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Top Topham
Anthony "Top" Topham (3 July 1947 – 23 January 2023) was an English musician and visual artist who was best known as a blues guitarist and also for being the first lead guitarist of The Yardbirds. Topham left the band before they achieved mainstream popularity and was replaced by Eric Clapton, the first of three lead guitarists from the Yardbirds to gain an international reputation (the other two being Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page). Aside from his musical career, Topham also worked as an interior designer and painter. Biography The Yardbirds In May 1963, Topham and his friend at secondary school, Chris Dreja, visited the Railway Hotel in Norbiton. The hotel's entertainment featured traditional jazz music in the upstairs lounge, and allowed budding musicians to play during the breaks. There, Dreja and Topham met singer and harmonica player Keith Relf, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, and drummer Jim McCarty and decided to form The Yardbirds, with Topham as lead guitarist. Two ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southall
Southall () is a large suburban town in West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided in three parts: the mostly residential area around Lady Margaret Road ( Dormers Wells); the main commercial centre at High Street and Southall Broadway (part of the greater Uxbridge Road); and Old Southall/Southall Green to the south consisting of Southall railway station, industries and Norwood Green bounded by the M4. It was historically a municipal borough of Middlesex administered from Southall Town Hall until 1965. Southall is located on the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) which first linked London with the rest of the growing canal system. It was one of the last canals to carry significant commercial traffic (through the 1950s) and is still open to traffic and is used by pleasure craft. The canal separates i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norbiton
Norbiton is an area within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London. It lies approximately east of Kingston upon Thames town centre, and from Charing Cross. Its main landmarks include Kingston Hospital, Kingsmeadow football stadium, Kingston Cemetery and St Peter's Anglican parish church which serves the area. Norbiton was part of the Municipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey from its creation in 1835, and became part of the larger Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in 1965. History Its name was originally Norberton(e) and it was named in a similar way to Surbiton on the opposite side of the Hogsmill River. The origin of the place-name is from the Old English words ''north'', ''bere'' and ''tun'' (meaning northern grange or outlying farm). The area was originally a part of the parish of All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames. In 1840 a separate Norbiton parish was created, with St Peter's Church built between 1840 and 1842 to a design of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Vernon (producer)
Michael William Hugh Vernon (born 20 November 1944) is an English music executive studio owner and record producer from Harrow, Middlesex. He produced albums for British blues artists and groups in the 1960s, working with the Bluesbreakers, David Bowie, Duster Bennett, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Climax Blues Band, Eric Clapton, Focus, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John Mayall, Christine McVie and Ten Years After amongst others. Biography Vernon is best known as founder of the blues record label, Blue Horizon. He worked at Decca Records starting in 1963, and produced the Mayall-Clapton collaboration '' Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton'' (1966). In 1967, Vernon produced David Bowie's debut album for Deram Records. In 1968 he produced Fleetwood Mac's million-selling hit single "Albatross". The 1971 Blue Horizon release ''Bring It Back Home'' featured Paul Kossoff and Rory Gallagher, each appearing on one track. Two years later, Vernon released a solo album, ''Mome ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roundhouse (venue)
The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former Railway roundhouse, railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a Railway roundhouse, roundhouse, a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was used for that purpose for only about a decade. After being used as a warehouse for a number of years, the building fell into disuse just before World War II. It was first made a listed building in 1954. It reopened after 25 years, in 1964, as a performing arts venue, when the playwright Arnold Wesker established the Centre 42 Theatre Company and adapted the building as a theatre. The large circular structure has hosted various promotions, such as the launch of the underground press, underground paper ''International Times'' in 1966, one of only two UK appearances by The Doors with Jim Morrison in 1968, and the Greasy Truckers Party in 1972. The Greate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex (band), T. Rex. Bolan strongly influenced artists of many genres, including glam rock, Punk rock, punk, post-punk, New wave music, new wave, indie rock, Britpop and alternative rock. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of T. Rex. In the late 1960s, he rose to fame as the founder and leader of the psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex, with whom he released four critically acclaimed albums and had one minor hit "Debora". Bolan had started as an acoustic singer-writer before heading into electric music prior to the recording of T. Rex's first single "Ride a White Swan" which went to number two in the UK singles chart. From 1970 to 1973, T. Rex encountered a popularity in the UK comparable to that of the Beatles, with a run ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duster Bennett
