Readers will be familiar with the American early 1970s rock band Jo Jo Gunne, helmed by former Spirit members Jay Ferguson and Mark Andes.

However, the first band to use the name Jo Jo Gunne was in fact a little known British R&B outfit, formed at Debrome school in Feltham, Middlesex in early-to-mid 1965.

The original line up comprised:

Ronny Butterworth – lead vocals

Simon Spackman – lead guitar

Don Bax – rhythm guitar

Alan Townsend – bass

Doug Gordon – drums

However, later that year the musicians made the decision to move in a more soul direction and took on a new lead singer, Pete Pennycate, to accommodate the new configuration.

Spackman moved from lead guitar to keyboards to allow newcomer Renwick MacDonald to join from local rivals Themselves. Butterworth and Townsend focused on trumpets and Bax took up the bass.

By early 1966, Jo Jo Gunne comprised: 

Pete Pennycate – lead vocals

Renwick MacDonald – lead guitar

Simon Spackman – organ

Don Bax – bass

Alan Townsend – trumpet and trombone

Ronny Butterworth – trumpet

Doug Gordon – drums

During June 1966, the band won Melody Maker’s National Beat Competition, which was held at Brighton’s Regent Ballroom. Also, during August, they took part in the London Palladium competition.

Over the next 18 months, this line up (minus Butterworth who dropped out around November 1966 to play with Twickenham band, The All Night Workers) played the following gigs:

5 October 1965 – Nurses Club, Jolly Gardeners, Isleworth, west London with The Road Agents

25 February 1966 – Cavern Club, Burnley, Lancashire with The Fruitdrops May not be the same band

19 March 1966 – London Cavern, Holland Park, west London with supporting group

25 March 1966 – Cellar Club, Kingston upon Thames, southwest London

2 April 1966 – Cellar Club, Kingston upon Thames, southwest London

12 April 1966 – 100 Club, Oxford Street, central London with The Pretty Things

17 April 1966 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire with The Generation

14 May 1966 – Cellar Club, Kingston upon Thames, southwest London

28 May 1966 – Zeeta House, Pontiac, Putney, southwest London

11 June 1966 – Cellar Club, Kingston upon Thames, southwest London

18 June 1966 – Zeeta House, Pontiac, Putney, southwest London with The Roger Harris Show

22 July 1966 – Bletchley Young Conservatives, Coronation Hall, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire

6 August 1966 – Cellar Club, Kingston upon Thames, southwest London

12 August 1966 – Cellar Club, Kingston upon Thames, southwest London

13 August 1966 – Bletchley Carnival Week, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire with The Future Set

17 September 1966 – Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks with The Future Set

10 October 1966 – Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks with The Future Set and The Choozey Beggars (this needs confirmation as this may be December instead)

11 November 1966 – Chesham Co-op Hall, Chesham, Bucks

6 January 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with Alvin Cash & The Crawlers (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

13 January 1967 – The Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Derek Savage Foundation (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

27 January 1967 – Brackley Town Hall, Brackley, Northamptonshire

28 January 1967 – White Bicycle, Maple Ballroom, Northampton with The Crew (billed as Jo-Jo-Gunn)

17 February 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with The New Pirates and The Afex (billed as Jo-Jo Gunns)

18 February 1967 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The All Night Workers

22 February 1967 – St Michael’s Youth Centre, Sydenham, southeast London (billed Jo Jo Gun)

24 February 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with David Essex and Mood Indigo (billed as The Jo-Jo Gunns)

25 February 1967 – Rub-a-Dub, Reading, Berkshire

5 March 1967 – New Yorker Discotheque, Swindon, Wiltshire with The Iveys and The Inspiration

10 March 1967 – The New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, E1, east London

According to an article in the Hounslow, Brentford and Chiswick Post, dated 5 May, Jo Jo Gunne split up in late April with Simon Spackman joining McDonald’s former band Themselves in early May while Pete Pennycate went solo.

The newspaper’s 16 June issue adds more information. It notes that bass player Don Bax was working with The Penny Blacks, the same band that would feature soon-to-be-joining members Alan Barratt, Paul Maher and Tom Marshall.

In late August 1967, Jo Jo Gunne reformed with Alan Barratt replacing Pete Pennycate on lead vocals.

Barratt had started out singing with The Penny Blacks, which also included lead guitarist Tom Marshall; rhythm guitarist John Day; bass player Dave Arnold; and drummer Paul Maher.

When Barratt joined Jo Jo Gunne that summer he also brought Paul Maher with him (who took over from Doug Gordon) and recent recruit Don Bax.

Simon Spackman and Renwick MacDonald joined the new version (presumably both from Themselves, who soon changed name to Virgin Sleep). Original member Alan Townsend also rejoined.

