If you enjoy what I have put together please consider donating any amount to support and help me to keep this valuable research going. Thanks!!
This day-by-day diary of The Cheynes' live, studio, broadcasting and private activities is the result of three decades of research and interview work by Bruno Ceriotti, but without the significant contributions by other kindred spirits this diary would not have been possible. So, I would like to thank all the people who, in one form or another, contributed to this timeline: Ed Furst, Mick Fleetwood, Pete Hollis, Craig Borrett, John Mayall, John H. Warburg, Arto Juntilla, Doug Hinman, Felix Aeppli, Kelvin Adams, Nick Warburton, Raz, John Sankey, Tony Bacon, Tony Miller, The Kensington News And West London Times, Pop Weekly, Surrey Advertiser, Surrey Comet, Boyfriend, Citizen, Record Mirror.
August or September 1962
Mostly known for the presence of Mick Fleetwood in their lineup, The Cheynes were a hot Notting Hill, London-based beat band of the early 60's, with a hard, blues-influenced sound, emerged from an amateur three-piece band called The Senders, which featured Eddy St. John or Eddie St. John (b. Edward Lynch, Monday, March 29, 1943, London) on vocals, guitar, and harp, formerly of Eddy and The Cascades, Pete Hollis (b. Christopher Firmingham (or similar), Wednesday, August 30, 1944, London; he was adopted from Dr. Barnardo's Children's Home at six months old and grew up in Kensington as Peter David Hollis; his biological mother came from Harrow and his biological father was an American airman - d. Saturday, May 4, 2019, North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple, North Devon, for cancer) on vocals and bass, plus several unnamed drummers who take turns in rehearsals and gigs.
Mostly known for the presence of Mick Fleetwood in their lineup, The Cheynes were a hot Notting Hill, London-based beat band of the early 60's, with a hard, blues-influenced sound, emerged from an amateur three-piece band called The Senders, which featured Eddy St. John or Eddie St. John (b. Edward Lynch, Monday, March 29, 1943, London) on vocals, guitar, and harp, formerly of Eddy and The Cascades, Pete Hollis (b. Christopher Firmingham (or similar), Wednesday, August 30, 1944, London; he was adopted from Dr. Barnardo's Children's Home at six months old and grew up in Kensington as Peter David Hollis; his biological mother came from Harrow and his biological father was an American airman - d. Saturday, May 4, 2019, North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple, North Devon, for cancer) on vocals and bass, plus several unnamed drummers who take turns in rehearsals and gigs.
THE SENDERS #1 (AUGUST or SEPTEMBER 1962 - JULY ?, 1963)
1) Eddy St John (aka Eddie St. John) lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
2) Pete Hollis backing vocals, bass
3) ? drums
1) Eddy St John (aka Eddie St. John) lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
2) Pete Hollis backing vocals, bass
3) ? drums
June 1963
Eddy St John's friend Peter Bardens (b. Peter Skiving Bardens, Monday, June 19, 1944, City of Westminster, Greater London - d. Tuesday, January 22, 2002, Malibu, California, US, for lung cancer), a singer and piano player formerly of Hamilton King's Blues Messengers (aka Hamilton King's R&B Group), The Peter Bardens Quartet, The Peter Bardens Trio, and Eddy and The Cascades (only as guest), became The Senders' manager. Bardens had this truly immaculate, beautiful brown woollen manager's suit, which made him to be Brian Epstein (and he was good at it).
