On This Day 23/08/1966 Crispian St. Peters

On this day, 22 August 1966, pop singer-songwriter Crispian St. Peters played Cardiff’s Top Rank as part of the Radio England Swinging 66 UK Tour.

The tour, that featured the Small Faces, Neil Christian, Dave Berry and Wayne Fontana, was heavily advertised on air and gigs proved reasonably successful in the south-east of the country, where Radio England could be heard. Unfortunately outside the station's transmission area, audiences were understandably sparse. The tour proved a financial disaster, losing over £17,000.

The station attempted to get some of this back by selling autographed copies of the left-over concert programmes.

While a member of Beat Formula Three in 1963, Crispian St. Peters was heard by David Nicholson, an EMI publicist who became his manager. Nicholson suggested he use a stage name, initially "Crispin Blacke" and subsequently Crispian St. Peters, then promoted his client as being nineteen years of age, shaving off five years from his actual age of 24.

In 1964, as a member of Peter & The Wolves, St. Peters made his first commercial recording. He was persuaded to turn solo by Nicholson and was signed to Decca Records in 1965. His first two singles on this record label, "No No No" and "At This Moment", proved unsuccessful on the charts. He made two television UK appearances in February of that year, featuring in the shows Scene at 6.30 and Ready Steady Go!

In 1966, St. Peters' career finally yielded a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart, with "You Were on My Mind", a song written and first recorded in 1964 by the Canadian folk duo, Ian & Sylvia, and a hit in the United States for We Five in 1965. St. Peters' single eventually hit No. 2 in the UK and was then released in the US on the Philadelphia-based Jamie Records label. It did not chart in the US until a year after his fourth release, "The Pied Piper", became known as his signature song and a Top 10 hit in the United States and the UK. Although his next single, a version of Phil Ochs' song "Changes", also reached the charts in both the UK and US, it was much less successful.

After the success of "You Were on my Mind", St Peters gave an interview to the New Musical Express claiming that he was a better song-writer than the Beatles and that his performance on stage made Elvis Presley look like the Statue of Liberty. After just one hit single, he claimed he was going to be “bigger than Presley, was more talented than Sammy Davis Jr.”, “sexier than Dave Berry” and “more exciting than Tom Jones”. These comments did not go down well in the pop music press, who began to treat him as a conceited outcast. After his fourth single flopped, work and money dried up, and he became depressed. In 1970, he was dropped by Decca and admitted to hospital suffering from a nervous breakdown.

On This Day 19/07/1968 Tim Hardin

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On this day, 19 July 1968, American folk music and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Tim Hardin played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

Hardin was admired for his singing voice, described by a Los Angeles Times reviewer as "a voice which quavers between the tugs of the blues and the tender side of joy. He can sing nasty, but his forte is gentle songs whose case allows him to slip and slide through a rainbow of emotions." However, Hardin said in another interview: "I think of myself more as a singer than a songwriter and always did. It happened to be that I wrote songs. I’m a jazz singer, really, writing in a different vocabulary mode but still with a jazz feel. I don’t ever sing one song the same way. I’m an improvisational singer and player.”

He recorded "Black Sheep Boy" in 1966, a song about his drug use and the alienation from his family. Bobby Darin, Ronnie Hawkins, Bill Staines, Joel Grey, Scott Walker, and Don McLean recorded cover versions of the song.

In 1967, Verve released Tim Hardin 2, which contained one of Hardin's most famous songs, "If I Were a Carpenter". That same year, Atco, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, released an album of earlier material called This Is Tim Hardin, featuring covers of "The House of the Rising Sun", Fred Neil's "Blues on the Ceiling" and Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man" as well as the original songs "Fast Freight" and "Can't Slow Down". The album's liner notes state that Hardin recorded the songs in 1963–1964, well before the release of Tim Hardin 1.

By 1967, after critical acclaim for Hardin's first album and the release of This Is Tim Hardin, a wide variety of artists were covering his songs and he was in demand to tour Europe and the United States. However, the quality of his work was in decline partly because of "his own combativeness in the studio, his addiction to heroin, his drinking problems and his frustration with his lack of commercial success". He began performing poorly and missing shows, reputedly falling asleep on stage at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1968. At the time, he was viewed as enigmatic, with one journalist stating that while "his position as one of the best songwriters of his generation is unquestioned ... [he] ... courted the scene in the most fumbling manner imaginable". The same writer noted Hardin's "uninspired stage presence" and seemingly ambivalent relationship with his audience, as he often ignored them, just singing "at times badly, at times beautifully ... somehow always fascinating". The tour was cut short after Hardin contracted pleurisy.

On This Day 17/07/1968 The Easybeats

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On this day, 17 July 1968, Australian rock band The Easybeats, played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

Formd in Sydney in late 1964, they are best known for their 1966 hit single "Friday on My Mind", which is regarded as the first Australian rock song to achieve international success; Rolling Stone described it as "the first international victory for Oz rock".

One of the most popular and successful bands in the country, they were one of the few Australian bands of their time to foreground their original material; their first album Easy (1965) was one of the earliest Australian rock albums featuring all original songs.

The five founding members, all migrants from Europe, met at the Villawood Migrant Hostel in Sydney in 1964. They rose to national prominence in 1965 with the song "She's So Fine", which reached number three in Australia.

