Chase and Status.

Fifty years on from the consecration and a week after The Enemy are due to appear things seem to go full circle. Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem will be recreated by the CBSO on Wednesday May 30 in a world where the music will seem every bit as relevant today as it did back then.