Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek: West Hampstead's Musical Heritage Remembered

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April 1964 – Fender Club, Kenton, Middlesex with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band (Harrow Observer & Gazette) February 1966 – Marcam Hall, March, Cambridgeshire (Beat Instrumental) Advertised as Markham Hall so just needs confirmation/Boyfriend magazine has the band at Leascliff Hall, Folkestone on this date January 1967 – Crystal Bowl Ballroom, Castleford, West Yorkshire with The Mydnites and The Squeeze (Wakefield Express/Yorkshire Evening Post)

World Cup Ball, Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle 14.07.66 with Alan Price Set, Junco Partners, Gas Board,The Colts Bonham has already been approached to form a new band that will become Led Zeppelin but will perform with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds until late August. The Mike Cotton Sound's 45 appearances were made mostly on Thursday where they were effectively the house band.

December 1966 – Gig in Shrewsbury (possibly Severn Club), Shropshire then Midnight City, Birmingham (Disc & Music Echo)

During May, Dave Greenslade briefly left to join Julian Covey & The Machine as they support John Lee Hooker on a UK tour but returned to The Thunderbirds soon after.December 1968 – Malvern Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire with The Basin Street Jump Band (Malvern Gazette) John Mayall brought many future stars through his various bands. He Appeared 33 times and did much to foster interest in blues nationwide. In the early eighties Ade joined The Vibrators (Mark IV) and he has played and toured with many bands. As a session guitarist he played with Joe Egan, B.A Robertson, Maggie Bell, and Oleta Adams. He is currently in the band ‘Dakota Red’ with singer-songwriter Sara Eker. She also lived locally in Dennington Park Road. October 1966 – Odeon, Liverpool with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Eyes of Blue Those are employed impressively throughout the rest of Side 1 as the band rip through that Herman cover. I described Lee’s guitar playing as dizzying. I’ll do that again. It’s bonkers, but we are once again treated to rotating solos — guitar, guitar, guitar, organ, then bass, guitar, guitar, guitar.

In early May, Dave Greenslade left to join Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band. Ian Hague departed about the same time to join PP Arnold & The Nice. Carl Palmer took his place on drums. The first thing you notice is that it isn’t lost on the band that Klooks began as a jazz club, and they have the chops to absolutely belong there. They even do two jazz standards — Woody Herman’s Woodchopper’s Ball and the aforementioned Summertime. Keyboard player Jeff Bannister lived in Holmdale Road in 1972. He had worked with Alan Bown in the John Barry Seven who had supported visiting American acts such as Brenda Lee. When Barry disbanded the group in 1965 because of his increasing film work, Jeff joined Alan in the Alan Bown Set. Jeff sang and played organ and piano on the first singles produced by Tony Hatch, and then Jess Roden became the vocalist. When the Alan Bown Set split up in 1970 Jess Roden formed Bronco and Jeff played on their first album. In the mid 70s he joined The O Band and then toured with Charlie Dore and latter Gerry Rafferty. He continued writing songs and played on Joan Jett’s ‘Bad Reputation’. He also wrote the books, The Multichord for All Keyboards, and a history of The Alan Bown Set. Jeff is still performing today as a member of The Swinging Blue Jeans, which originated in Liverpool in the 1960s. October 1964 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book) October 1966 – Gaumont, Doncaster with The New Animals, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Eyes of Blue

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December 1966 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Apex R&B All Stars (Cambridgeshire Times) September 1966 – Top Spot, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with Mike Starr & The Citizens (Gloucester Citizen) The Artwoods “Live at Klooks Kleek” was instigated by Mike Raven, a DJ/producer on the short-lived pirate station Radio Atlanta, which had become Radio Caroline South, by the time of the recordings in late 1964. The Artwoods had been so successful as authentic blues purveyors on a dozen interval spots at the club that they stepped up to topping the bill nine times before moving countrywide. The original tapes were transferred to vinyl for availability in June 2016 in the Record Collector magazine’s Rare Vinyl series. July 1967 – Swan, Yardley, West Midlands with The Flowers (Birmingham Evening Mail/Coventry Evening Telegraph/Fabulous 208)

Jordan often liked to share amusing stories about Klooks. As he tells it, one evening two Decca Records executives entered the club and asked for opinions on two songs recorded by a contract singer of theirs named Tom Woodward. One song was greatly preferred over the other, and when it was released in 1965 under the artist’s new stage name, Tom Jones, “It’s Not Unusual” went to Number 1. Artist growth and economic opportunities simply outpaced the magic that iconic venues like Klooks Kleek and other clubs could provide. Klooks Kleek was a jazz and rhythm 'n’ blues club on the first floor of the Railway Hotel, West Hampstead, north-west London. [1] Named after "Klook's Clique", a 1956 album by jazz drummer Kenny Clarke (Savoy Records 12006), the club opened on 11 January 1961 with special guest Don Rendell (tenor sax) and closed nine years later on 28 January 1970 after a session by drummer Keef Hartley’s group.

Photos from this show:

In 1966 I went to university (Sussex) and there heard Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and others. A rather straight acqauintance told me a new rather good banc were coming. I asked who they were and he said “Cream”. I said I never heard of them so they can’t be anybody worthwhile! My third regret is I was going to go to the launch party at Roundhouse featuring the Doors. I really meant to go, but again got too stoned. March 1968 – Crown and Cushion, Perry Barr, West Midlands with The Vogues (Birmingham Evening Mail) May 1966 – Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The Cherokees (Berkhamsted Gazette & Tring and District News) The Artwoods "Live at Klooks Kleek" was instigated by Mike Raven, a DJ/producer on the short-lived pirate station Radio Atlanta, which had become Radio Caroline South, by the time of the recordings in late 1964. The Artwoods had been so successful as authentic blues purveyors on a dozen interval spots at the club that they stepped up to topping the bill nine times before moving countrywide. The original tapes were transferred to vinyl for availability in June 2016 in the Record Collector magazine's Rare Vinyl series. February 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Bluecaps (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)