Geno Washington

June 20, 1965 Witch Doctor, Hastings, ENG

September 26, 1965 Ricky Tick, Guildford, ENG

October 30, 1965 Ricky Tick, Windsor, ENG

August 29, 1966 Ram Jam Club, London, ENG

September 9, 1966 Tiles, London, ENG

October 18, 1966 Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, ENG

Georgie Fame UK Tour 1966, with Chris Farlowe, Butterfield Blues Band, Eric Burdon and Geno Washington

October 20, 1966 Finsbury Park, London, ENG

October 21, 1966 Odeon, Birmingham, ENG

October 22, 1966 Odeon, Leeds, ENG

October 23, 1966 Gaumont, Doncaster, ENG

October 25, 1966 Odeon, Manchester, ENG

October 26, 1966 Odeon, Liverpool, ENG

October 27, 1966 Gaumont, Sheffield, ENG

October 28, 1966 Colston Hall, Bristol, ENG

October 29, 1966 Odeon, Cheltenham, ENG

October 31, 1966 Gaumont, Southhampton, ENG

November 1, 1966 Odeon, Bolton, ENG

November 2, 1966 ABC, Carlisle, ENG

November 3, 1966 Odeon, Glasgow, ENG

November 4, 1966 Odeon, Newcastle, ENG

November 5, 1966 Gaumont, Hanley, ENG

November 6, 1966 Odeon, Leicester, ENG (This was the last date scheduled for the Georgie Fame Tour)

December 18, 1966 Saville Theatre, London, ENG (supported by The Creation & Sounds Incorporated)

December 31, 1966 Upper Cut, London, ENG

January 19, 1967 Birdcage, Portsmouth, ENG

February 11, 1967 Ricky Tick, Windsor, ENG

February 16, 1967 Plaza, Newbury, ENG

March 1, 1967 Blue Moon, Cheltenham, ENG

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (April 1967-April 1968)
 * Geno Washington – lead vocals
 * John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
 * Dave Greenslade – organ (replaced John Carroll who played a few weeks)
 * Peter Carney – bass
 * Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
 * Clive ‘Hercules’ Burrows – baritone saxophone
 * Hans Herbert – drums

Melody Maker announced that three (of the original) members (Pete Gage, Geoff Pullum and Herb Prestidge) had left in mid-April 1967 and Geno Washington would be replacing them the same week. The revised line up (deputy musicians alongside surviving members) was due to play its debut on 19 April (Wednesday).

NME also noted that three original members had left the week ending 22 April. It reported that Geno Washington had taken on deputy musicians until permanent replacements could be found as commitments would not be interrupted.

Guitarist John Culley confirmed from his diary that he played his debut on 26 April (with John Carroll on organ) after auditioning at the Ram Jam in Brixton a day or two beforehand (24 April is the most plausible date) so deputy musicians were definitely used in the interim.

The personnel changes were subsequently announced in South East London Mercury on 18 May 1967. NME announced the Dave Greenslade line-up above in the week ending 6 May, so it seems that John Carroll did play a few weeks before Greenslade joined after honouring his commitments with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds.

Keyboard player John Carroll knew bass player Peter Carney from The Flexmen and The London Beats during 1963-1965. He also briefly played with Carney in Tony Knight’s Chessmen in 1966 before joining The New Pirates in February 1967. Carroll had commitments with The Flower Pot Men and later went on to play with Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers and The Flirtations on Stevie Wonder’s UK tour.

Guitarist John Culley had formed The Hi-Grades in spring 1962 alongside guitarist Glen Desmier, bass player Mike Watson drummer Phil Wainman and others. After backing singer Michael Holliday in Jersey the following summer (as Mike Twain & The Hi-Grades), the musicians moved to Sweden in June 1964 and recorded for Sonet. They also backed other artists on recordings for the label. In 1965, Tony Walter replaced Phil Wainman on drums and the musicians toured Denmark, briefly working as The Dynamiters and backing singer Swedish Jerry Williams before Culley returned to the UK in late 1965.