Anthony "Duster" Bennett (23 September 1946 – 26 March 1976) was a British blues singer and musician. Based in London, his first album ''Smiling Like I'm Happy'' saw him playing as a one-man band, playing a bass drum with his foot and blowing a harmonica on a rack while strumming a 1952 Les Paul Goldtop guitar given to him in 1968 by Peter Green. Backed by his girlfriend Stella Sutton and the original Fleetwood Mac on three tracks, the album was well received. He remained popular on the local blues club scene until his death in a car crash in 1976. Early career Bennett was born in Welshpool, Powys, Mid Wales. Emerging in the late 1960s from the art school music scene of Kingston-upon-Thames and Guildford, Bennett was a one-man blues band, in the style of bluesmen such as Joe Hill Louis, with virtuosity and coordination on drums, guitar and harmonica. His live sets combined his own compositions with Jimmy Reed-style blues standards often aided by friends Peter Green and Top ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surrey Institute Of Art & Design, University College
Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College (SIAD) was an art college in the United Kingdom from 1994 to 2005. It was formed from the merger of West Surrey College of Art and Design (1969–1995) and Epsom School of Art and Design (1893–1995). It merged with the Kent Institute of Art & Design on 1 August 2005 to form the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham and Rochester, now the University for the Creative Arts. Evolution The Farnham School of Art was founded in 1866. The Guildford School of Art followed in 1870. The two conjoined to become the West Surrey College of Art and Design in 1969. Epsom School of Art and Design was founded in 1893 as Epsom and Ewell Technical Institute and School of Art which later split into a separate Technical Institute and art school sometime before World War II. A new purpose built site was opened in Heathcote Road on Thursday 26 April 1973. In 1994 there was a merger between and the West Surrey Colle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crawdaddy Club
The Crawdaddy Club was a music venue in Richmond, Surrey, England, which opened in 1963. The Rolling Stones were its house band in its first year and were followed by The Yardbirds. Several other notable British blues and rhythm and blues acts also played there. History Giorgio Gomelsky was a Georgian émigré who worked as an assistant film editor by day and a music promoter by night. He began in the jazz scene before starting the Piccadilly Club, a blues club in central London. When that closed in early 1963 he needed a new venue and, since he knew the landlord of the Station Hotel in suburban Richmond, he took over the back room, which had been little used since its jazz sessions had petered out. The name of the club derived from Bo Diddley's 1960 song " Doing the Craw-Daddy", which The Rolling Stones regularly performed as part of their set. In turn the club would inspire the name of the American music magazine ''Crawdaddy!'' Gomelsky's first house band was the Dave Hunt R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Sergio Alessando Gomelsky (28 February 1934 – 13 January 2016) was a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter (as Oscar Rasputin) and record producer. He was born in Georgia, grew up in Switzerland, and later lived in the United Kingdom and the United States. He owned the Crawdaddy Club in London where the Rolling Stones were the house band, and he was involved with their early management. He hired the Yardbirds as a replacement and managed them. He was also their producer from the beginning through 1966. In 1967, he started Marmalade Records (distributed by Polydor), which featured Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll and the Trinity, Blossom Toes, and early recordings by Graham Gouldman, and Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who all became part of 10cc. The label closed in 1969. Gomelsky was also instrumental in the careers of Soft Machine, Daevid Allen and Gong, Magma and Material. Early years Gomelsky was born in Tiflis (modern day Tbilisi), Georgia. His fat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyril Davies
Cyril Davies (23 January 1932 – 7 January 1964) was an English blues musician, and one of the first blues harmonica players in England. Biography Born at St Mildred's, 15 Hawthorn Drive, Willowbank, Denham, Buckinghamshire, he was the son of William Albert Davies, a labourer, and his wife Margaret Mary (née Jones). He had an elder brother named Glyn, and the family is believed to have come from Wales. Cyril Davies began his career in the early 1950s first within Steve Lane's Southern Stompers, then in 1955 formed an acoustic skiffle and blues group with Alexis Korner.Newman, Richard. ''John Mayall: Blues Breaker''. Castle Communications, 1995, p. 70 et seq. . He began as a banjo and 12-string guitar player before becoming a Chicago-style blues harmonica player after hearing Little Walter. Working by day as a panel beater, he ran an unsuccessful skiffle club before meeting Korner, then Davies and Korner opened a London Rhythm and Blues club "England's Firstest and Bestes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eel Pie Island
Eel Pie Island is an island (or ait) in the River Thames at Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the maintained minimum head of water above Richmond Lock, the only lock on the Tideway, and is accessible by boat or from the left (generally north) bank by a footbridge. The island had a club that was a major venue for jazz and blues in the 1960s. Name and former names The name may have come from eel pies which were served by the inn on the island in the 19th century. Its earlier names chronologically were the Parish Ait and Twickenham Ait, the latter co-existing until at least the 1880s. Before the 19th century it was for many centuries three parts – the core of each safely above high water, if not narrowly separated, as shown by a map of 1607. History Early history Some mesolithic red deer antler bone hand-made implements have been retrieved from the island's shore. Eel Pie House There was an inn on the island by 1743, and in the 19th c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim McCarty
James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only founding member to still tour in the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds. Early life He was born at Walton Hospital in Liverpool, England, but his family moved to London when he was two years old. He attended Hampton School in Hampton where Paul Samwell-Smith was a fellow pupil. When playing with the early Yardbirds, he worked as a clerk for the stockbroking firm Phillips & Drew in the City of London. Career McCarty has performed and recorded with the Yardbirds, Together, Renaissance, Shoot, Illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
