Famous Artists You Have Played With Or Supported

McSwaggerty

Back in the 80's the band i was in supported, at different times , Jack Bruce, Frankie Miller, Simon Kirke and Tony McPhee and the Groundhogs.
I had a game of Darts and a pint with Tony in the Public Bar downstairs before the gig.
I thought i was a fairly good player, but he destroyed me even before i had drank half my pint.

west

Kebabkid said:

west said:

and a cool  chat about the hughes and thrall album . his girls legs were taller than me  ...

 

 

As an aside here, that is a a fabulous album and probably not known to many

It certainly is ... coast to coast is spectacular and an upgrade to the trapeze days ...  muscle and blood , i got your number ... every one a winner ...

thomasw88

The Supernaturals
John Reid  (Scottish dance music man who had a few hits in the 90's)
Tonic
Big Country
Donnie Munro
Carrie (had the bass player from EMF..)
Maggie Bell -  She was the most interesting to meet as she literally has performed with all the greats in the 70's and was really down to earth.
Jimmy Cricket!
Did a you tube broadcast from a music studio with multiple bands, one of the other acts had a guy from the Cutting Crew.

stratman3142

thomasw88 said:

...Big Country...

Well before he got famous, I used to jam with Mark (and his brother Steve - a bass player) in a school room in Stanwell. Years later he did a dep in a covers band I was in. He had 'Big Country' on his drum cases and someone asked if he was a fan of the band.

west

thomasw88 said:

The Supernaturals
John Reid  (Scottish dance music man who had a few hits in the 90's)
Tonic
Big Country
Donnie Munro
Carrie (had the bass player from EMF..)
Maggie Bell -  She was the most interesting to meet as she literally has performed with all the greats in the 70's and was really down to earth.
Jimmy Cricket!
Did a you tube broadcast from a music studio with multiple bands, one of the other acts had a guy from the Cutting Crew.

Love maggie bell ..!  the feme tune to the 70s tv show hazell was fab ..

EricTheWeary

west said:

EricTheWeary said:

PhilW1 said:

I used to go regularly to a jam night at the Maverick in Amblecote (in the Black Country) , one of the tracks I always played (badly) was “Rock n’ Roll’.
Used to go every week.. regular..always..never missed..
..except the week Robert Plant turned up to have a go...

The Maverick ( many, many years ago) 

https://i.imgur.com/al4vuyM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cQfR6H4.jpg

A friend of mine played guitar in a covers band and one of the songs they did was Rock’n’roll but the singer insisted on some weird key so they didn’t really play it properly at all. They did a wedding and one of the guests was Robert Plant who got up for a sing. So my friend ( who is a very decent guitarist) had the honour of playing Rock’n’roll completely wrong behind Robert Plant.

I have played with ( singer, pianist) Mike Sanchez at a wedding. I know he’s not a household name but his credits include Bill Wyman and Jeff Beck. Actually the wedding of the guy in the fleece in the colour photo, his wife was Mike’s hairdresser. 

The maverick is my local sometimes ...

Gosh not been for years, odd little place but they supported local live music for many years. There was a music shop about two doors down, I think owned by a former member of The Move and there was a guitar repair place out the back where I got my strat fixed and the chap had been a roadie for The Spice Girls and talked about that. Right little hub of rock'n'roll excitement! 

thomasw88

west said:

thomasw88 said:

The Supernaturals
John Reid  (Scottish dance music man who had a few hits in the 90's)
Tonic
Big Country
Donnie Munro
Carrie (had the bass player from EMF..)
Maggie Bell -  She was the most interesting to meet as she literally has performed with all the greats in the 70's and was really down to earth.
Jimmy Cricket!
Did a you tube broadcast from a music studio with multiple bands, one of the other acts had a guy from the Cutting Crew.

Love maggie bell ..!  the feme tune to the 70s tv show hazell was fab ..

she got us up for a jam at the end of her gig.   

I'd spent the sound check trying to work out why my amp was buzzing like a bstard (turned out there was a hearing aid loop on in the venue),
so didn't have a clue what  we were meant to be doing.

I had another gig afterwards so didn't get long to hang around, but she really  was a top person.. no ego whatsoever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iJDLO8-tFg

west

EricTheWeary said:

west said:

EricTheWeary said:

PhilW1 said:

I used to go regularly to a jam night at the Maverick in Amblecote (in the Black Country) , one of the tracks I always played (badly) was “Rock n’ Roll’.
Used to go every week.. regular..always..never missed..
..except the week Robert Plant turned up to have a go...