Culley next moved to Paris to work with French singer Ronnie Bird until auditioning for Geno Washington in April 1967. Peter Carney brought his old friend Pete Ross from The Flexmen along to the Ram Jam audition but John Culley got the job.

Drummer Hans Herbert, who’d played with Peter Carney and John Carroll in The Flexmen, had gone on to work with The Just Four and The Guests during 1965-1966 before playing with The All Night Workers from October 1966.

Keyboard player Dave Greenslade was a longstanding member of Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds (who’d gigged with the original Ram Jam Band on numerous occasions), having briefly worked with Clive Burrows in the Wes Minister Five in 1964.

After Greenslade joined, the new Ram Jam Band (with a session bass player, possibly Tony Reeves) recorded and released two singles – “She Shot a Hole In My Soul” c/w “I’ve Been Hurt By Love” (Piccadilly 7N 35392), released in June 1967; and “Different Strokes” c/w “You Got Me Hummin’” (Pye 7N 17425), released in December 1967. For the “Different Strokes” session, noted session player Harry Stoneham arranged the track and added keyboards alongside Greenslade.

With Peter Carney on bass, they also cut the remainder of the tracks on the second LP, Hipsters, Flipsters, Finger-Poppin’ Daddies! (Piccadilly NPL/NSPL 38032), which was released in September 1967 and peaked at #8 in the UK charts. Later that year, the band recorded a studio album, Shake a Tail Feather Baby! (Piccadilly NPL/NSPL 38029), which was issued in January 1968.

“Different Strokes” and “You Got Me Hummin’” also appeared on a second EP, “Different Strokes” (Pye NEP 24293), which also included the tracks “I’m Your Puppet” and “Use Me”. The former was cut earlier in the year by the Pete Gage formation.

Selected gigs: 19 April 1967 – College of Commerce students’ Union, Hull, ENG (Skyline Ballroom) with Tony Rivers & The Castaways, The Amboy Dukes, The Locomotion and The Jamm 22 April 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester, ENG 23 April 1967 – Plaza, Newbury, ENG (Please note: above gigs may not have happened but if they did, they were with deputy musicians)

24/25 April – Auditions at Ram Jam, Brixton bring in John Carroll and John Culley

26 April 1967 – Top Rank, Croydon, ENG with Davey Sands & The Essex (Carroll and Culley’s debut) 27 April 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, ENG 28 April 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, ENG (not in John Culley’s diary) 28 April 1967 – Shoreline, Bognor Regis, ENG 29 April 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, ENG 30 April 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Nantwich, ENG

1 May 1967 – Top Rank, Watford, ENG 2 May 1967 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, ENG 4 May 1967 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, ENG 5 May 1967 – Southampton Guildhall, Southampton, ENG 6 May 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, ENG 7 May 1967 – Empire Pool, Wembley, ENG (NME Poll Winners’ Show, with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch, Cream, Dusty Springfield, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, The Beach Boys, Paul Jones, Lulu, The Move, The Small Faces, The Spencer Davis Group, The Alan Price Set, Cat Stevens, The Troggs and others)

16 May – Recording at Pye

17 May 1967 – Top Rank, Doncaster, ENG (also TV appearance) 18 May 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, ENG 19 May 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, ENG 20 May 1967 – Toft’s, Folkestone, ENG 21 May 1967 – Ricky Tick, Newbury, ENG 22 May 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, ENG (with The Penny Blacks)

25 May 1967 – Recording at Pye

26 May 1967 – Pavilion Ballroom, Weymouth, ENG 27 May 1967 – Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-Super-Mare, ENG 28 May 1967 – Ram Jam, London, ENG (with The Hunky Chunk Band) 29 May 1967 – Tulip Bulp Auction Hall, Spalding, ENG (with Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, The Move, Zoot Money and Pink Floyd)

31 May – Recording at Pye

1 June 1967 – Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, ENG (with Combustion) 2 June 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, ENG 3 June 1967 – Morley Town Hall, Morley, ENG (with Bobby Johnson & The Atoms) 4 June 1967 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, ENG 6 June 1967 – Britannia Ballroom, Nottingham, ENG 10 June 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, ENG 11 June 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, ENG 13 June 1967 – Caius College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, ENG )with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds)

