Third Georgians line-up
Lewis Collins received an offer to join the Mojos, a move promoted by his dad, Bill Collins, his biggest fan and manager. This was of course, an offer he could not refuse. The Mojos already being a big name with a recording contract. (Lew was not all that long with the Mojos, joined RADA, eventually becoming Bodie in 'The Professionals', appeared in films such as 'Who Dares Wins' etc and now lives in California. He was touring in a play in 2000 and we met up for a few nights - in great shape and, whilst the guy has probably had whole sections about him in magazines, was over the moon because he got a mention in Pete Frame's Rock Family Trees!).

Instead of recruiting another bass player, we moved that Ash change from lead to bass (partly because he was blind as a bat and kept hitting wrong notes, and partly because I fancied myself, erroneously, as lead guitarist). We also recruited a snotty nosed kid, Brian (Fagsy) Farrell, who had plagued us as an unpaid road manager since the start, anything to keep him quiet!

Brian actually had, and still has, a fantastic gravely 'soul' voice, was later well-known in Colonel Bagshots Incredible Bucket Band and Bunny, and is still active around Merseyside. His sister, Bernadette, was a long time girlfriend of George Harrison, and I remember George being at Brian's house in the early days when we were there, once, I think, practicing ('George's views of our talents remain unrecorded). Brian was not in our band at that time, an indication of his ambition to join us, oblivious to the ears of his long-suffering parents.

Through the influence of Brian Farrell, our music moved very much towards Soul and, whilst again we continued odd gigs at the Cavern and Hope Hall, played much more at the Mardi Gras, which tended to be very much 'in' to soul music. We also played University gigs, which were always better 'earners.'

Kinsleys
Billy Kinsley, after leaving the Merseybeats temporarily, had formed a band called the Kinsleys. Billy left to join the Merseys with Tony Crane, Denny Alexander (who I replaced) left to join the Clayton Squares, the rest of the band being Dave Preston, George Peckham and Tommy Murray.

A frightening part for me when joining this band, much against my R&B religion, was that I had to have my hair back-combed! Scary, but necessary for my acceptance. In planning to go to the Star Club, Hamburg, we had been told that brass was very popular (following the Roadrunners, et al) and so a tenor and alto sax were recruited.

A few weeks before we were due to depart, Georgie Peckham and the two saxes bailed out through marriage/financial/alcohol problems, and another bass player was hurriedly recruited in the somewhat unknown form of Mike Pemberton, not the best bass player but a rather handsome bugger.

Our management for Germany was the Peppermint Lounge (George and Jimmy Blott) and because we now had no brass section, we were diverted to Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Offenbach. At our first venue we took over from Denny Seyton and the Sabres, one of whom was a deranged musician called Lally Stott. In Germany, at that time, hair was considered long if it touched your collar - Lally had his way past his collar, cared not a jot and, to general German derision, wandered around the city with an umbrella up with no webbing, just the spokes.

He cannot have been too deranged because, whilst we were there or shortly afterwards, he wrote Chirpy Chirpy Bloody Cheep Cheep, became a multi-millionaire on the proceeds but, sadly, bought himself a Harley Davidson and killed himself in 2000.

The Kinsleys were modestly successful but, on the journey home, the van broke down. We had no money left to have it repaired so, under German law, the equipment could be sold to pay the debut - End of Kinsleys.

I played for many years semi-pro after that, finishing with a band called Familiarity Breeds.
Text & photos © Tim Dugdill

Editors note: 'Sagging school' means playing truant; a 'barney' is a fight; ten bob was ten shillings in the pre-decimalization days - a shilling was twelve pence, ten shillings 120 pence and a pound was 240 pence. A ciggy is a cigarette (in those early days the Beatles smoked a cheap brand called Woodbine). The 'Paddy' referred to is Paddy Delaney, the Cavern's main doorman. The Blonds were a family, led by the late Leslie Blond, who owned a lot of property in the Liverpool 8 area, both commercial and domestic. They also owned the Hope Hall cinema, which became the Everyman Theatre. Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten became major British poets of the decade with two best-selling books of poetry, beginning with 'The Mersey Sound.' Mike McCartney, Roger McGough and John Gorman were to form the successful chart group the Scaffold. Tim says 'God bless him' in relation to Adrian, who died in 2000. Pub is short for public house; an alehouse and the two nearest to the Cavern were the Grapes and the White Star. Details of all Liverpool venues, including the Hope Hall and Mardi Gras will be appearing on the Mersey Beat web site. Bill Collins went on to manage Badfinger (Bill died in August 2002). RADA is the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Bernadette Farrell was featured in 'The Face Of Beauty' series in Mersey Beat and was to marry musician Mike Byrne. Together with Mike she founded the Beatles Experience in the Albert Dock. The Blott Brothers ran the Peppermint Lounge club, off London Road, Liverpool and also managed groups such as Denny Seyton & the Sabres and the Blackwells. Lally Stott penned 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep' for his new band Middle Of The Road and it topped the British charts in 1971. The group also had hits with 'Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum', 'Soley Soley', 'Sacramento' and 'Samson & Delilah'. More royalties poured Lally's way in 1971 when Mac and Katie Kissoon had a minor his with 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.'

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