July ?, 1963
The Senders hired a new and definitive drummer named Michael John Kells ‘Mick’ Fleetwood (b. Tuesday, June 24, 1947, Redruth, Cornwall). It was their manager, Peter Bardens, who find him one day by chance after listening him practicing in the neighborhood. “I didn’t give up on my dream [to become a drummer] and kept playing in my sister’s garage day in and day out, with no audience until the day a guy from the neighbourhood, just a few years older than me, poked his head in to listen,” recalls Mick Fleetwood in his memoir Play On - Now, Then, And Fleetwood Mac - The Autobiography (Little, Brown and Company, 2014) “I wasn’t playing along to anything, I was just making up beats and fills and enjoying myself so much that I didn’t notice him there at first. ‘Hey! Hello,’ he said. ‘I’m Peter Bardens.’ And with that, I awoke into my living dream. If it weren’t for Peter Bardens, I could have been alone in that garage for high times on carnaby street five years. Peter was well-educated, intelligent, extremely witty and always stroking his hair out of his eyes when he spoke. He was eloquent and a great musician, and I suspect he would have been a great writer because his father Dennis Bardens was a well-known author and journalist. Peter was also a great draughtsman and was always drawing satirical comics that were hilarious. He was a complete dreamer, more so even than me, and we shared an ineptitude for handling finances. Peter never deserted his dream, and struggled as a musician, achieving recognition and a modicum of success, but until his death he was still envisioning the next band, the next album, and next project. Peter was my entrée into the scene; he was already playing in bands and living just a few doors down in the cul-de-sac, Horbury Mews [in Notting Hill]. He wanted to put a new group together and was interested in recruiting me, though he had yet to find the remaining players. ‘That other band isn’t quite together yet,’ he said. ‘But in the meantime, how would you like a paying gig?’ ‘Well yes, of course!’ Suddenly I was thrust into the world I’d been searching for–and with a job. All my doubt was gone; I could tell my family that I’d done it, I’d actually got myself a job as a drummer! I nearly jumped over the drums and bear-hugged Peter that day. It was only one gig, but I didn’t care.”
THE SENDERS #2 (JULY ?, 1963 - JULY ??, 1963)
1) Eddy St John
2) Pete Hollis
3) Mick Fleetwood drums
1) Eddy St John
2) Pete Hollis
3) Mick Fleetwood drums
July ?, 1963: unknown youth club, in/or around London
Mick Fleetwood’s debut gig with the Senders. “We mostly did covers by the Shadows, a band whose records I’d listened to while learning to drum,” recalls Mick Fleetwood in his memoir. “They were Cliff Richard’s backing band, (to all of you in America, Cliff was our Elvis) and they were huge during my childhood. I absolutely adored them and knew all the songs by heart. I did the gig, playing with a real band to a real audience, and the exhilaration was dizzying. There is no feeling quite like it and once I got a taste, I wasn’t letting go.”
Monday, July 15 - Saturday, July 20, 1963 (?): The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Senders started playing a six-night a week (Monday to Saturday) residency at the Mandrake Club in Soho. “[Our[ repertoire consisted of Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly and Little Richard covers, plus a handful of originals and we did put on a good show,” recalls Mick Fleetwood in his memoir. By the way, their manager Peter Bardens, who could see straight away that they were short on the variety needed in a night club, sat-in on piano every night the first week, and then officialy joined them as member during the second week.
Monday, July 22 - Saturday, July 27, 1963 (?): The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
As above mentioned, Peter Bardens got tired to be only a manager and joined the band on piano and vocals during their second week residency at the Mandrake Club. Also, the band changed its name that second week, from the Senders to the Cheynes, “named after a fashionable street in Chelsea called Cheyne Walk,” recalls Mick Fleetwood in his memoir, “where everyone from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to Marianne Faithfull, Lawrence Oliver and Henry James have lived.” At that point, the band also turned pro and soon signed with the Rik Gunnell Agency and Columbia Records (a one year contract), and quickly become a staple on the London rhythm ‘n’ blues circuit.
THE CHEYNES #1 (JULY ??, 1963 - MARCH 30, 1964)
1) Eddy St John
2) Pete Hollis
3) Mick Fleetwood
4) Peter Bardens backing vocals, harmonica, Wurlitzer electric piano
1) Eddy St John
2) Pete Hollis
3) Mick Fleetwood
4) Peter Bardens backing vocals, harmonica, Wurlitzer electric piano
The Cheynes #1, London 1963/64 - from left: Peter Bardens, Mick Fleetwood, Pete Hollis (seated), and Eddy St John
The Cheynes #1, London, 1963/64 - from left: Peter Bardens, Pete Hollis, Mick Fleetwood, and Eddy St John
|
The Cheynes #1, London 1963 - from left: Peter Bardens, Mick Fleetwood, Pete Hollis, and Eddy St John
The Cheynes #1, ondon, 1963/64 - from left: Peter Bardens, Pete Hollis, Mick Fleetwood, and Eddy St John
|
Boyfriend (1964)
Monday, July 29 - Saturday, August 3, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes continued to play here six-night a week from Monday to Saturday. “We amassed a following locally, and my favourite regular venue was a dive in Soho called the Mandrake,” recalls Mick Fleetwood in his memoir. “The place was open all night, every night, and when I wasn’t playing I usually stopped in there to see who was on. I was still only sixteen at the time, but thanks to my height, no one ever questioned whether I was old enough to drink or be in the club–which I wasn’t. I learned so much with the Cheynes, not only about playing, but also about what rock and roll was becoming and what the music had begun to mean.”
