1961: BOB XAVIER AND THE JURY
Pat Donaldson - bass;
Albert Lee - guitar;
Roy Mills - drums;
Bob Xavier - saxophone, vocals.
(1961 Roger Dean, 2nd guitar to Albert Lee - on odd gigs only.
Roger Dean said:"I joined the band after Russ heard me playing guitar in 'Lew Davis' guitar shop in Charing Cross Road. I was atrainee at 'Maples' furniture store in Tottenham Court Road,and as we had long lunch breaks, I'd nip down and have a look at the guitars. When I played with 'Bob Xavier and the Jury', it was only odd gigs, the lead player was Albert Lee.")
Albert Lee - guitar;
Roy Mills - drums;
Bob Xavier - saxophone, vocals.
(1961 Roger Dean, 2nd guitar to Albert Lee - on odd gigs only.
Roger Dean said:"I joined the band after Russ heard me playing guitar in 'Lew Davis' guitar shop in Charing Cross Road. I was atrainee at 'Maples' furniture store in Tottenham Court Road,and as we had long lunch breaks, I'd nip down and have a look at the guitars. When I played with 'Bob Xavier and the Jury', it was only odd gigs, the lead player was Albert Lee.")
1962: Albert Lee's first record was cut when he was with The Jury (after Bob Xavier left) backing Jackie Lynton on "All Of Me"/ "I'd Steal" (Piccadilly 35064 - Sep 62). Albert can be heard only on the "A" side.
The 2 i's Coffee Bar was the Mecca of British rock'n'roll at the time and had launched the countries biggest rock'n'roll stars of the time, Tommy Steele and Terry Dene. 2 i’s was the most famous of all coffee bars at number 59, Old Compton Street. Almost over night young people, who now for the first time were starting to be known as ‘teen-agers’ had somewhere to go they could call their own. The coffee shops were unlicensed and there was nothing to stop teenagers coming to Soho to listen to music, live, or on the jukebox. If you were young, Soho was suddenly the place to be. The bar was originally owned by the two Irani brothers (hence the name) who sold it to two flamboyant Australian professional wrestlers, Doctor Death (Paul Lincoln) and 'Rebel' Ray Hunter who had transformed the originally languishing establishment into a thriving icon of the rock'n roll era.
Please visit The 2 I's Facebook site for photos and information and give them a 'like'.
Please visit The 2 I's Facebook site for photos and information and give them a 'like'.
Commemorative plaque at the former site of the 2i's, Birthplace of British Rock'n Roll. Photo taken by me at a visit to London in 2007, strolling along Old Compton Street to see the former site of the venue where it all started. The 2is was a musical melting pot: country, blues, jazz, skiffle, calypso and rock. It attracted visitors from all over the country. Today it is known as the Boulevard Bar and Dining Room. The basement is now just a lobby area.
More stuff from this period and people involved can be found here:
Larry Parnes (wikipedia) English version | German version
Larry Parnes (wikipedia) English version | German version
An extract from Jackie Lynton's site:
... Jackie was given an original song to tackle for his second single: but Les Read & Johnny Worth (aka Les Vandyke)’s "Wishful Thinking" was clearly unsuitable (with it’s sub- well I ask you - arrangement. It would have been far more suitable for Eden Kane) and summarily failed to hit the spot. This allowed Jacko to sneak in one of his customised oldies – and his first really great single "All Of Me" for his next release. Issued in August 1962 it was a landmark disc in that it marked the recording debut of Albert Lee one of the UK’s most talented and enduring blues guitarists, (followed on to play with Jack over three years). The single being well reviewed, it went to gather considerable radio air play that summer and autumn, sold steadily and although it missed the charts it certainly served to make people sit up and take notice. Albert had stepped into the frame earlier in the year after the Teenbeats had split and Jackie subsequently began to working with the 2 i’s house band The Jury, sharing them with fellow – Tom Littlewood protégés Vince Eager, Keith Kelly and Lance Fortune. A superb band, initially comprising of guitarist Albert Lee ("a great bloke , fantastic guitarist …. even back then no one could touch him except perhaps Big Jim Sullivan" JL.) Bob Xavier on sax ("a funny bloke always threatening to leave…he wanted to be the singer really" JL). Pat Donaldson Bass ("another really great bloke…. I worked with him again later when he was in Heads Hands & Feet". JL). Drummer Roy Mills ("he worked with Alan Price later but after that he committed suicide. Sure he was an OK drummer but completely mad" JL). Although their personnel would change radically over the three years they backed Jackie, this was the line-up who backed him on “All Of Me”.
In The Jackie Lynton album (1974, WWA), we can find several usual Status Quo collaborators (they were close friends). With Bernie Frost (vocals), Rob Young (harmonica) and Jeff Rich (drums), plus Keith Purnell (guitar), Chas Hodges (banjo, violin), Paul Raymond (keyboards), Robin Foster (sax).
In No axe to grind (1980, Strand), he's backed with many of his friends: Clem Clempson (guitar), Drew McCullouch (guitar), Colin Pattenden (bass), Chas and Dave [Chas Hodges (piano) and Dave Peacock (bass)], Tony Leach (keyboards), Chris Slade (drums), and his friends from Status Quo: Rick Parfitt (guitar) and Jeff Rich (drums).
Back to The Albert Lee Story
