Savoy Brown - Never Wrong

December 6^th – OK, I admit it, it was a lie. When I eulogised about John Mayall (of Bluesbreakers fame) I sort of intimated that he was probably the longest-serving white blues musician in the UK and his band had been at the forefront of the closest thing to a blues apprenticeship that we had in this country, but I’d reckoned without coming across a birthday on this day; that of Kim Simmonds.

Touring back in the 60’s was a hard slog for bands trying to get a foot or even a fingernail onto the well-greased ladder to any kind of fame, and once you got a grip you had to watch out for the boots of other bands, boots that were all too ready to stamp on your fingers as they too attempted the scramble from oblivion to getting noticed. One of the incarnations that I belonged to, a band known as The Image (although with me as a member it could be more described as a sight) had what was a fairly typical line-up for the day; drums, three guitars, organist and vox with the members doubling on B/V; all very ordinary. Thing is, back then, there were no feather-light Casio’s and Yamahas that could be carried into venues under the arm of the weakest girlfriend of the band (usually that of the vocalist…and her name would be Etheria or somesuch…and she’d always be wearing a floor-length kaftan, sandals and an inane grin…which we usually put down to either drugs or lack of intelligence; I mean, she’d be dating a vocalist so that shows a base-line lack of common sense for a start).

So with no lightweight kit for organists available what did ours run? Yup, a Hammond…with Leslie cabinet…and two 100 watt Laney amps…and four 8 x 12 Laney speaker cabinets; bless. This keyboard kit took up a good third of the van and weighed a freakin’ ton, and there were no roadies at this arse-end of the rock touring circuit. Pre and post gig this Aegean stable of a backline had to be hauled in and out of the venue, and when you’ve just played a two and a half hour set the last thing you wanted to do was hump gear. Even on level ground with the van able to get mercifully close to the stage it was difficult enough, but some of the places we played were remote to say the least and akin to a section in the Crystal Maze. British blues bands reaching back into the 60’s tended to be die-hard technicians of the art and pop, what we classed as chewing-gum for the ears, was anathema to us purists; such a one that we supported was the Savoy Brown Blues Band.

Formed in 1965 they quickly established a name for themselves as quality players and also the go to band to get a credible stamp on your blues card. Kim Simmonds (born this day in 1947) who played lead guitar and really knew his way round a fret board, gathered together a stellar line-up of musicians and they produced some outstanding work, indeed, one of my all-time favourite albums is their 1969 Blue Matter and particularly the track I May be Wrong, a live track complete with feedback and soul. I still listen to this after all these years…after all these years and after all these changes in personnel. Savoy Brown… have played host to many of the seminal rock performers of the last century; Martin Stone, Bob Brunning, Hughie Flint, Bill Bruford, Roger Earl, Stan Webb, Jimmy Kunes… the list, as with Mr. Mayall’s line-ups, goes on and on. With 62 previous band members and 18 guest musicians the queue to join them and pick up a bit of their blues credentials is a long and snaking one…and they are still playing today, 40+ years after starting out; gotta give ’em points for longevity if nothing else.

The space we shared with them was some club in Shrewsbury, I think. All I can remember is the fuckin’ huge set of iron, spiral stairs that led direct to the stage but via a thirty-foot climb. You wanna try lumping a Hammond organ and Leslie cabinet up there before a gig never mind after? I think it was about then I said we should have hired a flute-player like Jethro Tull and although our keys player was one hell of a talent, I’d still have happily tied him to that organ and pitched him and it over the edge of the spiral stairs; at least then we could have swept him and his shattered keyboard into a sack bag and dumped it in the cut. Man, that was a slog…but on that particular night, in support of Savoy Brown… worth every drop of moisture when you get the chance to hear blues of that quality.

I know it’s not to everyone’s taste but here it is for those who’ve got seven minutes to invest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0cRDFL2HPs