THE PLAINSMEN

 

The Plainsmen at the Station Hotel, in Redcar about 1961 with Ed Saul on lead guitar, John Gibson on rhythm, Mike Peacock, almost hidden on drums, Stan Whalley on bass and the lead vocalist, John McCormack on the extreme right.

The band on stage at the Pier Ballroom, in Redcar, with a slight change of personnel - Dave Cook replaced Ed Saul on lead guitar, John Gibson is on rhythm, John Neesam joined the band as lead vocalist. Mike Peacock is on drums with Stan Whalley on bass. This was taken in 1963 on the night that The Plainsmen were back-up band to Shane Fenton & The Fentones. For those of you who don't remember Shane Fenton, he later went on to be known as Alvin Stardust.

How nice it was, recently, to receive email from John Gibson, who now resides in Australia. He sent us this rare photograph of Ed Saul and himself in the alley behind Ed's house in 1960, "before we started the band" he says. "I had my first guitar from the second hand shop in North Ormesby. "Ed already had an electric, so I swopped my acoustic for another pawn shop electric. "At first we didn't have an amp and somehow wired our guitars into my tape recorder, all 4 watts of it! "Then, in 1961, we bought the Hofner's at Hamiltons in Corporation Rd, Middlesbrough and I got a Selmer amp. "We really wanted Fenders but they were out of reach financially to two young lads. "I was still at Eston Grammar School so took a summer job to raise the money."

John Gibson's Hofner V3 - bought in 1961 - and still in the Selmer case.

The Plainsmen - with the same line-up as above - taken at the Ladle Hotel, in Middlesbrough also 1963.

The Plainsmen at the Rainbow Coffee Bar, Seaton Carew in 1964. They are, left to right, Eddie Saul on guitar, Terry Lynch on keyboards, George Hart on lead guitar, Dave Allison on drums and Ron Blair on bass guitar. The Rainbow Coffee Bar, along with the Blue Lagoon, were two venues used by Hartlepool businessman, Ken Tyzack, who promoted local bands and live music.

The Plainsmen having a cigarette break with Manager Billy Kill, rhythm guitarist Eddie Saul, Ron Blair bassist, drummer Dave Allison, lead guitarist George Hart and organist, Terry Lynch.

Ed Saul, Dave Allison and Ron Blair photographed at the Causeway Hotel, Stranton, in Hartlepool.

Ron Blair, Dave Allison, Ed Saul and George Hart - get together as their original line up for the first time in 42 years at Hartlepool Blues Club, held at the Causeway Hotel in Hartlepool on October 19, 2006. Photograph © Stan Laundon.

This page is dedicated to the memory of George Hart.

Fender Stratocaster gif © Sevenoaks Art