16 June 1967 – Bird Cage, Portsmouth, ENG 17 June 1967 – Oxford University, Oxford, ENG 18 June 1967 – Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth, ENG 26 June 1967 – Exeter University St. Luke’s College, Exeter, ENG 27 June 1967 – Queen’s Hall, Barnstaple, ENG 29 June 1967 – Scotch Club, Torquay, ENG 30 June 1967 – St. George’s Hall, Exeter, ENG June ?, 1967 Bag O’Nails, London, ENG (Again, this isn’t listed in the diary)

1 July 1967 – Ritz Ballroom, Bournemouth, ENG 2 July 1967 – Khyber Club, Taunton, ENG 3 July 1967 – Bath Pavilion, Bath, ENG 4 July 1967 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, ENG 6 July 1967 – Flamingo Ballroom, Redruth, ENG (with Julian Covey Machine) 9 July 1967 – Ram Jam, London, ENG 11 July 1967 – Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, ENG 11 July 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Basildon, Essex (missing from John Culley’s diary) 12 July 1967 – Supreme Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent (missing from John Culley’s diary)

12 July 1967 – Bal Tabarin, Downham, ENG

13 July 1967 – Recorded for Top of the Pops (according to John Culley’s diary) (Note: This may have been same show that was aired on 1 September and also included The Action, Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours and Matt Munroe)

15 July 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester, ENG 17 July 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hampshire (missing from John Culley’s diary) 18 July 1967 – Marquee, London, ENG (with The Amboy Dukes) 19 July 1967 – Ram Jam, London, ENG (recorded promo video at Battersea Park earlier in the day) 21 July 1967 – Casino Club, Burnley, ENG (with Sisters of Idle Dreams) 22 July 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, ENG

24 July 1967 – Recorded for BBC in Manchester (Pop North)

25 July 1967 – Left for Scottish tour that lasted until 29 July 28 July 1967 – Ballerina Ballroom, Nairn, Scotland July 31, 1967 Silver Blades, Bradford, ENG

August 1, 1967 Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, ENG (with Shades of Grey) August 3, 1967 Streatham Locarno, London, ENG August 5, 1967 New Cornish Riveria, St Austell, ENG (with The Harlequins) August 7, 1967 Birmingham Roller Rink, Birmingham, ENG (also BBC recordings Monday Monday) August 8, 1967 Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, ENG August 10, 1967 Locarno, Bristol, ENG August 11, 1967 Locarno, Basildon, ENG August 16, 1967 Seagull Ballroom, Ryde Pier Head, Isle of Wight August 17, 1967 Locarno, Portsmouth, ENG

18 August 1967 – Flew to Spain August 19, 1967 Tiffany’s Ballroom, Barcelona, SPA (also play gigs at Platja D’aro)

August 22, 1967 Spinning Disc, Leeds, ENG August 24, 1967 Locarno, Coventry, ENG August 25, 1967 Gaiety Ballroom, Grimsby, ENG August 26, 1967 Ram Jam, London, ENG August 28, 1967 Hastings Stadium, Hastings, ENG (Festival Of Music, with The Kinks, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Robb Storme & The Whispers, Winstons Fumbs, Hip Hooray Band & (compere) Keith Skues) August 30, 1967 Locarno, Stevenage, ENG August 31, 1967 Pavilion, Southampton, ENG

September 1, 1967 Botwell Community Centre, Hayes, ENG September 4, 1967 Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, ENG (with Robert Plant & The Band of Joy)

September 5, 1967 BBC Saturday Club appearance

September 7, 1967 Skyline Ballroom, Hull, ENG September 8, 1967 Boulevard Club, Tadcaster, ENG September 8, 1967 Crystal Ballroom, Castleford, ENG September 9, 1967 Floral Hall, Southport, ENG September 12, 1967 Palais, Ilford, ENG September 13, 1967 Orchid Ballroom, Purley, ENG September 28, 1967 Assembly Hall, Worthing, ENG

30 September 1967 – Band flies to Copenhagen for short Scandinavian tour, sharing some dates with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention

