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Help: Brownsville Banned

11 Jan 02 - 11:35 AM (#625806)
Subject: Brownsville Banned
From: folkmonster

Can anyone help with history/discography of this band?

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


11 Jan 02 - 11:54 AM (#625819)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Spot at the Kennels

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"


11 Jan 02 - 01:07 PM (#625879)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: folkmonster

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


05 Apr 03 - 05:45 PM (#926863)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Doc Roberts

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


05 Apr 03 - 05:51 PM (#926869)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Doc Roberts

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


05 Apr 03 - 06:26 PM (#926888)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: CraigS

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!


26 Jun 15 - 09:48 AM (#3719039)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST

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


26 Jun 15 - 10:20 AM (#3719048)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Big Al Whittle

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


26 Jun 15 - 10:24 AM (#3719051)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Big Al Whittle

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


03 Feb 16 - 07:11 PM (#3770434)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Gommy

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.


04 Feb 16 - 03:29 AM (#3770484)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Orson Trap

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.


03 Mar 17 - 08:26 AM (#3842628)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,sunny day

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/


03 Mar 17 - 08:36 AM (#3842632)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Raggytash

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


03 Mar 17 - 12:35 PM (#3842675)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Long Firm Freddie

Seems like Doc is (or was) in France:

https://fandalism.com/grahamaroberts/VCA

LFF


14 Oct 18 - 05:24 AM (#3956534)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Anon

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).


14 Oct 18 - 06:06 AM (#3956552)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: Big Al Whittle

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.


26 Jan 21 - 04:42 PM (#4090061)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,S Page

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.


18 May 25 - 03:52 PM (#4222808)
Subject: RE: Help: Brownsville Banned
From: GUEST,Al Keeling

I saw the `Brownsville Banned` for the first time at the 21st birthday of a mate who lives in Walsall Wood, they were lunatic and hilarious.