According to Alan Barratt, the new version debuted on 8 September 1967 at the California Ballroom in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

In late 1967, Jo Jo Gunne signed a deal with Don Arden’s Starlight Agency after Amen Corner’s singer Andy Fairweather-Low recommended the band to the infamous promoter.

Amen Corner and Jo Jo Gunne had shared a billing at the California Ballroom in Dunstable on 29 September 1967 alongside rival west London band, The All Night Workers.

The All Night Workers would maintain a close link with Jo Jo Gunne and several musicians would play with both bands.

The first of these was original member, trumpet player Ronny Butterworth, who re-joined Jo Jo Gunne from The All Night Workers around late September/early October 1967.

The revamped line up now comprised:

Alan Barratt – lead vocals

Renwick MacDonald – lead guitar

Simon Spackman – organ

Don Bax – bass

Alan Townsend – trumpet and trombone

Ronny Butterworth – trumpet

Paul Maher – drums

However, around late October lead guitar player Renwick MacDonald left and another former Penny Blacks member, lead guitarist Tom Marshall joined the line up for the rest of 1967 and into spring 1968.

When Marshall left around February/March 1968 to join The Playground (and subsequently Harmony Grass and Capability Brown), Spackman moved from organ to lead guitar and keyboard player Ken Carroll joined Jo Jo Gunne.

Carroll had spent the past few months playing with a band called Deep Purple, which had been formed in late 1967, some six months before the more famous version (although there were a few other local groups across England that used the name before 1968).

The following concert dates are taken from this period:

8 September 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with James and Bobby Purify and The Yum Yum Band

23 September 1967 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The Chris Allen Band

29 September 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Amen Corner and The All Night Workers

1 October 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Move (spelt Jo Jo Gun)

14 October 1967 – Luton Boys Club, Luton, Bedfordshire with The Vistas (spelt Jo Jo Gunn)

15 October 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Jimi Hendrix Experience (they may have been replaced by The Doves at short notice)

20 October 1967 – Pavilion, Southend, Essex with The Mindbenders and Tiles Big Band (Southend Standard lists this gig as 21 October 1967)

21 October 1967 – Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, southwest London with Tony Rivers and The Castaways (possibly one of MacDonald’s final gigs)

27 October 1967 – London School of Economics, central London with Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera (possibly one of Marshall’s first gigs)

5 November 1967 – Kettering Working Men’s Club, Kettering, Northamptonshire with The Barry Lee Show (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

11 November 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Symbols and The Fifth Dynasty (spelt Jo Jo Gunn)

12 November 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with Modes Mode

17 November 1967 – Southlands College, Roehampton, southwest London with The Nashville Teens

18 November 1967 – The Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex

24 November 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Shevelles and The Crew

25 November 1967 – Bagatelle Club, Ettington Park Hotel, Alderminster, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire

8 December 1967 – Boston Gliderdrome, Lincolnshire with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds and Reformation (billed as Jo-Jo Gun Band)

16 December 1967 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

19 December 1967 – Boston Gliderdrome, Lincolnshire with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Reformation and Ray Bones (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

24 December 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Exits

31 December 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with Precisely This

9 January 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

21 January 1968 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London with Ronnie Jones & The Q Set

26 January 1968 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands

28 January 1968 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds

10 February 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Doves

11 February 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Who

13 February 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

24 February 1968 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Essex with The Human Instinct and Almond Marizpan (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

25 February 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Human Instinct

28 February 1968 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The Herd

2 March 1968 – Nags Head, Motown Club, Wollaston, Northamptonshire with Mick’s Soulotek (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

9 March 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

9 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with Modes Mode

10 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Fabulous Temptations (this is The Fantastics)

23 March 1968 – Feltham R&B Club, Feltham, Middlesex

25 March 1968 – Kettering Working Men’s Club, Kettering, Northamptonshire with The Crusaders (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

30 March 1968 – Clouds, Derby (billed as Jo-Jo Gunn Group)

30 March 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

31 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Original Drifters (Paul Maher filled in for The Original Drifters’ ill drummer)

11 April 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

13 April 1968 – Clouds, Derby (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

15 April 1968 – Ship Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey

8 May 1968 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire with Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band

25 May 1968 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London

1 June 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

3 June 1968 – Hatchetts Playround, Piccadilly, central London

Having signed to Decca Records, Jo Jo Gunne recorded their debut single, R & H Barter’s “Every Story Has An End” c/w  Don Bax and Alan Townsend’s “Should Live Like That” (Decca F 12807), which was released on 12 July 1968 but failed to chart.

Just after the recording, Carroll introduced a second singer in to the band, Mick Wheeler, who’d previously worked with Ronny Butterworth in The All Night Workers during 1966-1967 and then in Carroll’s short-lived Deep Purple in late 1967-early 1968. When Wheeler joined, he also doubled up on congas.

