all cuttings supplied by Sarah Harvey
Dennis Torrance… Saw Frankie Miller on pier.
tich turner
The Deep Purple – Queens Road, Hastings and Battle photo around 1967
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.
Early Stallion – Skeleton Tich, dustbin photo and playlist 1975
skeleton photo supplied by Chris Meachen, dustbin photo supplied by Stallion Facebook page
playlist supplied by Roger Carey
Tich Turner, Tony Bridger, Phil Thornton, Steve Demetri, Roger Carey.
David Miller….Phil’s trashed again…..
Yvonne Cleland….hoho
Glenn Piper….I remember it well
Caz Simpson… I have a cd of the tape they did of Cobra and a Skinny Kid and all. I never met a nicer man than Steve. I went with them to the competitions, and the final x
John Wilde… I was Stallions singer when we won the 1976 Melody Maker contest. x
Caz Simpson… I was there when you won, it was an amazing night and a well deserved win x
Phil Gill… Fabulous – that’s the set I learned from a cassette when I first joined the band. Some great songs there, I’d love to here them again.
Alan Esdaile… Farts? on playlist.
Glenn Piper… Directions maybe?
Phil Gill… No idea Alan, the list at the bottom looks more like stage directions. It’s one way of getting your own dressing room.
Alan Esdaile… Perhaps its something you need to do before you put the outfit on.
The Deep Purple – Cricket Ground Hastings and Cobweb letter 1968
Supplied by Len Benton
Len Benton, Peter Horton, Tony Bird, Tich Turner and Ian McGilvray.
Robert Searle… Tich looking quite normal
Jim Breeds… “bee off”
Pauline Richards… Peter Horton. Still looks so much like himself
Colin Fox… When Tich was just starting out in the music business, he used to come and see us play at Battle memorial hall. Got to know him well in those days, and had the pleasure of seeing him play some years later in one of the colleges in Meads Eastbourne. Great singer, great rock band.
Robert Searle… Last time I saw him play was with that really good R&B group, can’t remember the name,at the Archery at Seaside Eastbourne.That was in the 70s
Mick O’Dowd… A real” moody” pose as per group pics in those days. Nice pics of Deep Purple emerging from Len Benton. Haven’t seen these before .
Judith Monk… I wanted to come to the next meeting and meet Len and his wife but sadly decided to break my leg instead….
Peter Horton… I do agree that Pete Horton looks like Pete Horton, Pauline. In fact we all look as I remember us. Fresh faced and young!!! They were good times. I had never seen this one before. Thanks Len.
Local Deep Purple outside The Anchor 1990’s
Supplied By Len Benton
Stallion -Martin Casson Agency promo photo – Rock-A-Nore Hastings 1975
Tich Turner, Phil Thornton, Roger Carey, Steve Demetri, Vic Bridger.
Promotion picture when they were signed to ‘Martin Casson Agency’.
Roger Carey… they asked us to wear suits for the promo photo.
Gaynor Duke… Tony Bridger
Glenn Piper… Anthony Victor Bridger hence the “Vic”
Andy Qunta… Can’t see exactly, but it looks like Tich might have been the only one who complied with that request!
Pete Prescott… Should I tell my Tich/skeleton story ?
Martyn Baker… Yes, of course you should Pete. I’m all ears!
Pete Prescott… Here goes. So it’s Sep 77 and I’m down in Hastings from north Kent where I live to audition for a band Steppin Out. It’s a Sunday afternoon. I go to a place in Silverhill called The Box. The audition seems to go well, I’m asked about my past. I mention that my last band made it to the final of the Melody Maker competition a few years previously. “Oh” says Tich “we were on that year too!” Just as I’m about to say “do you remember that complete tosser in the skeleton outfit that had everyone pissing themselves?” Tich says “you might remember me…I had a skeleton outfit on!” I was that close to never living in Hastings (and having no teeth !). I have to say that the time I spent in Steppin Out was an eye opener for me. An education. I wasn’t really up to the job. Tich was (and No doubt still is) a fantastic front man. I liked his singing. I couldn’t think why they wanted another singer. I had never sung harmonies and was bloody useless at those. I was very static on stage in those days. Pretty redundant. Rich also wrote sing great songs with Roger Hubbard who was the guitarist. It was an amazing band. Tich should have been successful. Wearing that skeleton outfit was something I would never have done. I didn’t have the balls. He did. Singers like Peter Gabriel or David Bowie wore make up and costumes and stunned people. I realised then that that could never be me. So hats off to the skeleton outfit !
Stallion – introducing the band 1974 & Stallion poster 6th November 1973.
supplied by Mick Mepham
supplied by Phil Thornton
Alan Esdaile… Great find Phil. Stringer Jones, was a duo with Martin Stringer and Malcolm Jones.
Martyn Baker… Malcolm Jones was the other half of Stringer-Jones with Martin Stringer in Hastings (1975-6). I kind of re-met Malcolm again when we both worked for Capital Radio in the 80’s. Martin now lives in the west of Ireland. Both top geezers.
Harry Randall… RIP Vic/Tony and Steve gone to young! Sadly missed I’m sure by all who new them!
Leigh Wieland-Boys… My that takes me back. Fond memories of Steve D, rest in peace dear friend.
Martin Stringer… Crikey.
Whisky Mac – Jerome Tait around 1967/68 & rock-a-nore group photo
supplied by Graham Bradley
Andre Martin…..Jerome Tait in action with Whisky Mac around 1967/68 – thanks to Graham Bradley who has been sending me some great pictures, that bring memories flooding back for all sorts of reasons.
Alan Esdaile…..This is Tich Turner.
Andre Martin…..I do not know why – but that was the name that Tich wanted to use on the publicity we put out in late 68 – part of the image no doubt – all of this is great stuff.
Phil Gill…..Jerome! I’d forgotten about that!
photo by John E Sweet supplied by Graham Bradley
Andre Martin…..Graham Bradley has emailed me a publicity photo that John Sweet took in Autumn 68 at Rock-a-Nore of Whisky Mac I remember this session
Martyn Baker… A very young Tich Turner
Glenn Piper… Very young Tich indeed 😀
Jim Jim & The Jims, Tich Turner’s Roaring 80’s & Missing Persons – Queens Hotel 7th July 1979
supplied by Pete Prescott
Pete Prescott… I remember that gig. It was an early Jim’s gig. We were fresh and good. The song’s were shorter and snappy. Great gig !