Acts / Bands Who Played The Kinema Ballroom Dunfermline

Here you will find some short biographies (biogz) of solo artists whose surname commences with this letter or bands with names commencing with this letter (omitting any commonly used prefix such as 'The').

Stuart MacKillop - keyboards
Alan Darby - guitar
Gavin Hodgson - bass
Davy Roy - drums, percussion
Collin Tully - sax, flute
Maggie Reilly - vocals

Stuart MacKillop asked Maggie Reilly to join his band 'Joe Cool' and in October 1974 they merged with 'Up' to become 'Cado Belle'. They released one eponymous album in autumn 1976 and an EP in 1977 but they were to split soon after with Maggie joining Riotous Assembly and later having considerable success with Mike Oldfield.

There were a number of fine clarinettists who emerged during the jazz boom of the fifties. One of the finest, and the very finest still active, is Forrie Cairns. He brings an energy and commitment to his playing which is admired by the young lions of Scottish jazz

Forrie started playing clarinet when he was 13 and joined his first jazz band when he went to university. A year later he joined Jim McHarg’s Jazz Band which won an award for being Scotland’s best. After forming his own band he joined the Clyde Valley Stompers and was one of the reasons they went to the top of the tree.
In 1960 he was named Best Clarinettist in a newspaper poll. In 1962 he formed the Clansmen with Fionna Duncan and moved to London where he later freelanced particularly with Bob Wallis and the Storeyville Jazzmen with whom he was associated over a 20 year period.
In the late 70’s he moved to Switzerland while continuing to play with Bob and in the early 80’s he took part in the first in of several Reunion concerts with the Clyde Valley Stompers.
In 1989 he joined the Piccadilly Six, one of Europe’s best known professional jazz bands and has been one of the moving spirits behind the Scottish Jazz All Stars.

The Californians

Peter Abberley - bass guitar, vocals
Roger Clarke - lead guitar, vocals
Keith Evans - drums
John O'Hara - lead vocals
Robert Trevis - drums
Mick Brookes - guitar
Geoff Parkes - vocals

“Alex Campbell was the most important and influential folksinger of the folksong revival in Europe, admired, respected and loved by his fellow performers and his audiences. An outrageous, hard drinking, hard travelling, hard living man.” - Allan Taylor.

“he was not a ‘technical’ folk singer, he sang from experience and with feeling.” - The Guinness Book of Folk Music.

Alex Campbell was a Glaswegian folk singer, born circa 1925 and one of the grand old men of the Scottish folk revival. He learned his trade the hard way, busking on the streets of London & Paris. He sang and performed in many styles, traditional songs and his own compositions and is probably best known for the song 'Been On The Road Too Long'. He may have featured on more than one hundred albums, including 'Alex Campbell With His Friends' (1966) which included Sandy Denny, Johnny Silvo and Cliff Aungier. He died in 1987.

The Ian Campbell Group are likely the most well known and respected folk music group to come out of Birmingham. Ian Campbell was born June 10, 1933 in Aberdeen, Scotland and his family moved to Birmingham in 1946. He formed the Clarion Skiffle Group in the mid 1950s along with his sister Lorna who was also the singer. They were later joined by guitarist Dave Phillips and banjo player Gordon McCulloch, and by 1958 were known as the Ian Campbell Four.

By 1960, McCulloch had been replaced by John Dunkerley and the group was also joined by violinist Dave Swarbrick (born April 5, 1941 in London). The group became well known on the local folk music scene and played regularly around Birmingham, often appearing at The Crown Pub on Station Street. It was there that they played on a live recording that was released as Ceilidh At The Crown in 1962. The following year, the group was signed to Transatlantic Records and released their first album entitled This Is The Ian Campbell Folk Group. At around this time, Dave Phillips left and was replaced by Brian Clark.

The Ian Campbell Group soon established themselves as a highly proficient live act who became well known for their instrumental abilities as well as Ian Campbell's talent as a songwriter. Tours and television appearances followed, and in March of 1965 the group even managed to get a hit single with their rendition of Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin'. The group's major strength however, lay in their live performances where the line-up was often supplemented by top session musicians.

In 1966, Dave Swarbrick left to become a major player in the British folk scene and later joined the well known group Fairport Convention. Bass player Dave Pegg from the Birmingham group The Uglys joined the Ian Campbell Group in 1967 and a few years later would also leave to join Fairport Convention.

Despite many further personnel changes, the Ian Campbell Folk Group continued to tour and release records throughout the 1960s and 1970s although tragically, John Dunkerley died of Hodgkinsons disease in 1977 at only 35 years old. The group disbanded in the late 1970's but their status in folk music circles has continued to increase since then as one of the earliest significant British folk groups.

Note: Ian Campbell is also father to Ali and Robin Campbell of Birmingham's internationally famous reggae group UB40.

The Ian Campbell Folk Group 1960's Record Releases (highest UK chart position in brackets)

Sue Avory - vocals
Unwin Brown - drums
Colin Travers - guitar
Steve Pryor - bass

Capricorn were, for some reason, more popular in Japan than here. They featured ex-Trees drummer Unwin Brown and released six 7" singles between 1970 & 1974. Their debut (Liverpool Hello) was used as a BBC TV theme tune.

Ronnie Carroll's chart career coincided with the formative years of rock and roll although his singing was still very much set in the style of a traditional crooner. His career had begun in his home city where he gained a reputation for his ability to emulate black American singers of the day- notably Nat 'King' Cole. He would apply black make up to gain a credible visual effect much in the way that the then popular 'Black & White Minstrels' did on TV at around that time. It was certainly this that gained him the nickname 'The Minstrel'. These beginnings are undoubtedly seen today as bizarre, but even in the late 1950s it was an unusual start. Despite this he was recognised as having an exceptional singing voice in his own right and found it relatively easy to find work in the variety theatre. It was on one such show that he met and fell in love with his first wife, singer Millicent Martin. It was shortly after they were married that she became familiar to UK TV audiences through her weekly appearances on the 'That Was The Week That Was' TV show. As a result of the couple's commitment to work they settled at this time in north west London.

Although somehow never quite breaking through into the very top flight of British singers, Ronnie Carroll's output on disc was well enough received. He was chosen as the singer for Britain's entry in the Eurovision song contest in 1962 and with 'Ring-A-Ding Girl' achieved a creditable fourth place. This success was followed by two top10 hits during 1962 and 1963, but unfortunately a lack of good material meant that he could not sustain a chart presence. By 1965 he had gone two years without even a minor hit and his marriage had broken down leading to a separation.

Ronnie Carroll never managed to kick start his chart career again and by the end of the decade even his TV appearances had become few and far between. During the early 1970s he abandoned his singing career and undertook a disastrous business venture in the Winward Isles. Although he eventually returned to London, he has not attempted to perform regularly again, but has subsequently used his knowledge of the entertainment business in a management capacity.

Cascada

Natalie Horler

A singer & dancer, German/British born Cascada was born Natalie Horler in Bonn, Germany on 23^rd September 1981 and is of English descent.

