Hear here ! http://www.indiemusicpeople.com/artist.aspx?ID=123095
Yes...That was fun...and some nice guitars...Gibson SG, Les Paul (Standard), USA Strat, Japanese Fender Strat... And now sitting at the bar Chilling...but I still miss the long hair...LOL ! Fortunately my baby granddaughter Matilda loves to smack my bald head...No competition !
I can remember my first band 'Blue Gold' at 15, with my friend and first teacher Pete Lane on rhythm guitar...We played at the local youth club and a church hall (where I first met Gwyn) ..I knew about 3 chords and a basic blues lead style...and we had about 3 songs we played again and again ...My friend Ady (see earlier post) came and played a few jams.
My set up was an old fruit box with speakers nailed to the wood and an amp we called the Birdcage ... But people came and enjoyed this primitive effort...It got me hooked ! My early influences were Clapton, Green, Beck, Kossoff, Rory Gallagher, Leslie West and Carlos Santana and l later I got to the Blues Masters ! I got to play many varied decent gigs, including odd venues like Tower Bridge, The Natural History Museum, The Law Society, A large boat sailing down the Thames and others... One gig in Croydon ...we had 1 person turn up...and he was a drummer friend ! So if you're a beginner ...Keep on keepin' on... and enjoy.
I played in The O T Band for over 30 years with some great guys and a lady ( Earl Green & Kaiya Maxfield on vocals,Gwyn Hood bass,Andy Dummett tenor sax, Alan Hawkins later Glen 'Funk Foot' LeFleur drums ) We started as a Live Band playing classic Blues R&B Soul and our own originals and played many gigs to mostly appreciative crowds...Met many people, some who became good friends...And laugh after laugh !...Great banter !
Here as a repost is my compilation of the years 1984 to 1996 with Studio, Live & other recordings - The O T Band - 'O T Scrapbook 1' - Tracks 1,2,6,9,11,13 & 19 are original songs written by band members. The released versions of the alternatives I included are to be found on the CD 'Earl Green - Feel The Fire ' (1996)
Here as download :
https://mega.nz/#!bQEgTCTD!uKmtb5bFOiVJvAUNZ0rqfvs4rckPTE5vdRzIlAZ3e1k
Streaming here with other earlier bands : https://soundcloud.com/user-81292978
And.I must promote this full gig from 2008 again...which is a good example of us really going for it !
Here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x14OohXvb3s
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Congrats to this wonderful heartwarming blog, Gus... with some astounding memories being shared... Steve Cropper and you! Steve Cropper used to be my second inspiration and the main reason to pick up the guitar,- the first being a Swedish guitar player named Jørgen Ingmann and the flip side of his rendition of "Apache" called "Echo Boogie", a thing he borrowed from Les Paul (and his Copycat). Then came B.B.King, Django Reinhardt, Peter Green, Jim Hall, Clapton, and, and, and...
ReplyDeleteI didn't find the time to look into all posts, but stumbled into some of the music (what a pity that most of the links are expired); seems that Paul Kossof was (is) a major influence of yours ( if I don't confuse the guitarists).
Your wonderfully melancholic (but in no way depressing), illustrated "Guitar Journey" cheered me up (feel sorry for the loss of your hair), and inspired me to check my own journey... will need a few more photos to portrait the whole story (but with significantly less prominence). Since I don't have a blog (any more... had a wonderful shortlived www appearance until 2003) I plan to post it on my facebook site, and then go to the next mirror and cry...
"On an early New York mornin' the mirror in the hall
showed to me a face I didn't know at all
lines were drawn around a pair of eyes that opened wide
when I looked into the mouth there was nothing left inside..."
Third Week in Chelsea - Jefferson Airplane
Keep on
Greeny
Thanks for your comments Greeny
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be a drummer...but fate stepped in and as a 14 year old kid Eric Clapton hit me ( as well as friends that were good players ) Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, Santana and Leslie West were my influences before I looked back to the origins 3 Kings Muddy The Wolf etc
Seems like you know this journey ... Appreciate your insight
I only started this blog so I could pass on to friends etc sounds & images ... Leave me a note of any particular post that you may want to hear and I'll repost the music...I'd like to hear your story too !
Cheers
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ReplyDeleteKind of funny, Gus, that I started as a drummer, too. We had a three piece "Free Jazz band" at the times, sometimes four youngsters (while we rated us being men), me, playing drums and piano (sometimes at the same time), my great late buddy Ebi on altosax, trying to play freer than Albert Ayler, plus another friend on upright bass who was the youngest son of the local chaplain, only in the band because he had access to four evangelic churches, one of them home of a genuine Steinway grand (thus me, the piano player), three of them equipped with church organs and the best natural reverb you could imagine (only the pastor was not allowed to know about it).
ReplyDeleteOf course, we desecrated the churches with our devil's music, consequently we will once have to burn in hell for that (put that good German beer on ice!).
By the way, the Firebird you play with Ardon looks a lot like the guitar Clapton played during the shooting of the ill-fated "Supershow 1969" TV film.
ReplyDeleteJust one more question: The guitar on the first picture, is that a Kay Jazz II?
ReplyDeleteThat guitar was an Xmas present that my parents bought from a local music shop - It wasn't a great instrument , had no name or identification. It may have been a Columbus (?) - I soon became enthusiastic and got the Cherry-red Gibson SG - by aged 21 I had the Standard Les Paul (like early EC & PK) Later I would only use my Strats for gigs and occassionally my Yamaha Pacifica...I'm not a tech man or particular about details - I've had dozens of amps Vox AC30,Fenders.Peavy, Marshalls but my fave was a 50 watt Hiwatt top (valves) with a 4x12" Cab - Cheers .
ReplyDelete