Sonny Childe & The TNT’s gigs 1966-1967

Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on.  I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.

I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com 

Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.

1966

Having worked with Elders Consolidated from late 1964 to mid-1965 and The Cool School from mid-late 1965, Sonny Childe also worked briefly with The Pyramids.

In March 1966, he played at the Flamingo in Soho with The Alexis Korner Band and then was backed by various groups before joining Freddie Mack around May 1966.

5 March 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire with Dicky Pride (The Star) Backed by The Sidewinders

6 March 1966 – New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker) Does not list who backed him

 

1 May 1966 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London with The Square Deals (Melody Maker) This was Sonny Childe & The Charms and possibly just before he joined Freddie Mack

14 May 1966 – Stamford R&B Club, Stamford Hotel, Stamford, Lincolnshire (Grantham Journal) With The Sidewinders

Childe worked with Freddie Mack from around early May to early July 1966 when he split with Mack’s backing group This ‘N’ That with the line-up listed below:

 

Sonny Childe – lead vocals

Ernie Hayes – lead guitar

Mike Vaughan-Jones – organ

Derek Bond – bass

Phil Kenzie – saxophone

Ashton Tootell – saxophone

Richard “Nobby” Clarke – saxophone

John Pritchard – trumpet

Marc Charig – trumpet

Eddie Lincoln – congas

Billy Adamson – drums 

The TNT minus Sonny Childe in early 1967

6 July 1966 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)

23 July 1966 – New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker)

 

6 August 1966 – New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker) TNT not mentioned in billing

7 August 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

12 August 1966 – Carousel Club, Farnborough, Hampshire (Camberley News)

13 August 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Johnny & John (ex-Merseybeats) and group, Fleur de Lys, The Rising Suns and The Ferryboys (Lincolnshire Standard)

19 August 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

27 August 1966 – New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker) TNT not mentioned in the billing

 

3 September 1966 – Bumper Barbecue Beat Night, Holcombe Rogers near Wellington, Devon with The Four Hits Plus Two and The Shaky Notes Dance Band (Express & Echo) Billed as Explosive TNT

10 September 1966 – St George’s Hall, Exeter, Devon (Express & Echo) Billed as TNT Group

17 September 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

20 September 1966 – Chinese R&B Club, Corn Exchange, Bristol (Evening Post)

25 September 1966 – Regency Ballroom, Bath with People’s People (Poster/Western Daily Press)

 

1 October 1966 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with Fortune Tellers (Chester Chronicle)

1 October 1966 – New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker) TNT not mentioned

10 October 1966 – Mews, Birmingham, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)

14 October 1966 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

15 October 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

17 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The VIPs (Melody Maker)

21 October 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, west London (Melody Maker)

22 October 1966 – New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker) TNT not mentioned

 

1 November 1966 – Chinese R&B Jazz Club, Bristol (Evening Post)

3 November 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Question (Melody Maker)

4 November 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire with The Coasters and The Noblemen (The Star)

6 November 1966 – Beau Brummel Club, Avalston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire with Phil Ryan & The Scorpions (Chester Chronicle)

7 November 1966 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with The Blaises (Birmingham Evening Mail)

10 November 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with Rey Anton & The Pro Form (Melody Maker)

12 November 1966 – Harpenden Public Hall, Harpenden, Herts (Welwyn Advertiser)

13 November 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham with Herbie Goins & The Night Timers (Nottingham Evening Post)

16 November 1966 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)

18 November 1966 – New All Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Melody Maker) TNT not mentioned

29 November 1966 – Concorde, Southampton, Hampshire (Southern Echo)

 

3 December 1966 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

11 December 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)

12 December 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Stormville Shakers (Melody Maker)

17 December 1966 – Midnight City, Digbeth, West Midlands with Ike & Tina Turner Revue and Tropical Boot Company (Birmingham Evening Mail)

17 December 1966 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Essex Five and The Chevrons (Luton News)

23 December 1966 – Bath Regency Ballroom, Bath with The Spectres (Poster)

29 December 1966 – White Bicycle Club, Maple Ballroom, Northampton (Northampton Chronicle)

31 December 1966 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Knack and The Eyes of Blond (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)

1967

1 January 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as Sonny Childe & His Band

6 January 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, west London with The Syn (Melody Maker) Billed as just TNT

14 January 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)

20 January 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Felders Orioles (Melody Maker)

21 January 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (Melody Maker)

28 January 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The New Generation (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)

 

5 February 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (The Star)

10 February 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Goodtime Band (Melody Maker)

16 February 1967 – Guildhall, Gloucester (Gloucester Citizen)

18 February 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as & His 15-piece band

20 February 1967 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with Zoot Money & His Big Roll Band and The Monopoly (Birmingham Evening Mail)

23 February 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Melody Maker)

24 February 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)

26 February 1967 – Gyro Club, Troutbeck Hotel, Ilkley, West Yorkshire (Yorkshire Evening Post)

3 March 1967 – Astoria, Finsbury Park, north London with Roy Orbison & The Candymen, The Small Faces, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Settlers, Ray Cameron and The Robb Storme Group (Hackney Gazette) Jeff Beck Group were billed but didn’t stay on the tour