Cascada’s first single ‘Miracle’ was released in Germany in March 2004. It would go on to be a success in that country and consequently grab the attention of Robbins Entertainment, the American label responsible for breaking European club and rhythmic artists like DJ Sammy, Lasgo, Ian Van Dahl, Narcotic Thrust and D.H.T. onto the US pop market.

Cascada would go on to release three more singles in Germany: ‘Bad Boy’, ‘Everytime We Touch’, and a cover of the 1992 Roxette song ‘How Do You Do!’

Cascada’s single, ‘Every Time We Touch’ from the debut album of the same name features her dramatic and passionate vocals married with the musical backing of DJ/producers, Manuel Reuter (DJ Manian) and Yann (Yanou). Scottish vocalist Maggie Reilly originally sang it and they’ve kept the chorus but changed the verses.

The album, features covers of Savage Garden’s ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ and Kim Wilde’s new wave nugget ‘Kids In America’.

Cascada has been busy touring America as well as Austria, Ireland and Germany.

Alan Taylor (aka Plug) - bass, guitar, horn, flute, vocals
John Roy Tebb - keyboards, vocals
Howard Newcomb - guitar, trumpet, vocals
Robert O'Brien - drums

British 4 piece consisting of organist / singer John Tebb (born 1945) with a Scottish drummer, a bass player from Halifax and a guitarist from Lincoln. The band worked mainly out of Milan and was popular in Europe, especially in Italy. They won the ITV talent show “Opportunity Knocks” three weeks on the trot which led them to signing with Decca and they just failed to make the top spot with their debut single – being held off by fellow “Opportunity Knocks” winner Mary Hopkin.

Formed in Falkirk, Scotland in 1970 by ex members of 'Alex Hamilton & The Blue Sabres' (Ronnie Glen & Roy Clark) and ex members of 'Friendship' (Hamish Miller & Charlie Dyer). They played a series of open-air gigs in Callendar Park in Falkirk in the summer of 1970, after which Jim Marshall (Guitar & Vocals, ex-Manuela & The Dops) joined. Charlie Dyer later formed 'Thrush'.

1971 Line-up (l-r): John Hearne / Andy Grossart / John Malcolm / Duncan Brown / Colin Paterson.
Image courtesy of
Andy Grossart.

1st line-up:
Watty Robertson - lead guitar
Alfie Murray - bass
Jack Greig - drums
Bobby Robertson - keyboards
Jim Scott - vocals
Dougie Strong - vocals

2nd line-up:
Watty Robertson - lead guitar
Andy Grossart - bass, vocals (1971-73)
John Hearne - keyboards, vocals
Colin Paterson - drums, vocals
John Malcolm - vocals

Also:
Duncan Brown - guitar
Dave Valentine
Stuart Tosh - drums
John Nicol - drums
Tam Annan - drums

The Change evolved from the ashes of The KB Bands and were often resident at the ballroom (playing some 394 times between 1969 & 1973). The band's name was changed to 'Air' in July 1973, and again to 'Dillinger' in April 1974 when they signed a record deal and subsequently toured Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Far East & Germany. The band had two completely different line-ups with the exception of Watty Robertson who also had spells with Bobby Dene & The Dynamos, The Red Hawks, The Jim Brown Showband & The KB Bands. He formed 'Paris' in 1973 and won 'The Best Band in Scotland' title in a Daily Record competition in 1975.

John Malcolm had a solo career under the name Joey Valentine and Dave Valentine had a major record deal with his band 'RAF' while Stuart Tosh went on to join 'Pilot' then '10cc'. John Nicol later played with 'Cafe Jacques'.

Andy Grossart moved to London and played or recorded for artists as varied as 'The Supremes', 'Tina Turner', 'Jerry Lee Lewis', 'Lonnie Donegan' & 'Roxy Music' through to Roy Castle and Tommy Cooper. He wrote the theme for the 'Record Breakers' TV series along with Roy and toured and travelled with him up until his death. He's a regular member of 'The Tornados' and has also been with 'The Manfreds' recently.

Born Walter Schuffham in England on 10th December 1933, his first recording was the single "Paintbox Lover" (1961) produced by George Martin. Later he joined Joe Meek's stable of acts at Decca, adopting his stage name at Joe's suggestion. His only UK chart appearance came in 1962 with 'Walk with Me My Angel' at No 39. A cover version of 'The Hermit of Misty Mountain' and 'It's My Way of Loving You' failed to repeat their predecessor's success.

1963's 'Angel of Love' was banned by the BBC because of the lyric - "Everyone has an angel of love, Way up in the heavens above". Nowadays such a decision would result in stratospheric sales - not so however, in the early 60s, and his career was badly damaged. (How times have changed!).

Subsequent releases bombed, Meek and Charles left Decca and eventually Charles retired after more chart disappointments. Music's loss was however the used car business's gain and he wrote a successful book called 'How to Buy a Used Car (And Save Money)'. He died on the 4th of December 2005 aged 71.

Renowned as the little girl with the big piercing voice, Tina Charles was born 10th March 1954 and she attended the Coroner Academy of Arts and Drama.

In 1969 at the age of 15 Tina recorded three singles, including 'Good To Be Alive' featuring a young, unknown backing vocalist called Reginald Dwight (Elton John). She also had a six-week spot on 'The Two Ronnies', singing covers. Regular theatre and stage work complemented more high profile appearances with such as Englebert Humperdink, Tom Jones and Gilbert O’Sullivan.

In the early seventies she joined a cover versions band called 'Northern Lights' and worked with 'Kilburn & The High Roads' (Ian Dury & The Blockheads). She sang backing vocals on the UK chart No 1 - 'Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)' by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, and on the '5000 Volts' top ten hit 'I'm On Fire', both in 1975. As it turned out, her own fame was just around the next corner.

In early 1976 she was introduced to and sang for the well known producer, Biddu, resulting in a CBS deal and the UK chart No1 and worldwide 26 million seller, 'I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance)' with which she toured the world. In the following two years she released six other singles including 'Dance Little Lady Dance' and 'Dr Love' (both UK chart top ten hits) and an album 'Heart 'N' Soul' which peaked at No 35 in 1977.

The birth of her son caused a career change away from touring to more studio work. A few years later a return to recording produced disappointing results, however 'I Love To Love' was remixed in 1986 and became a top ten hit in many European countries including fourteen weeks at No 2 in France.

Ghoulz (2006)

Dick Charlesworth took up clarinet at the age of 17, started his musical career in South London in 1952 and formed his first band in 1956. They became known as 'His City Gents' in 1959 and played the ballroom on Friday 4th May 1962.

The Cherokees were a 5 piece band from Leeds featuring John Kirby on vocals. They moved from Decca to Columbia where they scored a number 33 hit (Seven Daffodils / Are You Back In My World Now) in 1964 which they were unable to follow up with any of their subsequent singles.

John Kyle - lead guitar, vocals
Roddy Mill - vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
Johnny Martin - bass, vocals
David Splitt - drums
Bobby Berwick - tenor saxophone, flute
Jackie (Big Jake) Marshall - baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, piano, accordion
Arthur Owen - bass

Formed with a traditional two guitar, bass & drums line-up, a year later they added their two wind instrumentalists to 'flesh-out their potential repertoire. This semi-professional outfit had a Saturday afternoon residency at the Raith Ballroom in Kirkcaldy. They were active throughout the first half of the sixties and beyond.

