Johnny Blunt Update

tim · Post by **tim** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 9:15 am

Don't forget Tony's version with the Vibrations during his solo career.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 10:33 pm

AMG mentions about 200 albums featuring this song,
the (other) artists are:
Alley Cats, Herb Alpert, Dan Barrett, Big Sonny, Brain Surgeons, Clovers, Coasters, Frank Dibussolo, Encounters, Epics, Brandon Giles, Gary Lewis, Metal Mike, Pop Defect, Johnny & the Panty Raiders, Jewel Akens, Beau Nasty, Blue Stew, Elkie Brooks, Countdown Singers, Jenny Darren, Neil Diamond, Downliners Sect, Drifters, Ian Gillan, Kerry Hodgkin, Inga, Javelins, Hansel Martinez, MDC, Inga Rumpf, Johnny Smith, Sting Rays, Surfaris, Surfriders, John Sykes, Tygers of Pan Tang, the Ventures, Half Pint, Kaisers, Enoch Light, Pure Gold.
The song has a long wild life, really... but most of these versions were made after 1963, as far as i understand...

jjr · Post by **jjr** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:48 pm

The original was by the Clovers in the 50's.Until the Searchers released it, I don't recall another single of it on the radio.

Isn't Elkie Brooks Mike Pender's sister?( I read that somewhere). If she is, wouldn't that be another Searchers version-once removed, or at least a "one-half" version?

jeff_zang · Post by **jeff_zang** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 4:17 pm

Elkie Brooks is in fact the sister of Billy J. Kramer, an old friend of the Searchers.

tim · Post by **tim** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 1:43 am

Elkie Brooks' real surname is Bookbinder. Her brother is Tony Mansfield, original drummer with The Dakotas who backed Billy J Kramer.

jeff_zang · Post by **jeff_zang** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 2:43 am

Thanks for the correction Tim. I had read in at least a couple of places that she was related to Billy J (Bomp magazine for one) but I gather this is wrong.

Back To John Blunt for a moment, has he ever done an interview with anyone in regards to his time with the Searchers?

tim · Post by **tim** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 9:05 am

Jeff, he did an Question and Answer session with The Searchers Appreciation Society magazine about 15 years ago. He was in a group called Reflections at the time. I'll see if I can find it for this forum.

jeff_zang · Post by **jeff_zang** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 10:02 am

Thanks Tim. I've always been interested in how he got the job when Chris left and what his impressions of the Searchers are.

admin · Post by **admin** » Sat Jan 17, 2004 11:10 am

It would be interesting information Tim.

david · Post by **david** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 4:40 pm

Yes well, this would certainly be interesting information.With the release of the BBC Sessions John Blunt is front and centre again playing, in my opinion,in one of the most interesting segments of the CD.As I mentioned in my BBC Sessions post of July 9th 2004 his contribution tends to be minimalised and yet to me he was a key player so far as the Searchers prime recording days were concerned albeit on the tail end of the Pye era mega hits.His impressions of touring and recording during the dying days of the Searchers' First Fame and the adjustments that the group had to make would be most interesting.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 12:50 am

http://www.tts.ttfans.com/jb_cd.htm

Here is a link to a clips from a CD made by aforementioned in 2002, site also has some info.

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:51 am

Tim: Still interested in the John Blunt Q&A session.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 12:48 pm

Peter if Time does not repsond and I am sure he will,I still have the article.

tim · Post by **tim** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:02 am

In the Summer of 1988 I interviewed John Blunt who was drummer with The Searchers from the Spring of 1966, when Chris Curtis left, until December 1969, when he was himself replaced by Billy Adamson. I asked him some questions about his musical career both before and after his stint with The Searchers.

TV. What were your earliest musical influences?
JB. Mainly the greats like Little Richard, Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly. But I remember once waking up on a Sunday morning to the sound of Rock’n’Roll. Some of the British rockers like Mary Wilde and Billy Fury were at a party thrown by Dickie Pride, who lived near us. They decided to play some music and had set up their equipment on a green outside the houses. Most of the neighbours couldn’t stand the noise but I thought it was great and rushed over to listen to it.

