deep purple

Deep Purple – The Happening Club around 1967

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The Happening.

supplied by Peter Horton  at The Happening Club Kings Road

The local ‘Deep Purple’ around 1967 with original singer ‘Kevin Clark'(who was later replaced by Tich Turner). So I think the rest of the band are Peter Horton, Tony Bird, Ian McGilvray & Len Benton.

Joe Knight….WOW!!!!

Mick O’Dowd….This pic was taken at The Happening in Kings Road St.Leonards the home of Jon Wilde!

Geoff Peckham….I saw them several times in Bexhill. Enjoyed a bit of faux-fame because of their namesakes and even covered “Hush”. Loved Mac’s drumming. Eventually changed their name to Whiskey Mac.

Alan Esdaile Johnny Mason….When I first started going to gigs I think every band played ‘Hush’ and ‘Knock On Wood’.

Geoff Peckham….I played those and Midnight Hour, Hold On, etc. in my early bands too. But when I first heard the Bexhill Deep Purple playing Hush, I asked Mac if it was his band that had the single; he just put his finger to his lips and went “ssshhhhhh”!

Tonny from Cornwall…..Any idea how long the Bexhill Deep Purple existed? I’m trying to work out if some info I have about ‘Deep Purple’ supporting Kippington Lodge end of May 1968 in Goudhurst, Kent relates to ‘your’ Deep Purple or the more famous later version who were just back from a tour of Denmark.  Kippington Lodge were on Parlophone records; so were ‘Deep Purple’ of ‘Hush (and more) fame….

Andre Martin….If it helps in the calculation – Friday 27th September 1968, they had their first public appearance as Whisky Mac at the Tackleways Boys Club in Hastings. Kippington Lodge were one of the “back-up” bands for Hastings Pier, when John Schofield ran the Sat & Sun nights, they would appear almost at a moments notice. They were still playing a Deep Purple up to April time, I have some reference to this at the Regent Hotel. I have posted this picture before – in the write up it mentions that they will be playing the Witch Doctor – or the newly renamed club the Cobweb, that did not open until the end of February 1968 !

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Andre Palfrey-martin collection

Andre Martin….The group played in Eastbourne – The Continental in October 1967 – billed as The Deep Purple

Battle Memorial Hall November 1967

Ken Copsey… Great picture

John Wilde… Wonderful to see these images. I was there in my Fathers club The Happening.

Paul Sleet… I remember seeing them at Woodlands Girls school if memory serves me right. Must have been around 1968 or 69.

Deep Purple (the local one!) 18 plus group St Clements Caves 1967

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Deep Purple Letter copy

letter supplied by Mick O’Dowd

Tony Davis… We ought to see if we could put something on at the caves now. Of course its so far from the road we’d need hundreds of roadies.

Terry Corder… When Die Laughing played the caves, Lol & I carried all the gear in on our own. We worked out that we each walked 3 1/2 miles each. Don’t want to do that again!

Terry Hardwick… You get the gig I will put the gear in.

Tony Davis… As it’s the caves we ought to make it a rock night (sorry bad gag) so I could organise Hastings Rock Djs

Mick O’Dowd… Good venue but with access problems! At least no neighbours complaining about the noise!

The Deep Purple Rodeo ’67 26th August 1967 – Polegrove Bexhill – 1967

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Rodeo 67 copy

Supplied by Mick O’Dowd.

Deep Purple (Peter Horton,Tony Bird, Ian McGilvray, Len Benton, Kevin Clark) at the Rodeo 67 Polegrove Bexhill in 1967 with a crowd of 15,000!

Tim Moose Bruce… I went to this but dont remember seeing the band. I Was 7 Years old!

Alan Esdaile… Well with 15,000 I am hoping someone took a photo of the band? Also something odd about this letter it says rodeo ’67 but the written date is 1961??