The Maverick ( many, many years ago) 

https://i.imgur.com/al4vuyM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cQfR6H4.jpg

A friend of mine played guitar in a covers band and one of the songs they did was Rock’n’roll but the singer insisted on some weird key so they didn’t really play it properly at all. They did a wedding and one of the guests was Robert Plant who got up for a sing. So my friend ( who is a very decent guitarist) had the honour of playing Rock’n’roll completely wrong behind Robert Plant.

I have played with ( singer, pianist) Mike Sanchez at a wedding. I know he’s not a household name but his credits include Bill Wyman and Jeff Beck. Actually the wedding of the guy in the fleece in the colour photo, his wife was Mike’s hairdresser. 

The maverick is my local sometimes ...

Gosh not been for years, odd little place but they supported local live music for many years. There was a music shop about two doors down, I think owned by a former member of The Move and there was a guitar repair place out the back where I got my strat fixed and the chap had been a roadie for The Spice Girls and talked about that. Right little hub of rock'n'roll excitement! 

That was Dave Donovans it was actually roy woods wizzo band he was in and also screaming lord such ...

i think the guitar repair guy was terry reep , does that ring a bell ?

I just pop in for a pint of ale or guiness now and then ....

west

not_the_dj said:

Doctor and the Medics.

Birthday bash gig for Rob at Robannas studios in Birmingham. I was playing bass in an AC/DC tribute (I was standing in as their bass player had just had a baby, or was ill, or something like that). 

We were hurriedly getting our kit off stage so I don’t remember them playing “Spirit in the Sky”,  but I’m sure they did (possibly more than once). 

still going more as a party band ... my school mate and early music mentor Ade Hill is their Drummer .... he told me clive ( he of hair singist ) treats them all really well and looks after everybody ...

EricTheWeary

Lwest said:

EricTheWeary said:

west said:

EricTheWeary said:

PhilW1 said:

I used to go regularly to a jam night at the Maverick in Amblecote (in the Black Country) , one of the tracks I always played (badly) was “Rock n’ Roll’.
Used to go every week.. regular..always..never missed..
..except the week Robert Plant turned up to have a go...

The Maverick ( many, many years ago) 

https://i.imgur.com/al4vuyM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cQfR6H4.jpg

A friend of mine played guitar in a covers band and one of the songs they did was Rock’n’roll but the singer insisted on some weird key so they didn’t really play it properly at all. They did a wedding and one of the guests was Robert Plant who got up for a sing. So my friend ( who is a very decent guitarist) had the honour of playing Rock’n’roll completely wrong behind Robert Plant.

I have played with ( singer, pianist) Mike Sanchez at a wedding. I know he’s not a household name but his credits include Bill Wyman and Jeff Beck. Actually the wedding of the guy in the fleece in the colour photo, his wife was Mike’s hairdresser. 

The maverick is my local sometimes ...

Gosh not been for years, odd little place but they supported local live music for many years. There was a music shop about two doors down, I think owned by a former member of The Move and there was a guitar repair place out the back where I got my strat fixed and the chap had been a roadie for The Spice Girls and talked about that. Right little hub of rock'n'roll excitement! 

That was Dave Donovans it was actually roy woods wizzo band he was in and also screaming lord such ...

i think the guitar repair guy was terry reep , does that ring a bell ?

I just pop in for a pint of ale or guiness now and then ....

Ahh that sounds all correct. I have a vague ( gosh yes even vaguer) memory that Terry had his workshop broken into and his customer’s instruments stolen and that was the end of his business. Terry, I think, made the bitsa strat that Ian Parker used for many years ( my son used to work with Ian’s wife and met him several times, what a small world I occupy!). 

Apologies to the OP for an unexpected diversion into the history of Amblecote! 

west

Yes correct  re ian parker ... my mates son dave jenko jenkins plays bass with him ... small world ...

west

thomasw88 said:

west said:

thomasw88 said:

The Supernaturals
John Reid  (Scottish dance music man who had a few hits in the 90's)
Tonic
Big Country
Donnie Munro
Carrie (had the bass player from EMF..)
Maggie Bell -  She was the most interesting to meet as she literally has performed with all the greats in the 70's and was really down to earth.
Jimmy Cricket!
Did a you tube broadcast from a music studio with multiple bands, one of the other acts had a guy from the Cutting Crew.

Love maggie bell ..!  the feme tune to the 70s tv show hazell was fab ..

she got us up for a jam at the end of her gig.   

I'd spent the sound check trying to work out why my amp was buzzing like a bstard (turned out there was a hearing aid loop on in the venue),
so didn't have a clue what  we were meant to be doing.