5 March 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

20 March 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)

For the Roy Orbison tour, the group were reported as being a ten piece sax band

26 March 1967 – Coventry Theatre, Coventry, West Midlands with Roy Orbison, The Small Faces, Paul & Barry Ryan, PP Arnold & Four of a Kind (replaced Jeff Beck), The Settlers, The Robb Storme Group (David Else research)

31 March 1967 – Odeon Cheltenham, Gloucestershire with Roy Orbison, The Small Faces, Paul & Barry Ryan, PP Arnold & Four of a Kind, The Settlers, The Robb Storme Group (Melody Maker)

6 April 1967 – Adelphi, Slough, Berkshire with Roy Orbison, The Small Faces, Paul & Barry Ryan, The Settlers and The Robb Storme Group (Windsor, Slough & Eton Express)

8 April 1967 – Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex (Southend Standard)

14 April 1967 – Cue Club, Paddinton, central London (Melody Maker) Billed as Sonny Childe Show with The TNT Band

15 April 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with Soul Concern (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)

22 April 1967 – Drill Hall, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire with The Minor Portion Big Roll Band (needs source)

22 April 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester with Mary Wells (Leicester Mercury)

23 April 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Alvaston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Sound Society (Crewe Chronicle)

27 April 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands (Coventry Evening Telegraph)

29 April 1967 – The Pitch, Birmingham, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)

 

20 May 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with New Generation (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)

29 May 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Artwoods and The Real McCoy (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)

 

14 June 1967 – Magdalen College, Oxford with Manfred Mann (Fabulous 208)

16 June 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Mud (Welwyn & Hatfield Advertiser)

17 June 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Disc & Music Echo)

 

22 July 1967 – Cesar’s, Bedford, Bedfordshire (Bedfordshire Times)

29 July 1967 – Baths, Matlock, Derbyshire (Fabulous 208) Billed as TNT

Around early August, Sonny Childe, who was Sam Cooke’s nephew and later found fame as R B Greaves, split with TNT.

Kenzie joined Tuesday’s Children briefly. Hayes, Vaughan-Jones and Adamson joined the Jet Harris Band for a few months and then added Eddie Philips from The Creation on bass and brought back Phil Kenzie to reform TNT as PP Arnold’s backing group in November.

Sunday early October 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette) With Maxine Brown

PP Arnold & The TNT:

28 October 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Lancashire Evening Post)

 

16 November 1967 – Concord, Southampton, Hampshire (Southern Echo)

18 November 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, London with The Fourmost and Man Ee Go (does not mention a support band) (Melody Maker)

19 November 1967 – Kyrle Hall, Birmingham (needs source)

26 November 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Bluecaps (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)

 

7 December 1967 – Matlock Baths Pavilion, Matlock, Derbyshire with Locomotive (Derby Evening Telegraph) Does not mention The TNT but seems likely

8 December 1967 – South Bank Jazz Club, Grimsby, Humberside with The Rumble Band (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

9 December 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)

10 December 1967 – Plaza, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire (Huddersfield Daily Examiner)

14 December 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, North Yorkshire (possibly Fabulous 208)

1968

6 January 1968 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent (Folkestone & Hythe Gazette) Does not mention TNT

7 January 1968 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Melody Maker)

3 February 1968 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Essex (needs source)

5 February 1968 – Club Marimba, Middlesbrough (needs source)

Kenzie left around February to rejoin Freddie Mack and later played with Sweetwater Canal

19 February 1968 – Top Rank, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (needs source)

12 May 1968 – Beau Brummel, Alvaston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire with Jaytree Organisation (Crewe Chronicle)

3 June 1968 – Shrubbery Hotel, Ilminster, Somerset with Jon James & The Swamp (Somerset Gazette/Western Gazette)

Many thanks to David Else for providing additional dates and information from his own research.

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.

 

5 thoughts on “Sonny Childe & The TNT’s gigs 1966-1967”

  1. According to Melody Maker, PP Arnold split from her former band The Nice in early September 1967 and went back to the US for a few weeks

  2. Melody Maker has a gig at Glastonbury Town Hall on 17 August 1968 with PP Arnold & TNT backed by The Midrod Ends

  3. My Dad – Brian Shields – played lead guitar in Sonny Childe and The Elders Consolidated in 1964/5. They used to travel around in a large tour bus. The drummer was John Cameron- Tetley. My Dad then formed The Pyramids in 1965 on Polydor label.

  4. Any information on Sonny Childe when he was with The Elders Consolidated? Or, even as ‘Sonny Childe and The Elders Consolidated’.

  5. Minor point. The September barbecue was at Holcombe Rogus, near the Devon / Somerset border.
    I also remember seeing the keyboard player playing with a band at Tiverton (Devon) Youth Club. I think the band was called Kenny ( Kenny Strange) & The Starfires. I later remember seeing the keyboard player with Sonny Childe at the Bristol Corn Exchange, and had a brief chat. I still have a copy of the 45.

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