30 September 1967 – ‘Love Out’, Brondby Pop Club, Brondby, DEN with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Hurdy Gurdy and R&B Section

October 3-4, 1967 Star Club, Copenhagen, DEN October 7, 1967 Idrotthuset, Orebro, SWE (with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Blues Quality & The Quints) October 8, 1967 Jernvallen, Sandviken, SWE (with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers & Two Good Reasons) October 10, 1967 Konserthuset, Stockholm, SWE (with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers & The Defenders) October 17, 1967 Marquee, London, ENG (with The Amboy Dukes) October 29, 1967 Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, ENG (with The All-Nite Workers)

November 14, 1967 Ahoy, Rotterdam, NED (Hippy-Happy Festival, supported by Bob Hoeke's R&B Band & Cuby & The Blizzards) November 18, 1967 Twisted Wheel, Manchester, ENG

December 2, 1967 Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, ENG December 30, 1967 Starlight Room, Boston, ENG (with Ebony Keys & The Lost)

21 April 1967 – Boulevard Club, Tadcaster and Crystal Ballroom, Castleford on the same day. This would have been with the deputy musicians before John Culley and Dave Greenslade joined.

10 June 1967 – band was billed to play a second date after the Carlton Ballroom at the Gaeity Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. This was not in John Culley’s diary so may not have happened.

1 September 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich (not in John Culley’s diary and clashes with another date in Hayes, Middlesex so could have been cancelled or moved back a day or two?)

October 13, 1967 Tottenham Royal, London, ENG October 15, 1967 Civic Centre, Corby, ENG (with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers & Ferris Wheel) October 16, 1967 Ice Rink, Bradford, ENG October 27, 1967 Skyline Ballroom, Hull, ENG (with The Roll Movement, Richard G Simpson Band & The Peighton Checks) October 28, 1967 Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, ENG

15 November 1967 – St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, Norfolk with Alex Wilson Sect and Rubber Band 16 November 1967 – Birdcage, Harlow, Essex 17 November 1967 – Big C Club, Farnborough, Hampshire 21-25 November 1967 – Greasboro’ Social Club, Doncaster and Kettlethorpe Workingmen’s Club, Wakefield 28 November 1967 – Bag O’Nails, London

26 December 1967 – Roller Rink, Birmingham

10 February 1968 – Devonshire House, Exeter University, Exeter Devon REPLY Live in Finland SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 AT 5:18 AM 9 October 1967 – Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Eero ja Jussi and the Boys (recorded by Finnish radio, YLE) + TV studio recording for Tunnussävel, a Mainos-TV music programme (broadcast 12 December 1967, tapes no longer exist) REPLY Eliseu Huertas Cos OCTOBER 10, 2014 AT 5:19 AM Hello,Yesterday I discovered some great documentary with Reno Washington on the lineup in The Marquee with Hendrix & The Who,etc.I immediately shared it on the Facebook on the grounds that my memory serves me well remembering if one thing I interview him for Radio Figueras at the Platja D’Aro [Girona)Spain gig in 1967.Don’t ask me what we talked about as my broken English must ‘ve been terrible,but if one thing he said he would some time play with Hendrix! REPLY Nick OCTOBER 26, 2014 AT 6:37 AM Another gig missing from the list which I found in the Crawley Advertiser is 22 October 1967 at the Starlight Ballroom, Crawley REPLY Nick OCTOBER 26, 2014 AT 6:57 AM Found a few more gigs advertised in Melody Maker:

1 March 1968 – Geno Washington was due to join John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and others for the ‘Mad Hatters Ball’ at the Albert Hall on this date but the show was cancelled due to slow ticket sales

9 April 1968 – Pantiles, Bagshot, Surrey

2 June 1968 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham with Isley Brothers, James and Bobby Purify, Jo Jo Cook & The Rackett and Fascination REPLY Nick DECEMBER 24, 2014 AT 7:02 AM These gigs are from the Birmingham Evening Mail and are missing from the list above

