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.
TONY KNIGHT’S CHESSMEN:
Tony Knight (aka Tony Brown) – drums/lead vocals
Lol Coxhill – tenor/soprano saxophone
John Gummer – baritone saxophone
Terry Martin (aka Edmunds) – bass/vocals
Jeff Reed – organ
Formed around September 1964 after Knight had been with Tony Knight & The Live Wires. Lol Coxhill was a seasoned jazzer
1964:
15 November 1964 – North Warnborough Village Hall, Hampshire (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)
16 November 1964 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book) Billed as The Chessmen
19 December 1964 – Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with Rufus Thomas (Essex Chronicle)
At some point in late 1964 guitarist Fred d’Albert joined the group
1965:
5 January 1965 – Bluesville, Aylesbury, Bucks (website: http://aylesburymusictown.co.uk/)
2 February 1965 – Lorrain Club, Royal Forest Hotel, Chingford, Essex (Leyton, Leytonstone and Waltham Forest Guardian)
16 February 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book) Billed as The Chessmen
16 March 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book) Billed as The Chessmen
Around this time, Johnny Almond replaced John Gummer
18 April 1965 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Cops ‘N’ Robbers (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
23 April 1965 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (website: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/)
8 May 1965 – Flamingo, Soho, London with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (Melody Maker)
15 May 1965 – Victoria Hall, Basingstoke, Hampshire (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette)
30 May 1965 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (Aldershot News)
7 June 1965 – Redcar Mini Festival, Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Long John Baldry & The Hoochie Coochie Men, Zoot Money & The Big Roll Band, The Crawdaddies (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
13 June 1965 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (website: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/)
15 June 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book) Billed as The Chessmen
11 July 1965 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (website: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/)
27 July 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book) Billed as The Chessmen
6 August 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London with The Fetish Crowd (NME)
Around this time, guitarist Fred d’Albert and organist Jeff Reed departed. Terry Martin (aka Edmunds) moved on to lead guitar
Former London Beats members Peter Carney (bass) and John Carroll (Hammond organ) filled the vacant spots
30 August 1965 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (website: https://dungeonmods.wordpress.com/)
30 August 1965 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Long Joh Baldry, Rod Stewart, Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger Trinity, The Mike Cotton Sound and The Crawdaddies (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
23 October 1965 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (Aldershot News)
5 November 1965 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Artwoods, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds and The Crawdaddies (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
14 November 1965 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
Around this time, Johnny Almond left to join Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band. Stan Sulzmann took over from him for a while
10 December1965 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
16 December 1965 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Ronnie Jones & The Blue Jays and Steampacket (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
27 December 1965 – Star Hotel, Croydon, Surrey (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)
1966:
9 January 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
5 March 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London with The Loose Ends (Melody Maker)
4 April 1966 – Woodhall Community Centre, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire (Welwyn Times)
12 April 1966 – Borough Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks (website: http://aylesburymusictown.co.uk/)
29 May 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
9 July 1966 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Hertfordshire with Shevells (Welwyn Times)
16 July 1966 – The Dolphin, Marine Court, St Leonards, East Sussex with King Bees (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
24 July 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
5-6 August 1966 – Flamingo, Soho (Melody Maker) Billed as The Chessmen
7 August 1966 – Witchdoctor, Catford, London (South East London Mercury)
Around this time, Peter Carney left to join Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band and Rick Eagles came in on bass
18 August 1966 – Harpenden Public Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire (Poster) Billed as The Chessmen
29 August 1966 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Zoot Money & His Big Roll Band, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and The Crawdaddies (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
23 September 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
24 September 1966 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
2 October 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
24 October 1966 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (Aldershot News)
12 November 1966 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear with The Elcort (website: http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle-2/)
Around this time, the band opened the Bag O’Nails in Kingley Street, Soho. Sometime in December, Rick Eagles left and Liverpudlian Steve Lucas came in on bass
1967:
7 January 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
In late January, John Carroll landed a job with The Pirates after Rick Eagles told his old friend Nick Simper about the keyboard player
Starting in March, Tony Knight’s Chessmen started working on and off with Jamaican singer Owen Grey who’d worked with The Krew in France during 1966. Judging by the gigs below, some of the shows were spent backing Owen Grey while for others Tony Knight’s Chessmen played on their own
18 February 1967 – Manhole, Redhill, Surrey (Crawley Advertiser)
18 March 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Friction (website: http://peterboroughimages.co.uk/music/?p=8130)
3 April 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Herd (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
7 May 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
21 May 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
In mid-June Terry Edmunds left to briefly work with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers but it only lasted a few weeks. Lol Coxhill and Steve Lucas also departed around this time
17 June 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Apex R&B All Stars and The Gods (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
28 June 1967 – Princess Pavilion, Falmouth, Cornwall (West Briton & Royal Cornish Gazette)
14 August 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
The following gigs were billed with Owen Grey:
9 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, London (Melody Maker)
11 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, London (Melody Maker)
19 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, London (Melody Maker)
25 March 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
2 April 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
8 April 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
8 April 1967 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
15 April 1967 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire Echo)
26 June 1967 – 100 Club, Oxford Street, London (Melody Maker)
Around July 1967, the group undertook some dates in Cornwall and played at the Piper Club in Viareggio, Italy. Tenor sax player Terry Ede remembers both and was a member during this time with Tony Knight, a bass player called Keith, a guitarist and a baritone sax player. He says that Owen Grey was with them. The following dates are most likely with this formation:
6 August 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington (Melody Maker)
12 August 1967 – The New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, E1 (Melody Maker)
19 August 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington (Melody Maker)
9 September 1967 – 007 Sun Valley Club, Dalston, London with Sir Dees Sound (Melody Maker)
By early 1968, the following line-up evolved into The Magicians who cut a lone single for MCA ‘Painting on Wood’ c/w ‘Slow Motion’.
Dave Watkins – piano
Fred d’Albert – guitar
Terry Martin – bass
Tony Brown (aka Tony Knight) – drums
The post Tony Knight’s Chessmen’s gigs 1964-1967 appeared first on Garage Hangover.