Bulls Head Bob Dec 2024. Fender Stratocaster. Bev Bevan at 80. New Book, Flowers in the Rain - The Move. Mrs Bobs Xmas Gift.

Happy Christmas you Brummies, you lovely Brummies Abroad, and 60's music lovers across the world.

Its here again!  I've been dusting off my vinyl Christmas LPs, I like to play them at Christmas as it takes me back to better days of family values before the word Digital was ever used.

Bing Crosby " White Christmas" is always the first LP on the turntable as we sit down with a glass of Sherry to open our gifts, Oohing and Ahhing as Bing does his Thing.  Pure emotion.

We are again full of the Christmas spirit here in the Bob Household and have checked our Christmas decorations to see if any need replacing, made a list of all the chocolate bars that we adore then looked at YouTube to learn how to make them at home to give to friends for xmas.  

Now Mrs Bob's friend, "Bat Faced Eileen", actual photo below, is not someone I'd put

on my friends list but in the belief that it's better to give than receive, added to my respect for Mrs Bob's wishes, I've put aside my distaste for Bat Face and I've made her some Hard Nougat. She only has four teeth so that should glue her gob together for months.  Ho ho ho merry Christmas.

70TH ANNIVERSARY FENDER STRATOCASTER.

Now some of you Musos may be dreaming of getting your dream guitar and being Fenders 70th anniversary of the legendary Stratocaster, it might be top of your wish list.  To celebrate this landmark event Fender have launched the Stratocaster ULTRA II as their latest variant.  The ULTRA II replaces the ULTRA which in turn replaced the ELITE which replaced the PROFESSIONAL which replaced the PERFORMER etc ad nauseum. In fact during the 70 years of the Strat there have been more than 250 variants, which incidentally works out at 3.67 per year since 1954 and even the countries of production  USA, Japan, Korea, Mexico etc have their own values.   

The Mexico model which was the cheapest is now set to rise in cost, but not value or quality, by at least 25% thanks to Santa Tariff Trump.  

Fender say the ULTRA II is their best model and sells at around £2,500 British pounds and the ULTRA at £1,900.   

To those of you who dream of getting the ULTRA II in your Christmas stocking I wish you well and hope your dreams do come true, such is the magic of Christmas.

However, the majority of guitarists would walk over broken glass to get their hands on one of the 1950's models because it's better in all respects.  To quote Eric Clapton "In those days you knew that every Strat would sound the same as the other.....just fantastic".  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEV BEVAN..80.

When I was a sprog of 14 years I first saw Bev Bevan in action with Denny Laine and the Diplomats.  He was incredible even way back then playing with a great rock group.  It was around that time that his band played as the support band for The Beatles for the first time in Birmingham and Paul McCartney commented on how good he was playing 5/4 time to the  instrumental "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck.  

Over the next couple of years my band got popular in Birmingham and Bev was in our audience on occasion.  I got to chat with him and was always impressed by his attitude, a very likeable guy with a huge smile and personality.  

When The Move formed he was the right man for the job with his thundering drums at his best on hits like "I can hear the grass grow" and "Something Else".  A real powerhouse.

Of course ELO were his real pinnacle of achievement that made him an international rock star.   I last saw him just before I left Birmingham in 1970, still a great drummer and still a real nice guy.   Happy Birthday Bev.   I wish you many more.

CHRISTMAS GIFT BOOK.

FLOWERS IN THE RAIN.  The untold Story of The Move.

The Move were a massive band of the day.  They were a great live act, I've said all this before. 

There is a new book available from Amazon Books on sale in time for Christmas for all you Brumbeat Fans.  It is the only book that has been written about The Move and would be the ideal Christmas gift for lovers of this iconic psychedelic Brummie band.

This new book written by Jim McCarthy has been the result of interviews with Bev Bevan and Trevor Burton.  

My understanding is that Roy Wood was not interested in taking part.  Too busy awaiting his Christmas songs royalties and eating pies probably.  Ace Kefford declined to be interviewed but having personal knowledge of his time with the band I would agree wholeheartedly with his decision.    Having two of the band members accounts of the bands story, left untold, means you only get 50% of the truth or of course half truths.  Nonetheless Jim McCarthy is a talented author who knows rock music and its foibles so he has written this book with as much of the available accounts as is humanly possible.  Not necessarily the whole truth though.

The band were systematically robbed by Tony Secunda and ruined by his lust for publicity going too far.  They went from psychedelic heroes to cabaret flops.  So with that in mind I'm absolutely sure that it will be a fascinating read about a generational mis-match of 60's group members.

