www.colinblunstone.co.uk

Derek Griffiths

guitar

www.virginwarrior.co.uk/musicians.htm

invited me to form a backing band for Colin who had just had another hit single " Say you don't mind "

Jim Toomeydrums

www.virginwarrior.co.uk/musicians.htm

Pete Wingfield piano

www.last.fm/music/Pete+Wingfield/_/Eighteen+With+A+Bullet

Terry PooleBass Guitar/vocals

Colin was part way through recording his Ennismore album , and we all contributed to a couple of tracks on that.

www.discogs.com

I moved from Dalston Junction to Mapesbury RoadNW2 with my wife Joelle ( French girlfriend along the way to Naples )and our son Anthony (2)

We shared this large house with Les &Ez Nicol and their son Jesse (2)

I had kept in contact with Les Nicol from the Rupert's People Auditions.

Blunstone Band's

Location

1972/1974

Colin lived close by in NW6 Inglewood Road

Jim lived in NW4 Denehurst Gardens.

Derek lived with his parents in East MoleseySurry

Pete lived in SW18 Standen Road.

Barry & Jackie Krost

www.merchantcircle.com

Barry Kroste was Colin's manager, he also managed Cat Stevens and DustySpringfield.

Most of 1973 was spent touring Europe and America

Colin had been the lead singer in the Zombies a sixties group from St Albans who had two world wide hits " She's not there " and " Time of theSeason " both of these songs were written by RodArgent.

Colin was the face of the Zombies and so we were billed as " The New Zombies " when we toured the USAin March 1973

19th March -7th May

USA

Gig List

The Cellar Door Washington (19/03/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Paul's Mall Boston(26/03/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Main Point Bryan MawrPennsylvania (29/03/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Quiet Knight Chicago(04/04/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Central State Uni Edmond Oklahoma(11/04/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Armadillo Hall AustinTexas(12/04/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Santa Rosa Theatre Houston Texas(15/04/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Ebbets Field Denver Colorado(17/04/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

WinterlandSan Francisco(20/04/1973)

www.wikipedia.org

Troubador Los Angeles(24/04/1973)

www.troubadour.com

Max's Kansas City New York (02/05/1973)

www.maxskansascity.com

London 7th May 1973

return to the UK from Tour

Colin Blunstone

Journey Album

Recorded in August 1973 Abby Road Studios

London

www.musicstack.com

Working with Colin Blunstone, Jim Toomey, Pete Winfield, Dereck Griffiths, Rod Argent, Duncan Brown, Mike Cotton, Nick Newell, John Beecham and the King Singers was a musical privilege.

Wonderful musicians produced a Wonderful album the title track.

www.abbeyroad.com/visit/

Criticallyacclaimed but commercially unsuccessful, the disappointing Journey album sales forced Colin to disband the group in Spring 1974.

Having now established myself on the " musicians circuit " the phone rang and Pete Gage asked if was available to tour the UK to promote the new Vinegar Joe album.

Their bass player Steve York had fallen out with the band and so I stepped in.

I must say Steve was a super player and those were indeed " big shoes " to fill.

No problem, this was not a " drugs band " but an " ego band " so I agreed.

Pete was married to Elkie Brooks who was very well known throughout the music industry.

Robert " snake hips " Palmer was lesser known at that time, but as rock history unfolded he was to become a super star in his own right.

We shared "digs" together on the tour and got on very well.

November 6th 1971 we played at Manchester Town Hall. There was a power failure and both Elkie and Roberts mike's packed up.

I stepped in and sang " raindrops keep falling on my head " as a spoof fill-in while the sound engineers sorted the technical problems.

My actions earned me the knick name " Sasha "

( Distell )

www.cherryred.co.uk

Steve York decided that he would like to re join the band and so they all " made up" and I became, not for the first time, unemployed.

www.last.fm/music/Vinegar+Joe

One of the West African percussionist with LFR was a named Gasper Lawal.

www.discogs.com/artist/Gasper+Lawal

As I recall Graham was in the Philips recording studios ( Vertigo label ) putting down some tracks.
Gasper invited me along as Graham didn't have a bass player at this time.

As Graham and I both needed the " facilities " at the same moment, this was when he invited me to join his new band Magick, make an album and tour the UK & France to promote it.

Graham Bond Organisation saw all the greats play in his group. Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton.

To step into those " hallowed " shoes was a great honour and I felt like I was playing in a band with " God ".Sadly this was not the case.

Magick was not a band that occasional took recreational drugs, this was a " Drugs Band " that occasionally played music.

I have used the quote that I heard Ozzy Osborn make in an interview a couple of years ago about Black Sabbath.

Amazingly the Graham's album was not too bad, all things considered, and we set off on the Magick Tour.

Graham Bond with Magick 2010

Twelve Gates to the City

www.youtube.com

The Olympia, Paris was to be the highlight of six months touring and promoting Magick.

www.artistsdirect.com

A super American Band called " the Flock " were the headliners and we were second top.

All went well at the rehearsal in the afternoon, a little too well. Graham and the drummer Pugwash decided to have a "cognac drinking competition" to pass away the rest of the afternoon before our " spot " at 9pm.It must have been a dead heat as neither Graham nor Pugwash turned up at all!!

www.grahambond.net/albums.html

Ray Russell guitar / vocals

www.rayrussell.co.uk

Alan Rushton drums

www.123people.co.uk/s/allan+rushton

Gary Windo tenor sax

www.reelrecordings.org/pam_gary_windo.php

www.allaboutjazz.com

Alan Claire vocals

www.allaboutjazz.com

Terry Poole bass guitar / vocals

I managed to find a very small flat on Kingsland High Street Dalston Junction Hackney North London for £5 per week. Believe me that was too much money even in those days!!

I can't remember exactly how or when I met Ray but he was living in Grandison Road SW11.

In those times there were very few yellow lines and so we were able to drive around London very quickly and easily with little threats of parking tickets.

Running Man made countless " demos " throughout the time we worked together.

Innumerable radio broadcasts for avant-garde channels including the "BBC World Service "

One unenlightened controller at the BBC banned us from playing live on radio 4.

www.angelair.co.uk

Running Man

Banned from the BBC

"Truly a great honour."

One of our live gigs was at Winchester School of Art organised by Mike Von-Joel a student at this illustrious academy and a great fan of Ray's.

(Mike is "mentioned in dispatches" at the end of my biopsy.)

An altercation ( so Mike reminds me ) between Alan Rushton, a burly student, and Alan's beautiful girlfriend, ended in a lot of " pushing and shoving " and Alan escaping.

Running Man

by name and by nature!!!!