Monday, August 5 - Saturday, August 10, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, August 12 - Saturday, August 17, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, August 19 - Saturday, August 24, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, August 26 - Saturday, August 31, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, September 2 - Saturday, September 7, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, September 9 - Saturday, September 14, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, September 16 - Saturday, September 21, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, September 23 - Saturday, September 28, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, September 30 - Saturday, October 5, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, October 7 - Saturday, October 12, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, October 14 - Saturday, October 19, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Saturday, October 19, 1963: Cavern Club, 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool, Merseyside
The Cheynes were booked into the Cavern by a very convincing manager as "London's answer to The Beatles" and got away with it (well, he did: not so sure about them). Also on the bill: The Kubas, The Panthers, The Mission Men, and Vince Earl and The Talismen.
Monday, October 21 - Saturday, October 26, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Sunday, October 27, 1963: Blue Angel, 106-108 Seel Street, Liverpool, Merseyside
Monday, October 28 - Saturday, November 2, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, November 4 - Saturday, November 9, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Friday, November 8, 1963
The Cheynes' debut single, 'Respectable / It's Going To Happen To You' (Columbia DB 7153), was released only in the UK. 'Respectable' was a cover of The Isley Brothers, while 'It's Going To Happen To You' was an original number written by Peter Hollis. Reportedly, the single sold 5,000 copies.
|
|
Monday, November 11 - Saturday, November 16, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, November 18 - Saturday, November 23, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Monday, November 25 - Saturday, November 30, 1963: The Mandrake Club, 4 Meard Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
December ?, 1963: Kimbells Ballroom, Osborne Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire
Saturday, December 7, 1963: Marlborough Hall, YMCA Building, 13 Crossley Street, Halifax, West Yorkshire
The Cheyens were on the bill along with Eddie Langton, and Kim Roberts.
Friday, unknown date, 1963: unknown hall, Archway, London Borough of Islington, Greater London
Apparently The Cheynes did an audition of sorts with Brian Epstein one Friday night, although according to Eddy St John: "I definitely do not remember this. I would have been dropping Brian Epstein's name ever since. Even if it had been a total disaster. An 'audition on a Friday night' could be a euphemism for a free gig, which we and our various agents would have turned down unless our very persuasive manager had led us to believe that 'somebody very important' might be there. (Who, Brian Epstein? - Sorry, boys, I can't tell you.) Hmmmm. Yes. We did do a freebie for a friend of our manager when we had started to expect to be paid for every performance, especially on a Friday night." Peter Hollis also doesn't remember auditioning for Brian Epstein, so maybe that wasn't true.
Sunday, January 5, 1964: Rex Cinema, Shottermill, Haslemere, Borough of Waverley, Surrey
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, Joe Brown and His Bruvvers, Marty Wilde and The Wildcats, and Al Paige as compere. The Cheynes also served as The Ronettes' backing band tonight.
Monday, January 6, 1964: ‘Group Scene '64,’ Granada Theatre, Harrow on the Hill, London Borough of Harrow, Greater London
The Cheynes embarked on their first full-lenght tour of Britain. The itinerary was a 14-date twice nightly package tour promoted by George Cooper Organisation. The band, together with The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats, supported the headliners The Rolling Stones, and the Afro-American all-girl vocal group The Ronettes. Al Paige was the compere. “The Stones had been booked on a tour of old cinemas, and we’d been hired to play as the back-up band for the pop legend and opening act Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes,” recalls Mick Fleetwood in his memoir. “Ronnie, aside from taking the house down every night with her unparalleled vocal gifts, answered patiently our never-ending questions about her then-husband Phil Spector. Like almost everyone in the world of music, we were fixated on his famous ‘Wall of Sound’, on every technique he used to capture such massively beautiful soundscapes. ‘How many guitarists did he have doubling those parts on ‘Sleigh Ride?’ How many musicians were required to lay down the basic tracks? What was the room like?’ We didn’t leave her alone for a minute! When she told me how Phil had built a platform that hung five feet from the floor by thick chains to hold the drummer’s kit, I nearly died. He’d built it because he believed that drums should be recorded from every side, including below. I was grinning from ear to ear; this made so much sense to me because no one knows more than a drummer how much reverberation is created and how much is dissipated into the ground as we play. That echo is a powerful feeling that both grounds us and drives us. The fact that Phil Spector had tried to capture the sensation that a drummer felt when his bass and snare vibrated his stool was genius as far as I was concerned. I could barely contain my envy, vowing to myself that one day I’d record with a producer like him, if not Phil himself. That tour was magical to me. The Stones really took care of us, looking after us like little brothers, and that is when and how I got to know Brian Jones quite well. I feel lucky about it because Brian was a special soul, in many ways far too sensitive and perceptive for this world. A brilliant, fluent multi-instrumentalist, he was the one who founded the Rolling Stones and he had the creative vision that helped them to evolve organically from a mop-top blues-pop group into the mystical rock gods they became–something that many people today might not realise. Brian had a huge heart and we became friends very quickly. We’d sit and talk about the blues for hours, trading stories we’d heard about the recording of the songs we both loved.”
