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| © Photo by Chris Walter c. 1971 |
birthdate unknown
Bands:
Harlem Shuffle (early 1967)
Simon K & The Meantimers (mid 1967 - Spring 1970)
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (Spring 1970 - Jan 1971)
White Plains (mid 1971 - mid 1972)
Babe Ruth (sessions) (June - Sept 1972)
Simon K & The Meantimers (mid-1967 to Spring 1970)
The Meantimers (as they were originally known) were a Mod R&B/Soul band formed in London in late 1964. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Tony (surname unknown), Rick Thomas on lead guitar, bassist Warwick Rose (future Tangerine Peel), organist Bill Pitt, and drummer Michael Armes. Not much is known about the early history of the band. In early 1967, Tony was replaced on lead vocals by Simon K (aka Kennie Simon). The band was then renamed Simon K & The Meantimers and by the summer a full lineup change had taken place. Brent Scott Carter, along with fellow sax players, Alan Wherry and Ken Hendy were part of this new lineup. A few more changes happened over the next few years, with Sid Phillips replacing Ken Hendy on baritone, ex-Quiet Five member Roger McKew taking over lead guitar from George Teo, and the addition of future White Plains members Tony Hall, Tex Marsh, and Brian Johnston. The band released their only UK single in November of 1969: "Bring Back Your Love (To Me)". The band continued to tour the UK into the new year. In the Spring of 1970, both Tony Hall and Brent Scott Carter left the group to join Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band. By mid-1970, The Meantimers had disbanded. Simon K went on to join The Majors in 1976 and Hot Chocolate in 2010.
Members (mid-1967 to Spring 1970):
Simon K (Kennie Simon) - lead vocals (early 1967-1970)
George Teo - lead guitar (mid 1967 - late 1968)
Roger McKew - lead guitar (late 1968 - 1970)
Mick Glyde - bass (June 1967 - May 1969)
Bill Pitt - organ (1964-1967, Autumn 1969-1970)
Terry Vandenburgh - organ (1967-1968)
[Russian organist, name unknown] (c. 1968-1969)
Brian Johnston - organ (Spring 1969 - Autumn 1969)
Brent Scott Carter - tenor sax (mid 1967 - Spring 1970)
Alan Wherry - sax (mid 1967 - late 1967)
Ken Hendy - baritone sax (mid 1967 - late 1967)
Sid Phillips - sax (late 1967 - early Oct 1968)
Tony Hall - sax (early Oct 1968 - Spring 1970)
Ron Carthy - trumpet (1969-1970)
Tony Glyde - drums (mid 1967 - early 1968)
Tex Marsh - drums (Summer 1968 - Spring 1970)
Singles (UK):
"Bring Back Your Love (To Me)" (B. Bell) b/w "You Know I Do" (Colin Giffin), B&C Records, Nov 1969
For a more detailed history of The Meantimers, see garagehangover.com
Thanks to Alan Wherry, Tex Marsh, and Nick Warburton for providing info.
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| c. late 1967 L to R: George Teo, Brent Scott Carter, Mick Glyde, Simon K, Alan Wherry, Tony Glyde, and Terry Vandenburgh Photo courtesy of Alan Wherry |
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| Summer 1967 L to R: Brent Scott Carter, Tony Glyde, Mick Glyde, and George Teo Photo: Mick Glyde via Nick Warburton |
The Ram Jam Band were a London Soul outfit formed in 1964 by guitarist Pete Gage and organist Jeff Wright. In April of 1965, Geno Washington, a newly discharged member of the US Airforce, was asked to join the band, replacing Errol Dixon as their lead vocalist. The band were quickly booked for a residency gig at the Flamingo in London, which lasted straight through to September. During this time, the band recorded and released their first UK single, "Shake Shake Senora" on Columbia Records. The band continued to play various UK gigs, with several personnel changes taking place along the way. Geno and the band parted ways in early October 1969, after playing a short tour of Spain. A new lineup was formed in November/December, which included guitarist Alan Griffin, drummer Roy Manderson, organist Phil Lanzon, bassist Tom Duffy, and sax player Don Weller. This lineup toured with Geno until early Spring of 1970. Not long after, with only guitarist Alan Griffin remaining, Geno revived the band with yet another lineup. Joining them were Brent Scott Carter and fellow future White Plains member Tony Hall (who both came from Simon K & The Meantimers), trumpet player Frank Charlton, an organist named Winston*, and an American drummer named Larry*. Bassist Tom Duffy went on to join the band Arc with former members of Skip Bifferty around May of 1970. According to organist Martin Woodward, he followed drummer James Smith (who had been his bandmate in both House of Orange and Aquila) into the band, presumably after the exit of Larry and Winston. By January/February, Geno would once again find himself without a backing band. Between February and June of 1971, Geno toured with the members of Brighton Jazz-Rock band, Affinity (Dave Watts, Mo Foster, Mike Jopp, and Grant Serpell). In 2005, the band became active again with members Geno Washington, Geoff Hemsley, Steve Bingham, Stuart Dixon, Alan Whetton, and Allesandro Carvevali filling out the lineup. Geno and his group still tour today. Between 1965 and 1970, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band released eleven singles, three EPs, and four albums.
