Hello From Sunny Shores.
Mrs Bob and I are currently on our second honeymoon after 50 years of marriage. There will be a blog but a week later than usual this month so "Dont go frettin' herself ya hear".
Love from
Bob
BRUMBEAT. The insider. From Beat to Psychedelia. Beat and pop Groups of the 1960's from Birmingham.
Hello From Sunny Shores.
Mrs Bob and I are currently on our second honeymoon after 50 years of marriage. There will be a blog but a week later than usual this month so "Dont go frettin' herself ya hear".
Love from
Bob
Hello My Friends,
Been through the wars lately with the horrid flu variant and feeling a bit pissed off but am back feeling "on the up" and raring to delight with another epic blog for you hungry people, well maybe epic is taking it a bit far!! This month I thought I might delight you guitarists out there with some wierd instruments.
THE CAR/GUITAR IS THE STAR.
Some time ago I featured the lovely original Guild Corvette and a more recent reissue of the model with Racing stripes down the body like a Corvette Car. During the winter recess I was talking to a mate who had recently bought himself a Deusenburg guitar and it is styled on the car of the same name, with nice lines and chromework like the car itself.
AMERICAN SHOWSTER
This raised my interest in searching out other guitars that may have followed in the footsteps of Car Guitars and found a treasure trove from one maker who fabricated a whole range of models and motorbike tank body shaped guitars which may be of interest to you guys who might want to own a guitar to suit your character. At this point I have to say that there are not many about in general terms but there are 2 guys in the USA who have cornered the market for these models. The instruments are under the name American Showster and were produced by Kramer. They are really eye catching and the star of the range is without doubt the:
AS57 BEL AIR
It's the first guitar I have ever seen modelled on the tailfin of a Chevrolet Bel Air and comes with a working tail light at the jackplug input!!
American showster also produced a couple of motorbike guitars too with the body shape of a Harley Davidson petrol tank and like the Guitar above it came in differing colours and configurations nlike this beautiful Flame effect gas tank:
So there you are, something to dream about. My mate with the Duesenberg was aghast when I showed him these.
I'm waiting until someone makes the Brummie version of the 1955 Hillman Husky estate guitar (my first vehicle) before I'm tempted to buy one. The 1955 Husky model had a "side valve" engine so maybe it could be called the "El 34" to give it a bit of Pzazz!!
FINALLY
Its my and Mrs Bobs 50th Wedding Anniversary tomorrow, we have great food and who knows, perhaps shes bought me one of these peculiarities??
Take Care of yourselves.
Bob
Copyright: Bullsheadbob
Contact: Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com
Hello You Lovely People!!
Happy New Year!!
It's 2024, I'm still alive and if you're reading this you are too! so congratulations to all you west Midlands musicians of the Brumbeat era of the 1960's who were a part of the magic and to those who packed the Dance Halls and created great atmospheres for us to entertain.
DENNY LAINE. RIP.
I have always been a fan of Denny Laine and have written many articles about him as an important influence in the venues of Birmingham. From the Springfield Ballroom days of the very early 60's with The Diplomats to the fabulous first formation of Moody Blues with his turbo charged vocals belting out the hard Rythm and Blues sound of Brumbeat and being the voice of 'Go Now', full of emotion that went straight to your heart in the opening bars, he was something special.
After leaving the Moody Blues he wrote and recorded, as the Denny Laine's String Band, the wonderful and biographic 'Say You Dont Mind", that was and still is real class that didn't get the success it deserved until many years after when re recorded by Colin Blunstone. Paul McCartney remembered him from those early days too when the Moodies were on the same bill as The Beatles and wasted no time in making contact with him when he departed the Beatles to form Wings.
Last year he went out on the road across the USA on an acoustic solo tour performing songs and relating some stories of his journey in the world of music. The tour finished and he went straight to the Carnegie Hall to perform in a night of the songs of Paul McCartney where he showcased the song he co wrote with McCartney, Mull of Kintire.
It was probably his last gig but what a place to play your last appearance, a very fitting end to an illustrious career in the music biz. He was the best in Birmingham in those early days and will be sadly missed by this old rocker. God Bless Denny.