The revised line up comprised:

Alan Barratt – lead vocals

Mick Wheeler – lead vocals, congas

Simon Spackman – lead guitar

Ken Carroll – organ

Don Bax – bass

Alan Townsend – trumpet and trombone

Ronny Butterworth – trumpet

Paul Maher – drums

Around mid-July, Jo Jo Gunne were offered the opportunity to play some gigs in Saint-Tropez in France but Ronny Butterworth didn’t participate and dropped out just before the continental trip.

From 2 August to 5 September 1968, the band (minus Butterworth who has since died) played a nightly residency at the Club St Hilaire de la Mer in Saint-Tropez before returning to the UK.

On their return Ken Carroll left the band and went on to play with Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon. He currently works with Samtana.

The following gigs were advertised with the above line up:

12 June 1968 – Samantha’s, Bournemouth, Dorset (possibly one of Wheeler’s first gigs)

15 June 1968 – Clouds, Derby (billed as Jo-Jo Gunn Group)

22 June 1968 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire with Hoffman’s Biscuits (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

28 June 1968 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, central London

29 June 1968 – Broken Wheel, Retford, Nottinghamshire

6 July 1968 – St Albans City Hall, St Albans, Hertfordshire with The Rocky

12 July 1968 – Supreme Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

19 July 1968 – Soul Club, Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire with J J Bender & SOS

20 July 1968 – Eastbourne Town Hall, Eastbourne, East Sussex with The Soul Stars

27 July 1968 – Red Cross Hall, East Grinstead, West Sussex

28 July 1968 – Beau Brummel Club, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Scorpions (billed as Jo Jo Gunn) (one of Butterworth’s final gigs)

3 August 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (unlikely to have happened if they went to France)

10 August 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire with Headline News (billed as Jo Jo Gunn) (unlikely to have happened if they went to France)

11 August 1968 – Victorian Club, Liverpool (unlikely to have happened if they went to France)

31 August 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (unlikely to have happened if they went to France)

7 September 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (one of Carroll’s final gigs)

12 September 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

13 September 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

18 September 1968 – Samantha’s, New Burlington Street, central London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

20 September 1968 – Victoria Hall, Falkirk, Scotland (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

22 September 1968 – Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland (this needs confirmation) (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

2 October 1968 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, central London

6 October 1968 – Drokiweeney, Manchester (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

12 October 1968 – St Albans City Hall, St Albans, Hertfordshire

26 October 1968 – Hermitage Ballroom, Hitchin, Herts

Around mid-November 1968, Simon Spackman also left (and has since died) and west London guitar hero Dave Wendels (ex-Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Lulu’s backing band, The Luvvers, Tom Jones’s backing band, The Squires and The Krew) joined the band.

This new line up transformed the group and played dozens of successful gigs around the UK, including Mr Smiths in Manchester, Bournemouth Winter Gardens, Pantiles in Bagshot, Surrey plus London venues like Hatchetts Playground in Piccadilly, the Valbonne Club, Samantha’s, the Scotch of St James and Sibylla’s.

They also supported Three Dog Night on a Scottish tour. In Scotland they supported Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band, as well as playing The Electric Garden (Radio 1 club) in Glasgow.

The new line up played the following:

3 November 1968 – Cosmo, Carlisle, Cumbria with Pete Kelly Solution (Paul Maher says it was cancelled)

5 November 1968 – Sibylla’s, central London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

7 November 1968 – 100 Club, Oxford Street, central London with PP Arnold (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

7 November 1968 – Willesden College of Technology, Willesden, northwest London with PP Arnold (possibly one of Spackman’s final gigs)

9 November 1968 – Clouds, Derby

11 November 1968 – Bamboo Club, Wilmslow, Cheshire (billed as Jo-Jo Gunn)

11 November 1968 – Chesham Jump Club, Co-op Hall, Chesham, Bucks

16 November 1968 – Fellowship Inn, Eltham, southeast London (possibly one of Wendels’ first gigs)

22 November 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London

23 November 1968 – Cromer Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with Kiss (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

24 November 1968 – Crystal Palace Hotel, Crystal Palace, south London

25 November 1968 – Sibylla’s, central London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

8 December 1968 – Mr Smith’s, Manchester (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

14 December 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

16 December 1968 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, central London

23 December 1968 – Corby Civic Centre, Corby, Northamptonshire with Size Seven and State Express (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

24 December 1968 – Walton Hop, Walton on Thames, Surrey (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

29 December 1968 – Bull’s Head, Yardley, West Midlands (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

However, around January 1969 longstanding member Alan Townsend departed (and has since died) and Dennis Fisher came in on trumpet from the group, Mothers Ruin.

Townsend spent several months working with The All Night Workers before subsequently working with The Roy Young Band later in the year and doing a multitude of sessions.

