AGENCY

AWAITING THUMBNAIL

LEVI SET CARD

THE LEVI SET

THE LEVI SET CONSISTED OF IAN CHARLES (DRUMS), HIS BROTHER JOHN (BASS) AND A YOUNG LAD CALLED JEREMY SPENCER ON LEAD GUITAR, HARMONICA AND PIANO. THEY PLAYED UPBEAT CHICAGO BLUES, AND JEREMY SOON MASTERED THE THRILLING SLIDE RUNS OF ELMORE JAMES TO PERFECTION

A VERY EARLY JEREMY SPENCER AUTOGRAPH - ON MY BIRTHDAY CARD!


AWAITING THUMBNAIL	ALTHOUGH I WAS OFFICIALLY MANAGER, IT WAS A FRIEND, PHIL SMITH, WHO WROTE A LETTER TO MIKE VERNON AT DECCA EARLY IN 1967. AMAZINGLY WE GOT A POSITIVE REPLY, AND A LETTER FROM MIKE VERNONS OFFICE


AWAITING THUMBNAIL	AS OUR BOOKINGS BETWEEN FEBRUARY 20th AND 28th 1967 WERE APPROXIMATELY NIL, WE QUICKLY ARRANGED AN AUDITION IN THE WORKING MENS CLUBROOM IN THE TINY VILLAGE OF WALL, NEAR LICHFIELD IN STAFFORDSHIRE, WHERE MY PARENTS KEPT THE LOCAL PUB. MIKE VERNON WAS INSTANTLY IMPRESSED BY JEREMY, AND WITHIN A DAY OR TWO WE WERE ASKED TO PLAY IN THE INTERVAL AT A CLUB IN BIRMINGHAM CALLED 'LE METRO', UNDERNEATH THE ARCHES OF SNOW HILL RAILWAY STATION, THIS WAS TO BE ONE OF THE LAST GIGS THAT PETER GREEN PLAYED WITH JOHN MAYALLS BLUESBREAKERS, AS HE WAS IN THE FINAL STAGES OF SETTING UP HIS NEW BAND.	AWAITING THUMBNAIL LE METRO


AWAITING THUMBNAIL	WE DID A COUPLE OF NUMBERS IN THE INTERVAL, THE SECOND OF THEM WITH PETER GREEN SITTING IN ON HARMONICA. HE THEN WENT INTO A HUDDLE WITH JEREMY AND MICK FLEETWOOD, AND THAT WAS THE END OF THE LEVI SET! FOR A WHILE, DURING THE SETTING UP AND REHEARSING OF FLEETWOOD MAC - WHICH THEN CONSISTED OF JEREMY, PETER GREEN, MICK FLEETWOOD AND BOB BRUNNING ON BASS - WE WATCHED THEM GROW INTO A TIGHT BLUES UNIT, AND MANAGED TO GET INTO THE STUDIO WITH THEM, BUT WORK COMMITMENTS MEANT WE SAW GRADUALLY LESS OF THEM. THEY WERE ALWAYS WELCOMING, THOUGH, AND A FRIEND - TERRY GALLAGHER - AND I WERE OFTEN DRIVING THROUGH THE NIGHT TO CATCH A GIG, BEING REWARDED WITH GREAT MEMORIES, LIKE BEING GIVEN A ROSE BY CHRISTINE PERFECT AND KIDDING AROUND WITH DANNY KIRWAN.	AWAITING THUMBNAIL


DUSTER ALBUM FEATURING THE CLUB	HAVING BEEN BITTEN BY THE MUSIC SCENE BUG, AND WITH THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING MET A HUGE NUMBER OF BANDS AND BLUESMEN THROUGH FLETWOOD MAC, PHIL, TERRY AND I DECIDED TO OPEN A BLUES CLUB IN OUR HOMETOWN OF LICHFIELD - THE MOST UNLIKELY TWIN FOR CHICAGO YOU CAN IMAGINE. THE FIRST SUCH CLUB, THE RECTANGLE, WAS IMMORTALISED BY A DUSTER BENNETT ALBUM SLEEVE WHICH FEATURES THE POSTER. THE SECOND INCARNATION, THE POKEY HOLE, IS STILL REMEMBERED WITH AFFECTION BY LOCALS OF 'A CERTAIN AGE'!	THE THREE FOUNDER MEMBERS IN TYPICAL POSE


HEAD GIGGING IN ANOTHER SMALL CLUB, LATER IN THEIR CAREER	ALTHOUGH TINY (HENCE ITS NAME) AND BEING HELD ABOVE A PUB - INITIALLY THE PRINCE OF WALES, THEN THE ROBIN HOOD, FINALLY THE MALT SHOVEL (ALL NOW DISAPPEARED) -THE POKEY HOLE SOON GOT A REPUTATION FOR PUTTING ON GREAT BANDS. THE FAVOURITE CROWD PULLERS WERE 'EARTH', WHO PLAYED A FRIDAY NIGHT ONCE EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS OR SO, BEING PAID AROUND £15 AND TREATED TO A CURRY AT THE 'STAR OF BENGAL'. THE NIGHT THAT THEY CAME ON STAGE, ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAD CHANGED THEIR NAME AND LAUNCHED INTO 'BLACK SABBATH' WAS ONE OF THE GREAT PERFORMANCES, DESPITE TONY IOMMI HAVING TO COMPLETE HIS OBLIGATORY 20-MINUTE SOLO WITH TERRY GALLAGHERS ARMS WRAPPED ROUND HIM. TERRY PLAYING AIR GUITAR AND HOLDING A PINT AT THE SAME TIME WAS ONE OF THE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS IN ROCK! THE HOLE ALSO FEATURED BIRMINGHAM BANDS INDIAN SUMMER, DOG THAT BIT PEOPLE, HANNIBAL, HOSTED THE FIRST GIG BY A DUO CALLED 'MEDICINE HEAD' A LOCAL BAND FEATURING DAVE 'CLEM' CLEMSON, LATER OF COLOSSEUM, HUMBLE PIE AND JACK BRUCE & FRIENDS. ALSO THERE WERE DUFFY POWER, SIMON AND STEVE (FEATURING STEVE RYE OF THE GROUNDHOGS) MIKE CHAPMAN, TEA AND SYMPHONY AND MANY MORE	A TYPICAL LETTER FROM THE GREAT AND SADLY MISSED STEVE RYE


	THERE WERE SPIN-OFF CLUBS FROM THE ORIGINAL POKEY HOLE, AND THESE ARE TWO CONTRACTS FOR APPEARANCES BY EARTH IN 1969, JUST A YEAR BEFORE THEY RELEASED EVIL WOMAN. ON THE LEFT, THEY ARE BOOKED TO APPEAR AT THE PENNYCLIFFE CLUB IN BROWNHILLS ON A SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THE PRINCELY SUM OF FIFTEEN POUNDS. ON THE RIGHT, THEY ARE TO PERFORM AT THE CAVES CLUB IN WALSALL ON A MONDAY NIGHT - THIS TIME FOR TWENTYFIVE POUNDS


	THE BIG BEAR YEARS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

	TRAMP ENTERTAINMENTS
SOME INTERESTING COPIES OF CONTRACTS FROM TRAMP IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES. THESE ARE THE AGENCY FILE COPIES AND RARELY HAVE A SIGNATURE CONTRACTS	UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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