TV. How did you get started as Drummer?
JB. I first got interested in Drums and Guitars through watching the “0 Boy” TV show, Cliff Richard and The Shadows were my favourites. Around this time my mother bought me an Acoustic Guitar, but I found myself turning it over and tapping beats on it. She said “I think I have bought you the wrong instrument” and two weeks later bought me a Drum Kit.

TV. What groups did you play in before joining The Searchers?
JB. About 3 months after I got the Drum Kit, and following a lot of practice, I formed my first group called The Trees. It was a four-piece band playing Rhythm & Blues.

TV. How did you get recruited to The Searchers?
JB. A friend’s father worked for Harold Davidson, The Searchers’ agent, and he recommended me on the 10th of March 1966.

TV. What was your first appearance as a Searcher?
JB. On the P.J. Proby tour which started around the middle of March.

TV. You played on the singles “Take It Or Leave It”, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody”, “Popcorn Double Feature”, “Western Union” and “Second Hand Dealer” on PYE. Also all the LIBERTY (U.A.) singles, “Umbrella Man”, “Shoot ‘Em Up Baby”, “Somebody Shot The Lollipop Man” (released under the name ‘Pasha’) and “Kinky Kathy Abernathy”. Which (if any) was your favourite and which of the other tracks recorded by The Searchers do you like?
JB. My favourite tracks, of those I played on, were “Take It Or Leave It”, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” & “Western Union”. The other Searchers’ tracks I liked were “Sweets For My Sweet”, “Love Potion No. 9”, “Don’t Throw Your Love Away”, “Someday We’re Gonna Love Again”, “Goodbye My Love”, “Bumble Bee” and “Till I Met You”.

TV. What did you enjoy most about being in The Searchers?
JB. I liked their music and I liked them as people to work with, they all had a great sense of humour.

TV. How do you think you influenced the music of The Searchers?
JB. I think they influenced me.

TV. what do you think caused the ‘parting of the ways’ between you and The Searchers?
JB. Musical differences at that time.

TV. What groups did you play in after leaving The Searchers?
JB. I joined a Rhythm & Blues band called Orange Seaweed, we toured Africa, Turkey andand most of England. I played with Tommy Moylar Unit 4 + 2 for awhile and also Love Affair. I have backed many people including Jimmy Helmes, Rufus Thomas, Ann Peebles, Screaming Lord Sutch, Tommy Bruce and Freddy Fingers Lee (from the latest “0’ Boy” TV show).

TV. What 6O's groups and artistes did you like?
JB. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Small Faces, The Big Three, The Merseybeats and of course The Searchers.

TV. Did you ever meet The Beatles?
JB. A couple of months, or so, after joining The Searchers I met The Beatles at a BBC Radio “Saturday Club" programme. I was waiting for a lift back to Croydon with our roadie who was packing up the equipment. We were about half-way through when The Beatles, accompanied by their ‘minders’, came in. As we had not finished packing our gear The Beatles used it. This meant Ringo Starr using my Drum Kit, the same Drum Kit I use to this day. One amusing incident was when John Lennon came down to the Foyer, from the Cafeteria, with a tray of Ham Rolls which he offered round. One of the girl fans outside offered me ten bob (5Op) for it. I gave her the roll, and her money back. I often wonder what became of that Ham Roll, is it still mouldering away somewhere?

TV. What are you doing musically now?
JB. I have formed a band called Reflections. Besides myself, the other members are: Garth Wattroy - Singer and Lead Guitarist, who has played with Marmalade, East of Eden and Paul Young & The Q-Tips. Tony Ellis - Bass Guitar who was with Caffee Racers (now Dire Straits) Gareth Mills - Ex-session man with STIFF Records. We play Sixties music and all of us sing/harmonize. Our stage dress is Black suits and ties, we are going down a storm everwhere we play.

tim · Post by **tim** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:05 am

In this picture of The Reflections, John Blunt is top left and Garth Wattroy is bottom right.