Jump to content

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band


Sunnysoul

Recommended Posts

Interested to have people's thoughts, memories, comments, reminiscences of Geno ... especially from those who saw him LIVE and at his peak , so to speak, in the mid 60's.

Strange that many UK soul fans around at that time that I have since spoken to over the years say that they never really took him seriously as a soul act, the acts they regarded highly were Jimmy James & the Vagabonds , Ronnie Jones etc ... which is contrary to how Geno has been immortalised in histories of the UK pop scene in the 60's ... and of course his popularity that resulted from Dexy's hit "Geno" ....

Was he really such a hero to London Mod's circa 65 & 66 ? But less popular with more serious soul fans in the North ?

Listening to his first and biggest selling LP "Hand Clappin' Footstompin' Funky Butt Live", it is an absolutely cracking record, the adrenalin charged atmosphere is truly staggering no matter what perspective you look at it from. He really must have been Excitement Plus at his very peak, even by US soul standards ....

Over to you ... :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Social source share

  • Replies 20
  • Views 2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Most active in this topic

Most active in this topic


Used to see him/them on a regular basis in and around Leeds/Halifax - Morley Town Hall was a regular haunt around '67 with them appearing fairly regularly along with other groups Root & Jenny Jackson, Victor Brox and his Blues train etc etc.

For the scooter boys, I used to travel on a blue and white Lambretta GT200 - wonder where it is now?

Happy days

Julian

Link to comment
Social source share

Used to see him/them on a regular basis in and around Leeds/Halifax - Morley Town Hall was a regular haunt around '67 with them appearing fairly regularly along with other groups Root & Jenny Jackson, Victor Brox and his Blues train etc etc.

For the scooter boys, I used to travel on a blue and white Lambretta GT200 - wonder where it is now?

Happy days

Julian

Used to see him quite a bit at the eastern nighters & dayers (St Ives,Wirrina etc).Must say I was never really that impressed,(possibly due to my ignorance of his recordings which were sort of 'old hat' to us 16/17 year olds) :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Social source share

First saw Geno at The Sherwood rooms Notts eons ago and saw him regularly from his "Handclapping Footstomping" Live act which for its intensity and stage presence was excellent,

6TS

9ts to year 2k absolute crap in the last 4 years have seen him 4 times and each time he has been Drunk or something similar, and his stage presence has been inferior to say the least,

and the songs he was most Noted for Back in The Day he doesnt perform

eg; Michael and Que Sera Sera ,

disapointing to say the least

:thumbsup::yes:

Link to comment
Social source share

Guest trickbag

seen geno and the ram jam in cove town hall or was it camberly

71the mates and i where skins at the time it was a brilliant

night,screamin geno, geno, geno.

ricky.

sock it to em shorty.

Link to comment
Social source share

Interested to have people's thoughts, memories, comments, reminiscences of Geno ... especially from those who saw him LIVE and at his peak , so to speak, in the mid 60's.

Strange that many UK soul fans around at that time that I have since spoken to over the years say that they never really took him seriously as a soul act, the acts they regarded highly were Jimmy James & the Vagabonds , Ronnie Jones etc ... which is contrary to how Geno has been immortalised in histories of the UK pop scene in the 60's ... and of course his popularity that resulted from Dexy's hit "Geno" ....

Was he really such a hero to London Mod's circa 65 & 66 ? But less popular with more serious soul fans in the North ?

Listening to his first and biggest selling LP "Hand Clappin' Footstompin' Funky Butt Live", it is an absolutely cracking record, the adrenalin charged atmosphere is truly staggering no matter what perspective you look at it from. He really must have been Excitement Plus at his very peak, even by US soul standards ....

Over to you ... :(

I saw him circa 66 or maybe 67 :thumbsup: here in Edinburgh at a club called Mgoos, he as you say has never been taken seriously as a soulman but I can assure you he tore the flucking roof off that night with a non and I mean non stop barrage of soul covers and his own stuff, big hits in our club then were Michael and She Shot A Hole In My Soul had the place jumping,I still have both his Pye albums, a wonderful showman and of course soul man :(:yes:

Lenny

Link to comment
Social source share

Guest TONY ROUNCE

..Somehwere in the distant past I remember Geno had a London restuarant and used to sing to the diners. Can anyone confirm and remind me where it was?

This is true - the restaurant was in West End Lane, in West Hampstead, on the same side of the road as Klook's Kleek/Starlight Club, home of the greatest 6Ts nights! Now, if only I could remember what it was called....

TONE whistling.gif

Link to comment
Social source share

Interested to have people's thoughts, memories, comments, reminiscences of Geno ... especially from those who saw him LIVE and at his peak , so to speak, in the mid 60's.

Strange that many UK soul fans around at that time that I have since spoken to over the years say that they never really took him seriously as a soul act, the acts they regarded highly were Jimmy James & the Vagabonds , Ronnie Jones etc ... which is contrary to how Geno has been immortalised in histories of the UK pop scene in the 60's ... and of course his popularity that resulted from Dexy's hit "Geno" ....