I had another gig afterwards so didn't get long to hang around, but she really  was a top person.. no ego whatsoever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iJDLO8-tFg

Nice ...!  and its great when that happens ...

stratman3142

In my 20's I was in a backing band for two handsome singer/songwriters. That led to meeting a few famous musicians, just by being lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

Their manager funded some demos which were recorded and produced by Chris Hughes in a little studio in a large house, which had a massive dog IIRC. Curt Smith took a real interest in the recording production and was super helpful and knowledgeable. They had a single coming out at the time and it might have been Mad World. I recall they were very sociable and excellent to work with. I had no idea who they were at the time.

This led to interest from a small record label and a support slot for Level 42 for a couple of gigs. I think the venues were called the Manchester Apollo and Blackburn Odeon. The preparation rehearsals included a choreographer to guide us on how to move on stage. She gave up on me and asked that I stand back by my amp and "try to look cool".

We did some further demos produced by Robin Millar. Then the record label decided on an alternative approach and called in Alan Rankine, who I briefly met and he seemed a nice guy. But they also decided they didn't want the current backing band and it all ended in tears. I never heard what happened to the handsome frontmen. The keyboard player and drummer went on to bigger and better things. Apart from a brief stint as the hired-hand guitarist for a band that had one support slot for Womack and Womack, my aspirations for a career in music ended, and I went into semi-professional cover-band obscurity.

Strangefan

PhilW1 said:

I used to go regularly to a jam night at the Maverick in Amblecote (in the Black Country) , one of the tracks I always played (badly) was “Rock n’ Roll’.
Used to go every week.. regular..always..never missed..
..except the week Robert Plant turned up to have a go...

Bloody love the maverick it's only 3 mins from my house. 

Cirrus

monquixote said:

I supported Showaddywaddy once 

My old band were on fairly good terms with one of their old members, a chap called Malcolm who owns a venue up near Nottingham. He really loved our drummer, gave him an old snare he said had been owned by Mitch Mitchell. No way to verify that of course, but have no reason not to believe him!

CMW335 said:

not_the_dj said:

Doctor and the Medics.

Birthday bash gig for Rob at Robannas studios in Birmingham. I was playing bass in an AC/DC tribute (I was standing in as their bass player had just had a baby, or was ill, or something like that). 

We were hurriedly getting our kit off stage so I don’t remember them playing “Spirit in the Sky”,  but I’m sure they did (possibly more than once). 

Reminds me of a holiday in Magaluf when Chesney Hawkes was playing in a club. We left and returned during his set 3 times and each time on return he was playing I Am The One & Only. He finished with a cover of American Pie but must have played Am The One & Only 3 times at least

Two links here... first the aforementioned band had a lockup in Robannas for 10 years, and I hold the record for most consecutive days visiting the studio apparently - it was something like 22. And in... maybe 2009? We played a festival where we thought we had a good slot on a 2nd stage... but then it turned out we clashed with Chesney Hawkes, and played to a massive, empty tent. ah well! And yeah, I heard him play that song at least twice.

digitalscream said:

Both my bands have supported Blaze Bayley a few times (five in total, I think). He's a nice chap, just don't mention Iron Maiden, because his face takes on the look of a haunted, broken man to the extent that even I felt guilty, and I wasn't the one who mentioned them...

for a while Blaze wasin Robannas studios quite often, a couple of years ago I ended up having a chat with him about which supermarket did the best microwave curries, while I waited in the reception area for mine to cook 



Probably the most famous band we played with (by a long way!) was Electric 6. They were really decent folk backstage too.

west

Strangefan said:

PhilW1 said:

I used to go regularly to a jam night at the Maverick in Amblecote (in the Black Country) , one of the tracks I always played (badly) was “Rock n’ Roll’.
Used to go every week.. regular..always..never missed..
..except the week Robert Plant turned up to have a go...

Bloody love the maverick it's only 3 mins from my house. 

10 mins up brettle lane from me

viz

Kebabkid said:

west said:

and a cool  chat about the hughes and thrall album . his girls legs were taller than me  ...

 

 

As an aside here, that is a a fabulous album and probably not known to many

Highly lolworthy

ICBM

Tom Robinson played straight after my then band at Pride Scotland in 1998 or 99 - he was travelling light with just his guitar and asked to borrow my Trace acoustic amp which the singer in my band was using for hers. He was a very decent down-to-earth chap, chatted to us for a minute or so and was completely un-rock-star like.

A couple of years later we were on a couple of slots before Hazell Dean, but that’s probably not quite as good...

p90fool

I jammed with Koko Taylor at a jazz festival in France once, gigged with Alexis Korner as a teenager and had Spandau Ballet borrow our instruments and do an impromptu support set for our covers band as they were guests at a wedding we were playing in Shropshire. That took some following!

The other guitarist in my French band managed to blag a jam with Prince and Lemmy at the same time in Monaco, in the days before mobile phones when artists were less nervous about letting their hair down. 

Strangefan

Wow I am throughly dissapointed in this thread