Tuesday, January 7, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Adelphi Theatre, 3 Bath Road, Slough, Buckinghamshire
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
Wednesday, January 8, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, Lower Stone Street at Granada Street, Maidstone, Kent
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
Thursday, January 9, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, 19 High Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
Friday, January 10, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, 186 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, Marty Wilde and The Wildcats, and Bern Elliott and The Fenmen. Al Paige was the compere.
Sunday, January 12, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, 50-60 Mitcham Road, Tooting, London Borough of Wandsworth, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Marty Wilde and The Wildcats, Bern Elliott and The Fenmen, and Johnny Kidd and The Pirates. Al Paige was the compere.
Tuesday, January 14, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, 10 West Gate, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
Wednesday, January 15, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, 5-9 St Peters Street, Bedford, Bedfordshire
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
Sunday, January 19, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Coventry Theatre, Hales Street, Coventry, West Midlands
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, Marty Wilde and The Wildcats, Patrick Dane and The Quiet Five, The Barron Knights, and Freddie and The Dreamers. Al Paige was the compere.
Monday, January 20, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, 174-186 Powis Street, Woolwich, London Borough of Greenwich, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Marty Wilde and The Wildcats, and Johnny Kidd and The Pirates. Al Paige was the compere.
Tuesday, January 21, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Granada Theatre, 36 High Street, Aylesbury, Aylesbury Vale, Buckingahmshire
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, Heinz And The Saints, Linda Doll and The Puppets, Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
The Cheynes #1 backed up The Ronettes at the Granada Theatre, Aylesbury, January 21, 1964
Wednesday, January 22, 1964: 'Group Scene 64', Granada Theatre, 6 Castle Gates, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, West Midlands
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
Sunday, January 26, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', De Montfort Hall, Granville Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, East Midlands
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, Freddie and The Dreamers, The Baron Knights featuring Duke D'Mond, and Patrick Dane and The Quiet Five. Stan Van was the compere.
Monday, January 27, 1964: 'Group Scene '64', Colston Hall, Colston Street, Bristol
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and The Cruisers, and Marty Wilde and The Wildcats. Al Paige was the compere.
February 1964
According to Eddy St John, The Cheynes did well enough accompanying and supporting The Ronettes on a tour with The Rolling Stones to be offered the next tour with The Crystals, another Afro-American all-girl vocal group. Eddy threatened to leave if they did not take The Crystals offer, and actually they finally did not, and so Eddy left the band a month later exactly.
Monday, February 3, 1964: Marquee Club, 165 Oxford Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Monday, February 10, 1964: Marquee Club, 165 Oxford Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with Manfred Mann, and Sonny Boy Williamson II. "I have a first, stomach-turning memory of playing the Marquee with my band The Cheynes," Mick Fleetwood recalls. "We had no following and it was a miracle to have been asked to back the legendary blues star Sonny Boy Williamson. This giant of a man played a tiny harmonica and dressed in the coolest suits, all mismatched fabrics in wild designs. We had studied his albums and learned his every note by heart to prepare for this honour. On the night Sonny Boy went totally off book, dropping into the middle eight at different places. We just didn’t get it and kept trying to play the song the way we had learned it. We even tried to correct him by corralling him back to the way the song was supposed to go. This did not go over well. He stopped playing in mid-song and bawled us out in front of the audience for not following his lead, not listening or watching for his signals."
Monday, February 17, 1964: Marquee Club, 165 Oxford Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes were on bill along with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Monday, February 24, 1964: Marquee Club, 165 Oxford Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Saturday, February 29, 1964: 'Non-Stop Shake! Twist! & Rave!', Coronation Hall, Kingston Baths, Denmark Road, Kingston upon Thames, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Zombies.