I was away when Denny passed so didnt make any comment in the last blog but I didn't want to miss acknowledging his Brummie beginnings albeit a little late. Please visit the Pie Stand page at BRUMBEAT www.brumbeat.net to read John Woodhouse's article for a much broader and complete dedication to Denny.
JEFF LYNNE.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I don't often talk about Jeff on the blog because every facet of his life is covered by the ELO network and I'm not really a fan. However, it would be churlish of me not to mention his recent 76th birthday. Jeff is also a Brumbeat Hero but a little later than Denny Laine, his band The Idle Race were very popular on the circuit of Brummie venues but lacked getting the "big break" to push them into stardom. His songs with that band were quirky and inventive and I liked them a lot. His invite to join the twilight days of The Move was just what he needed to lift him into a higher strata where he would blossom and compete with Roy Wood, the two of them collaborated on the music which would give birth to ELO.
There was too much friction however and Roy departed to form WIZZARD leaving Jeff free reign over the ELO name and its direction. The rest is history and although there were many, many people who featured in that band they were there only to play Jeff's songs and the release of "Out of the Blue" cemented his name as a truly serious songwriter to be reckoned with. His lush productions gained many admirers most famously with George Harrison who asked him to produce his next album and that inevitably dragged him into The Beatles fold when asked to produce "Free as a Bird" which must have seen him walking around in a daze, head in the clouds. It must have been a sensational feeling.
You don't gain anything sitting on yer arse and Jeff got his rewards for a life of hard work and dedication but with some folk getting hurt along the way. These days he is rightly a world star born from the days of BRUMBEAT.
So, Happy Birthday Jeff, may you have many more. Happy New Year.
MORE CHRISTMAS BIRTHDAYS
There were some other prominent Brumbeaters birthdays in recent days so Wishing a Happy Birthday to
JOHN WOODHOUSE Head Honcho at WWW.BRUMBEAT.NET
BOB STYLER. 30 December.
JOHN FINCHAM. Born on Christmas Day.
FINALLY
I am still in recovery mode from the festivities but sincerely wish you all a Properous new year and Hope for some Peace in these troubled times initiated by politically dangerous thugs.
Bob
Copyright: Bullsheadbob
Contact: Bobsbullocks@gmail.com
Hello my Chickadees!!
Happy Christmas to all of the world-wide readers of the blog. I really appreciate your correspondence telling me your experiences....we are family.
Once again I'm full of the Spirit of Christmas and looking for appropriate gifts for Mrs Bob and the Bobettes. The Christmas tree has been ordered to display in the bay window and I've got loads of dangly things to decorate the ceiling with.
First things first, I would like to wish belated birthday greetings to two people who changed my life over 60 years ago, in fact they changed the whole face of guitar music for the Brits, ergo, the world!! and they are:
HANK AND BRUCE
The Shadows were the most influential group in the UK and every aspiring guitarist learned their tunes religiously. That first sound of a Stratocaster in the hands of Hank B Marvin opened our ears and its beauty was undeniable.
Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend and Tony Iommi were
amongst those who worshipped at the church of Hank but it was not only the tunes that attracted us, it was the technique that inspired us all and particularly the rythm guitar patterns of Bruce Welch were outstanding.As usual at this time of year I like to proffer suggestions for Christmas gifts from cheap gifts like my Shadows EP to the ridiculously expensive to balance things out. The first is a CD recorded by some pretty dedicated musicians who make the sound and create the Dickensian feel of Christmas as they stand outside in all weathers, in most towns and cities, making us feel all jolly as we go about our shopping.
THE SALVATION ARMY
Not only do we get to listen to some fine brass bands but any profit from sales does wonders to help the less fortunate get a bed for a night or a hot meal in the freezing cold of the winter nights.Hi you Brummie chums
Do you remember all those years of over expectation then getting that weekly disappointment as Villa lost in the last minute? I thought that, my being a fan was a punishment from a greater force, for the bad things I must have done in the past. Well I dont want to put the kibosh on their present form but it's amazing to see this performance level. UTV!!!!
On with Motley:
Blog Comments.