28 January 1968 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Georgie Fame 17 March 1968 – Hotel Leofic, Coventry, West Midlands 26 May 1968 – Oasis Club, Birmingham REPLY Nick JANUARY 23, 2015 AT 5:45 PM Birmingham Evening Mail lists two gigs on 1 September 1967 (see comment above for one of the gigs) which clashes with the Botwell House gig, so not sure what gig(s) happened:

Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands and Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich REPLY Nick FEBRUARY 8, 2015 AT 8:16 AM Another missing one from Camberley News and Bagshot Observer:

2 May 1968 – ‘Star Club’, Agincourt, Camberley, Surrey with The Late REPLY Nick Warburton FEBRUARY 23, 2015 AT 4:37 AM Found some more missing dates in the Northwich Chronicle:

3 February 1968 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Executives

19 April 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester with Granny’s Intentions

This last one is from South Wales Evening Post:

20 April 1968 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli REPLY Nick Warburton MARCH 10, 2015 AT 4:07 AM Another missing one from the Northwich Chronicle:

15 March 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester with The Uncertainty REPLY Nick MARCH 28, 2015 AT 8:12 AM Few more missing gigs:

DERBY EVENING TELEGRAPH:

21 October 1967 – Matlock Bath, Matlock with Bread & Butter Band, Thorndyke’s Mordekai’s Imagination

Geno & the RJB played the Kursaal in Southend in 1968. I remember it because it was the last time I saw my gf before she moved to Edmonton, Canada. Cannot remember the date but think it was August/September time. Sorry to be vague.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Crystal Ballroom (aka Bowl) for the gig on 8 September 1967 had been renamed The Boogaloo Discotheque

The Britannia Theatre gig on 18 June 1967 is a fascinating one as Geno and the band share the bill with Neil Diamond (bottom of the billing!!!) and also The Nite People and Ferris Wheels (North Norfolk News)

October 14, 1967 Flowerpot Club, Digbeth, ENG (with The Sea Cruisers)

November 4, 1967 Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, ENG (with Johnny Neale & The Starliners) November 27, 1967 Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, ENG (with The Probe)

Express & Star (Wolverhampton), lists:

April 27, 1967 Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, ENG (interesting gig as it clashes with one in John Cully’s diary. I doubt this happened)

1968

January 1, 1968 Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, ENG

March 16, 1968 Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, ENG March 18, 1968 Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, ENG (with The System) March 22, 1968 Big C Club, Farnborough, ENG

April 13, 1968 Sports Stadium, Bracknell, ENG April 27, 1968 Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, ENG

May 23, 1968 Civic Hall, Guildford, ENG May 26, 1968 Oasis, Wolverhampton, ENG (with The Staffords)

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (July 1968-August 1968)
 * Geno Washington – lead vocals
 * Dave Greenslade – organ
 * Dave Tedstone – lead guitar, vocals
 * Peter Carney – bass, vocals
 * Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
 * Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
 * Pat Higgs – trumpet
 * Colin Davey – drums

In May 1968 Geno Washington went to Madrid on his own and played at the Stones Club with Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede. Back in the UK, during mid-July, he fired guitarist John Culley and drummer Hans Herbert and put together a new formation around the surviving members.

Guitarist Dave Tedstone had a long pedigree, having worked with Herefordshire bands, Lee Starr & The Astrals and The Doc Thomas Group before joining Freddy Mack in London in April 1967. By early 1968, he was playing with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds with original Ram Jam members John Roberts and Herb Prestidge. Colin Davey had played drums with Tedstone in Freddy Mack’s band in 1967.

Original sax player Buddy Beadle returned after working with The Amboy Dukes, who’d shared the bill with The Ram Jam Band on numerous occasions.

The new line up’s first important gig was a three-hour BBC Radio 1 session at Maida Vale. With Greenslade taking the lead as musical director, the group (with a session bass player) cut five tracks, including the old blues staple, “Rock Me Baby”, a cover of The Rolling Stones’ recent single “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” plus “Hi Heel Sneakers” and “Holdin’ On (With Both Hands)”, which were later picked up by collectors’ label Acid Jazz for a compilation EP.