Monday, March 2, 1964: Marquee Club, 165 Oxford Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Monday, March 16, 1964: Marquee Club, 90 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with Zoot Money's Big Roll Band.
Monday, March 23, 1964: Marquee Club, 90 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
Monday, March 30, 1964: Marquee Club, 90 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Eddy St John's last gig with The Cheynes. Also on the bill: Manfred Mann.
Tuesday, March 31, 1964
Eddy St John left The Cheynes and went to play with The Graveddigers, The Ingoes, The Elastic Band (aka Ed E Lynch and The Shakedowns, aka The Fantastic Elastics feat. JC), Rifkin, Mustard, Rifkin IV, Mike Di Leo Group, Mustard Duo (aka Dave 'n' Ed), Washington Irving (aka Irving Washington), Captain Ed (aka Mr. Hook), Sinbad (aka Langdale), Long Vehicle, Trevor Bridge, The Bottle Brothers, and last but not least, he finally goes solo as 'Ed Furst'. Anyway, The Cheynes replaced him with several unnamed singers and guitarists who take turns in rehearsals and gigs, until the band finally found suitable replacements a few weeks later.
THE CHEYNES #2 (MARCH 31, 1964 - APRIL 1964)
1) Pete Hollis
2) Mick Fleetwood
3) Peter Bardens
4) ? lead vocals
5) ? guitar
1) Pete Hollis
2) Mick Fleetwood
3) Peter Bardens
4) ? lead vocals
5) ? guitar
April 1964
Roger Peacock on lead vocals (b. Tuesday, January 29, 1946, London - d. May 2007, Margao, Goa, West India, in a car crash), formerly of The Fortunes, and Phillip 'Phil' Sawyer on guitar (b. Saturday, March 8, 1947, London) joined The Cheynes. Phil Sawyer previously played with his best friend Chris Andrews, a singer, in a duo that performed only at weddings.
THE CHEYNES #3 (APRIL 1964 - APRIL 1965)
1) Pete Hollis
2) Mick Fleetwood
3) Peter Bardens
4) Phil Sawyer guitar
5) Roger Peacock lead vocals
1) Pete Hollis
2) Mick Fleetwood
3) Peter Bardens
4) Phil Sawyer guitar
5) Roger Peacock lead vocals
The Cheynes #3, London 1964/65 - from left: Pete Hollis, Peter Bardens, Roger Peacock, Mick Fleetwood, and Phil Sawyer
Thursday, May 7, 1964: Marquee Club, 90 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Also on the bill: The Bluebirds.
|
The Cheynes #3, Marquee Club, London, May 7 or 14, 1964 - from left: Pete Hollis, Phil Sawyer, Peter Bardens, Mick Fleetwood, and Roger Peacock
The Cheynes #3, Marquee Club, London, May 7 or 14, 1964 - from left: Roger Peacock, Pete Hollis, Mick Fleetwood, Phil Sawyer, and Peter Bardens
|
Wednesday, May 13, 1964: 'London's R & B Big Nite - The Big night of the week', Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Also on the bill: Georgie Fame. One show, from 7:30pm to 11:30pm.
Thursday, May 14, 1964: Marquee Club, 90 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Also on the bill: The Bluebirds.
Monday, June 1, 1964: Flamingo, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
One show, from 8pm to 12 midnight. Also on the bill: John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, John Lee Hooker.
Wednesday, June 3, 1964: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Thursday, June 4, 1964: Studio Jazz Club, Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
Friday, June 5, 1964: The Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley Hill, London Borough of Bromley, Greater London
Saturday, June 6, 1964: The Twisted Wheel, 26 Brazennose Street off Albert Square, Manchester, Greater Manchester (cancelled)
The Cheynes were originally scheduled to play here, but they finally cancelled because they have another gig that same day (see below) and The Yardbirds filled in for them.
