Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band 1967-1968

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band Late 1967
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, late 1967.
Clockwise from front, Peter Carney, Geno Washington, Hans Herbert, John Culley, Dave Greenslade, Clive Burrows and Lionel Kingham (photo from Buddy Beadle).

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.

Photo: South East London Mercury, 18 May 1967

The personnel changes were subsequently announced in South East London Mercury on 18 May 1967 (page 2).

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, Hull, Humberside with Tony Rivers & The Castaways, The Amboy Dukes, The Locomotion and The Jamm

21 April 1967 – Boulevard Club, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire and Crystal Ballroom, Castleford, West Yorkshire

22 April 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

23 April 1967 – Ricky Tick, Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire

(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, London bring in John Carroll and John Culley

26 April 1967 – Top Rank, Croydon, London with Davey Sands & The Essex (Carroll and Culley’s debut)

27 April 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire

27 April 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, West Midlands (clashes with confirmed gig above and not in John Culley’s diary so very unlikely)

28 April 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex (not in John Culley’s diary)

28 April 1967 – Shoreline, Bognor Regis, West Sussex

29 April 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

30 April 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Nantwich, Cheshire

 

1 May 1967 – Watford Round Table, Watford Top Rank Suite, Watford, Hertfordshire with The Amboy Dukes

2 May 1967 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

4 May 1967 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

5 May 1967 – Southampton Guildhall, Southampton, Hants. (David Else also has them playing Newbury Ricky Tick on this date)

6 May 1967 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex

7 May 1967 – NME Poll Winners’ Show, Empire Pool, Wembley, London 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, South Yorkshire (also TV appearance)

18 May 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands

19 May 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, London

20 May 1967 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent

21 May 1967 – Ricky Tick, Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire

22 May 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Penny Blacks

25 May 1967 – Recording at Pye

26 May 1967 – Pavilion Ballroom, Weymouth, Dorset with Palmer James and The Package Deal

27 May 1967 – Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

28 May 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London with The Hunky Chunk Band

29 May 1967 – Tulip Bulp Auction Hall, Spalding, Lincolnshire with Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, The Move, Zoot Money and Pink Floyd

31 May – Recording at Pye

 

1 June 1967 – Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire with Combustion

2 June 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, London

3 June 1967 – Morley Town Hall, Morley, West Yorkshire with Bobby Johnson & The Atoms

4 June 1967 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey

6 June 1967 – Britannia Ballroom, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

10 June 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands

10 June 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

11 June 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire

13 June 1967 – Caius College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds

16 June 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire

17 June 1967 – Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire

18 June 1967 – Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk  with The Nite People, Ferris Wheel and Neil Diamond

26 June 1967 – St Luke’s College, Exeter University, Exeter, Devon

27 June 1967 – Queen’s Hall, Barnstaple, Devon

29 June 1967 – Scotch Club, Torquay, Devon

30 June 1967 – St George’s Hall, Exeter, Devon

 

1 July 1967 – Ritz Ballroom, Bournemouth, Dorset with Minor Portion

2 July 1967 – Khyber Club, Taunton, Somerset

3 July 1967 – Bath Pavilion, Bath, Somerset

4 July 1967 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire

6 July 1967 – Flamingo Ballroom, Redruth, Cornwall with Julian Covey Machine (held at Flamingo Ballroom)

9 July 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London

11 July 1967 – Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon

11 July 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Basildon, Essex (missing from John Culley’s diary and unlikely as above date confirmed)

12 July 1967 – Supreme Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent (missing from John Culley’s diary so not clear if this happened)

12 July 1967 – Bal Tabarin, Downham, London

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

17 July 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hants (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

18 July 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Amboy Dukes

19 July 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London (recorded promo video at Battersea Park earlier in the day)

21 July 1967 – Casino Club, Burnley, Lancashire with Sisters of Idle Dreams

22 July 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

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 with The Copycats

29 July 1967 – The Beach, Aberdeen, Scotland (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

31 July 1967 – Silver Blades, Bradford, West Yorkshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

 

1 August 1967 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham with Shades of Gray (missing from John Culley’s diary)