I'm much indebted to Bill Nisbet who provided this information from a copy of 'Scottish Sounds'.

Formed in 1965 in Birmingham, Chicken Shack's career started to take off after moving to London and signing for the Blue Horizon label. The band was also expanded with Christine Perfect on keyboards and vocals joining Webb and Andy Sylvester (bass) and Dave Bidwell (drums) who replaced Hancox and Glasgow.

The first album release 40 Blue Fingers Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve was a success reaching number 12 in the charts in 1968. 1969's follow up, OK Ken, went as high as number 9 but only graced the chart for a single week. The first three singles released in 1967-1968 failed to reach the charts before a cover of an Etta James song took the group to number 14. I'd Rather Go Blind with Perfect on vocals was the band's biggest hit in the spring of 1969. Tears in the Wind also reached the charts but lower at 29.

Christine McVie left the band in 1969 to join her husband John McVie in Fleetwood Mac. She was replaced by Paul Raymond. The following years were less successful as the blues were less popular and Perfect had the most distinctive voice in the group. However, the group continued to tour extensively.

Chicken Shack split in 1973 with Webb joining Savoy Brown and later forming Broken Glass. In later years, Chicken Shack was reformed around Stan Webb.

A folk quartet from Edinburgh. In 1971 they dropped the "Cleich" and were known simply as Chorda. Lead singer John Croall later helped form Jock Tamson's Bairns.

Chorda Cleich came 3rd in the 1971 Scottish Folk Group Annual Championship (the dream child of Bill Houston and Watt Nicoll which was never repeated). There were an astonishing eighteen heats, with semi finals being held in Glasgow and Dundee, and the grand final in the Usher Hall Edinburgh, with The Corries as guest artists. All proceeds went to the Scottish Council for the Care of Spastics. The winners of the Championship were The JSD Band, whose prize was an album deal and contract with EMI.

Chorda Cleich & the other six finalists received six-month contracts and were featured on an LP 'Folk Philosophy' performing the following songs: 'Until it's Time for You To Go' (Buffy St Marie) & 'Three Score and Ten' (trad).

The Crusaders personnel included:
Jimmy Page
Albert Lee
Mick Abrahams
Ritchie Blackmore

Born in London, Neil (real name Christopher Tidmarsh) moved to Basildon , Essex where he started his first band. Over the years his backing group included Jimmy Page, Albert Lee. Mick Abrahams and Ritchie Blackmore, all of whom went on to greater fame than Christian himself ever achieved.
He recorded on Columbia from 1962 to 1964 with no success and only struck lucky on Strike – a new label with ex 'Hedgehoppers Anonymous' singer Mick Dallon at the helm. He also had some success in Germany, but after 1966 he had no luck in the UK.

Lou was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Glen Willard, Pennsylvania in 1943. He co-wrote his first American hit “The Gypsy Cried” when he was 19, but what was unusual was his writing partner was classically trained pianist Twyla Herbert who was Lou’s senior by 22 years. Whatever the age gap, the partnership worked well scoring a further American hit with “Two Faces Have I” and then there was a three year gap between hits then “Lightning Strikes” hit # 1 in the USA and gave him his chart debut in Britain. His UK follow up “Rhapsody In The Rain” suffered from lack of airplay (and accusations of being sexually explicit) and stopped short of the top 30, but Lou continued making good music and almost made the top spot in 1969 but was denied by Bobbie Gentry and “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”. Still a popular live act, his web page shows he still has bookings coming in.

Joe Strummer - vocals, guitar
Mick Jones - vocals, guitar
Paul Simonon - bass, vocals
Nicky 'Topper' Headon - drums

The Clash's van outside The Kinema Ballroom (from the film 'Rude Boy') and a ticket for the same night (Thursday 6th July 1978) when violence would erupt. They were supported by US outfit, Suicide and 'The Coventry Automatics' who later became 'The Special AKA' / 'The Specials' and all for £2!

Mick Jones' band 'London S.S.' evolved into The Clash in the spring of 1976 with Paul Simonon, Keith Levene, Terry Chimes & Joe Strummer of the 101'ers, then Keith and Terry promptly left leaving only Mick, Joe and Paul.

They released their first two singles 'White Riot' and 'Complete Control', released their first album 'The Clash' and recruited Nicky "Topper" Headon all in 1977. The album just missed a top ten UK chart position at No 12 though the next two, 'Give 'Em enough Rope' (1978) and 'London Calling' (1979) managed Nos 2 & 9 respectively. 'Rolling Stone' magazine voted the latter 'The Best Album Of The 80's'. Meanwhile their singles sold respectably, though avoiding the magic top ten, however the title track of 'London Calling' came tantalisingly close at No 11.

'Sandinista!' (1980), a triple album, stalled at No 19 and shortly afterwards Headon's drug habits contributed to his exit. He was replaced by the returning Terry Chimes for a short while only to be replaced by Pete Howard in 1982. Their next album 'Combat Rock' (1982) came close to a No1 and this would be the last album before Mick Jones left the band in an acrimonious split in September 1983. Jones went on to form 'Big Audio Dynamite' with some success. Meanwhile in January 1984 guitarists Vince White and Nick Sheppard were brought in and a last 'proper ' album followed in 1985 - 'Cut The Crap' with a good chart position at No 16.

The band split in November 1985 and shortly afterward Strummer would work with BAD.

The Clash were perhaps unusual in their exploration of juxtaposed styles though the public would never see past the 'Punks' label. In 1995 Jones & Strummer tuned down $7 million to regroup for Lollapalooza (an American music festival).

They played the ballroom twice. Once on Monday 24th October 1977 as part of ‘Get Out Of Control’ tour (Tickets £1.75)(supported by 'Richard Hell & The Voidoids', 'The Skids' & 'The Lous') and on Thursday 6th July 1978 on the ‘On Parole Tour’ (Tickets £2.00) supported by 'Suicide'. The latter date followed the only other Scottish dates, The Apollo, Glasgow and The Music Hall, Aberdeen the two nights before.

The Kinema gig ended prematurely in a well-documented brawl when the stage was invaded. The episode was caught on camera and a clip appears in the film 'Rude Boy' (available on DVD - though the band disowned it) while the band tries to play 'White Riot'. Some footage was also broadcast on Scottish Television (STV) the next day. It seems tensions ran high throughout the gig as Clash fans and Sham 69 fans sorted out their differences! It came to a head with a near riotous stage invasion and so the band fled and the Dunfermline Police took control.

"The gig was definitely played on Thursday, 6th July 1978. Suicide were the support band (and boy did they get it that night, almost got murdered) and the crowd were among the most violent ever witnessed in my long career of gigs throughout the years".

"This was due to a large part of the crowd being the "Sham Army" who were out to kick in as many Clash fans as they could. So by the time the Clash took to the stage, fights were breaking out all over the place, and the bouncers had pissed off out of the road as they couldn't control it".