Saturday, June 6, 1964: Corporation Hotel, Meadow Road, Derby, Derbyshire
Sunday, June 7, 1964: The Place, 67 Bryan Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Monday, June 8, 1964: Embassy Ballroom, Northampton, Northamptonshire
Tuesday, June 9, 1964: unknown recording studio, in or around London, Greater London
Wednesday, June 10, 1964: Forum Ballroom, Oxford, Oxfordshire
Friday, June 19, 1964
The Cheynes lost their instruments and equipment when their minibus was taken from a Shepherd’s Bush street today. “Two youths, who stole a van-load of £1,500-worth of musical instruments and equipment and were caught trying to sell some of them in the West End, were at West London on Friday both remanded in custody for detention centre reports,” reported The Kensington News and West London Times a week later (June 26). “Peter Douglas Mostert, an 18-year-old musician, of Leinster Square, Bayswater, and Michael Ronald Henbrey, 20, unemployed, of Holland Park, Notting Hill, pleaded guilty to taking and driving away a mini-bus without permission from Richmond Way, Shepherd’s Bush; using it while uninsured and further to stealing, at Richmond Way, two guitars, a drum set, amplifiers, an electric piano and other instruments belonging to Barry Fleming. Det. Sgt. John Shorto said the van containinh these musical instruments was left at 2 a.m. llocked, but unattended in the street. An hour later these two men took and drove the van to the West End where they deposited the instruments in a club. They then took the minibus to another part of London and abandoned it. They were seen later in the West End trying to dispose of some of the instruments and they were arrested. Referring to the housebreaking charge against Mostert, Sgt. Shorto said he went to the rear door of the club, broke in and stole the instruments which he disposed of in the East End. They had not been recovered but the £1,5000 worth had been recovered.”
Saturday, June 20, 1964: The Attic Club, 1A High Street, Hounslow, London Borough of Hounslow, Greater London
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Kingbees, and The Roosters.
Thursday, June 25, 1964: unknown venue, South Harrow, London Borough of Harrow, Greater London
Friday, June 26, 1964: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
One show, from 7:30pm to 11:30pm.
Saturday, June 27, 1964: Double D Club, London Borough of Hackney, Greater London
Sunday, June 28, 1964: Cricketers Hotel, Bridge Road, Chertsey, Surrey
Sunday, June 28, 1964: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Sunday evening session from 7:00pm to 11:00pm.
Monday, June 29, 1964: Hermitage Ballroom, Hermitage Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
One show, from 8pm to 11pm.
Tuesday, June 30, 1964: The Alamo Club, Acton, London Borough of Ealing, Greater London
Tuesday, June 30, 1964: Aylesbury Bluesville, Borough Assembly Hall, Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Also on the bill: The Animals.
July ?, 1964: Flamingo Club & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street or Beat City, 79 Oxford Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Also on the bill: The Shanes.
Thursday, July 23, 1964: Olympia Ballroom, 75-77 London Street, Reading, Berkshire
Friday, July 24, 1964: Bluesville, The Manor House, opposite Manor House Tube N.4, Manor House, London Borough of Hackney, Greater London
Friday, July 24 (actually Saturday, July 25), 1964: Flamingo Club & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Friday all night session from 12 midnight to 5:00am. Also on the bill: Zoot Money.
Saturday, July 25, 1964: The White Hart (pub), 93-95 High Street, Brentwood, Essex
Sunday, July 26, 1964: Blue Indigo, Bay Tree Inn, 10 New Road, Southampton, Hampshire
Monday, July 27, 1964: Embassy, Northampton, Northamptonshire
Tuesday, July 28, 1964: 'R&B Night', The Attic Club, 1A High Street, Hounslow, London Borough of Hounslow, Greater London
Wednesday, July 29, 1964: 'London's R & B Big Night', Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
Also on the bill: Georgie Fame. One show, from 7:30pm to 11:30pm.