3 August 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Streatham, London

5 August 1967 – New Cornish Riveria, St Austell, Cornwall with The Harlequins

7 August 1967 – Birmingham Roller Rink, Birmingham (also BBC recordings Monday Monday)

8 August 1967 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

10 August 1967 – Locarno, Bristol, Avon

11 August 1967 – Locarno, Basildon, Essex

16 August 1967 – Seagull Ballroom, Ryde Pier Head, Isle of Wight

17 August 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hampshire with Jack & The Jacobites

18 August 1967 – Flew to Spain

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

22 August 1967 – Spinning Disc, Leeds, West Yorkshire

24 August 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands

25 August 1967 – Gaiety, Grimsby, South Yorkshire

26 August 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London

28 August 1967 – Hastings Festival, Hastings, East Sussex with The Kinks, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Robb Storme & The Whispers, Winston’s Fumbs and Hip Hooray Band

30 August 1967 – Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

31 August 1967 – Pavilion, Southampton, Hants

 

1 September 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (missing from John Culley’s diary and clashes with Hayes gig below which is confirmed but it was advertised)

1 September 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (not in John Culley’s diary and clashes with Hayes gig below which is confirmed but it was advertised)

1 September 1967 – Botwell Community Centre, Hayes, London

4 September 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with Robert Plant & The Band of Joy

5 September 1967 – BBC Saturday Club appearance

7 September 1967 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull, Humberside

8 September 1967 – Boulevard Club, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire and then Crystal Ballroom (aka the Boogaloo Discotheque),  Castleford, West Yorkshire

9 September 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

12 September 1967 – Palais, Ilford, Essex

13 September 1967 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, London (short holiday after this)

28 September 1967 – Assembly Hall, Worthing, West Sussex

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, Denmark with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Hurdy Gurdy and R&B Section

 

3-4 October 1967 – Star Club, Copenhagen, Denmark

7 October 1967 – Idrotthuset, Orebro, Sweden with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Blues Quality and The Quints

8 October 1967 – Jernvallen, Sandviken, Sweden with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Two Good Reasons (On this day also billed to play Grantham Drill Hall with Broodly Hoo and Legay but didn’t appear)

10 October 1967 – Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and The Defenders

13 October 1967 – Tottenham Royal, Tottenham, London (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

14 October 1967 – Flowerpot Club, Digbeth, Birmingham, West Midlands with The Sea Cruisers (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

15 October 1967 – Civic Centre, Corby, Northamptonshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

16 October 1967 – Silver Blades Ice Rink, Bradford, West Yorkshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

17 October 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Amboy Dukes

21 October 1967 – Matlock Bath, Matlock, Derbyshire with Bread & Butter Band, Thorndyke’s Mordekai’s Imagination (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

22 October 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

27 October 1967 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull with The Roll Movement, Richard G Simpson Band and The Peighton Checks (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

28 October 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent (missing from John Culley’s diary so may not have happened)

29 October 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, London with The All-Nite Workers

 

4 November 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands with Johnny Neale & The Starliners (missing from John Culley’s diary)

4 November 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (missing from John Culley’s diary)

5 November 1967 – Plaza, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire with The Rats (missing from John Culley’s diary)

Photo: Lancashire Evening Post

6 November 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Blackpool, Lancashire (missing from John Culley’s diary)

15 November 1967 – St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, Norfolk with Alex Wilson Sect and Rubber Band (missing from John Culley’s diary)

16 November 1967 – Birdcage, Harlow, Essex (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

17 November 1967 – Big C Club, Farnborough, Hants (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

18 November 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

21 November 1967 – Greasboro’ Social Club, Doncaster, South Yorkshire and Kettlethorpe Working Men’s Club, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

27 November 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Probe (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

28 November 1967 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, London (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

 

2 December 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire with The 4th Coming and The Acme Music Co

26 December 1967 – Roller Rink, Birmingham, West Midlands (missing from John Culley’s diary so needs confirmation)

30 December 1967 – Starlight Room, Boston, Lincolnshire with Ebony Keys, The Lost and Ray Bones

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band Live
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band Live, Late 1967/1968.
Left to right: Peter Carney, John Culley, Geno Washington and Clive Burrows (photo from Peter Carney).