MRS BOBS CHRISTMAS GIFT

I know that you readers like to know what I buy Mrs Bob each Christmas and this year we agreed to give each other a gift that  that you have to organise or make yourself.  Knowing it was made by hand or organised from the person you love makes it so much better.  So my normal "go to" gifts of power tools has been scuppered which is a bit of a bugger because I had planned to get her a Pressure Washer to keep the driveway clean and had secretly got bookings from neighbours for her to do 14 other houses at £30 a time less my 25% management fee, a win-win situation I thought.  However it's her 73rd birthday in January so I can buy it then!! forward planning is my watchword. 

I have to admit that I had been worried about what I could do  whilst, at that very moment, observing Mrs Bob through the living room window struggling to remove a heavy load of builders rubble from her last job.   I felt a bit guilty seeing the way she was obviously not enjoying that strenuous work so I went down to the pub to give her time to finish. 

Later that day I was looking at her pride and joy, her Ferrari yellow wheelbarrow I had bought her only 3 or 4 years ago and it was looking rather shabby, dented and with a wobbly wheel.  She obviously hadn't looked after it too well but I have a forgiving nature and it was then that I got an idea.  I got my mate Nobber to come and steal it out of the garden during the night.  The following morning she saw it wasn't in the shed.  "Oh its gone" she said.   "You'll probably just have to use the big spade now" I said jokingly   

Just like the TV show "Overhaulin", me and Nobber set to work the following day.  Armed with sandpaper we set to work removing the rust and bashing out most of the dents and at the end of Day 1 we had resprayed the interior in lovely Aztec Gold paint.

There was no stopping us now.  I got some 3 in 1 oil to sort out the squeaky wheel and put some grease on the wheel bearing which gave it a kind of 'Stealth' capability.  

She could work with it in silence without me even knowing she was hard at it.

The plan was all coming together fine and then I got the best idea of all.  To introduce envy into the equation, wheelbarrow envy!  

I'd seen blokes walking past  the house when she was barrowing in 3 tons of manure for the back garden and they were smirking at her, obviously thinking I should have bought her a Barrow with a bigger carrying capacity so she didn't have to make all those trips back and forth.    But, an overweight Barrow isn't the answer, she's a woman, she wants the best things in life, it's style that's important to her and I want her to have the best things and still have the enjoyment of a good days barrowing.  So in the dead of night I made the transformation that will make her the envy of the street.   

Christmas morning will be a blast for her when she sees this:

Tiger stripes on the frame and a go faster flame paint job that Chip Fookes would be proud of.    I cant wait to see her face on Christmas morning, I'll put a big red ribbon on it and put it the back garden so she sees it when she goes out to bring some coal in for the fire.  The real bonus is that it cost me less than £10 to do it.   She has told me that she doesn't know what to do for me so I suggested that she pays for me to record my new CD, that works out at around £600 which might seem a bit unbalanced financially but of course she will get the eternal joy of hearing me play, genius! She gets the best of both worlds, lucky girl!!

FINALLY.

I really want to say Happy Christmas to John Woodhouse, the Brumbeat.Net editor who allows me to nest my blog in his webpage.

I want to say Happy Christmas to my lifelong pal Oggie.  Still poorly I'm afraid.  He hasn't had the best year and I wish for him everything he wishes himself. 

Also a Happy Christmas to The Skiffle King in his Welsh valley hideaway for being the first of the few that started British Rock and Roll and his participation in bringing Birmingham musicians to the fore during the 60s.   An inspiration for the nation.

It's my birthday tomorrow so I shall be remembering all my mates from the Brumbeat days for their great and continued friendship and to all you Christmas season birthday celebrants out there too.  Have a hug!

Love the ones your with

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob 

Contact:   Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

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Bulls head bob Nov 2024. Christmas Gifts for The Digital Age. Tascam Pocket 6 track Recorder. Yamaha TransAcoustic Guitar. Starter Digital Drum Kit. Bobs Free Gifts!!

Hello Mates across the world and especially you Brummies and Brumbeat Musicians of the 60's. 

In the early 60's we didn't know what the word digital meant, we weren't stupid, it was simply a case of technology yet to arrive on the planet.  For prospective musicians everything was harder to achieve, there weren't even practical instruction books, we had to be inventive to master our instruments.  How things have changed in this Digital Age with miniaturisation of electrical components, computers and fabulous access to instruction via YouTube where you can learn and copy everything.

So for you musicians I have some prospective musical gifts you might want tucked under the tree.  So here we go.