"The Clash were continually interrupted trying to stop the fighting, but eventually just played through the bedlam as there was nothing much they could do".

"As the concert came to it's climax "White Riot" the whole place seemed to go absolutely mental as the crowd, at first one or two getting up on the stage and trying to sing with Strummer, then eventually the rest stormed it, Strummer disappearing under a mass of bodies, the band stopped playing, Simonon swinging his bass at anything near him, Topper buggered off through the backdrop and if I remember rightly Jonesy just walking off the side looking more than a bit peeved".

"Needless to say they didn't appear again as the house lights went up, the local Fife Police came in, and it became a free for all".

"During the set me and my two friends had stood up on the seats at the side of the dance hall where we had a great view. Two guys, one with a huge camera on his shoulder and another carrying some kind of case attached to it, asked to come up beside us to film the band. Me and one of my mates held this big case up so the cameraman could manoeuvre better and I asked the other one what it was for".

"He replied it was for a documentary on the band. Yes, It was "Rude Boy"! After a while a couple of bouncers came up to us (doing nothing but helping out by the way while half the bloody crowd were murdering each other) and told us to get down off the seats. For crying out loud, the place had been trashed!!!!!!!!! Anyway, we all had to get down, the two guys thanked us and moved closer to the stage".

"I noticed the film is out now on DVD, and one of the extras is "White Riot". I remember after the show (probably within a week) the local TV showed a clip of the end of the gig when the crowd all started invading the stage but this was not on the original film or video".

Note also that the 'Rude Boy' film also has some interesting footage of the roadies dismantling the drum kit on the Kinema stage and of the Western approach to Dunfermline from the Crossford road where anoraks like me will spot continuity errors through the window as the van must have been driven both in & out of the town as they filmed! (the Urquhart flats can be seen through both the nearside & offside windows).

Climax Chicago
(AKA 'The Climax Chicago Blues Band' / 'The Climax Blues Band')

Personnel who probably played the ballroom:
Peter Haycock - lead guitar
Derek Holt - guitar then bass
Arthur Wood - keyboards
Colin Cooper Saxophone
John Cuffley - drums

Also:
Richard Jones - bass then keyboards
George Newsome - drums
Roy Adams - drums
Neil Simpson - bass
Lester Hunt - lead guitar
George Glover - keyboards

In late 1968, the Climax Chicago Blues Band was formed and comprised of guitarists Derek Holt and Peter Haycock, keyboardist Arthur Wood, bassist Richard Jones and drummer George Newsome. Colin Cooper on Sax made up the sextet. The Stafford, England-based Climax Chicago Blues Band was one of the leading lights of the late-1960s blues boom. The group debuted in 1969 with a self titled album reminiscent of the work of John Mayall.

Prior to the release of Plays On in 1969, Richard Jones left the group, prompting Derek Holt to move to bass. In 1970 the Climax Chicago Blues Band moved to the Harvest label, at the same time shifting towards a more rock-oriented sound which was made evident on the LP "A Lot of Bottle". They had decided -- in the wake of the blues' receding popularity -- to change the band's name and sound to reflect a simpler, more rock-oriented approach.

Their original formula of 12-bar blues took on freer creative aspects, featuring Peter Haycock's lead guitar and Colin Cooper's Sax. Around the release of 1971's Tightly Knit, George Newsome was replaced by drummer John Cuffley. Upon Arthur Wood's exit in the wake of 1972's "Rich Man", the unit decided to continue on as a quartet, also dropping "Chicago" from their name to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name.

In 1974 the Climax Blues Band issued FM Live, a live mix from a New York radio concert. 1975's "Stamp Album" not only heralded the return of Richard Jones (on keyboards), but also was their commercial break through, and in 1976, "Gold Plated" fared even better, spurred on by the success of the hit single "Couldn't Get It Right." That change of direction way back in 1970 finally hit the jackpot with the funky R&B number "Couldn't Get It Right," a song that reached the top 10 in the U.K. and the top five in the U.S.

Quite suddenly, over the course of these two albums, the Climax Blues Band had climbed to the top of the FM rock radio pile. It was the perfect summer road song. Easy to sing along to, the tune pushed all the right buttons of pop music's restless souls. For a brief span, the song had hit a major chord, and the Stafford band saw their career skyrocket.

In the early to mid-80's the rise of punk effectively stopped the group in their tracks, although they continued recording prolifically well into the 1980s. Eventually, The original members went their separate ways, but Colin Cooper decided to carry on with the name and is still gigging under the name "The Climax Blues Band".

The current line-up (Roy Adams on Drums, Neil Simpson on Bass, Lester Hunt on Lead Guitar, second longest serving band member George Glover on Keyboards - and of course Colin on Saxes, Harmonica and sometimes rhythm guitar) are considered by many to be one of the best ever British blues bands. Fair play to Colin for not only carrying the name on, but particularly for keeping the music alive! - (John Farrell)

They played the ballroom on Sunday 9th May 1971 supported by 'Hawkwind'! ... and local residents 'The Change'.

Ian Ellis - guitar, bass, vocals
Billy Ritchie - keyboards, guitar, bass, vocals
Harry Hughes - drums

Edinburgh band, 'The Clouds' were originally called '1-2-3' before being renamed by their manager, Terry Ellis in 1968. Their material leant towards the progressive & they toured with 'Jethro Tull' & 'Free'. They released two singles ('Make No Bones About It' / 'Heritage' & 'Scrapbook' / 'The Carpenter') and an album ('Scrapbook') in 1969. Later in 1971 they released a second album 'Watercolour Days'. They split shortly thereafter in late 1971 having played their last gig in the October. Ellis joined 'Steamhammer' then 'Savoy Brown' and Hughes joined 'Mahatma Kane Jeeves'.

Info from: The Tapestry Of Delights Revisited by Vernon Joynson & The Great Scots Musicography by Martin C Strong.

Gordeanna McCulloch - vocals
Erlend Voy
Ronnie Alexander
John Eaglesham
Callum Allan - fiddle
Jimmy Anderson - pipes
Tom Johnstone - pipes

Glasgow-based ensemble, 'The Clutha' formed in 1964 by three librarians from the Mitchell Library in Glasgow plus one of their former colleagues. By 1965 they had added fiddler Callum Allan and singer Gordeanna McCulloch. With this line-up they performed for at least ten years, winning the Peter Cooke Cup for Scots ceilidh bands three years in a row (1971-73). The band added piper Jimmy Anderson shortly after recording their Scots Ballads... LP. Since 1977 their piper has been Tom Johnstone. The band still perform and record occasionally.

Their albums include the following titles: Scotia!, The Streets of Glasgow, Scots Ballads Songs & Dance Tunes, Bonnie Mill Dams & On the Braes.