Producer John Schroeder, however, was not happy with the new direction and with a live album lined up for August the new line up proved to be short-lived. Gigs were few and far between and while all of this was going on, Dave Greenslade began rehearsing with his new band, Colosseum.

July 5, 1968 Kursaal Ballroom, Southend-on-Sea, ENG July 12, 1968 Locarno, Basildon, ENG (Culley or Tedstone line up?) July 14, 1968 Top Rank Suite, Birmingham, ENG July 15, 1968 Radio One’s David Symonds Show (UK Radio recording session) July 19-21, 1968 Belfast, NI July 26, 1968 Liverpool, ENG July 27, 1968 Prestatyn, WAL July 29, 1968 Belfry, Wishaw, ENG

August 3, 1968 Market Hall, Pembroke, ENG August 27, 1968 Royal Lido Ballroom, Prestatyn, WAL (with The Informers)

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (August 1968-September 1968)
 * Geno Washington – lead vocals
 * John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
 * Dave Greenslade – organ
 * Peter Carney – bass, vocals
 * Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
 * Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
 * Hans Herbert – drums

In the first week of August, Dave Tedstone left to re-join Jimmy James & The Vagabonds. He later contributed recording sessions for Cartoone’s second album and then joined Tom Jones’s band, The Squires. In 1970, Tedstone joined Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers, reuniting with Buddy Beadle. The group cut an unreleased album at Trident Studios. Colin Davey and Pat Higgs also departed at this point.

Geno Washington revamped the band just in time for a new live album Live! – Running Wild (Pye NPL/NSPL 18219) recorded at the Casino Ballroom, Bolton, Lancashire on 9 August 1968, bringing back John Culley and Hans Herbert from the previous incarnation.

The revised line up cut a lone single, “Bring It To Me Baby” c/w “I Can’t Let You Go” (Pye 7N 17649), which was released in November 1968.

NME reported in the week ending 17 August that Geno Washington had split from Rik Gunnell’s agency and briefly gone with Mike Rispoli.

MM reported Geno Washington leaves for the Costa Brava from 21 August 1968 (unlikely this happened as it clashes with other gigs)

August 7, 1968 Top Rank, Henley, ENG August 8, 1968 City Hall, Salisbury, ENG (with The Emotions) August 9, 1968 Casino Ballroom, Bolton, ENG August 9, 1968 Casino Club, Wigan, ENG August 10, 1968 Brighton Festival, Brighton, ENG August 12, 1968 Guildhall, Portsmouth, ENG August 15, 1968 Locarno, Bristol, ENG August 16, 1968 Town Hall, Torquay, ENG August 17, 1968 Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, ENG August 23-24, 1968 Scene Two, Scarborough, ENG August 30, 1968 Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, ENG August 31, 1968 Leas Cliffe Hall, Folkestone, ENG

September 1, 1968 Chateau Impney Grounds, Droitwich, ENG (Bank Holiday Bluesology Festival, with Duster Bennett, Jasper Stubbs And His Gloryland Band, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cliff Bennett, Joe Cocker, The Passion Forest & DJ John Peel)

September 1, 1968 Winter Gardens, Malvern, ENG September 1, 1968 Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, ENG September 2, 1968 Golden Torch, Tunstall, ENG

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (September 1968-December 1968) +Rod Baby – trumpet
 * Geno Washington – lead vocals
 * John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
 * Keith O’Connell – organ
 * Peter Carney – bass, vocals
 * Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
 * Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone
 * Hans Herbert – drums

In early September, Dave Greenslade formally departed to play with his new band, Colosseum. Longstanding member Lionel Kingham also departed and later did sessions for Henry McCullough and Geoff Muldaur among others.

With Greenslade gone, the band recruited Manchester musician, Keith O’Connell, who’d played with local groups The Raging Storms and Glass Menagerie.

Beadle recommended his former band mate from The Amboy Dukes, Steve Gregory, who’d played with The Alan Price Set before that. The band also added trumpet player Rod Baby.