Are you a frustrated song writer without the space to have a studio where you can have your recorder ready for action, microphone on the stand, just needing to be switched on for you to get your classic song laid down before you forget the lyrics or guitar/ keyboard parts?  

You might have an audio interface connected to a computer but you still need to wait for your computer to warm up and then get the interface connected to your pro tools or whatever recording software you use.   It all takes valuable time while your inspiration is rapidly evacuating from your brain.  In my case, a couple of minutes is all it takes and my brain is as empty as a Scotsmans wallet.

Well my friends, Bull Head Bob to the rescue with a fabulous piece of kit, that I have recently purchased, the wonderful.

TASCAM DPOO6

This 6 track Pocket Studio digital recorder is just marvellous for capturing those moments of inspiration.   It can be powered by batteries or mains so you can have it by your side anywhere, even in the bath and we all know what great natural reverb there is in bathrooms.  Just for some people who might take everything literally, this recorder doesn't float!!  

You don't even have to plug in a microphone either because it has 2 built-in condenser microphones.  

.

The microphones can be seen on the right and left of the device to give a stereo signal, 2 part Harmonies or a stereo acoustic guitar backing can be performed in this manner using just one recording track.  All tracks have a pan control to help build the soundscape and tracks can be bounced. There are 2 Jack plug inputs which can be switched from vocals with a stand alone mic to direct input with a guitar.   All recordings are stored onto a digital memory card and there is also a USB port.   On the underside of the recorder is a screw connector which screws onto a normal camera tripod so you can tilt the screen to monitor your recording levels if in a seated position.

Tascam have thought of everything to make the recording process as easy as pie.   All this for the Tiny price of around £140.00.     The only thing it doesn't have is an effects card but does have an effects send output to connect to any effects pedal or rack.   As a solo performer it is perfect for recording and playing backing tracks to accompany you for your next performance.  Check out the Tascam website for more comprehensive information.  Highly recommended.

YAMAHA TAG3

Yamaha guitars are musicians favourites world wide and their TransAcoustic guitars are absolutely perfect for solo performers because not only do you get to play a magnificent hand built acoustic but one that is fully loaded with a comprehensive in-built effects package of reverb and delay etc adding a beautiful soundscape for your audiences to enjoy.  Like the Tascam, this guitar gives you all those sounds without having to hump around a ton of gear.  It also has a touch control Looper

There are effect controls on the side of the body and, as shown

next to the sound hole, a ring that is the touch control.  There are some nice YouTube clips of the guitar being demo'd where you can see and hear this guitar being played with all its possibilities.

Warning! This guitar is expensive retailing at £1,600.00 so it is not in everyone's price range as a Christmas gift but I'm sure that some of my readers hold down well paid jobs and I like to appeal to  broad spectrum of readers world wide.   I'm a poor muso so it's out of my price range however if any of the blog readers wants to get me one? Lol.

MILLENIUM DIGITAL DRUM KIT

Got a kid/ husband/wife who wants to be a drummer but you don't have a sound proofed shed to lock him/her in to protect your sanity and peace and quiet.    For the sum of £160 -ish you can buy from Thomann, a digital drum kit.

And for a few quid more get a pair of headphones to plug into
the control panel for the next Dave Grohl to practice with.  The panel has timing rythmn pre-sets to follow and USB inputs to upload music to play along with.

It's a starter model but good enough for someone to discover if they've got what it takes to play drums or not.  It doesn't take up too much bedroom space and can be packed away.  

Pretty good Christmas Gift.

BOBS FREE GIFT TO MY READERS

TUNING UP TO NATURE

Now then my friends, here's something for musos that is free.  I Can almost see your ears pricking up at the mention of "Free".

My Christmas gifts to you guys are Two free natural events to help you tune your guitar to, one for daytime and the other for the nights.

Gift 1.  Daytime tuning.   If like me you live in a countryside environment.  All you need to do is step outside and wait till you hear a cuckoo with its familiar song.  The cuckoo sings its call in the Key of "D".

Gift 2.  Night time tuning.    Cuckoos are fast asleep after the sun has gone down so, what can you do to get in tune?   Easy, open your ears and wait for the hoot of an owl because Owls hoot in the key of B flat.

FINALLY  

Wishing Hank Marvin a wonderful 83rd Birthday.

Mrs Bob told me that Ken Dodd would have been outraged to discover that one of his Diddy Men has found himself in court on outrageous charges! 

So that's your lot for today, enjoy November choosing gifts for your loved ones but most importantly.  Love the one you're with.

Hoping for some world peace.

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob 

Contact: Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

Bulls Head Bob October 2024. The Missing Blog. Bobs Rapier Wit.