Thanks for the comments on the last blog about a guitars connection to ex King Bees guitarist Geoff Brown. I must apologise to someone who left a nice comment, he had been at school with Geoff I think?, and hasn't seen it published. I was reading it and in only what can be described as a Senior Moment and almost as an involuntary action, I pressed Delete! I'm extremely sorry because once you press the 'D' button you can't get it back but do feel free to contact me anew my friend. I'm sure that Geoff and the blog readers would be appreciative of your comments.
THE SWINGING 60's GENERATION'S REBIRTH.
What was it that made the 60's Swing? It was Sex...the "Pill" arrived in 1961 the girls were now freed from the danger of pregnancy and like Bunnies we humped our way through the decade of free love and psychedelia. That was 60 years ago so what happened to all those young free spirits, they grew up, had a bunch of kids and a mortgage, lived through amazing days, got a pension then got even older and moved into a retirement home where, like their predecessors, they live a less energetic lifestyle playing Crib or Scrabble for the rest of their days. Well those perceptions are being obliterated by the 60's generation.
The older gals no longer need to take the Pill but now it Is the guys turn to start taking the Blue Pill and other "perk me ups" that are now freely available courtesy of Boots over the counter medications, what a dream situation we have in the UK.
Long queues of white haired lotharios outside Boots have become common place. Women too, buying it for 'a friend' for Christmas.
I have been reading that Care homes and Residencies have become hotbeds of sexual activity with STDs becoming more commonplace and are predicted to reach epidemic proportions in the next 12 months. Ho Ho Ho....Merry Christmas.
Hello Brummies, Musos of the 60s, Brummies Abroad and lovers of the greatest time in live music.
My Friends, I am full of joy, because today I reunited a beautiful baby with it's birth father. It was an emotional moment without the need of a midwife or nappies.
THE BEE'S KNEES
There is a pulsing heart between a chosen instrument and its musician as they meld with each others vibrations, attributing each other with the sound that that combination produces. Those instruments become cherished 'keepers' or family.
The 60's Brummie guitarist that impressed me most was Pete Oliver he knew everything and could play anything, plus the fact that he was such a nice guy. He worked for many years working in and owning music shops. His guitar of choice, his keeper, in the later years of his playing was his blonde Yamaha SA2000 first manufactured in 1978 and although Pete sadly passed away a few years back, his guitar can be found still sounding great in the hands of his son, Rob Oliver. I too bought a Yamaha and I still have it.
1960's
THE KING BEES.
GEOFF BROWN meets MRS BROWN
In 1992 YAMAHA released a new model, the SA2200 as a result of legal action with Gibson about the 2000. The new 2200 had thinner cowhorns than its predecessor I believe, but there was little difference between the two models. It was in this year that former, The King Bees guitarist Geoff Brown, a 1960's Brummie blues/R&B band of good repute, walked into Jack Woodroffes music emporium, loved the look and feel of the new Yamaha. It must have been love at first sight. Geoff then decided to make their relationship special by cutting out a brass truss rod cover, having his name engraved on it and fitting it to the guitar. Mr and Mrs Brown were one. After a whirlwind romance they sadly went there separate ways in 1996 when Geoffs eyes were drawn to a younger looking ARP Odyssey Synth to move to and broaden his musical horizons.
1996. RICHARD SEYMORE, Birmingham.
"I was out shopping in Birmingham for a guitar, I had £300 and was sure of finding a new or good, second hand guitar for that. I always liked the Back to the Future 'Johnny B Goode' Gibson" . At the guitar shop there were a variety of guitars. Richard spotted and fell in love with the wine red Yamaha but it was double the price of his budget. A friend said "buy the Yamaha and you'll never need another guitar". "I called my Dad and he agreed to give me the extra 300 to buy it.
Richard Seymore is currently working and living in China where he still plays occasional gigs but unfortunately Mrs Brown didn't fancy life in the Orient and has remained at home in her Case at Halesowen in the UK awaiting his return.
A very happy Richard's reply to Geoffs email stated...
"Playing the guitar has connected me to so many amazing people around the world but I didnt think I'd end up connected to you in Mexico via the guitar I learned to play on".
FINALLY.