Mick Grabham – guitars, keyboards, vocals
BJ Cole – pedal steel guitar, ddobro, cello
Ricky Wills – bass, percussion, vocals
Stewart Brown – lead vocal, guitar
John Gilbert – lead vocals
John Wilson – drums, percussion vocals
Roy Otemro – drums, percussion

'Billy Collis & His Band' reopened the Ballroom on Wednesday 30th July 1941 after a nineteen-month period of closure and continued as the resident band for fifteen months until Saturday 7th November 1942 when their name changed to 'Billy Collis’ Swingsters'. Their residency continued for a further six months until Friday 16th April 1943.

“Delighted Dancers Throng it Nightly, the Reason You Can Understand is Billy Collis & His Band”

“Dancing Brightly, Nightly To Billy Collis’ Swingsters”

Colosseum was formed by Jon Hiseman and Dick Heckstall-Smith who had both been in the Graham Bond Organisation, Hiseman replacing Ginger Baker, and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Formed in 1968 and signed to the Fontana label, Colosseum fused jazz, blues and rock. The debut album Those Who Are About To Die Salute You even reached 15 in the UK charts. The band was less successful in the singles market. At the time, the record industry was moving away from singles to albums and Walking in the Park, a Graham Bond composition, was Colosseum's only release in the format.

A move to Vertigo was followed by the release of 'Valentyne Suite'. This included the 16-minute title track and the album is widely seen as Colosseum's best. 'Valentyne Suite' was the first release on the new Vertigo record label which became known for its progressive rock. After the first two albums, James Litherland and Tony Reeves left to be replaced by Dave "Clem" Clempson who was previously in Bakerloo and Mark Clarke. R&B vocalist Chris Farlowe also became a member of the band prior to the 'Daughter of Time' album. Farlowe had previously been in the 'Thunderbirds' with Dave Greenslade.

Colosseum now developed more of a rock approach with 'Daughter of Time' and the launch of 'Colosseum Live'. The band had established an excellent live reputation very quickly and had appeared in the film 'Supersession'.

The band split after the release of the live album. Dave Greenslade reunited with Tony Reeves in Greenslade with Clem Clempson replacing Peter Frampton in Humble Pie. Jon Hiseman and Mark Clarke formed Tempest while Dick Heckstall-Smith formed a series of bands, often including the likes of Clempson and Hiseman in his recordings. Jon Hiseman formed Colosseum II in 1975 but this was not very successful despite the inclusion of Gary Moore on guitar. There was a reunion of Colosseum in 1997 with Farlowe on vocals.

Often considered to be the best slow air player on the tin whistle, Festy Conlon is a noted musician from An Spide/al [Spiddal] in the Connemara Gaeltacht who derives many of his airs from his mother's songs. His mother was a fine singer who contributed a number of songs to the collection 'Amhra/in Mhuighe Seola'. Festy can be heard on the Topic LPs 'Breeze from Erin' and 'Grand Airs from Connemara' and on 'Totally Traditional Tin Whistles'.

Perhaps best known world-wide for his comic monologues, Billy Connolly is a truly multi-talented entertainer. He is a stage, film and television actor, a playwright, a folk musician, an after dinner speaker and a talk show host's dream and nightmare at the same time.

William 'Billy' Connolly, CBE, D.Litt (AKA 'The Big Yin') was born on the kitchen floor of 65 Dover Street (a Glasgow tenement) on 24th November 1942. Pressures of war separated his parents and both Billy and his little sister (Flo) were brought up by his father's sisters who were none too pleased about the prospect. Leaving school at 15 he had a few pocket-money jobs until old enough to work in the Clyde shipyards in 1960 when he began a five-year welding apprenticeship. He then joined the Parachute regiment of the Territorial Army, completing 17 jumps before returning to finish his apprenticeship and leaving for Biafra in Nigeria to work on the construction of an oil rig for a short time before returning home to Glasgow.

He was inspired to buy and play a banjo while watching the hit comedy TV show 'The Beverly Hillbillies' and soon played with a number of folk outfits including 'The Skillet Lickers' and 'The Humblebums'. Their musical performances were tied together with Connolly's natural penchant for comedy between songs and a solid following resulted in them enjoying the excesses that can come with touring. The mix of comedy and music eventually became somewhat unbalanced and Gerry Rafferty and Billy 'had-words' resulting in the band's demise in 1971. Billy decided to stay on in London and began work on developing his, by now highly popular, style of observational humour.

It was at this very early time in his career that he made his first solo appearance at the ballroom on Tuesday 23rd March 1971, in support of The Humblebums. There would be seven others until the last on Wednesday 29th May 1974. His first appearance on vinyl came with the double album 'Solo Concert' which reached No 8 in the UK chart. He followed this in 1975 with three more albums, two of which would also see the top ten and a No 1 UK single 'D.I.V.O.R.C.E.' (a spoof of the country hit by Tammy Wynette). By now he was hugely popular for his unique observations of life in Glasgow and well-known for the coarse, irreverent manner of telling the tales laced with extremely strong language.

His first play, 'An' Me Wi' A Bad Leg Tae' (written in 1977) was not a success however and in 1979 Connolly made his film debut in 'Absolution' also starring Richard Burton. He found superstardom difficult to handle and soon he had an alcohol problem together with issues of privacy, especially with regards to his acrimonious divorce/custody battle with his first wife. To complicate matters further his girlfriend (Pamela Stephenson whom he met while guesting on the hit TV comedy show 'Not The Nine O'clock News') was pregnant. He was divorced in 1985 and received custody of his two children.

Billy and Pamela were married in 1989 amidst a run of work in America including the American sitcom 'Head of the Class' and its successor 'Billy'. The Connollys settled in America and frequent stand-up comedy tours sat side by side with his regular TV & film work such as his highly popular BAFTA award winning TV series ('World Tour Of Scotland / World Tour Of Australia) and the critically acclaimed film 'Mrs.Brown'. They also have a home in the highlands of Scotland.

Mae McKenna - vocals, violin, viola, piano
Peter Cairney - guitar
John Martin - fiddle
George Jackson - mandolin, accordion, guitar, fiddle, banjo
Billy Jackson - bass guitar, cello, double bass, vocal
Alec Baird - drums

Scots/Irish Folk/Prog Rockers Contraband played a mixture of traditional tunes, dramatic folk-rock arrangements of classical ballads and contemporary tunes.

They signed with Transatlantic in 1973 and released their eponymous debut album 'Contraband' in May 1974.

Disbanding in 1975, Billy Jackson, John Martin & George Jackson would go on to form 'Ossian' while Mae pursued a solo career. Alex Baird joined 'The Jags' and played on the 1979 album 'Back of My Hand' (from which came the UK #17 hit of the same name) in 1979 - i.e. "I've got your number written on the back of my hand".

Derek Arnold - bass
John Cope - drums
Bob Daffurn - rhythm guitar
Mike Hopkins - lead guitar
Denny Ryan - lead vocal

John Stewart - guitar, vocals
Iain Lyon - lead guitar
Bill Cameron - bass
Rob Lawson - drums
Alistair Ewan

Alex Slater - keyboards
Lawrie Higgins - bass

Leading members of two rival skiffle groups, 'The Saints' and 'The Sinners' amalgamated into a new project called 'The Cimmarons' in December 1962 in Buckie, Scotland. They would later become 'Johnny & The Copycats', then simply 'The Copycats' and by 1963 Alistair Ewan had left. They played mostly accessible Chuck Berry and Shadows covers and quickly came to the notice of one Albert Bonici who was the leading pop promoter in the north of Scotland at that time. They won the Scottish heat of a national beat contest in November 1963 and were placed second at the UK final because they were too young to sign the winner's prize of a recording contract.