Hello My friends,  

SEPTEMBER  BLOG.

I apologise for the absence of the September Blog and give thanks to those who emailed to see if I was OK, it means a lot to me, thanks muchly. 

Sometimes lifes priorities preclude my enjoyment and time writing the blog for, I hope, your reading enjoyment.  Suffice to say that I had to help a family member and that took me away from my normal monthly activities.   It is the last day of September and I'm ensconced in the Bloggery typing away drinking lots of coffee to keep me awake.   

Mrs Bob is busy making an ornamental fish pond and I can hear her mixing up some cement outside in the new mixer I got her for our wedding anniversary, it's a deluxe model with a reverse rotation ability (RRA) which comes with a remote control, I've heard her saying "I'm sending it back" several times so the remote must be in use a lot.   I'm glad I made the right choice once again but I just wish she could be quieter.  

I've been really busy too. I've been growing my beard whilst listening to mostly, love songs which really are the most emotionally charged musical memory vehicles, quite simply, the greatest songs, the songs we remember the most.   This summer, me and Mrs Bob have been enjoying each others company and kind of falling in love again after 50 years together and the magic is still there.  That's why songwriters continue writing love songs, it's the greatest thing and we all have our favourites that are designated as "our song".   

Our personal songs are  "God Only Knows", "I'm not in Love" and "In My Life" to name our top three.  We were parted for 3 months just after we married in 1974 when I was sent to foreign parts to do my duty for Queen and Country, the song then was "When will I see you Again" by the 3 Degrees, it's not a favourite at all but was relevant at the uncertainty of the situation we were in at the time.   

Today we are all living in uncertain times with hundreds of thousands soldiers, sailors and airmen and their sweethearts  listening to their own shared songs all hoping for an end to the Russian brutality and one man's greed for power.

Let's hope this world turmoil comes to an end soon for our children's sakes.

WATKINS RAPIER RE-ISSUE.

In 1959 when it was almost impossible to buy a Fender Stratocaster because of trade restrictions with the USA or the expense of buying a class guitar, practically all British guitarists were looking for a solid body electric guitar that didn't cost a fortune and linked them to the best known guitarist and band,  of the day, The Shadows, featuring Hank B Marvin and Hank had a Red Stratocaster.   

The market forces were ready for a cheap lookalike and Charlie Watkins answered the call by manufacturing the Watkins Rapier which was red and had a similar body shape as a Strat.  It came in a couple of configurations and the 3 pick up model retailed at 29 Guineas which worked out at 11 pounds per pick up.  

Although it had the same body shape, the body itself was stick thin and lightweight.  In those days no consideration was given to resonance or wood type.  Practically every group in Birmingham at that time equipped themselves with Rapiers to put through their 11 watt Watkins Westminster amps and Watkins Copycat echo machines playing all the Shadows hits.  

It was cheap and cheerful and sold by the gazillions in the UK.  It was nothing more than a starter guitar though and as soon as money became available they were quickly replaced by a "proper" instrument and the pawn shops were full of Rapiers.

RE-BIRTH.  When guitar companies re-issue guitars it is normally based on the qualities of the original model which either had great electronics, a distinct sound or body shape.   Burns have re-issued several of its models which had the original potent sonic pick ups that had latterly been installed into Brian May's home built Red guitar thus elevating the electronics to a 'must have' for todays guitar fans.

I was therefore puzzled that the Rapier which was purpose built with economy in mind, didn't sound good and was made from cheap materials was re-issued and is in the shops with the Rapier 33 selling for £389.00!  

The manufacturers are saying that it's a 're-imagined' Rapier, a completely different guitar with good pick ups and a thicker body, essentially a whole new package which makes me wonder at the marketing logic of issuing it again based on cheap starter guitar nostalgia alone.  If you have bought a new one, I hope you're happy, it's a personal choice at the end of the day but really it wasn't a classic guitar with a demand for a reissue at all in my humble opinion.

FINALLY

Normal service will be resumed next month with Bob's Shopping tips for Christmas......time to raid your piggy bank.   

Take care my friends and as usual love the one you're with.

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob 

Contact: Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

 

Bulls Head Bob Aug 2024. Ringo at 84! Buddy Guy...88!. John Mayall RIP.

Hello Brummies and lovers of 60's bands from Birmingham.

Well it's been Sun and Fun here in the Bob household during the sunny days.  I went out and bought an inflatable garden swimming pool for us all to splash around in, The Bobettes and their offspring enjoyed themselves whilst I got the BBQ going.

RINGO STARR 84th Birthday.    