Mick O’Dowd… It’s genuine Alan, It was definitely 1967. This gig was with the original lead singer, the late Kevin Clark, and not Tich who was to join us later. The top of the bill was a c&w star. I seem to think it was someone like Tex Ritter but cannot be sure. Anybody have any recollections.

Terry Pack…  Malcolm Wicks was my family’s GP. I’d have been 9 at the time, and might have gone to The Polegrove that day, but wouldn’t have heard the band.

Andrew Reid McDuffie… I was at Rodeo 67. Remember it quite well. Had my pic in the local paper. Ha!

Ian McGilvray… The good old Deep Purple Days. My Mum thought of the name.

Tim Moose Bruce… At the Festival of Transport this weekend. They had a Wall of Death there which reminded me of Rodeo 67. Anyone remember the one they had there? There was a go kart as well as the bikes and also a bike with a sidecar. Sitting in the sidecar was a lion!

Tony Court-holmes… I remember that

 

 

The Deep Purple – Queens Road, Hastings and Battle photo around 1967

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1st photo supplied by Janine Anne Hemsley, 2nd photo with Graham Bradley supplied by Len Benton.

Janine Anne Hemsley…..The girls are Carol Guyatt and Linda Upton.

Mick O’Dowd….Looks like  early Whisky Mac. Think that is Pete Horton poking in right hand, Len Benton, Ian “Mac” McGilvary, Tich Turner,Tony “Tweet Tweet” Bird & Pete Horton.+ Girls.

John Wilde…..Wow this is a great photo……but where?

Robert Searle…Another great photo. I see Mac there with Tony Bird

Joe Knight….omg!!! tony LOL

Ian McGilvray….Yeah that’s me (Mac ) with Lenny Benton on My right hand side. I’m the one with the magazine and Tich is the one with the Birds as usual.

Andre Martin…..The reflection in this is the Fine Food Supermarket at the end of Queens Pde, you can tell that by the backward spelling of the name Minimarket and the design of the brickwork. Interesting the ” I’m Backing Britain ” posters can be clearly seen on the windows of the shop in Queens Road roughly where Gamleys or Helfords used to be located. Looks as if the group were on the east side of Queens Road, and the photographer on the West side..

Mick O’Dowd….Confirmation from Pete Horton that this is in fact Deep Purple. He reckons it was taken in Canterbury where they used to play at The Beehive Club.

Tich Turner….Hi All, this photo was taken in Queen’s Rd. We had a bunch of photos taken that day, but I’m only aware of three that have surfaced. One is a great pic of us all in a line, hunched up against the cold, in front of some glass doors somewhere. The other one, is of us standing on the steps of the public toilets that used to be in the town centre, near the Carlisle and we’re poking our heads over the wall. This is definitely Deep Purple. we didn’t actually become Whisky Mac after Pete Horton left and Graham joined, as I wrote. It was later than that. It was directly after Len Benton, our Bass player left and we recruited Tim Duke on Bass. Happy Days, Tich.

Ian McGilvray….I agree Tich

Pete Horton…..Hi from Pete Horton. Sorry about thinking that the pic was taken in Canterbury. I seem to be the odd one out. I cannot remember this being taken in Queens Road, but we were all in the nearby cricket ground with a Hastings Observer photographer on Sunday 4th February, 1968.

Ken Copsey… Great picture.

Paul Coleman… Mac!! Bloody hell, I never thought I’d hear about you again. I remember the last time I saw you was when you drove away from my garage at the back of Amherst Rd in Bexhill. Driving a Porsche. It may have been a Speedster. Worth a bloody fortune!
Where did those nearly 50 years go??

Graham Bradley… I didn’t no you had a Porsche Mac, the last time I saw you was in a Jag xj6 with the head lining hanging down over your eyes, we all had some bloody good laughs great band days.

Martyn Baker… Tich looking typically cheerful!

What tracks did every local band play in the 60’s/70’s?

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Thanks to Pete Fisher for finding this rare video.

Alan Esdaile…What tracks did every local band play in the 60’s/70’s? Hush, Knock On Wood, Morning Dew and Ride Your Pony. Any others you remember?

