I urge those much sought-after personages to take out a new expense account and head North post-haste to the banks of the Mersey. I am sure that the various promoters will co-operate fully in according them facilities to view and assess the acts on stage at their venues. I shall be very surprised if these V.I.P’s return South disappointed.

But the shysters and the spielers are not wanted. By these I mean those characters from Consville who dream up imposing names and addresses which they change as often as Rita Hayworth changes husbands. These are the full-of-baloney phonies who sport bow ties and brief cases and a slick line of patter. These are the creatures who offer the unsuspecting Big Time on a prayer and a promise.

Like the proverbial river they can stay away from our door. We have the genuine article on Merseyside. We only want the genuine people to discover, groom and promote them for potential stardom. Is that asking too much?


Cloud 9
Right now jovial group manager Johnny Fanning is feeling ten feet high (and so am I) about the new Dominoes. This is the group that has recently undergone a personnel reshuffle and has now emerged as a quartet – with a solid rhythm and blues sound.

The line-up now combines the talent and musical ideas of ‘Kingsize’ Teddy Taylor as featured singer and lead guitarist; Bobby Thompson on bass guitar and vocals; Sam Hardy on Floyd Cramer style piano and vocals; and Dave Lovelady (ex Zodiacs) on drums.

Sam Hardy is the only surviving member of the original Dominoes (and on this point we’re going back into history) and I predict that Sam’s power-house pounding of the ivories will soon be the rave of the Jiveries. A mature combination, featuring a brand of music guaranteed to appeal to the older type of rock audience. Suggestion: How about Merseyside’s leading R&B sax blower doing service with the Dominoes and bringing to the group a Senior-style sound?


Scene Quote:
The mice don’t stand a chance in this Rat Race.

Editor’s Note: Of Bob’s predictions, only the Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers became international stars. Johnny Sandon, former singer with the Searchers teamed up with the Remo Four. Their records were unsuccessful. In later life he became a taxi driver and, sadly, hung himself. Sonny Webb (real name Kenny Johnson) did find success on the country music circuit with his group the Hillsiders, backing major American country acts on record and also appearing onstage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

I well remember the Con men who Bob touches on. Two of them in particular who came to Liverpool and approached groups with grandiose offers that were as thin as the wind. The first arrived in the Mersey Beat office dressed in an evening suit and dickie bow. He made extravagant claims, but we sussed him straight away. The next minute the Mersey Beat office was inundated with letters addressed to each of the groups mentioned in the publication. We didn’t want to open letters, so we called some members of the groups into the office to open their mail and see what it contained. As suspected, all the letters were from this person – with a letterhead mentioning offices in Monte Carlo, Sydney, Buenos Aires, New York, Las Vegas…and head office in Bristol! The content asked the groups to sign up to a contract which offered them nothing! 

Then we were visited in the office one mid-day by another man, also dressed in evening suit, complete with dickie bow. We also sussed him. However, he did manage to talk groups into giving a free concert at Central Hall – but I wonder who pocketed all the money!

Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes were arguably the best British rock and roll group of the Sixties, but also failed to register on record despite their dynamic presence and musical ability. Bobby Thompson joined the Rockin’ Berries and settled in the Midlands and Kingsize is now up and rockin’ again!

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