Happy Birthday Ringo!!  There have been some great drummers, in a technical sense, dishing out their multiple Flim-Flams and Paradiddles in abundance, indeed there were a few of them about in Birmingham who were the masters of technical wizardry, Carl Palmer and Keith Smart to name just two who I have immense respect for.  They were both equally at home with Rock music too.    

Ringo Starr took a lot of stick from the public, they said he was ugly, they said he couldn't play the drums but he wasn't one of those technicians and he made up for that with his brilliant rock solid backbeat that drove a band along like no other.  An inate sense of timing that could put a metronome to shame, allied to his own self taught economic drum fills, gave him his individualism and many more drummers copied those fills rather than indulging in Paradiddle madness because firstly, they were easy to replicate and furthermore recognised that the "less is more" approach had its own place in modern rock music.   

Ringo at 84 years old is still touring with his great All Stars Band, still playing "With a Little Help from my Friends" and still playing in his own inimitable style that gave license to generations of would be drummers to imitate.   Best Ringo quote to Jeff Lynne when Lynne asked him to play to a Click Track... 

"Click Track?  I am the fuckin' click track!".  Sir Richard Starkey.

BUDDY GUY ....  Happy Birthday 88

I have three favourite American blues guitarist, BB King, Freddie King and Buddy Guy.   Two of them are dead, the two Kings that is.   Buddy was born in 1936,  his family struggled to make ends meet.  His first guitar had 2 strings and he struggled to learn through sheer determination and learn he did.    At the age of 21 he moved to Chicago and won a blues guitar competition under the influence of Muddy Waters and the prize was a recording contract.   He then signed for Chess records but the  label didn't like his on stage raucous sound and wouldn't record him playing like that because it was " just a noise".   

Buddy was relegated to playing as a session man on everyone elses records for years.

It was many years later, 1967, that Eric Clapton insisted he be

included into a blues guitar extravaganza at the Albert Hall which brought him to the fore and into the public eye of the British who were hungry to learn more.   It was acknowledged by BB King that if it weren't for the Brits they would still be playing in shanty town bars.   However it wasnt till the rebirth of Blues music in 1988 that he finally got the recognition he deserved and his light has shone bright since then.

As for his "on stage noise".   His early 1957 stage shows included a lot of style and guitar trickery that had impressed one young, pre fame, Jimi Hendrix who was totally impressed and copied everything he did.  When Hendrix came to the UK it wasn't too long before he was considered a guitar God and he sure was, no doubt, but he and those other guitar Gods had all prayed at the feet of Buddy Guy whose wild style had been so suppressed by the music biz for so many years.

The Rock and Blues world is based on that feedback, guitar behind the head antics wrongly attributed to Hendrix....he was a copy of the man considered too extreme for the record buying public way back when.

Happy Birthday Buddy!!

JOHN MAYALL. RIP

There can be no other British person who championed the world of blues music more than John Mayall some might say Alexis Corner was but his was a toned down affair as opposed to the man who built his bands around class British guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor.  I saw many of his shows at The Carlton, later renamed as Mothers in Erdington, Birmingham with all of the above guitarists.  No large mixing desks, no effects, just pure music played loud.  An experience like no other at that time.   

The best of all those concerts was with Clapton in 1964 just prior to the Beano LP.   I had never heard music quite like it, the power of Eric's solos biting and screaming through the Mayall/Clapton composition "Have you Heard" was nothing short of a wonderment.  Me at 15, mouth wide open, totally engrossed at the musician standing in front of me wringing out that solo that seemed to go on forever.  Mayall's vocal was so right as a counter to that guitar violence, sung in high register floating over the sound of his Hammond organ.    I had never heard of Buddy Guy or Freddie King at that time but when I did I could see where Eric got his style from.  He said that John Mayall was largely responsible for his fame after coaching and encouraging Eric to listen to his large record collection of blues artists that he had never heard of before.

Eric was a hard act to follow and although Peter Green was a brilliant soulful player it just wasn't as good.   He later redeemed himself with his incredible Fleetwood Mac compositions.

Mick Taylor, although good didn't seem to fit in.  On the night I saw him with Mayall they were supported by Birmingham band Bakerloo with guitarist Clem Clempson,  Mayall was stood watching him play.   I overheard Mayalls drummer Keef Hartley say to Taylor "Watch out for your job Mick".  John Mayall was a band leader in the true sense and would hire and fire when he saw someone else who could do a better job.  On that night it was Keefs last gig with the band and he was awarded a gold watch on stage, a bit like retiring from a factory job.  

