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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

While I very much welcome all offers of photographs for this website, I do need to restrict what I can accept. In order to keep to the original aims of the bands pages, I can only take images of groups, bands or individuals who were part of the Teesside or Hartlepool music scene between 1960-1970. Maybe one day, space permitting, we can expand and head towards 1970-80!