Was he really such a hero to London Mod's circa 65 & 66 ? But less popular with more serious soul fans in the North ?

Listening to his first and biggest selling LP "Hand Clappin' Footstompin' Funky Butt Live", it is an absolutely cracking record, the adrenalin charged atmosphere is truly staggering no matter what perspective you look at it from. He really must have been Excitement Plus at his very peak, even by US soul standards ....

Over to you ... :shades:

First saw him in the late 60's(must have been 68/69) at Scene 1 & 2 in Scarbrough. The place was packed to overflowing and he was great.

SteveB

Link to comment
Social source share

Saw Geno a couple of times in the eighties and at the Walthamstow Festival in London last year, on the whole pretty good, shame he does all covers. Some of his stuff worth looking out for:

If You Knew (Fr 'Hi' ep 1967) Good version of Ebony Keyes track

I've Been Hurt By Love (b-side of She Shot a Hole In My Soul 1967)

Also a good version of the Precisions 'If This is Love' on the Castle CD of all his Pye output.

Also check youtube for a clip of Geno & the guys at the Marquee:

Que Sera Sera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipZjSNxVZ4A

You Don't Know Live I Know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_rbfHyKO4I

Michael (The Lover)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDMi5GcfbbI

Groovy!!

Link to comment
Social source share

Don't think I ever saw him live, didn't bother that much with British acts, preferred to wait till the Americans toured, just a personal preference.

What I do remember about Geno was that he seemed to do loads of Atlantic or Stax material, and always faster than the record, though to be fair so did the American artistes when they toured. I assume I must have heard his albums or him on the radio. Liked Michael and She Shot A Hole In My Soul, but preferred the originals.

These are my memories, but it was a long time ago, lot of water under the bridge since then. I don't want to be unfair to him but this was how I recall it.

I remember seeing Herbie Goins at the Flamingo in 1965, he was good. Not so keen on Jimmy James.

I do remember some people in my class at the LCP raving over the Action's version of I'll Keep Holding On, and being criticised for preferring the Marvelettes, oh well each to their own.

Link to comment
Social source share

Guest WPaulVanDyk

i met Geno Washington and saw him live few years back when he played a festival here and was great but never know what to say to stars who come here. Still my fav has always been Jimmy James who i met and have my picture with

Link to comment
Social source share

Listening to his first and biggest selling LP "Hand Clappin' Footstompin' Funky Butt Live", it is an absolutely cracking record, the adrenalin charged atmosphere is truly staggering no matter what perspective you look at it from. He really must have been Excitement Plus at his very peak, even by US soul standards ....

This was one of the biggest selling albums of 1967. It was in the charts for 38 weeks.Not a track played on the radio. It was one of the four big party albums along with The Drifters I'll take you where the music's playing, Tamla Motown Hits Volume 5 and Otis Blue for later that night.

Whilst daft southerners might have handed over ten bob notes to see somebody put records on a Garrard SP 25 elewhere live bands filled the clubs every weekend. As Well as Geno and Jimmy James, there were herbie Goins and the Nightimers, and Chris Farlow and The Thundebirds, along with local favourites.

I've been lucky enough to support Geno whilst playing his blues solo act and with the Ram Jam Band. He's hard working and a hard task master and he likes everything done to his liking. In return he delivers a great live show although some of his stories nad routines go back to his sixties hey day.

Link to comment
Social source share

This was one of the biggest selling albums of 1967. It was in the charts for 38 weeks.Not a track played on the radio. It was one of the four big party albums along with The Drifters I'll take you where the music's playing, Tamla Motown Hits Volume 5 and Otis Blue for later that night.

Whilst daft southerners might have handed over ten bob notes to see somebody put records on a Garrard SP 25 elewhere live bands filled the clubs every weekend. As Well as Geno and Jimmy James, there were herbie Goins and the Nightimers, and Chris Farlow and The Thundebirds, along with local favourites.

Don't forget the mighty Alan Bown Set, or of course the Action!

BTW the "Hand clapping" album might have been live...but in a recording studio, ATV if I remember rightly, not a club - whereas the Alan Bown/Jimmy James album from the same period was done at the Marquee.

Geno's big track - has to be Que Sera Sera. That raised the roof, live or on 45!

Hippo.

Edited by Jerry Hipkiss
Link to comment
Social source share

Hand clappin and its follow up were recorded in a studio in front of 100 or so fans.

The best live recording I've come across is The Senate Sock it to you recorded at Sussex University in the late sixties. I've yet to hear the Garnett Mimms set recorded the same evening.

Link to comment
Social source share

Get involved with Soul Source

Add your comments now

Join Soul Source

A free & easy soul music affair!

Join Soul Source now!

Log in to Soul Source

Jump right back in!

Log in now!



×
×
  • Create New...