Help: Brownsville Banned

Subject: Brownsville Banned
From: folkmonster
Date: 11 Jan 02 - 11:35 AM

Can anyone help with history/discography of this band?

Last heard of in the late 70's ...

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Spot at the Kennels
Date: 11 Jan 02 - 11:54 AM

Saw them at the Stocks Folk Club Walkden Manchester in the 70's. They were local to Walkden / Westhoughton. Nearly made it really big then faded. Very good inovative band but a little scary if you looked to closely at their relative sanity.

They could be described as being "one pint too many for a good piss up"

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: folkmonster
Date: 11 Jan 02 - 01:07 PM

Yes, I remember them doing their version of the punk classic 'we're so pretty' by soldering a small 3" speaker into a biscuit tin overdriven from a tiny transistor radio amplifier and then mic'ed through the PA. What a truly awesome sound ...

We're so sissy/We're so sissy/We're Bank Clerks! We'de go strolling in the park/but we're fightened of the dark/We're Bank Clerks!

I nearly had a hernia laughing ...

FM

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Doc Roberts
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 05:45 PM

As a starting point, they were originally formed in Manchester in 1968 as Brownsville Jug Band & changed name in early 70's at the suggestion of their then agent, Jasper Carrot. It was felt that the role of the 'jug' in question had been subsumed by the band's behaviour to the extent that the 'Banned' epithet seemed more appropriate - and indeed it was - we were actually banned from several gigs for various reasons, especially the 'punk rock' number!
The Banned continued up to 1984 & I was with them until then.
As anyone who saw us will have realised, I was the only normal person in Brownsville and so feel qualified to satisfy any request for information (or the inside story of Norman Mills or Teddy).
Albums: In Any Case - SFA, That's Shoebiz! - SFA

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Doc Roberts
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 05:51 PM

sorry - forgot to tell you - contact me here   Doc Roberts

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: CraigS
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 06:26 PM

For those of us who can't remember, Doc's idea of normal was to dress in a surgeon's gown and Dundee United cap, then play the banjo whilst carrying out surgical procedures with a pair of garden shears. What is normal about playing the banjo? Deeply disturbed behaviour if you ask me (or Spaw). I always thought George was the normal one!

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jun 15 - 09:48 AM

Sunny Day here ...I remember doing a gig at a base in Germany and Doc doing his normal rock band finish to the show.As he came down to land he managed to dislocate his toe inside his big white wellys.
Fortunately there was an emergency room on the base and we all stood in the next room so we could hear Doc's screams as his toe was relocated.

Ahhh Happy Days

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 Jun 15 - 10:20 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/band2/brownsville/

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 Jun 15 - 10:24 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/band2/brownsville/briefhistory.htm

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Gommy
Date: 03 Feb 16 - 07:11 PM

Loved em still have the LP my future wife won at the Stocks pub Walkden on a snowy night in 1976. King George, Doc Pee in the Air, Rambin Wasboard Tweedy never forget em. Last saw em in the Isle of Man TT week 1976 still laughing! Superb act.

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Orson Trap
Date: 04 Feb 16 - 03:29 AM

Remember seeing them at The Duke of York in Eccles, brilliant stuff.
The Duke had some brilliant nights with such as Pete Ryder, Porter Cunningham, Ted Edwards and a trio who later changed their name to The Honeydew. I will probably have one of those 'Eureka' moments and wake up in the middle of the night when I suddenly remember their name.

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,sunny day
Date: 03 Mar 17 - 08:26 AM

Hi I joined brownsville in 1979 and spent 6 years touring all over europe and also wrote Juggie juggie and six feet tall on their albums

doc roberts has put a short history together for those who are interested

Here


http://www.angelfire.com/band2/brownsville/

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Raggytash
Date: 03 Mar 17 - 08:36 AM

I think they used to live on Ellesmere Road in Eccles.

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Long Firm Freddie
Date: 03 Mar 17 - 12:35 PM

Seems like Doc is (or was) in France:

https://fandalism.com/grahamaroberts/VCA

LFF

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Anon
Date: 14 Oct 18 - 05:24 AM

I recall them playing at Sunderland College of Education in 1971 or 72. They were billed as "Jasper Carrott and his Brown Jug Band" (I think).

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 14 Oct 18 - 06:06 AM

THe weird thing about that band for me was that my cousin Denise Whittle, whom I'd not had much contact with, was living with one of the band.

I didn't find this out til several years after the band had split up. I visited my Aunt Nora, and she told me.

I must have walked past my own cousin lots of times, because I ADORED the Brownsville Banned. They were regulars at the Blackthorn folk club. I saw them at Jim McPhee's club. Birmingham Rep folk club. I even turned up for that disastrous Birmingham Folk Festival that went broke before it started and no one played.

They were EPIC. If anyone doubts the destructive power of the middle classes, it has to be the fact that 'alternative' and much inferior comedy and performing talents of the footlights gang were getting and ballsing up and pissing away creative opportunities thick and fast - whilst my favourite group were splitting up.

They appeared on the cover of Bob Williamson's album. Bob told me they had a tough time in the Working Men's Club - but really they were the only venues open to working class northerners of that generation - like myself in fact.

Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,S Page
Date: 26 Jan 21 - 04:42 PM

I saw the band in a nightclub cum folk club in Stockport

There must be more video footage of this great band because I was working the bar at the time, and watched them filming the full set.great live entertainment.