Jim Breeds… Me and Bobby McGee.

Mick O’Dowd… Mustang Sally. Route 66, Carol(Chuck Berry and many other assorted Chuck songs).

Will Cornell… Over there, your locals did our songs. Over here? Beatles and Stones.

Karen Sweatman Was Blackman… What the hell is Rod Evans wearing? Great song though.

Len Smith… Everybody needs somebody, You don’t know like I know.

Deep Purple – Made In Japan Fri 12th Sept 2014 BBC4 21.15

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deep purple japan

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04gvd9q

Andy Gunton… Pity about the photo on the BBC link. It shows the wrong line up.

Terry Pack… I  have fond memories of that album, which I played until I could sing all the parts, as was (and still is) my OCD practice with any music I like. I preferred the live versions of all the songs, having heard these first. I usually got into bands via live albums: Cream, Genesis, Yes. I haven’t heard Made in Japan since about 1976. I hope it stands the test of time.

Andy Qunta… I’ve played in 3 different Deep Purple tribute bands in the last few years, and Made In Japan was the “bible” for all of them! Unbelievable stuff!

Mark Gilham… Not to be missed!

David Miller… Much as I love all the Mk II albums, Fireball is a fave of mine – No, no, no ; The Mule and especially No-one Came. Ian Paice is a very fine drummer indeed and Blackmores guitar, his feel and timing and choice of notes, scales etc still does it for me after all these years. Speaking of No, No, No – MkII rehearsing for a German TV show in 1971…primo DP, very tight indeed with RB obviously driving, in fine guitar god fettle and Paice laying down some amazing skin walloping there…Blackmore even smiles at one point…made me a little uneasy, really..

Dave Nattress… Yes, recording this programme now to watch later. I still have the “Made In Japan” “double play stereo musicassette – also gives genuine monaural reproduction” from 1972, labelled up as Purple Records – label says “Also available on 8 track cartridge” – remember these horrors!! I remember so well playing this in my Ford Cortina in a crude, first generation, poor sound quality, car cassette player with plastic speakers like little stage monitors, on the back parcel shelf, all those years ago. Then I got the 1998 double CD re-issue. The first CD has the original 7 album tracks – as the cassette, and the 2nd CD is “The Encores” – Black Night, Speed King and Lucille. It’ll be a Deep Purple weekend for me.

Chris Meachen… Excellent programme;- I’m wondering if Blackmore has a portrait of himself mouldering in some attic, however..

Terry Pack… Ray Fenwick told me  that he was always very nice to him, but that he and Gillan couldn’t stand each other. A difficult man, but a great guitar player. As Dave says above: great phrasing and note choices, and a beautiful tone. Much more interesting than most of his contemporaries. I agree with Dave Miller about Ian Paice, too. Streets ahead of most rock drummers at that time. Deep Purple No No No..  Interesting mix and camerawork! It’s nearly ALL Ritchie till the organ solo, and then it’s mostly Ritchie! Was Jon Lord very tall or was the Hammond very low?

Dave Miller… It is indeed all Ritchie – mind you, him and his hat were on top form there…as is Mr Paice who you can just tune in to for the whole song and still have a good time listening. They’re all playing well but those two stand out for me….I think Jon Lord’s wearing a fashionably low-slung Hammond….classic..great dynamics and energy…

Mike Curtis… Ritchie’s more recent stuff “Blackmore’s Night” is excellent.

Mark Gilham… Talking of Ritchie, this typifies his beautiful style.

Martyn Baker… As I recall, my teenage mind felt a good deal of remorse when Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left the band, but looking again at the next lineup with David Coverdale and the amazing Glenn Hughes I needn’t have worried.

Terry Pack… blimey! Why did they bother with Coverdale when Glenn Hughes could sing like that?

Andy Qunta… I think either Coverdale or Hughes would have done a fine job on their own, but having the two of them together, trading lines or harmonizing with each other, makes a truly awesome sound!