Gigging in the North East 1965-1972. A personal perspective by Roger Smith
This section feature a handful of people I remember from the period that I was gigging in the northeast (1965 to 1972). Some are musicians who have made their mark while others, including some non-musicians, have helped shape the history of northeast music in some way.
THE ANIMALS AND YAMETA After the Alan Price Rhythm & Blues Combo had signed with Mike Jeffery, he went to London to see about furthering their career. He came back and told the band that as a result of meetings…
THE HENDRIX YEARS Mid way through 1966, Mike Jeffery and Eric Burdon had decided to wind down the original Animals. In the final months of the band, Chas Chandler discovered a talented black American guitarist called Jimmy James at the…
On 10th September 1970 Jimi Hendrix was back in London following a run of concerts at the Isle of Wight, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. He was as dissatisfied as ever with Mike Jeffery and his management contract. The contract with…
Nigel Olsson, the drummer with Elton John’s band, is unlikely to be looking for work in the near future but if he was, he would have a very impressive CV. Amongst others, Nigel has drummed with Spencer Davis, Uriah Heep…
Ray Grehan played a very important part in the development of the north east music scene in the sixties and early seventies. His roles as a club owner, manager and agent have to some extent been overshadowed by the exploits…