Mayall moved to the USA where he continued to be successful as a result of the British Invasion. He was awarded the MBE for his work promoting blues music and rightly so.  He toured right up until his death at the age of 90.  A true legend, an innovator and solid professional.

Thanks for everything professor, a man who championed and changed the face of music.

FINALLY

It's back into the garden for me to enjoy the precious time I have left to bask in the sun.

Take care everybody.  Love the ones who are close to you and ignore those who would do you harm for their own sake.

Bob

Copyright Bullsheadbob 

Contact Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com.

Bulls Head Bob July 2024. Brummies in the USA. BOB STYLER... TRUSTED DEALER. GIBSON FOUNDER.

 Hello Mates,  

Well another month zooms by, it just goes so fast as you get older and time becomes more precious, as do your old friends with whom you shared your teenage days and wild experiences of youth.   Those 1960's days when everything was new.  There were those of us who were lucky enough and determined enough to dedicate ourselves to music and try to make it as entertainers.   

I am fortunate enough to still be friends with some of those I shared the teenage dream with in the UK, Europe and a couple who live in the USA.    So let's go across the pond and pay a visit to the great

GRAHAM ASHFORD.   

Graham Ashford was the front man for 3 or 4 different bands but probably he was best known for being the singer in the BRUMBEATS,  being one of the bands who played all the current hits at The RITZ, Kings Heath on a regular basis, where all the girls went to dance around their handbags 3 nights a week.  The Beatles, Stones, Animals, Kinks and every other big band played there too!!   He later became known as Buddy Ash with his backing group The Sound.

Graham moved out to the USA to enjoy working for Rolls Royce and he didn't come back.   He was very successful and married in the States.   Just because he was now "gainfully employed" didn't stop him being a vocalist and entertaining people.   He was fortunate enough to buy a second home in Hawaii where he spent 6 months a year with his own band playing in the bars and also playing Hawaiian dance music with his wife performing Hawaiian dance.

Graham had a great young voice and I'm pleased to say that his voice is just as good as ever even now and I'm really happy to present a YouTube clip of him entertaining a group of ladies in the USA so I invite you all to see and hear Grahams voice by clicking on the following Clip......... so click below to hear the Great Graham Ashford with a nice old song.

Click Here:  GREAT VOICE  

The second Brummie who made his home in the States who also had an outstanding voice was Bassist     

JOHN FINCHAM

John Fincham was a class singer and bassist who had more than a touch of John Lennon about him, he was The Beatles personified.  Good looking and stylish, he had it all.  He found himself in a class band called Trickster who played support band to ELO on their US Tour and following that tour the band supported BOSTON on their US Tour too!!   

Got to be a good recipe for success then? Well I'm afraid not.    The world of new record labels is a dangerous place to find yourself and being signed to JET records, the label owned by Jeff Lynne and Don Arden, was a risk too big to take and the band found themselves being dropped when the label found itself in a perilous financial  state with the label trying to confiscate their equipment.   

So their dreams of well deserved fame were well and truly dashed on the rocks.  However, never say die, and John decided to stay in America and chance his luck there.   He formed a good little band and called themselves, with great Brummie humour, THE TOSSERS gigging in Ventura and its beach side marinas where they enjoyed a good following.    

These days the band has become a duo and are now The TWO TOSSERS, and are still performing in the Ventura area.  Like I always say, never stop playing and I, for one, am really pleased that people still get to hear his great voice.    

I still dream about playing with him again before the Grim Reaper comes knocking at my door so Keep at it John. You never know what good fortune can come along.

John went to Moseley Grammar School and was pals with my next old mate who still lives in Birmingham but has never stopped playing and singing and getting involved in the music biz.  He is the very amiable and kind:...

BOB STYLER

I have mentioned Bob a few times over the years with some folk believing he is 'Bulls Head Bob", I can neither confirm or deny that suggestion.  What I can say is that Bob ran a music shop in Stirchley for quite a few years while playing the clubs as part of an acoustic duo.   

Since then he has ceased the shop work but buys and sells musical equipment on line and has developed a good reputation as a well trusted dealer.  He also warns people off those dealers who want to rob you of your hard earned dosh.   He recently put out a warning that a Takamine guitar and case were being sold in Brum for £85 by five or six dealers.   You would have to be crazy to think you could buy a Takamine for such a little sum.  It's probably advertised by the same person using different names who probably doesn't own the guitar but is trying to get some poor sod to part with the money only to find that nothing arrives in the mail so DONT GET CONNED!! If it looks crooked it is!

