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Remember When

JG Guitars
210A York Road,
Hartlepool
01429 861077
We buy, sell and P/X.

The Blue Caps

Eric - the proud owner of a Fender Telecaster. He tells us it was the first Telecaster on Teesside and cost him 132 guineas which included a Fender case. It was stolen from outside the Club Fiesta, in Norton, along with a Gibson bass, two Fender amplifiers and all the Blue Caps' stage suits.

Above left - Under Saltburn Pier - photograph © Jack T. Marriott and, on the right, Charlie Peacock, Eric Whitehouse playing a Harmony Meteor guitar and Mick Kemp.

The photograph above shows Alby Smith - alias Tony Martin - Mick Kemp and Eric playing a Harmony Sovereign guitar. The photograph on the right is a rare find taken on the eve of the Evening Gazette Rhythm Group Final - Monday 30th March 1964 - hence the lucky mascot. Eric says "I was only a bairn - 17 years old, all sweet and innocent and spotty!

The Blue Caps introduced the horror sketches into their act after working with Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages back in the early sixties at the Majestic Ballroom, in Darlington. Eric, seen here as "Jack the Ripper" says: "I often had to swing off balconies on a long rope onto the stage and "Kempy" once or twice set fire to my hair for a laugh."

A rare pic with Linda Kemp when she sang with the band at the Maison De Dance in Stockton, 1966/67.

Charlie, Howard and Eric on the back row with Mick and Tony Martin in the front at Deaf Hill Dance.

Eric, Mick, Linda, Ian and Les at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Eric says: "We had quite a few modes of transport over the years. "I can remember whizzing down the Wilderness Road on the way to the Gladstone Pub in a Pacitto's Ice cream van complete with chimes. "Our regular roadie was Bert Blackburn, from Thornaby, and he used to deliver groceries during the day." The photograph shows Charlie Peacock with a breakfast cereal and a washing powder, security man Lenny Pickard at the rear, Eric Whitehouse pulling a face and Tony Martin with a turnip.

Trevor, Mick, Rob on vocals and Jimmy Pugh on Fender Telecaster. Jimmy now lives in Australia.

Another one from about 1969 with Trevor Davis, Mick Kemp and Jimmy Pugh.

The Blue Caps supported Wynder K. Frog at Redcar Jazz Club on May 7th, 1967 and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band at the same venue on June 25th, 1967.

The Blue Caps played support to P.P. Arnold with the T.N.T on November 26th, 1967. Thanks to Colin Burns for the Redcar Jazz Club flyers.

Howard Rainer and Eric Whitehouse as Texas Moon - taken in 1987.

An invitation to a staff party at the Billingham Arms Hotel, January 31st, 1966 - with music from the Blue Caps and Dickie Hunter and his Band.

Try to buy an amp and foot switch for £22.50 today! This invoice, dated 1960, came from Eric Whitehouse and is from John Burdon & Sons of Stockton and shows an order for one Hofner Amplifier at £21 and a foot switch for £1.50.

An advertisement from the Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough which appeared on Saturday, February 24th, 1968. The Blue Caps appear at Portrack Social Club in Stockton.

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The Blue Caps

 


This is Johnny and the Blue Caps (1960) taken at the Gladstone Hotel (Hammond Ales) Bridge Street, in Middlesbrough. The band, playing to a full house as usual, had a residency at this venue every Tuesday night and shows Charlie Peacock, Eric Whitehouse, Mick Kemp, Johnny McNaughton and Howard Rayner.

Charlie, Eric and Howard around 1960 at Deaf Hill Dance.

Eric, Charlie, Tony Martin, Mick and Tex. The Blue Caps were founded by the band's drummer, Mick Kemp, in 1959 and after a few personnel changes, they eventually settled with their most successful line up which endured for most of the sixties. This included Mick Kemp on drums, Ian Peacock on lead, Eric Whitehouse played rhythm guitar, Charlie Peacock was on bass and the vocalist was Albie Smith - who used the stage name of Tony Martin. The band played the usual pubs in the area but soon moved into the more lucrative club and dance hall venues. The band started to play outside the Teesside area by regularly playing shows in Northallerton, Loftus, Hutton Rudby, Thirsk and all the Young Farmers' Dances in the area.

The Blue Caps with some screaming fans at Deaf Hill Dance about 1964.

The Blue Caps, seem here early 1966, were the only Teesside band ever to perform on the main stage of the Globe Theatre in Stockton, Eric Whitehouse informs me. The line up (left to right) is Les Bennet (bass guitar & vocals) Peter Embleton (vocalist and ex-Del and the Falcons, Fiesta compere, and who later worked under the name of Peter Saint) Mick Kemp (drums and vocals) Ian "Tex" Peacock (guitar & vocals) and Eric Whitehouse (guitar and vocals).

Sunny Saltburn-by-the-Sea with an early Mick Kemp public address system!

Ian, Les, Mick, Eric & Peter - photograph © Jack T. Marriott

Another publicity photograph down on the steps at Saltburn Beach in 1967 with Mick, Les, Ian, Peter & Eric - photograph © Jack T. Marriott

The two photographs above show the boys having some fun in Redcar Park in 1967 - photograph © Jack T. Marriott

Eric, Les, Ezza and Mick in 1968.

Les, Peter Embleton, Mick Kemp, Eric and Ezza Robinson - 1968.

Pedro, Peter, Ian, Les and Eric at the ICI Club, in Wilton.

Old Stillington Club, about 1965.

Eric, Les, Ian and Mick - note the loud trousers worn by Eric and Mick!

This is the band's second hand J4 which they bought from Fyffe's Bananas. The gentleman at the door is Mick Kemp's cousin, Robbie the Roadie, with Eric on the right.

As the years moved on, so did certain band members and a few more changes were introduced. Trevor Davis is playing bass here, Mick Kemp is almost hidden on drums and Rob MacKenzie is on vocals.

This dates from about 1969 - with Trevor Davis playing a Gibson bass, which belonged to Mick Kemp, and Mick on drums.

The Evening Gazette featured The Blue Caps in their "Remember When" column on July 31st, 2009.

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