This story is remarkable in that it has taken 12 days to communicate with all parties over 4 countries, Mexico, China, Canada and finally bring it all together here in the Bloggery where I added the final words at 0600 this morning, 1 Oct 2023. It has been made possible by the enthusiasm of the participants to get this story out there and their communal love of music. Long may it continue.
Yamaha guitars are brilliant, for some reason the name doesn't have the kudos that Gibson and Fender have but those people who know guitars know better!!
So the blog publishes in 10 minutes when I shall be fast asleep. I hope you enjoyed it and many thanks for your continued support for the Bulls Head Bob blogspot.
Take care of the one you love.
Bob
Copyright: Bullsheadbob
Contact: Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com
Hello My friends,
It might as well rain until September sang the marvellous Carol King so let's hope she was right and we will be in for a beautifully warm month.
1968
The year of 68 was a time of change, musically speaking, with the charts full of melodic songs and ever-changing chart action. In September there was only one record by a Brummie band in the singles charts at Number 30. The Moody Blues with one of their new fangled, poetry songs "Voices in the Sky", goo on ar kid! music to snooze to. The heavy psychedelic bands now only recorded LP's leaving the Singles chart altogether.
For me, it was a happy time socially and musically in Birmingham, there was a party atmosphere with more bands and gigs than you could shake a stick at. The city centre had a vibe, great clothes shops where the groups would buy all their stage wear for a reasonable amount, great music shops too both as a consumer and for instruments. The worlds best bands played in the city with regularity and you could see them for the cost of a pint.
For one Brummie band though 1968 was their best year commercially and their worst as a group of musicians and they were;
THE MOVE
A line up of experienced Birmingham band members came together to form The Move whose purpose it was to "make it" in London. They were dynamic, had Roy Wood as the song writer, brilliant harmonies and stage presence and in 1966 had made it into the charts with "Night of Fear".
The ambition of every band was to have an LP so that was their real achievement of 1968 and it got to number 15. The cover artwork was by The Fool, the Dutch artists who had done the psychedelic art for The Beatles. Their first LP.... MOVE.
There was only one great songsmith in the group and that was Robbie Robertson who crafted such wonderful lyrics for songs such as "unfaithful servant", one of my faves featuring the voice of Rick Danko.
Their follow up to Big Pink was the eponymous THE BAND or the brown album as some call it. It was just brilliant and is a benchmark, classic recording for others to aspire to. It was definitely Robertsons best spell of writing and there isn't anything on it I dont like. It was their greatest success and thereafter things went downhill for them, too much touring and arguments regarding payment of royalties with Robertson being the recipient of all the songwriting credits. The other members arguing that they had all been responsible for music passages, influences, tweaks, hooks etc so there should have been some financial consideration but to no avail. The income for them, all bar Robertson, was based on live gigs, clearly not sustainable in the long term.
The Band called it a day in 1976 after performing The Last Waltz, with Robertson saying he couldn't take playing on the road anymore, he then recorded a new album and went on the road by himself. That must have really hurt the others, the final indignity.
The Band reformed in 1983 with guitarist Jim Weider replacing Robertson to play some concerts, touring was their only form of income. Sadly, pianist Richard Manuel committed suicide after a concert in 1986. The band folded. In the following years Rick Danko and Levon Helm passed away and sadly Robbie Robertson passed away a couple of weeks ago leaving Garth Hudson as the sole surviving member of the best musical group there ever was.
I have to say on a personal level that Chris Kefford was a good bassist, singer and performer with great looks and I always found him to be a nice guy. The well known phrase " The reason why certain people continually say bad things about you is because they dont want others to know how badly they treated you"
Chris Kefford. |
So be careful what you wish for, someone always gets the shit end of the stick!!! And there is ALWAYS one person who wrecks bands for their own purposes.
All of the above aside, 1968 wasn't all doom and gloom though because that year saw the arrival of the incredibly gorgeous songbird Mary Hopkin with her release on the new Apple label at No 2 in the charts "Those were the Days"
FINALLY
Well today has been declared Mexican Food and Mojito Day in the Bob Household and I shall be doing my best to enjoy every scrap. I wish you all a pleasant weekend. Where's me Sombrero?
Peace and Love.
Bob
Copyright: Bullsheadbob
Contact: Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com