September 13, 1968 Mayfair, Newcastle Upon Tyne, ENG September 14, 1968 Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, ENG September 29, 1968 Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, SCOT (with The Shadettes) September ?, 1968 Maryland Ballroom, Glasgow, SCOT

October 4, 1968 Top Rank, Leicester, ENG October 7, 1968 Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, ENG October 11, 1968 Salford University, Manchester, ENG October 12, 1968 California Ballroom, Dunstable, ENG October 15, 1968 Top Rank, High Wycombe, ENG October 17, 1968 RAF Hollyhead, Anglesey, WAL October 19, 1968 The College, Chester, ENG October 22, 1968 Top Rank, Sheffield, ENG

October ?, 1968 HM Wormswood Scrubs

October-November 1968 – Piper Club, Rome, Italy (also gigs in Turin)

November 2, 1968 The Swan, Yardley, ENG (with Jigsaw) November 8, 1969 Royal Lido Ballroom, Prestatyn, WAL (with The Duke Gordon Showband) November 23, 1968 Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, ENG (with Apricot Brandy) November 25, 1968 Top Rank, Cardiff, WAL November 28, 1968 Top Rank, Sunderland, ENG

December 6, 1968 Locarno, Sunderland, ENG December 12, 1968 Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle, ENG December 20-21, 1968 Scene 2 Club, Scarborough, ENG December 22, 1968 Top Rank Suite, Birmingham, ENG December 24, 1968 Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, ENG (with Ruby James & The Trifle & The Purple Dream)

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (December 1968-April 1969)
 * Geno Washington – lead vocals
 * John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
 * Keith O’Connell – organ
 * Peter Carney – bass, vocals
 * Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
 * Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone
 * Rod Baby – trumpet
 * Malcolm Wolffe – drums

Hans Herbert did not stay long on his return. Malcolm Wolffe, who’d previously played with The Tribe and then Happy Magazine took his place.

January 17, 1969 Central Pier, Morecombe, ENG January 18, 1969 Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, ENG January 20, 1969 St. Matthew’s Hall, Ipswich, ENG January 25, 1969 Gaeity Ballroom, Ramsey, ENG January 25, 1969 Bradford University, Bradford, ENG January 26, 1969 Britannia Club, Nottingham, ENG January 29, 1969 Oldham College of Further Education, Oldham, ENG January 30, 1969 Riverton Barn, Bolton, ENG January 31, 1969 Locarno, Sunderland, ENG (with Cupid’s Inspiration)

2-10 February 1969 – Showboat Variety Club, Middlesbrough 12 February 1969 – Top Rank Ballroom, Cardiff, Wales 13 February 1969 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands 15 February 1969 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset 23 February 1969 – Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland with Alan Jordan & The KB Showband

March 5, 1969 Winter Gardens, Morecombe, ENG March 7, 1969 College Ballroom, Hinckley, ENG March 8, 1969 Marie Hall, Shrewsbury, ENG March 12, 1969 Skyline Ballroom, Hull, ENG March 14, 1969 Public Baths, Sutton-in-Ashfield, ENG March 15, 1969 Leeds University, Leeds, ENG March 16, 1969 Wembley Empire Pool, Wembley, ENG ("Pop World 69", with Fleetwood Mac, The Move, Gun, Harmony Grass, Barry Ryan, Sharon Tandy & Fleur de Lys, Gary Walker & Rain) March 23, 1969 Railway Hotel, Wealdstone, ENG (not sure if John Culley was on guitar or his replacement Keith Field)

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (April 1969-September 1969)
 * Geno Washington – lead vocals
 * Keith Field – lead guitar, vocals
 * Keith O’Connell – organ
 * Peter Carney – bass, vocals
 * Buddy Beadle – baritone saxophone
 * Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone
 * Malcolm Wolffe – drums

John Culley departed after a Scottish tour in March-April 1969, playing his final gig in Stranraer. After working in the Ivory Coast with The Crazy Fingers, he joined Cressida in 1970 and later played with Black Widow. Rod Baby departed at the same time.

Guitarist Keith Field, formerly with The Blue Aces, and, more significantly, Ferris Wheel, took over from John Culley after cutting a solo single, “The Day That War Broke Out” c/w “Stop! Thief” for Polydor in September 1968.

The new line up recorded a lone single, “My Little Chickadee” c/w “Seven Eleven” (Pye 7N 17745), which was released in June 1969.