Members (Spring 1970 to January 1971):
Geno Washington - vocals (early 1965 - 1971, 2005-present)
Alan Griffin - lead guitar (Nov 1969 - Jan 1971)
Tom Duffy - bass (Nov 1969 - Spring 1970)
Roger Flavell - bass (Dec 1970 - Jan 1971)
Tony Hall - tenor sax (Spring 1970 - Jan 1971)
Brent Scott Carter - tenor sax (Spring 1970 - Jan 1971)
Winston (surname unknown)* - organ (Spring 1970 - Dec 1970)
Martin Woodward - organ (Dec 1970 - Jan 1971)
Frank Charlton - trumpet (Spring 1970 - Dec 1970)
Larry (American, unknown surname)* - drums (Spring 1970 - Dec 1970)
James Smith - drums (Dec 1970 - Jan 1971)
* For a more detailed history of The Ram Jam Band, see thestrangebrew.co.uk and garagehangover.com
Thanks to Martin Woodward for providing info.
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| Italian 45 picture sleeve, 1967 Pic from 45cat.com |
White Plains (mid-1971 to mid-1972)
See full biography HERE
In early 1971, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ricky Wolff left White Plains to pursue a solo project (of which some tracks were released under the name Crucible) and was replaced by sax player Tony Hall and sax player/flautist Brent Scott Carter. Both Brent and Tony came from The Ram Jam Band, which was going through another personnel shakeup. It's not known exactly when Ricky left and Brent and Tony stepped in, so the members involved in the recording of their May 1971 hit "When You Are A King" remains uncertain. By mid-1972, Tony and Brent had left the band and former Candy Choir member, Ron Reynolds, was brought on board.
Members (early 1971 to mid-1972)
Pete Nelson - vocals, rhythm guitar, piano (1969-1974, 1978)
Robin Shaw - bass, vocals (1969 - late 1973)
Robin Box - guitar, vocals (1969-1974, 1978)
Roger Hills - drums (1969, mid 1970 - mid 1973)
Tony Hall - tenor sax (mid 1971- mid 1972)
Brent Scott Carter - tenor sax, flute (mid 1971 - mid 1972)
Singles (UK):
"Gonna Miss Her Mississippi" (Cook, Greenaway, Hammond, Hazlewood) b/w "I'll Go Blind" (Young, Renshaw), Deram, 27 Aug 1971
"I Can't Stop" (J. Hill, R. Hill) b/w "Julie Anne" (Shaw, Nelson), Deram, 7 Jan 1972
Albums (UK):
When You Are A King, Deram, Oct 1971
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| L to R: Roger Hills, Tony Hall, Robin Box, Pete Nelson, and Brent Scott Carter Photo from Israeli music magazine Lahiton, 1971 |
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| Album cover, 1971 L to R: Brent Scott Carter, Robin Box, Roger Hills, Tony Hall, Robin Shaw, and Pete Nelson |
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| © Photo by Chris Walter c. 1971 L to R: Pete Nelson, Robin Shaw, Robin Box, Roger Hills, Brent Scott Carter, and Tony Hall |
Babe Ruth (Sessions) (June to September 1972)
In 1971, progressive UK band Shacklock was formed by guitarist Alan Shacklock, which included vocalist Janita Haan, bassist Dave Hewitt, pianist Dave Punshon, and drummer Dick Powell. The band changed its name to Babe Ruth in 1972 and recorded their first album, First Base, at Abbey Road Studios in London. Brent Scott Carter is credited with playing tenor sax on this album, but most likely did not tour with the band. In 1973, drummer Dick Powell was replaced by Ed Spevock and keyboardist Dave Punshon was replaced by former Timebox member Chris Holmes. The band then returned to Abbey Road Studios to record their second album, Amar Caballero, which was followed by a promotional tour of the US and Canada. Another lineup changed took place in 1974 with keyboardist Steve Gurl taking over from Chris Holmes. In early 1975, the band returned to the US for a winter tour. After the release of their eponymous third album, Alan Shacklock left the band and was replaced by future Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden. Another album entitled Stealin' Home was released the following year. In 1976, more lineup changes took place with vocalist Jenny Haan being replaced by Ellie Hope and Ray Knott taking over from Dave Hewitt. That same year, a sixth album called Kid's Stuff was released featuring the new lineup. By the end of '76, Babe Ruth had dissolved. The band was reformed in late 2005 by five original members and in 2007, they released another album called Que Pasa. The band set off on a short reunion tour of Canada in July of 2010. The band members are still active today.
Singles (UK):
"Wells Fargo" (Shacklock) b/w "Theme From 'A Few Dollars More'" (Morricone), EMI/Harvest, 3 Nov 1972
Singles (Brazil):
"The Mexican" (Shacklock, Mobbs) b/w "Wells Fargo" (Shacklock), Odeon, 1973
Album (UK):
First Base, EMI, Nov 1972
Album Personnel:
Janita (Jenny) Haan - vocals
Alan Shacklock - guitar, vocals, organ, percussion
Dave Hewitt - bass
Dick Powell - drums, percussion
Dave Punshon - electric piano, piano
Gasper Lawal - congas, bongos, cabasa
Brent Scott Carter - tenor sax
Harry Mier - oboe
Pete Halling - cello
Manny Fox - cello
Bris Rickleman - cello
Jeff Allen - drums
Producers: Nick Mobbs, Alan Shacklock
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| L to R: Dave Hewitt, Alan Shacklock, Dick Powell, and Dave Punshon Pic from Grand Slam CD booklet, 2004 |
If you have any corrections or further info, please contact me (Kelly).
posted by Kelly Kinsley
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