Albert, who was a very shrewd businessman, became their manager and publicist and arranged for their first single to be released through his own label 'Norco' (Scotland's first indie label!) in 1964. 'I'm A Hog For You Baby' was a cover of a 'Coasters' song while the B side 'I Can Never See You' was written by Ian Lyon and 1000 copies were sold. They toured the UK extensively and supported many acts such as The Hollies, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates (and The Beatles at Longmore Hall in Keith). Like many others they eventually ventured into Germany and toured for nine months a year for four years, cutting several records while there.

Securing a deal with Parlophone brought about a mandatory name change and Albert suggested 'My Dear Watson' (which was pretty unpopular with the band especially when he dressed them in Victorian garb for publicity shots). Their single 'Elusive Face' / 'The Shame Just Drained' (1968) faired better. The A side was written by Stewart while the B side was co-composed by George Young who also co-produced the Single. (George was the elder brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC)

'My Dear Watson' stayed in London for a while to work and often 'hung-out' with Jimi Hendrix and Noel Reading. By this time Stewart was a married man and their enforced geographical separation was taking its toll and so he left the band to save their marriage to be replaced by Alex Ziggy Slater. The band moved to DJM and recorded an album's worth of material with another DJM artist called Reginald Dwight though it was never released. Their last single, 'Have You Seen Your Saviour' / 'White Line Road' (1970) also suffered from lack of promotion as it seems DJM's energies were fully behind the young piano player Reginald Dwight - by this time known as Elton John.

'The Copycats'/'My Dear Watson' would reform for one-off gigs occasionally, notably on their 30th anniversary they played at a celebration gig held in their honour in the Town Hall Elgin in 1992.

Singles:
The Copycats
'I'm a Hog for You' / 'I can Never see You' (1964)
'Angela' / 'I'll Never Regret You'
'Start Thinking About Me'/ 'The Pain of Love

My Dear Watson
'Elusive Face' / 'The Shame Just Drained' (1968)
'Have You Seen Your Saviour' / 'White Line Road' (1970)

Info mostly from 'Fit Like, New York?' by Peter Innes.

Throughout much of the sixties & seventies ‘The Corries’ were probably amongst the most prolific of Scottish folk recording artists & were certainly amongst the most popular live acts, filling every town hall in the country, sending the delighted crowds home singing & laughing.

'The Corrie Voices' were formed by Bill Smith and Ron Cruikshank after a song collecting trip to Ireland and were joined by Andy Turner on banjo. They frequently played in The Waverley Bar, in St Mary's Street Edinburgh when Ronnie & Roy were students at The Edinburgh College Of Art. They re-emerged as ‘The Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell’ comprising Roy, Bill, Ron & Paddie. When Ron contracted Glandular fever he left a vacancy which Ronnie filled. In this configuration they recorded albums in 1964 and 1965 called 'The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell' and 'The Promise of The Day' then later that same year Paddie left the group to become a mother, but she continued recording as a solo artist. (Sadly Paddie died on the 3rd of August 2005 after a series of strokes. She was 74.)

In 1966 Bill Smith also left, leaving the duo of Roy & Ronnie to rebadge as simply ‘The Corries’.

In addition to his all too obvious songwriting, vocal & multi-instrumentalist talents, Roy Williamson was also a highly skilled instrument designer & maker probably best known for the beautiful, haunting Combolins (a unique pair of complementary stringed instruments, combining elements of guitar, mandolin and sympathetic drone strings) which were specifically designed & built by Roy for each of them. These were used in a couple of songs on every performance as they toured the length & breath of the country and abroad.

Instruments played included: Guitars, Mandolins, Bodhrans, Banjo, Flutes, Whistles, Harmonica, Concertina, Northumbrian Pipes, Bandurria, Combolins, 28 String Guitar, Psaltry, English Guitars, Fiddle and probably some others!

Roy’s place in history may well be sealed if, as rumoured, his song ‘Flower Of Scotland’ was ever to become the official national anthem of Scotland as many have already unofficially adopted it as such. The Corries appeared many times on television and radio and were very effectively marketed with a flood of recorded work both from the studio & the live circuit where their wit & charm with the audience of all conceivable ages completed a most entertaining package. In 1970 they played at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and in 1983 they were awarded an International Film and Television Festival gold award for their television series, ‘The Corries & Other Folk’ screened on Scottish Television.

Their twenty-eight year collaboration ended in 1990 with Roy’s premature death from a brain tumour. Roy was 54. Ronnie Browne continued to perform and record solo for some years but has been plagued with throat infections and has since retired.

The Corries played the ballroom seven times between 1967 & 1970 including a BBC recording of 'The Corrie Folk' on Wednesday 5th February 1969.

Elvis Costello - guitar, voice
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums

Born Declan McManus on 25th August 1955 in Liverpool, Declan's father was a jazz bandleader. In 1974 he moved to London to front a country-rock band called 'Flip City' and was eventually signed to 'Stiff Records', changing his name to Elvis Costello. His first album 'My Aim Is True' was only 24 hours in recording though is often hailed as one of the best debut albums in rock. His recording contract with CBS resulted from a busking session outside a business convention where he was arrested.

Follow-up singles and albums were recorded with his new backing band 'The Attractions' with which he would continue to record and perform for more than twenty years, off & on. He has recorded under the pseudonym 'The Impostor' and collaborated with various degrees of success with: Nick Lowe, Paul McCartney, Roger McGuinn, Chrissie Hynd, Chet Baker, George Jones & Burt Bacharach.

When they played the ballroom on Sunday 23rd March 1980 the ticket price was a mere £3!

They were from Edinburgh and they got together after meeting in a folk club. They subsequently did a TV commercial for Carling Black Label in Canada, and recorded one album. Alistair Watson left the Scottish music scene in 1980 and emigrated to Western Australia. More recently he became ill with cancer and died in 2001. He had visited Scotland earlier that year.

The Cotters' main stamping ground was Royal Terrace, aka Edinburgh's Amber Mile, where they sang every Fri, Sat and Sun nights in The Arkaig and Lochewe Hotels in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A buzzin' 3 night stint with the hotels' rooms packed to bursting generally.

Wayne County – vocals
Greg Van Cook – guitar
Van Haller - bass
J.J. Johnson - drums

Georgia-born Wayne County first appeared in the New York club scene in the early 1970s though with little success. After moving to England he formed a band called ‘Queen Elisabeth’. Returning to New York, he recorded the theme song for the legendary venue ‘Max's Kansas City’. In 1976 ‘Wayne County & The Backstreet Boys’ recorded an unreleased album before moving back to England once more.

Wayne then formed ‘Wayne County & The Electric Chairs’, signing to Safari and gaining a reputation for basic punk rock with foul-mouthed lyrics designed for maximum shock. He appeared in Derek Jarman’s film ‘Jubilee’ (1977).