1 January 1968 – Sherwood Arms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

4 January 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hants

5 January 1968 – Royal Ballroom, Tottenham, London

7 January 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex

9 January 1968 – Bluesology Festival, Chateau Impney, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Joe Cocker, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and Duster Bennett

9 January 1968 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Ferris Wheel

10 January 1968 – Pavilion, Southampton, Hants

11 January 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Streatham, London

13 January 1968 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire

19 January 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Burslem, Staffordshire with The Iveys (some sources have Marmalade and The Peeps)

20 January 1968 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

28 January 1968 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Georgie Fame and The Cedar Set

30 January 1968 – Palais, Ilford, Kent

31 January 1968 – Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

 

2 February 1968 – New Central Pier, Morecombe, Lancashire

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

5 February 1968 – The Howard Platt Discotheque Show, Jazz and Blues Festival, Norwich, Norfolk with The Kinks and Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound

10 February 1968 – Devonshire House, Exeter University, Exeter, Devon

12 February 1968 – Bluesville ’68, St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich, Suffolk with The Track

15 February 1968 – Zodiac Club, Eden Park Hotel, Beckenham, London (replacing Georgie Fame)

16 February 1968 – Top Rank Suite, Swansea, Wales with The Tremeloes and Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers

17 February 1968 – Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with Simon K & The Meantimers

24 February 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Dykas

25 February 1968 – New Regis Club, Bognor Regis, West Sussex

28 February 1968 – Bluesville ’68 Club, St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich, Suffolk

 

1 March 1968 – Mad Hatters Ball, Albert Hall, London with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and others (cancelled)

2 March 1968 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

3 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex

8 March 1968 – Club Rado, Belfast, Northern Ireland with The Few

9 March 1968 – Belfast University Students’ Union, Belfast, Northern Ireland with Taste

11 March 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Glasgow

15 March 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire with The Soul Station (or might be The Uncertainty)

16 March 1968 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, Essex with support

17 March 1968 – Hotel Leofric, Coventry, West Midlands

18 March 1968 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The System

22 March 1968 – Big C Club, Farnborough, Hants

23 March 1968 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester

6 April 1968 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli, south Wales

9 April 1968 – Pantiles, Bagshot, Surrey

11 April 1968 – Eden Park Hotel, Beckenham, London

12 April 1968 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire

13 April 1968 – Sports Stadium, Bracknell, Berkshire

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

20 April 1968 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli, Wales

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
(April 1968-August 1968)

Geno Washington – lead vocals
Dave Greenslade – organ
John ‘Silkie’ Culley – lead guitar
Peter Carney – bass
Lionel ‘Rocky’ Kingham – tenor saxophone
Pat Higgs – trumpet
Hans Herbert – drums

Clive Burrows left around April 1968 and the band took on trumpet player Pat Higgs, a former member of Elton John’s mid-1960s band, Bluesology and then a brief member of Hamilton & The Hamilton Movement.

This version of the band was responsible for a lone single, “I Can’t Quit Her” c/w Carney and Culley’s “Put Out The Fire Baby” (Pye 7N 17570), which was released in July 1968.

Geno Washington’s band also recorded a new live album Live! – Running Wild (Pye NPL/NSPL 18219) recorded at the Casino Ballroom, Bolton, Lancashire on 9 August 1968 before personnel changes took place.

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

Selected gigs:

27 April 1968 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands

28 April 1968 – Wake Arms, Epping, Essex

 

2 May 1968 – ‘Star Club’, Agincourt, Camberley, Surrey with The Late

4 May 1968 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent with The Section and Square One

9 May 1968 – The Matrix, Coventry, West Midlands with The Magazine and The Square (or Skin Deep)

10 May 1968 – George Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Magazine and The Square

11 May 1968 – Bouton Rouge, Paris, France (filmed for French TV – this might be the broadcast date). According to Birmingham Evening Mail, they played The Swan, Yardley, West Midlands with The Magazine on this day

16 May 1968 – Black Prince, Bexley, London

17 May 1968 – Mayfair, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear

18 May 1968 – Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire with Bags Grove

19 May 1968 – Oasis Club, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with support

22 May 1968 – Top Rank, Reading, Berkshire

23 May 1968 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with The Pyramids

24 May 1968 – Town Hall, Walsall, West Midlands

24 May 1968 – George Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Magazine and The Square (need to confirm)

25 May 1968 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with Jaytree Organisation

26 May 1968 – Oasis Club, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Staffords

31 May 1968 – Winter Gardens, Blackpool, Lancashire

 

