Headline News - The Alan Bown Set:

The Alan Bown Set – a musically daring mix of horns and rock – was concieved in the Summer of 1965 by four former John Barry Seven members and, initially, comprised: Alan Bown (trumpet); Dave Green (saxophone / flute); Jeff Bannister (organ / vocals); Stan Haldane (bass) together with Vic Sweeney (drums) and Pete Burgess (guitar).

Bown's musical career began after his stint in National Service during which he served with the Royal Air Force and he formed his first group in the early '60's and performed as far afield as the notorious Star Club in Hamburg, crossing paths with The Beatles and others who were treading the same path.

He later joined the John Barry Seven as part of singer Brenda Lee's backing band on a tour of Europe prior to becoming a fully-paid-up member of the recording outfit. The group broke up as Barry's career as a composer of music for major films began to take off and, it was from these ashes, that The Alan Bown Set! began their own musical life.

They signed to Pye Records and released their first single, the Tony Hatch produced Can’t Let Her Go in September of the same year. The flip-side was their cover of the Curtis Mayfield cut, I’m The One Who Loves You – a track that had been honed during their days under John Barry’s baton.

In January 1966 Dave Green left and was replaced by John Anthony Helliwell and, a month later, Jess signed on as vocalist.

The 'Shakes' were on the verge of splitting up for one reason or another when, on a Friday night, sometime in February, we played a gig at Digbeth Civic Hall in Birmingham, supporting a band from London called the Alan Bown Set.

The following day I received a call from Alan B and, on the following Tuesday, I caught a train to Slough and became a member of the Alan Bown Set.

The first single Jess recorded with The Alan Bown Set was Everything’s Gonna Be Alright c/w Baby Don’t Push Me which was quickly followed by their take on the Edwin Starr original of Headline News c/w Mister Pleasure.

Emergency 999 – a song that garnered a lot of momentum on the Northern Soul scene – followed suit as did a gigging schedule up and down the length and breadth of Britain… sometimes in the most unlikely places such as a village hall in New Erswhick just outside York, the venue for that particular night being named The Tinned Chicken.

In July and with their stock rising, the group appeared on the seminal tv show, Ready Steady Go. Later the same month, they played the inaugural Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival and, in September one of their electrifying live shows at London’s Marquee Club was caught on tape and released as one half of a live album – the other side being devoted to another club-land legend in the making, Jimmy James And The Vagabonds. Before the year was out, however, yet another personnel change as Tony Catchpole replaced Pete Burgess on guitar.

At the start of 1967, the band were commissioned by French composer and jazz pianist, Jaques Loussier to record the soundtrack to an Alain Jessua film, Jeu De Massacre (The Killing Game); a French film that tipped its hat to ‘Op Art with bandes dessinées (cartoons) by Guy Peellaert which starred, as husband-and-wife cartoonists, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Claudia Anger. The movie was premiered at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, an event that coincided with The Alan Bown Set making their European television debut in Monte Carlo.

We all attended the premier of the film at the Festival and afterwards went to a major party at a very swanky 'discotheque'. The whole affair was so unreal - so far removed from the blues - and like something out of my wildest imagination. We stayed at an hotel that overlooked the beach and, for some reason, every time I see the movie 'Some Like It Hot', the imagery reminds me of my one and only trip to Cannes.

Come August and they appeared at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival once again, alongside the likes of Cream, only this time having shortened their name to The Alan Bown!, releasing a further single (the Little Anthony And The Imperials’ cover of Gonna Fix You Good, Every Time You’re Bad c/w I Really Really Care) upfront of their first album proper – Outward Bown.

By the following Summer, the band were television veterans having appeared on Alan Freeman’s show – All Systems Freeman; the Simon Dee Show and Eamonn Andrews Today.

They also played London’s Royal Albert Hall – a show which included both Joe Cocker as well as the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band; the former coming off the back of his Woodstock appearance and With A Little Help From My Friends, the latter having hit the high spots with The Doughnut In Granny’s Greenhouse, an album peppered with such luxurious track-titles as My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe, I’m The Urban Spaceman and Trouser Press.

However, it was in August that the cruelest of luck beset The Alan Bown following an appearance on BBC’s Top Of The Pops.

With their single, We Can Help You – a cover of the Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos of Nirvana original that appeared on that group’s Story Of Simon Simopath debut long-player for Island Records – riding high at #26, the TOTP airing on August 8th virtually guaranteed a top ten placing for the single when the following week’s British charts were published.

However, the record company’s pressing plant went on strike and production was halted. The band’s manager took out a court injunction but, by the time the dispute had been resolved, We Can Help You had lost all sales momentum and disappeared off the face of the charts. Ironically, shortly after this debacle, the group appeared on the (appropriately named) Innocence, Anarchy & Soul television spectacular host by Jack Good.

