Trio wanted for Combe Haven – advert from February 1967

Martin Richter… 8 bar solo followed by 8 bars glass collecting ? <sorry> nicked that from Spike Milligan

Geoff Peckham… Confession: During this season and ’68, I, and a couple of other lads in mid-teens, hung out at Combe Haven caravan park offering ‘holiday romances’ to girls of a similar age and persuasion. Can’t remember if we had any takers…..

Dave Weeks… I think it was the done thing at the time. I remember sneaking into the swimming pool at night too. No real security then

Terry Pack… I did that trio gig in about 1983/4. The trio was called Tuxedo Function. We used to back the turns and the talent shows. The organist was a really nice guy who knew no tunes and didn’t busk, so he sight read everything from a huge pile of songbooks, often mispronouncing the words. We once did Get Back with a very uncomfortable ‘swing’ feel because neither he nor the drummer had ever heard The Beatles’ version, and he sang that Jojo had left his home in Tuck Son, Arizona. It was a strange gig. We usually had no more than a handful of bored punters and a few screaming kids. Most of the turns were fans of Jim Davison and Bernard Manning, and sang in ‘the club style ‘ as exemplified by Vic Reeves and Billy Connolly. They usually had charts that were unnecessarily complex, written by ‘arrangers’ with no notion of the gigs that these turns were doing or how dodgy their singing was. The results were a hilarious series of missed key changes, tempo changes and codas, and unsuccessful rallentandos.

Patricia Burgess… Met my husband there in 63, love the Talismen , think they have all past now

Andy Knight… I was a bottle boy at Combe Haven in 67, I can’t remember the trio, Temperance 7 played there (there was 8 I remember), Cedric Utley was the Bar Manager who did a Bed of Nails act when the cabaret didn’t turn up, Mr Edwards the other Manager, had my first Whiskey Mac at the staff party because David Kenny the owner drank that, never again, Dad had to pick me up, asleep in the laundry room

Roland Clarke… Was the 8th one an alcoholic?

Andy Knight… Roland, the trombone player wet himself on stage once, so maybe, or just a weak bladder!!

 

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