Memories of the Thamesiders?

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Jul 17 - 06:05 PM

What pub was that,Vic? my mother had an antique shop in blackheath next to the Three Tuns pub

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: Vic Smith
Date: 20 Jul 17 - 02:47 PM

Pete & Marion Grey - They were amongst the first guests that we booked at the first folk club that we ran in Blackheath Hill S.E. London. We moved to Brighton in 1968 and they were amongst the earliest guest there at the club that we started at the Gloucester in central Brighton.

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Jul 17 - 12:54 PM

In 1964 Carthy joined Marian Mackenzie, Ralph Trainer and Leon Rosselson in the group The Three City Four. The group concentrated on contemporary songs, including some of Rosselson's own, and made two albums – the first for Decca and a second, "Smoke and Dust (Where the Heart Should Have Been)", for CBS. The 1965 eponymous debut The Three City Four featured Carthy singing lead vocals on two tracks – Sydney Carter's "Telephone Song" and Rosselson's own "History Lesson".[6] Roy Bailey would replace Carthy when he later left the group.

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: GUEST,david schiff
Date: 20 Jul 17 - 09:22 AM

Apologies for the late post but I am living in the hope that someone with a copy of the Thameside 4 EP on the 77 label from 1960 will get in touch with me. I was a friend of Redd, a delightful and talented man. I have recordings of him singing in the eighties in Germany with a band and sounding like Big Joe Turner. I wanted him to be Godfather to my son but sadly he died shortly after my son was born. I would love to hear/ buy the EP/ a copy. Thank you

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 17 Sep 11 - 11:58 AM

Yes, and married into a family of traveller extraction I believe.

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: GUEST,Bluesman
Date: 16 Sep 11 - 11:39 AM

I first saw Martin Carthy when he was on stage as part of a local amateur drama group in the early sixties. He toured with a theatrical group for a few years before getting into music fulltime.

I saw him in a Theatre in Malvern in the late sixties. Martin is a very accomplished guitarist and a hell of a nice guy.

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: Will Fly
Date: 16 Sep 11 - 11:23 AM

I met Alex a couple of times at clubs, when he was top of the bill. He could get a bit sarcastic if anyone further down the bill got more applause than he did, and he got a bit fearsome when the drink was in him. But a good soul at heart!

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 16 Sep 11 - 11:17 AM

Regarding your link Will. I have a tape among my archives of a BBC tribute programme to Alex Campbell where Wally Whyton talks about this late night session at Decca. It seems Alex had partaken of a drink or two before the session (surprise, surprise) and during the evening/early morning recording his language was a bit colourful (surprise, surprise again)and it seems the editing of the recording took much, much longer because of it. Nevertheless it seems to have captured much of the atmosphere of the London scene at the time.
Alex once offered me the job of managing him but as much as I liked the man and enjoyed what he did I had to turn down his offer.

Hoot

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: Will Fly
Date: 16 Sep 11 - 10:16 AM

Well, on the EP that I mentioned in my opening post to this thread [The Thamesiders and Davy Graham: From a London Hootenanny], I see that "The Thamesiders" on that occasion were Pete, Marian and Martin.

Interesting link here...

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 05:08 PM

And Martin Carthy also in the Thameside Four?

Kitty

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: Will Fly
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 04:28 AM

They were indeed the Thameside Four. There seems to be a fair amount of documentation about LJB and Redd - not so much on Pete and Marian.

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 06:04 PM

Were they not originally the Thameside Four with Long John Baldry and Red Sullivan? I remember them in the early sixties appearing in a pub - the name of which escapes me at present - in Soho Street opposite Len Daniels music shop.

Hoot

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: The Sandman
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 02:27 PM

I remember seeing them at Downe folk club about 1966, which was primarily a blues club,run by jeff dale, but they got booked even though they did some trad material,[may be the prickly bush] double bass and guitar, the only other person I saw there who did not do blues was Joe Stead, who was singing a lot of Pete Seeger songs

Subject: RE: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 02:21 PM

I remember them from Hammersmith Folk Club. They used to sing Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, and I always meant to learn the song.
Interesting pic here

Subject: Memories of the Thamesiders?
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Sep 11 - 02:09 PM

I was going through a pile of 45rpm vinyl discs today, and came across "The Thamesiders and Davy Graham: From a London Hootenanny" - an EP from 1963. The Davy Graham track contains the now classic "She Moves Through The Fair" and "Mustapha". DG I knew quite well and his history is fairly well documented.

The Thamesiders, however - Pete Maynard & Marion Gray - seemed to melt from the scene. Or is that my imagination?

I recall booking Pete & Marion for the BBC Folk Club ("Clanfolk") in 1969. I remember it particularly well because I was a complete novice at the business and thought that payment by cheque at the end of the evening would do! Luckily, Danny - the landlord of the Marquis of Clanricarde, cashed a cheque for me, and I was able to assuage Pete's temper with cash.

I lost touch with them after that booking. Any memories?