Their concerts and public appearances were marked by an intense fanaticism frequently compared to Beatlemania; this phenomenon was subsequently dubbed "Easyfever". They relocated to the UK in 1966, where they recorded "Friday on My Mind".

Following its success, the band struggled to maintain international recognition. Compounded by financial and contractual issues, drug use and the increasing independence of guitarists and songwriters Harry Vanda and George Young, they returned to Australia in 1969 amid declining popularity back home and subsequently disbanded.

On This Day 13/05/1969 Sounds Incorporated

On this day, 13 May1969, instrumental rock/pop band Sounds Incorporated played Cardiff’s Tito’s night club.

Sounds Incorporated formed in early 1961, in Dartford, Kent, and gained a reputation in nearby South London for the fullness of their saxophone-led instrumental sound. In August 1961, after Gene Vincent's band, The Blue Caps, had been denied permission to work in the UK, Sounds Incorporated won the opportunity to back Vincent on his British tour and on recordings in London. This led to further opportunities to back other visiting American artists, including Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brenda Lee and Sam Cooke.

The group toured the world as the Beatles' opening act, including the July 1964 concert in Hong Kong and the August 1965 concert at New York City's Shea Stadium. Sounds Incorporated's continuing popularity ensured a stream of work, including backing duties at the televised NME awards. In December 1964, NME reported that Sounds Incorporated would appear at the Hammersmith Odeon at the "Another Beatles Christmas Show".

The group began to disintegrate in the late 1960s. Drummer Tony Newman, known for his long solos, left to work as a session musician and at one stage joined the Jeff Beck Group. He later joined Reid Hudson and James Black to form British/Canadian power trio May Blitz.

For the remaining members of Sounds Inc., Cameron's departure for a career in A&R left a gap, which was filled by Terry Fogg (percussionist and drummer) and Trevor White, the band's first true vocalist. The group soldiered on, moving to and mainly playing in Australia for their final years together. Their act became more middle-of-the-road, exemplified in their final LP, which was released in many territories but not the UK, containing more vocals than instrumentals. Sounds Inc. finally broke up in 1971

On This Day 07/05/1968 Johnny Cash

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On this day, 7 May 1968, American country singing legend Johnny Cash played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre. Also on the bill was Carl Perkins, June Carter, James Royal and The Tennessee Three.

Cash had recently married June Carter in March and had received a Grammy for their hit together “Jackson” and had just released his 26th album From Sea to Shining Sea.

Each track on the concept album was written by Cash; none of them were released as singles.

"The Walls of a Prison" reuses the melody of "Streets of Laredo” from Cash's 1965 album Sings the Ballads of the True West.

But most notable during this period. was his recording At Folsom Prison released 6 May and Cash’s first live album

It comprises recordings of performances by Cash and his band at Folsom State Prison, California, on January 13, 1968.

After his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues, Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records put Bob Johnston in charge of producing Cash's material. Cash had controlled his drug abuse problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited success. Backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins and the Tennessee Three Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison.

On This Day 02/05/1962 Jerry Lee Lewis

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On this day, 2 May 1962, rock ‘n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens supported by his backing band The Echoes. Also on the bill were, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, The Viscounts, The Bachelors, Vince Eager, Mark Eden, Danny Storm, Buddy Britten and Dave Reid (compere).

Often known by his nickname the Killer. He has been described as "rock n' roll's first great wild man and one of the most influential pianists of the twentieth century." A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis.

Review South Wales Argus

"Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the South, but it was his 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" that shot Lewis to fame worldwide. He followed this with "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless" and "High School Confidential". However, his rock and roll career faltered in the wake of his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old cousin.

On This Day 17/04/1967 Bo Diddley

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On this day, 17 April 1967, American singer, guitarist, songwriter and music producer Bo Diddley played Cardiff Top Rank, supported by his backing band The Canadians. Also supporting were The Creation.

Diddley played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, George Thorogood, and the Clash.

His use of African rhythms and a signature beat, a simple five-accent hambone rhythm, is a cornerstone of hip hop, rock, and pop music.

In recognition of his achievements, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2017.

He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Diddley is also recognized for his technical innovations, including his use of tremolo and reverb effects to enhance the sound of his distinctive rectangular-shaped guitar.

On This Day 03/04/1967 Otis Redding

On this day, April 3rd, 1967, Otis Redding and the star-studded Stax Records revue played Top Rank Suite in the Welsh capital, and those who attended the event said that Redding was immense as part of the outstanding line-up.

Redding was joined by special guests Arthur Conley, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, The Mar-Keys and Booker T. & the M.G.’s; a bill that’ll live on as one of Cardiff’s greatest Soul/R&B showings.

Unlike the Motown Records tour of 1965, which (surprisingly) was a rather anticlimactic show, the Stax Records gig was a huge success. That night at Top Rank Suite helped popularise the genre in South Wales, and Redding will be regarded by listeners all across the world as one of the most charismatic and beloved soul singers of his generation. 

Before his death in a tragic airplane accident on 10th December 1967, Otis Redding had written and recorded an ambitious selection of new music. ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ was one of these, and when eventually released in January 1968, it became the first posthumous record in history to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The song almost became Redding’s self-written obituary.

It was a stunning overture that preceded the USA’s catastrophic failure in Vietnam, as well as the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy in 1968. However, Redding’s death was not overshadowed by the events that followed, with ‘(Sittin on) The Dock of the Bay’ selling more than two million copies.