Two further singles (Toyland c/w Technicolour Dream in October & Story Book c/w Little Lesley) kept up the momentum but they were the final two release during the band’s stint with MGM; releases that backed up a hectic gigging schedule – that included residencies at London’s Marquee Club – as well as the dangers inherent with over-enthusiastic crowds in small venues; band-member-blood was spilled after a big fight broke out one night at The Wellington Club in East Dereham, Norfolk where - in the words of one eye-witness - "the local “Rockers” took exception to the “Alan Bown” mod panache.

Jess & the Alan Bown Set were forced to leave the stage early, (and the situation) got completely out of hand when the door to their dressing room in the basement was smashed down while members of the band were desperately striving to protect themselves. It was a total disgrace and those of us who lived for the Alan Bown, who until then played in Dereham regularly were shocked and ashamed".

With a label switch to Deram, the group continued their journeying to the four corners of the British Isles – playing the likes of Marc Altman’s Ballroom in Leeds, with Spooky Tooth and Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera and the Assembly Rooms in York, where Peter Stringfellow used to run the between-act disco.

Peter and his brother also owned and ran The Mojo Club in Sheffield which was a major venue on the scene at that time; we played there quite a few times and some great DJ's played there too.

The Mojo Club was located at Dey's Ballroom, in Pitsmoor, but Stringfellow was asked by the owner to cough up £5,000. "It was like asking for £5m in my eyes, and he couldn't believe I didn't have that kind of money ... so in the end he rented it to me for a phenomenal £30 a week."

Paul Norton - a young Chesterfield-born artist - was cajoled into painting the walls black and put exotic murals on the walls and the legend of the Mojo club was born. "I'd done a pencil drawing of him as a birthday present. He wanted stuff doing on the walls and I was one of the people he asked," he says. "There were a trio of art college girls, Sue Barfield, Julie Shrivastava and Alanah Hatfield plus Dave Senior and Colin Duffield - he did all the club posters.

"We were playing music which no one else had and then we were booking acts to fit the music," says Stringfellow. "So it started off as a Blues club, then became a R&B club, then a soul club, a pop art club and a psychedelic flower power club. I mixed all this music together, so in one month in 1965 you would have Wilson Pickett, The Who, the Small Faces, The Alan Bown and Geno Washington playing."

The list of those who played the King Mojo reads like a Who's Who of '60s music - from Jimi Hendrix to The Spencer Davis Group; from The Isley Brothers to Pink Floyd who topped the bill on Sunday, May 7th 1967. From Junior Walker and the All Stars to Steampacket (featuring Rod Stewart, Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger, Mick Fleetwood) and everyone else inbetween.

The Alan Bown headlined the night of New Year's Day there in 1967 as well as playing the 'Hands Off the Mojo Show' on June 23rd at Sheffield City Hall alongside The Drifters, Ronnie Jones & the Q Set, Amboy Dukes Big Band & The Pitiful when the club was threatened with closure the same year.

They were also in the studio – two singles were released during 1969, Still As Stone c/w Wrong Idea and Gypsy Girl c/w All I Can – and tracks were laid down for their second album, to be simply titled The Alan Bown!

Immediately after recording the record, Jess announced he was leaving in pursuit of pastures new although, according to a Melody Maker news item from that same August, he 'had been forced to take a rest on doctor's orders'. Doubtless a public relations exercise in satisfying honour on both sides since that self-same announcement trumpeted the arrival of the fomer Mandrake Paddlesteamer vocalist Robert Palmer together with news that The Alan Bown! would be touring America the following October.

As a footnote to this section, Jess’ vocals were re-recorded by the band’s newest vocal recruit – Robert Palmer and, in fact, two versions of the album were ultimately released; the British issue on Deram contains Robert’s vocals while the American release featured Jess’ vocals.

The Alan Bown! switched from Deram to Island in 1970, releasing Listen as their label debut, the record featuring Robert Palmer on vocals. However, Robert jumped ship as soon as the album had been completed and Gordon Neville re-recorded all of the vocal tracks.

A single (Pyramid) followed before yet another personnel change saw Andy Brown come in on bass. A second Island album entitled Stretching Out was released in 1971 before Jeff Bannister, Andy Brown and Tony Catchpole all quit, the latter two being replaced by Dougie Thompson and Derek Griffiths respectively.

The band essentially folded at the start of 1972 but briefly reformed with Dave Lawson (keyboards), Tony Dangerfield (bass & vocals), Frank White (guitar) and Alan Coulter (drums) for one final tour to end their days in July ‘72.

Jess, meantime, had hi-tailed it back to Worcestershire...