Selected gigs: April 1969 – Gigs in Netherlands (according to Billboard)

April 5, 1969 Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, SCOT (with Alan Jordan & The KB Showband & The Shadettes)

May 20, 1969 Bradford University, Bradford, ENG (with The Idle Race, The Honeybus, Clouds & others)

May 23, 1969 Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, ENG May 24, 1969 Pavilion, Buxton, ENG May 26, 1969 Skegness, ENG ('Skegness Seaside Soul Festival', with Amen Corner, Inez & Charlie Foxx, The Fantastics & Jimmy James & The Vagabonds) May 31, 1969 California Ballroom, Dunstable, ENG (with Tract & Virgin Hearse)

June 1969 – Scottish tour (includes gigs with Jo Jo Gunne and Three Dog Night)

July 6, 1969 Citation Hotel, Perth, SCOT July 6, 1969 Grand Hall, Kilmarnock, SCOT July 13, 1969 Hastings Pier Ballroom, Hastings, ENG (with Canterbury Tales) July 21, 1969 Quaintways, Chester, ENG (with Roundabout with Wild Duncan & Syrian Blue) July 27, 1969 Start week at Fiesta, Stockton, ENG

August 1969 – Short tour of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland (around now)

9 August 1969 – Three-day Swedish tour starts (advertised in music press)

October 23, 1969 Hatchetts, London, ENG

November 29, 1969 Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, ENG (may not have happened)

December 11, 1969 Hatchetts, London, ENG

1970

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (March 1970-November 1970)
 * Geno Washington – lead vocals
 * Alan Griffin – lead guitar, vocals
 * Tom Duffy – bass, vocals
 * Winston ???? – keyboards
 * Tony Hall – tenor saxophone
 * Brent Scott Carter – baritone saxophone
 * Frank Charlton – trumpet
 * Larry ???? – drums

The Ram Jam Band split with Washington after working at the Neago Club in Majorca in October 1969.

Beadle and Gregory would go on to play a multitude of sessions with artists as diverse as Ginger Baker’s Airforce, Babe Ruth, Bell & Arc, Chicken Shack, Andy Fairweather-Low, Alan Hull, Otis Spann, Suzi Quatro, Freddie King and Lindisfarne. They also became members of Gonzalez and recorded a string of albums in the 1970s.

NME announced in the week ending 4 October 1969 that Geno Washington had split from The Ram Jam Band and returned to The United States. Fabulous 208 magazine mentioned in its 25 October issue that the group had split in the same week as Amen Corner and The Marbles.

The singer duly returned from the United States in early 1970 and put together an entirely new version of The Ram Jam Band around March.

Tom Duffy came from Newcastle and had previously played with The Sect. The group’s new drummer was another American, from California. Alan Griffin had previously played with Croydon, Surrey band, The Subjects.

Londoners Tony Hall and Brent Scott Carter both came in from Simon K & The Meantimers. Tony Hall had a long pedigree having previously worked with West London outfits, Peter Nelson & The Travellers, Peter’s Faces, Wainwright’s Gentlemen, The Flowerpot Men and Rupert’s Spoon.

April 4, 1970 Marquee, London, ENG

May ?, 1970 Ballymena, Belfast and Dublin

November 13, 1970 Ballerina Ballroom, Nairn, SCOT

Around December 1970, Tom Duffy left and went on to record with Arc and Bell & Arc before playing and recording with Lindisfarne. Frank Charlton also left and later recorded with The Avant Gardeners.

Roger Flavell joined on bass after working with Grand Union (Bandwagon’s backing band) and Judd. Further personnel changes took place in early 1971 before the musicians broke away from Geno Washington.

Flavell subsequently played with The Tommy Hunt Band and recorded with The Byron Band among others. Brent Scott Carter later appeared on an album by Babe Ruth while Tony Hall did sessions for Dana Gillespie among others.

December 26, 1970 Marquee, London, ENG

August 20, 1971 Aquarius, Hastings, ENG

December 16, 1977 The Music Machine, London, ENG (supported by Tequila)