Thursday, July 30, 1964: Cooks Ferry Inn, Angel Road, Upper Edmonton, London Borough of Enfield, Greater London
Friday, July 31, 1964: Crazy E Club, London, Greater London
Tuesday, August 11, 1964: Aylesbury Bluesville, Borough Assembly Hall, Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Summer 1964: Brentwood Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex
Mick Fleetwood invited his future first wife Jenny Boyd to the tonight gig, after he meet her for the first time through a mutual friend named Dale, earlier that afternoon at the Coffee Mill cafe. “Jenny sat on the edge of the stage watching as I loaded in and assembled my drum kit and once I was done I went and sat with them,” recalls Mick Fleetwood in his memoir. “Jenny recalls that when I did, my foot came to rest on hers and when she tried to move it away, the pressure increased until I’d pinned her foot to the floor. I have no recollection of doing this consciously but the body wants what it wants, so I’m quite sure my subconscious was at play. Whatever the motivation, Jenny’s sixteen-year-old self took this as a sign that I liked her. And did I! She liked me too, but she wanted to be a loyal friend to Dale, so she tried to hide it. She has said that if it weren’t for Dale, she and I would have got together a full year before we did and that she’d never have dated our singer Roger Peacock. Good Lord. How cruel retrospect can be. Dale and I never even went out, for God’s sake! Receiving knowledge like this at my stage of life is a double-edged sword, because you can’t change the past, so it makes you wonder just how much wasted time you might have spent otherwise. The Cheynes were the first live band Jenny had ever seen and she says the experience transformed her. She’d never seen a crowd go mad for rhythm and blues and she’d never heard the power of songs by Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Howlin’ Wolf played live. She spent the night in the front row, where our guitar player Phil winked and smiled at her and, as she told me later, she decided she was in love with rock and roll. Oh to be sixteen again. At the end of the night we gave her and Dale a lift back to London in the group van and she drifted off to sleep at home with the sound of a cheering crowd in her head. After that I began to see Jenny more frequently at the Coffee Mill or the other cafe I frequented, the Mercury. Typically I’d be sitting around eating an omelette and chips with my flatmate Roger Peacock and Peter Bardens, waiting for the other guys to show up with the van, when she’d pop in after school. I adored her, but did nothing about it. It didn’t help that Jenny was just as shy as I was, and when we spoke about this period for the book, it brought tears to my eyes. We were just so innocent; reliving it warmed my heart. We were two kids, completely in love, in awe of how love felt and utterly incapable of expressing it to each other. The first of many downsides to this was that I stood by paralysed as my friend and bandmate Roger made a beeline for the girl who’d stolen my heart and to make matters worse, he managed to make her his girlfriend. That was Jenny’s first relationship, and as his flatmate, I bore witness to the entire thing, which was torture to say the very least. I began to avoid them at the flat and everywhere else, because I couldn’t bear it. I felt like a coward for not making a move first, but I’d lacked the confidence, and that left me feeling utterly inadequate as a young man. All of this while my friend enjoyed the girl I couldn’t stop thinking about–it was a hopeless situation for me. What I didn’t know was that while I tried not to be at home when she was there, Jenny used to hang around the flat hoping to see me. She’s told me that whenever we crossed paths, all she kept thinking was that she’d rather be with me than with Roger.”
Summer 1964: Twickenham Film Studios, The Barons, St Margarets, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London
The Cheynes were recruited by producer-director Kenneth Hume, who was mostly known as the manager and sometime husband of singer Shirley Bassey, to play a series of The Beatles songs in the 25-minute short modern dance movie Mods and Rockers, choreographed by Peter Darrell and released in October 1964. Their performances were good enough, if not exactly constituting the kind of repertory the band would've chosen, but the movie became notorious in pop music circles for its homo-erotic subtext, and as the subject of legal action when it was incorporated into a full-length program alongside a pair of jukebox shorts, Swinging UK and UK Swings Again, retitled Go-Go Bigbeat!! for US release in 1965, in a publicity campaign in which The Beatles' name loomed larger than that of The Cheynes. The portion of the movie on which The Cheynes worked has been removed from the Rhino Video edition of Go-Go Bigbeat!. The original promotional synopsis for the film describes it as follows: "A symbolic ultra modern coffee bar sets the scene for a girl in gold lame jeans, bolero and bootees, to start moving to the pulsating rhythms beating out from a glittering juke box. As the music becomes progressively louder and more frantic, so the dancer increases the speed of her lithe movements to keep pace with the tempo. A boy starts to dance with this red-headed dynamo of a girl, but is repelled when she accepts the advances of a second boy. The two men vie for her attentions."
Record Mirror (October 10, 1964)
Mick Fleetwood's still from Mods and Rockers (1964)
|
|
Thursday, August 20, 1964: Cooks Ferry Inn, Angel Road, Upper Edmonton, London Borough of Enfield, Greater London
Saturday, September 19, 1964: The Ballroom, Dreamland Amusement Park, 49-51 Marine Terrace, Margate, Kent
Also on the bill: The Companions.
Friday, September 25, 1964
The Cheynes' second single, 'Goin' To The River / Cheyne-Re-La' (Columbia DB 7368), was released only in the UK. 'Goin' To The River' was a cover of Bill and Will, an obscure American duo, while 'Cheyne-Re-La' was an original number written by Peter Bardens. Reportedly, the single sold 13,000 copies.