Bob was, from the outset, the vocalist with Brummie bands, The Yamps, Fashion and Traction, all great groups and Bob was a dynamic stage performer.

These days Bob runs an open mic night and recently, at the age of 76, has taken up playing bass at the request of a couple of muso mates with whom he plays.  They all met at hospital and call themselves the Blue Badge Band!!  He says he didn't realise just how difficult it was to play a bass line whilst singing.  Did it really take him all these years to take on the challenge?  There is always something new and difficult to overcome in the world of music and I find it refreshing that even at his age he welcomes the challenge, takes it on and conquers the problem, that's my boy!  Well done Bob, still totally immersed in music.

GIBSON FOUNDER .. ORVILLE GIBSON.

In 1894 Orville Gibson started making guitars and mandolins to sell in his shop in Kalamazoo.   He was the first person to design the round sound hole for acoustic guitars which has been the bench mark ever since.

He was a little ahead of his time and remarkable in his outlandish appearance but that's what you expect from a dreamer of excellence.    It was little more than a hobby when he first started but it doesn't take too long to get a good reputation and 'word of mouth' publicity is the best and he started getting more and more orders.   

When the demand started growing in 1902 he applied for some financing for the Gibson company largely making mandolins and his self designed archtop guitars.  His dream was realised, to be a guitar maker and he was well on the way to becoming a huge business but unfortunately Orville died in 1918 never really seeing how successful the brand had become.  I imagine he would have been incredibly proud of his achievements.  I would have loved to have met him.

FINALLY

A shitty world right now with danger on the door step....let's get those dangerous politicians put in the Jailhouse.   

Look after those dearest to you, that's what matters my friends.  

Take Care

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

 

Bulls Head Bob Jun 2024. STEVE WINWOOD at 76. 12 String Madness.

 Hello Brummies and Fans of Brummie Beat groups of the 60's.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE WINWOOD

Seventy six years ago the single greatest talent as a musician and vocalist ever to come out of Birmingham was born in Handsworth on May 12 1948.    By the early sixties the incredible Steve Winwood was making other musicians look and sound like rank amateurs.    He had it all, his soulful voice was adequately matched by his musicality as an incredible guitarist and organist and if that were not enough, he was the coolest of dudes which made the girls go weak at the knees.  

He could make any band sound good and luckily for the Spencer

Davis Group he was the guy making that group stand out as Brums finest R&B band and by 1965 he was at Number 1 in the charts with "Keep on Running", a song written by Jamaican artist Jackie Edwards, a song writer for Island records.     

Edward's version was pretty simple and poorly produced and benefitted by the bands bluesier arrangement with a fuzz soaked Stratocaster providing the opening riff, it was all excitement for the rest of the song.    The follow up release in 1966 was another Edward's penned song "Somebody Help me" which, once again, given the bands R&B treatment also shot up the charts to the Number 1 spot.  It was a great time to be a musician in Birmingham in those days.

Steve's success went ballistic from then on with Traffic and Blind Faith.  He was now rubbing shoulders with the elite musicians of the world and deservedly so. He impressed the mighty Eric Clapton and the two have played together ever since.

He has continued to impress this old git forever.  Who would have thought that someone who recorded his first record in 1964 would still be touring today, 60 years later.

Happy Birthday Steve!!    

12 String Madness

In the 60 's Framus guitars weren't all that good, they were semi acoustic guitars used by jazz guitarists, largely in Germany.  Although they could be seen hanging on walls of guitar shops they weren't sought after.  Their fame came more from bassists who used the now famous Framus "Star" electric bass used by the likes of Jet Harris and Brian Gregg, both eminent bassists of their day.    

In 1964 the Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman was offered a 3 year sponsorship from Framus to use their basses however by this time the better known companies of Fender and Gibson had their solid body guitars stealing the show and Framus declined so much that they went bankrupt in 1970.  

Among their range of guitars they built the "Hootenany 12 String" which happened to be purchased by John Lennon in 1964.   12 string guitars were a novelty item at the time.   He used the guitar to write " You've got to hide Your Love Away" for the Beatles film "Help" along with some others.    He also played it on the film itself.    It was used in the studio by Lennon and George Harrison until being gifted to Gordon Waller, one half of 60's duo, Peter and Gordon who, in turn, gave it to his road manager who stuck it in the loft of his house until recently when it was

retrieved and put up for sale at Juliens Auction house and reached the sum of 2.9 Million Dollars!!   

This is madness in a world gone mad.     

The guitar will probably sit in a safe for the rest of its days until some other person thinks it's worth five Million.   

I've got an old Eko 12 string which I'm putting up in the attic to gain in value just in case I get mega famous.

