BOB'S BAND HISTORY:
A. Marina Fournier asked for an early chronology of the band....so here
goes - hopefully my memory serves me correctly but it was a "long long time
ago" (to quote another fairly famous band).
1969
Gordon Jones (Art College) and Bob Thomas (Veterinary Medicine)
meet while studying in Edinburgh during the day and playing folk clubs and bars at
night and weekends. A friendship based on guitars, blues, ragtime, British
folksong and contemporary folk-based music begins. Bob becomes President of the
Edinburgh University Folk Club and organises a very successful Festival
Fringe show in August/September 1969 at which Gordon, Bill Watkins and Andy
Hughes play some floor spots as a trio (You'll need these last two names
later).
Fall 1971
Gordon (Vocals, Guitar, Bouzouki and Bodhran) and Bob (Guitar,
5
string Banjo and Mandolin) get round to playing some songs together on
an
occasional basis and sometime during late 1971 they end up sharing a
flat in
Edinburgh - the third guy in the flat is called Kevin (more of him
later).
February 1972
a band is formed... Gordon. Bob and Bill Watkins (Vocals,
Guitar).
The music is the same mixture as before...the first British song
rehearsed is
The Rounding of Cape Horn followed by..........Up on Cripple
Creek......Paradise
Bar and Grill....Coming Into Los Angeles.....Take it Slow and
Easy....Jackson
Stomp.....Chief O'Neills Favourite....St Louis Tickle..etc etc etc!
July 1972
..Bill goes home to Birmingham for family reasons and is
replaced by
Chris Pritchard (who when he grows up goes on to become a headmaster and
champion Bothy Ballad singer). They get a gig (playing at a Burns
Supper for
French tourists at the Burns Hotel in Alloway in the middle of July) and
take
the name "Silly Wizard" from a book of childrens' stories that Kevin is
attempting to write.
September 1972
..Johnny Cunningham (Fiddle and Mandolin) joins..which
leads to
several long overnight drives for Bob as the band attempt to get him
back to
school for the morning after gig before.
September 1972
The band take over the residency and organisation of the
Triangle
Folk Club in Edinburgh and launch an incredibly successful run of major
guests
at this weekly Saturday night club.
February 1973
Madelaine Taylor (Vocals, Guitar and Bodhran/Spoons) joins
the
band and they begin to develop a repertoire of Scots songs in addition
to the
basic diet of English sea songs, ragtime blues and Scots/Irish/American
fiddle
tunes.
October 1973
The band gets offered a recording contract by Transatlantic
Records
and records an album at Craighall Studios in Edinburgh. Unfortunately in
December 1973 Maddy decides to leave the band and the album is
shelved....the
master tapes have subsequently been lost by Transatlantic and there are
no known
copies of these sessions in existence.
January 1973
Bob, Johnny & Gordon begin to tour as a trio
April 1974
First foreign (French) tour
September 1974
Neil Adams(Bass and
Harmonium) joins - the keyboard makes its appearance in the band.
December 1974
Having made the decision to develop a more consciously
Scottish
style and identity, the the band invite Andy M Stewart (Vocals and Tenor
Banjo)
to join them.
March 1975
The band start work on what becomes their "first" album
"Silly
Wizard" (Transatlantic XTRA 1158). During this time Freeland Barbour
(Accordion) joins the band. Phil Cunningham (Accordion) plays on a few
of the
tracks.
July 1975
Neil leaves the band to return to University (eventually
becoming a
French teacher in Yorkshire) and Alasdair Donaldson (Bass and Flute)
joins.
July 1976
Freeland and Aly leave. Freeland forms the Wallochmore Ceilidh Band and goes on
to become a respected producer for Radio Scotland) and Aly joins the Revillos
as Mr Mysterious and enjoys some success with this band.. Phil Cunningham (Accordion,
Whistle and Keyboards) and Martin Hadden (Bass and Keyboards) join. While waiting
for Martin to decide to join the band does several gigs with Andy Hughes (remember
him) on bass. The six piece lineup of Andy, Bob, Gordon, Johnny, Martin and Phil
tours and in 1977 records Caledonia's Hardy Sons.
1977-1979
More TV shows, gigs, tours and festivals than anyone cares to remember - in 1978
the band made over 200 paid appearances plus all the bar and festival sessions
they could get to!
March 1979
the band starts work on their second album "So Many
Partings".
May 1979
Bob gets offered a day job in a music shop and takes it.
Summer 1979
The five remaining members begin their first tour of the USA....the rest you probably
know.
I've checked this chronology with Gordon..but neither of us guarantee
that our
recollections are entirely accurate at this distance!!
Bob
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