2 June 1968 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire with The Isley Brothers, James and Bobby Purify, Jo Jo Cook & The Rackett and Fascination

6 June 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hants

8 June 1968 – Civic Hall, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Goodtime Band

12 June 1968 – Locarno, Stevenage, Herts

13 June 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands

14 June 1968 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear

21 June 1968 – Midsummer Nights Dream, Burton Constable, near Hull with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Marmalade, Family, Spooky Tooth, Tramline, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, Baron Richtofen’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus, CJ Morris and The Reaction

27 June 1968 – Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset with The Emotions

30 June 1968 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London

 

1 July 1968 – Chesford Grange, Kenilworth, Warwickshire with The Traction

4 July 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Iveys

5 July 1968 – Kursaal Ballroom, Southend-on-Sea, Essex

6 July 1968 – Woburn Music Festival, Woburn, Bedfordshire with Jimi Hendrix Experience, T-Rex, Family, New Formula and Little Women

12 July 1968 – Locarno, Basildon, Essex

14 July 1968 – Birmingham Top Rank Suite, Birmingham, West Midlands

15 July 1968 – Radio One’s David Symonds Show

19 July 1968 – Romanos, Belfast, Northern Ireland with The Dixies

20 July 1968 – New Arcadia, Bray, Republic of Ireland with The Ravens

21 July 1968 – Olympia, Waterford, Republic of Ireland with Kim & The Footappers

26 July 1968 – Liverpool, Lancashire (no venue listed)

27 July 1968 – Prestatyn, Wales (no venue listed)

29 July 1968 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands

 

3 August 1968 – Market Hall, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire

7 August 1968 – Top Rank, Henley, Berkshire

8 August 1968 – Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire with The Emotions

9 August 1968 – Casino Ballroom, Bolton, Lancashire

9 August 1968 – Casino Club, Wigan, Lancashire

Sources include: South East London Mercury, Melody Maker, NME, Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Nottingham Evening Post, West Briton & Royal Cornwall Gazette, Cornish Guardian, Birmingham Evening Mail, Camberley News & Bagshot Observer, Northwich Chronicle, South Wales Evening Post, Derby Evening Telegraph, Derbyshire Times, Aberdeen Evening Express, North Norfolk News, Surrey Advertiser, Express & Star, Aldershot News, Southend Standard, Bracknell News, Hull Daily Mail, Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Ipswich Evening Star, New Ross Standard, Wicklow People, Belfast Telegraph, Dave Allen (Birdcage gigs), Steve Ingless (Bishop’s Stortford), Fabulous 208, Western Gazette, Burnley Express & Burnley News.

Huge thanks to Peter Carney, John Culley (who shared his 1967 diary) and John Carroll for helping with line ups

Internet sources:

www.rockpopmem.com
www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/
http://ballerinaballroom.wordpress.com/1967/
http://www.lankybeat.com/The%20Impnelson.html
http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/
http://www.kinemagigz.com/1969.htm
http://chelmsfordrocks.com/cornexchange.html

Copyright © Nick Warburton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, without prior permission from the author. To contact the author, email: Warchive@aol.com

7 thoughts on “Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band 1967-1968”

  1. 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)

  2. 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!

  3. Few more missing gigs:

    DERBY EVENING TELEGRAPH:

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

    YORKSHIRE EVENING POST:

    31 July 1967 – Silver Blades, Bradford

  4. 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.

  5. I was the bass player for Lost, one of the support bands at the Boston Starlight Room gig in December 1967. The venue was packed and it held thousands. Geno and the RJB were, as usual, sensational and the crowd went wild. I watched the set from the wings and at the end of their hour slot they were encored for at least twenty minutes. To my surprise the venue manager came into the wings and demanded they close their set and cursed them blind when they didn’t. His reasoning was that he was losing a fortune in bar takings for every minute they played extra! I remember thinking what a short-sighted t*** he was. His punters were on cloud nine! I wonder if that was why this is the only Boston gig listed.

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