FINALLY

Its Flaming June folks so let's hope we have some nice weather for our upcoming holidays.    Thanks for reading the blog you guys and thanks for getting in touch.

Have a Hug, 

Bob

Copyright:  Bullsheadbob 

Contact:   Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com

Bulls Head Bob May 2024 . Mike Pinder RIP. THE GREAT BRIAN GREGG

Hello Brummies and 60s music lovers.

MIKE PINDER.

So, if the recent news of the death of Moody Blues Denny Laine wasn't enough of an upset to the fans of the original R&B Moodies, this week saw the passing of the last member of the original line up, pianist Mike Pinder.  His thunderous musical intro to "Go Now" creating a part of Birminghams music history as the first band to top the UK charts.  His piano solo on that song was soulful and brilliant in its effective simplicity with a hint of Ramsey Lewis thrown in.

When the band decided to change their whole format and musical direction it was Pinder who was at the forefront of that sound with his complete mastery of the Mellotrons workings  providing the orchestral parts.   

In fact he was also instrumental in helping the Beatles "Strawberry Fields" intro after demonstrating its capabilities to Paul McCartney who immediately bought one.   The new Moodies sound struck a chord with the American audiences in particular and they became HUGE in the states.    

The impact of years of constant touring always has a detrimental effect on bands and infighting in the group led to his departure in 1978 after many arguments with Graham Edge in particular.  He released two solo albums but didn't achieve any real success.   

I saw him several times with the original band and I was a real fan of the bands energy and on stage performance.   I was not so much of a fan of their soporific orchestral stuff but many others were so what do I know? 

So God Bless you Mike and thankyou for the memories.

Another hero of mine with connections to the Moodies also passed away 4 days ago and this guy was at the very beginning of pre Beatles popular music and he was the magnificent 

BRIAN GREGG

Brian Gregg, British bassist has been one of my heroes for many a year.  He was one of the very first Rock and Roll heroes  learning and earning his dues working at the 2i's coffee bar in London in the late 50's playing with the likes of Terry Dene, his best friend, then Eden Kane, Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group, Jess Conrad, Colin Hicks and the Cabin Boys and Billy Fury at his height as Britains Elvis Presley.  He was really at the sharp end of the early pop music biz touring the country.   He and Jet Harris were best of mates and the first two to own the new fangled electric bass guitars in the country.

Brian was then asked to join Johnny Kidd as one of the original Pirates along with drummer Clem Catini and guitarist Alan Caddy who had also been in Billy Furys band.   They recorded and scored a minor hit with "Please Don't Touch" and as a follow up Brian co-wrote the riff laden, "Shakin All Over" which took them to them top of the charts and made them the first power trio in the country.  Johnny Kidd only employed session musicians as his backing group so when that line up of the Pirates terminated their contract Brian was already booked to tour with Eden Kane and Catini and Caddy became the in house session musicians for recording pioneer and eccentric,

Joe Meek and when Meek wrote and recorded"Telstar" it propelled Caddy and Catini as The Tornadoes to instant fame.  Their bassist left to go solo which left a vacancy which Brian filled and continued his career with them for many a year.

Brian moved to Swindon, Wiltshire where he opened a music store and also promoted music events.   This is where he met Justin Hayward and Brian was instrumental in getting Justin the job in the

Moody blues following Denny's departure and the band worked on their new material ie "Days of Future Past" and yours truly was on the same bill as them when they first played it live.    Brian's music contribution  didn't stop there and he still played at various gigs including an annual concert celebrating the music of Eddie Cochran with the band including Big Jim Sullivan, Rod Argent and Eddie Cochrans younger brother.  There were also The original Pirates reunion gigs with Catini and Caddy.

Even with all his incredible history Brian was such a nice guy and willing to extend help to others including XTC guitarist Andy Partridge who bought a guitar from him.    I met him through a good friend and it was great for me, as a muso, to talk to him.  I asked him if I could write about the recording of "Shakin all Over" for the Bulls Head Bob blog and he was very forthcoming giving me many details about this historic song which has been recorded or played by gazillions of bands world wide.   We kept in touch from then on.   You can read that very interesting article by clicking on the link below   SHAKIN ALL OVER

Brian sadly passed away 5 days ago.   My condolences go out to his wife Teri, his lovely family and his many friends.This hero of Rock and Roll will be sadly missed, certainly by this man.    

 FINALLY

A bit of a sad blog but as we get older we see our friends passing away with regularity, sadness never diminishes but gives us the chance to celebrate their living years.

Take care my friends.

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob 

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com