Greg Van Cook left the band after the first album (‘The Electric Chairs’ - 1978) to be replaced by Henri Padovan. Jools Holland also joined for a short time on keyboards. Follow-up recordings included: ‘Blatantly Offensive’ (EP) (1978), ‘Storm the Gates of Heaven’ (1978) & ‘Things Your Mother Never Told You’ (1979).

In March 1978 Wayne County and The Electric Chairs recorded ‘Evil Minded Mama’, a duet with Levi Dexter of Levi & The Rockats with whom they appeared at the ballroom on tour on Thursday 23rd March 1978.

By 1980 Wayne decided to resolve his sexual anomalies and undertook a number of surgical procedures. ‘Jayne County’ took his place with a new line-up of Jayne County - vocals, Eliot Michaels guitar, Peter Jordan - bass and Sammy Minelli - drums.

‘The Best of Jayne/Wayne County and the Electric Chairs’ was released in 1982.

Scottish gospel group from Kilsyth who supported Cliff Richard in a 1000 strong sell-out concert at the ballroom on Sunday afternoon February 4th 1973.

Although Tina Cousins has had UK chart successes as a solo artist, her major achievements have been with collaborations with German DJ Sash! - 1998’s ‘Mysterious Times’ (No 2) / 2000’s ‘Just Around The Hill’ (No 8) and with Steps, Cleopatra, B*Witched & Billie - 1999’s ‘Thank Abba For The Music’ (No 4), while her first album ‘Killing Time’ has peaked at No 50 in the UK.

Tina performs at nightclubs throughout the world and has performed at the Brit Awards in a silver cat suit held tight with bulldog clips!

Jerry Dammers - keyboards
Horace Panter - bass
Lynval Golding - guitar
Silverton Hutchison - drums
Tim Strickland- vocals

The beginnings of what was to become The Specials as we know them, came about when Jerry Dammers(keys), Horace Panter(bass), Lynval Golding (guitar), Silverton Hutchison (drums) and Tim Strickland (vocals) formed Coventry band 'The Automatics' in 1977. The band hit the Coventry circuit, playing a unique mixture of punk and reggae to local punters, even securing a residency at Coventry's 'Mr. Georges' club.

After a while, vocalist Tim was replaced by former Squad front man Terry Hall, and soon after Jerry also recruited an old acquaintance, Roddy Byers, lead guitarist from 'The Wild Boys'. In fact, Roddy's introduction was just in time to join the rest of the band in Berwick Street Studios, London, under the auspices of Coventry DJ Pete Waterman.

Jerry circulated the tape to the record companies, but they showed little interest. A tape was also sent to John Peel at Radio One, and although overlooked at the time, this tape was rediscovered in 1993 and released as 'Dawning of a New Era, The Coventry Automatics AKA The Specials'.

Jerry persuaded fellow Coventry kid, and more importantly, Clash roadie Steve Connolly to introduce him to their manager Bernie Rhodes. The ensuing conversations resulted in the lads being given the support slot on the Clash's 'On Parole' tour in June/July 1978. Originally booked for just the first couple of shows, they got the whole tour thanks to Joe Strummer's interest in the band, and Jerry's persistence.

By this point the band had changed their name to 'The Coventry Automatics' due to the fact that another 'Automatics' were already doing the rounds, and they again changed it to 'The Special AKA The Coventry Automatics'. It was finally shortened for claritys sake to 'The Special AKA'.

American support act 'Suicide' were well received by the Clash's crowd, but the reggae influenced brand of punk that the Special AKA played didn't fare so well, getting them spat at and pelted with cans by many of the drunken punk audiences. One positive outcome of the tour was the addition of former roadie Neville Staple to the line up. Having often heard him toasting over songs at sound check, the band invited him to join them full time on vocals and percussion.

After the experience of the Clash tour, Bernie Rhodes put the band into rehearsals for six months at his dive on the Chalk Farm Road in London. That time in the rat infested warehouse was a real low point in the young bands career, seven of them sleeping in one room, but eventually lead to Mr. Rhodes deciding that they needed some more experience, and he sent them off to France.

On their return to Coventry, the band locked down to some serious rehearsals in the back room of a pub, and started to experiment mixing some ska elements into their sound. Drummer Silverton was increasingly absent from rehearsals, both disinterested in the bands new direction and more importantly looking for a paying job to keep his family fed.

Bernie Rhodes was back on the scene, this time advising the band to think about an image to go with their sound. Jerry, influenced by Paul Simenon of the Clash's off stage look, drew from the looks of the West Indian rude boys and the mods, and settled on what was to become the definitive ska look.

Eddie Cox was described as England's most versatile bandleader. He performed with with Roy Dexter & Jean Inglis.

Ian Crawford - vocals
Ces Mosley - lead guitar
Albie Sayers - bass
Ray Arnfield (AKA Ray Masters) - rhythm guitar
Bernie Byrnes - drums

Ces Mosley, Alby Sayers, Ray Arnfield & Bernie Byrnes had been, until October 1962 with Johnny Peters, as 'The Crestas'.

Ian Crawford had emigrated to Australia as a 15 year old, got into the music business, had a couple of hits over there, been on a few Aussie TV shows and returned to Britain to further his career. The Crestas had been so impressed by Ian Crawford’s scrapbook that they left Johnny Peters and became Ian's backing group.

Their career together commenced with four weeks at the Savoy Club in Hannover, Germany, which grew into several more until they could finance the return trip in February 1963. They released two UK singles: ‘Rockin Robin’ / ‘Don't Let Her Be Your Baby’ (1964) & ‘Another Tear Falls’ / ‘Fun Fun Fun’ (1965) and ‘Venus in Blue Jeans’ in Germany.

Note: "The Crestas that played the ballroom in 1963 couldn't have been this lot then!" - Ghoulz.

Sheffielder Jimmy Crawford (real name Ron Lyndsey) was born in 1937 and formed his first band, ‘Ron Lindsay and the Coasters’ with bass player Art Jacobs and guitarist Frank White. He was the blonde contemporary of Dave Berry and Joe Cocker and had represented Sheffield as a champion competitive swimmer after conquering a childhood fear of water during his time in the British Army.

He released a handful of singles as a solo artist with two chart successes: ‘Love Or Money’ in June 1961 (No 49 UK) and ‘I Love How You Love Me’ in the following November (No 18 UK). Also ‘I Shoulda Listened to Mama’ was released in May 1962, all for the Colombia label.

He then formed ‘Jimmy Crawford and the Ravens’ and performed at the ballroom on Wednesday 5th December 1962 supported by 'The Red Hawks'. His next venture was with ‘Jimmy Crawford and the Messengers’ with he formed in early 1963. This too was to be short-lived as they split in September of the same year. Jimmy then took up with Jim Ryder to form ‘Jimmy Crawford with the Chantelles’ and other groupings over the years included ‘The Jimmy Crawford Four’ and ‘The Jimmy Crawford Blend’.