By now, the line up comprised:

Alan Barratt – lead vocals

Mick Wheeler – lead vocals, congas

Dave Wendels – lead guitar

Don Bax – bass

Dennis Fisher – trumpet

Paul Maher – drums

This configuration recorded the band’s second single – Potter and Dee’s “Beggin’ You Baby” c/w  “Bad Penny” (Decca F 12906), which was released on 25 April 1969.

The band played the following dates:

4 January 1969 – Clouds, Derby

7 January 1969 – Whisky a Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

11 January 1969 – Royal Lido Ballroom, Prestatyn, Wales with Strawberry Cartoon (billed as Jo Jo Gunn Soul Band)

15-16 January 1969 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, central London

25 January 1969 – St Albans City Hall, St Albans, Hertfordshire

27-28 January 1969 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly central London

1 February 1969 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with The Vigilantes

17 February 1969 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly central London

18 March 1969 – Alex’s Disco, Salisbury, Wiltshire

27 March 1969 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly central London

5 April 1969 – Le Metro, Birmingham (billed as Jo Jo Gunn Soul Show)

5 April 1969 – St Albans City Hall, St Albans, Hertfordshire

When “Beggin’ You Baby” flopped, Jo Jo Gunne split with Don Arden. According to Barratt, the singles were too poppy and did not represent the band’s live set, which was funkier/soul orientated material.

After the band proposed an album of its own material and Decca turned the opportunity down, Jo Jo Gunne split from the label.

Around Easter, Jo Jo Gunne signed with Laurie O’Leary who landed them a three-month residency in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, where they played nightly in the House of Lords club, returning in July. Wheeler has kept the outgoing flight from England, which was on the 10 April.

The following dates were advertised but were not possible as they weren’t in the UK:

9 May 1969 – Rush Common House, Abingdon, Oxfordshire with Status Quo and Fire (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

24 May 1969 – Il Rondo, Leicester

25 May 1969 – Railway, Wealdstone, northwest London

26 May 1969 – Hatchetts Playground, Piccadilly, London

5 June 1969 – Blaises, Kensington, west London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

11 June 1969 – Revolution, central London (billed as Jo Jo Gunn)

21 June 1969 – Pavilion Ballroom, Bournemouth, Dorset with Finnians Fogg

3 July 1969 – Revolution, central London

6 July 1969 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London

10 July 1969 – Blaises, Kensington, west London

On their return in early-to-mid July, Dennis Fisher and Don Bax departed and the remaining quartet of Alan Barratt, Mick Wheeler, Paul Maher and Dave Wendels formed a short-lived version with Manchester bass player Dave Bowker (now David Booker) who’d previously worked with Ivan Meads, The Richard Kent Style, Kirk St James and Sponge among others. Booker had met the musicians in the Bahamas while playing with Sponge.

The group travelled to Cologne in July/August and played the Storyville Club but on their return, Wendels and Booker both left and played with Billy J Kramer, a week-long engagement at Batley Variety Club.

Wendels then joined The Roy Young Band while Booker joined O’Hara’s Playboys after auditioning unsuccessfully for Badfinger (Joey Molland got the job).

The short-lived line-up played the following dates:

23 August 1969 – Marine Court, St Leonards, East Sussex with Sunshine Sky

6 September 1969 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with Marshall Hammond

12 September 1969 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London

19 September 1969 – Winter Gardens, Penzance, Cornwall

Longstanding lead singer Alan Barratt was offered a backing vocal spot with The Roy Young Band but declined. He also departed around this time and later went on to sing with The Good Old Boys with Nick Simper from the original Deep Purple.

Mick Wheeler and Paul Maher then put together an entirely new version of Jo Jo Gunne.

Mick Wheeler – lead vocals

George Williams – lead guitar

Barney Barnes – organ

Billy Ball – bass

Paul Maher – drums

In early 1970, Wheeler’s former band mate from The All Night Workers, Malcolm Randall briefly took over the drum stool before Phil Chesterton came in full-time.

This new line up continued into the early 1970s and returned to Saint-Tropez for a residency. The group subsequently morphed into a later version of The Love Affair, long after its lead singer Steve Ellis had left.

Huge thanks to Alan Barratt, Paul Maher, Mick Wheeler, Ken Carroll, Tom Marshall, Ronny Butterworth, David Booker and Dave Wendels for their help in piecing the story together.

I’d like to thank Alan Barratt, Tom Marshall, Mick Wheeler and Paul Maher for providing photos.

Thanks also to Jason Barnard at Strange Brew who originally posted this article. This is a substantially revised and updated version.

Concert dates were taken from a number of sources, mainly local and regional newspapers.  Thanks to Alan Barratt for providing some live dates from late 1967-early 1968 from his personal diary. Most of the London dates were taken from Melody Maker.

Copyright © Nick Warburton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the author.

To contact the author, email: Warchive@aol.com