Citizen (October 8, 1964)
|
Pop Weekly (October 10, 1964)
|
Friday, October 9, 1964: The Ricky Tick Club, Plaza Ballroom, Onslow Street, Guildford, Surrey
One show, from 8:00pm to 11:00pm.
Saturday, October 10, 1964: Ricky-Tick, Clewer Mead (a semi-derelict river-side mansion), Barry Avenue, Windsor, Berkshire
Saturday, October 10 (actually Sunday, October 11), 1964: Flamingo Club & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Saturday all night session from 12 midnight to 6:00am. Also on the bill: The Night-Timers.
Sunday, October 11, 1964: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Sunday afternoon session from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.
Sunday, October 18, 1964: Beat Scene Club, Wolsey Hall, Windmill Lane, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
Sunday, October 25, 1964: The Twisted Wheel Club, 26 Brazennose Street off Albert Square, Manchester, Greater Manchester
Monday, November 9, 1964: Galaxy Club, Town Hall, Basingstoke, Hampshire
The Cheynes were on the bill along with The Ad-dicts.
Thursday, December 3, 1964: Regent Sounds Studio, 4 Denmark Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
The Cheynes headed into Regent Sounds Studio to lay down two original songs which were released a month later as their third and final single. The topside, ‘Down And Out’ was an penned by Peter Bardens, while the flipside ‘Stop Running Around’ was co-penned by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones with his former bandmate Brian Cade (although, strangely, somehow only Wyman's name ended up on the single credit as author). Anyway, Bill also played bass on his song and co-produced the session with the legendary Glyn Johns. “Bill Wyman was a great mentor to us as well,” reflects Mick Fleetwood in his memoir. “The Stones bass player took an interest in us and brought us a song he’d co-written with a former bandmate named Brian Cade (they were in a group called the Cliftons together) called ‘Stop Runnin’ Around.’ Bill played bass on it and co-produced it with Glyn Johns, whose work with everyone from the Beatles to the Eagles to the Clash is iconic. The song came out as a B-side to our song ‘Down and Out’ in 1965 though it didn’t chart (none of our singles did), it was just so cool that Bill did that for us.”
Tuesday, December 22, 1964: Aylesbury Bluesville, Borough Assembly Hall, Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
The show, which lasted from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, was promoted by Nan and Ron Lesley present.
Saturday, December 26, 1964: The Ricky Tick Club, Plaza Ballroom, Onslow Street, Guildford, Surrey
Also on the bill: The Chessmen. One show, from 9:30pm to 2:00pm.
January 1965 (?)
The Cheynes hired Frank Michael ‘Mike’ Jeffery as their new manager. Jeffery was best known for his management of The Animals and (later) Jimi Hendrix.
Sunday, January 3, 1965: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Sunday afternoon session from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.
Sunday, January 10, 1965: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Sunday afternoon session from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.
Sunday, January 24, 1965: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Sunday afternoon session from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.
Friday, January 29, 1965
The Cheynes' third and last single, 'Down And Out / Stop Running Around' (Columbia DB 7464), was released only in the UK.
|
|
Sunday, January 31, 1965: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Sunday afternoon session from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.
Sunday, February 14, 1965: Flamingo & All Nighter Clubs, 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, City of Westminster, Greater London
A Sunday afternoon session from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.
Friday, March 12 - Saturday, March 13, 1965: Club A' Gogo, Percy Street, Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Also on the bill: The Dawnbreakers (12), The St Louis Union (13).
Tuesday, March 16, 1965: Aylesbury Bluesville, Borough Assembly Hall, Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
April 1965
The Cheynes split up. Peter Bardens went to play with Them and later he will play with Peter B's Looners, Shotgun Express, Julian Covey and The Machine, Love Affair, The Mike Cotton Sound, The Village, The Marsupilami, Camel, Van Morrison, The Keats, and last but not least he also released several solo albums. Roger Peacock went to play with The Mark Leeman Five, Dave Anthony's Moods, The Trip, and The Primitives, then he released a solo single in 1970 as 'Peacock', and finally he retired from the music scene and became a decorator. Phil Sawyer went to play with Johnny Dean and The Deacons, and later he will play with Les Fleur De Lys, Shotgun Express, and Spencer Davis Group. Mick Fleetwood went to play with The Bo Street Runners, Peter B's Looners, Shotgun Express, Billy Thorpe, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and Fleetwood Mac. Pete Hollis relocated in France where he played with Johnny Hallyday, until he returned in London several years later where he played again with his old bandmate Eddy St John in Washington Irving (aka Irving Washington).