In 1977 he went to Australia for a six month tour with Big Jim Ryder on guitar, Gary Lawson on keyboards and Barry Page on drums. Sadly, Gary died around 2002 in Blackpool aged only 39 and Big Jim died in February 05 aged 65. Jimmy and his wife, Maureen, were involved in a serious car accident in March 2005 but have recovered well and he is expected to return to performing.

Ginger Baker - drums, vocals
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Jack Bruce - bass, vocals

Seminal super-blues power trio of incalculable influence, held in such affection that their brief reformation in May of 2005 would fill The Royal Albert Hall on four nights, some thirty seven years after they split.

You may well ask, "Why bother writing yet another biography of a band who are already so well known?".

Well, they are as much a part of the collective modern musical experience in the western world as 'The Beatles' or 'The Stones' and many would argue, just as important, though this is true only for those of us of a 'certain' age. Also their product was perhaps not as accessible to the general public as some of their more 'pop' contemporaries and has permeated down through less visible channels. As a result their name is not so well known amongst the young. These then are my excuses, such as they are!

The well-publicised friction between Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker (during their membership of The Graham Bond Organisation) came to a head when Baker pulled a knife on Bruce and Bruce left the band. They were not apart for long though because when Baker approached Clapton with the idea of forming a 'Supergroup', Clapton liked the idea but determined that a prerequisite of his involvement would be that Bruce play bass! So keen was Baker that he swallowed his pride and asked Bruce to join personally and history was made.

They truly were the cream of the musician body at the time. Jack and Ginger had a more jazz influenced background and it was largely within that sphere that they were known, while Eric had morphed from the pure blues of John Mayall into the realm of pop with the Yardbirds. He had been more widely exposed and been declared 'God' by some of his disciples. The threesome had wandered in the wilderness of the jazz/blues underground for long enough and now wanted the recognition they so richly deserved.

Their first forays on to vinyl were a bit of a shock for the faithful as they were a very much a watered-down sanitised version of their expectations. However, Cream were never too comfortable in the studio, much preferring the live experience as over 300 shows in less than 30 months testifies. Their early shows were relatively short as the repertoire was limited and at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor England on 31st July 1966 they realised that the more they stretched out the improvisational elements of the song's structure, the more rapturous was the applause.

It was in this improvisational jamming that they found their essential 'stamp'. Something to brand the product and at the same time, showcase their virtuosity, loose their competitive streaks, massage their egos and exercise the individual jazz based talent they had worked hard to acquire. In doing so, each one pushed the others harder and further than could any of their colleagues hitherto and the extreme nature of their style grew.

Their appearance at The Kinema Ballroom Dunfermline on Sunday 9th July 1967 was sandwiched between the New York recording sessions for 'Disraeli Gears' in May and the album's release in November. So even without the benefit of a set list, it can be reasonably guessed that tracks from the album would feature prominently, together with previous work from the first album 'Fresh Cream'. Incidentally, 'Disraeli Gears' contains 'Tales of Brave Ulysses' (the 'b' side of the 'Strange Brew' single) which features the first recorded use of the wah-wah pedal.

Their influence was immediate, massive and irreversible to musicians and audiences alike, worldwide. They continued to tour extensively, especially in the states and one could determine an underlying respect, even from the most disparaging of critics, some of whom just didn't 'get it'. Eventually the shine wore off for the trio and the punishing grind of constant touring began to cause painful cracks to re-emerge. By late 1968 they were arriving at the gigs in separate cars from separate hotels and it was beginning to look as though they had taken the format to its extreme limit. It had all been too intense. They packed a normal band's lifetime career into a couple of years and the very fiery competitiveness that fuelled the machine ultimately consumed them all, leaving an immeasurable legacy that still stuns today and can be heard in the subsequent careers of so many, including Led Zeppelin.

They played the final two 'Farewell' shows at The Royal Albert Hall on 26th November 1968 and returned thirty seven years later in May 2005 for the reunion shows.

This web site (KinemaGigz) came about as a spin-off from research I undertook to find Cream's Scottish performance dates.

Cream played at The Kinema Ballroom Dunfermline on Sunday 9th July 1967 (supported by The Shadettes) as part of their, now legendary, 'Lost Scottish Tour' & I have been able to track down and prove some of the venues and dates through a considerable number of phone calls, emails & letters over a number of months. Full story here.

Kenny Pickett - vocals
Eddie Phillips - lead guitar
Bob Garner - bass guitar
Jack Jones - drums

Their second hit from 1966 'Painter Man' was covered by 'Boney M' and peaked at No 10 in 1979.

Incidentally, 'The Creation' (in their earlier guise as 'The Mark Four' have sometimes been confused with 'The Mark V' form Scotland. In fact both sides of 'The Mark V's single 'Baby What's Wrong/'Tango' were mistakenly included on a compilation album ‘The Mark Four' / 'The Creation' (Eva 12005).

Johnnie Casson - drums
Malcolm Clarke - guitar, vocals
John Harding - bass
Richard Harding - lead guitar

'The Crestas' were also sometimes known as 'The Cresters' and should not be confused with 'Johnny Peters & The Crestas' who became 'Ian Crawford & The Boomerangs'.

These 'Crestas' were a beat group from Bramley in Yorkshire, who once shared a bill with The Beatles and on another occasion with The Rolling Stones! They released two 7" singles in 1964 ('I Just Don't Understand' & 'Do It With Me') and another in 1965 ('To Be Loved').

The Crofters were a folk trio based in the Aberdeen area. They released an eponymous album in 1969 'The Crofters' on Beltona Sword Records. They played at the ballroom on Tuesday 13th March 1973 with 'Causeway Folk'.

Sandra Cross began singing in the Pentecostal Church and by the age of nine was the choir leader. Her first recording was made in 1979 at the age of fourteen as 'Love & Unity'. "I Adore You" was a number one on the UK reggae chart for four consecutive weeks and three more top five hits followed before they split.

Sandra then joined the short-lived 'The Wild Bunch', releasing only one album in 1984 and touring Europe extensively.

Returning to her solo career in 1985 and a familiar chart position, 'Country Living' sat atop the UK reggae chart for 10 weeks in 1985 as did 'You're Lying' for another four. She won the 'Best Female Singer' category at the British Reggae Awards six times from 1985 to 1991 and appeared at the ballroom on Saturday 26th April 1986 in support of Steve Carlton.

The legendary Scottish dance band leader played the ballroom on Monday 6th January 1975 as a guest of The Dunfermline & District Accordion & Fiddle Club and again with 'His Broadcasting Band' on Tuesday 1st April 1980.

The Currie Brothers are a popular vocal and multi-instrumental group based in Milngavie, Glasgow, Scotland. All three brothers have long been regarded as accordionists 'par excellence' and accomplished on other instruments, being individual Scottish champions and collectively winners of a Scotstar Award for 'Best Ensemble'. They have performed for HM The Queen and played on several major TV & Radio stations. Their range of music includes Scottish, Irish, Folk, 60's-90's Pop, Country, Bluegrass, Rock & Roll etc. Instrumentation includes Keyboards, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Banjos, Clarinet, Fiddle etc....and of course, the Accordion.