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An egotistical look at Kev Dysons Musical Career (or track my hair-line!)
(local muso's spot your name!)
I have been a guitarist since the age of 12 and I have played many songs in many bands. My musical roots go back even earlier as at the tender age of 4, I sang 'Living Doll' on stage at Newbury British Legion with my father Ray Dyson and his band The Gold Star Players
At school I teamed up with Tony Wimbush (drummer) who now is the entertainments man and DJ for the Calcot Hotel in Reading. We had a band called Tony and the Drumbeats.
Tony and the Drumbeats at Thatcham Catholic Hall summer 1966
Left to right - Pat McQuillan, Steven Johnson, Tony wimbush and me (with a full head of hair at the age of 12!) singing the Beatles tune "I shoulda known better".We borrowed the equipment from the resident band 'The JB's' which featured Andy Carter (Drums) and Jo Borrell ("av yer paid yer subs?" - piano). I broke the guitarists string that night!
I then got involved with some local guys Dave Banbury (guitar), Dusty Miller (drums) and Barry Richardson (Bass) in a pop band called Red Alert. We used to practise in a dis-used chicken coup and transport our gear in wheelbarrows!
Sometime later while still at school, I met Jeff Davies (drums) and Paul Braginton (hammond) and we formed Final Decision. A bit later on Kate Sloan (vocals) and Barry Richardson (Bass) joined us and we started doing regular gigs on saturday nights.
Final Decision circa 1970 before making our first record 'Thinking'
(The hairline is still pretty good!)
Final Decision 1971
Kate, Paul (kneeling), Jeff, Me and Bas
We lost Barry because he wanted to get married (at the age of 18) but I had another schoolmate who was always following the band around. He could play guitar a bit so one day I suggested that he learn to play bass. I taught Derek Perris the songs and he joined Final Decision taking Barry's place.
Derek and me with John (Drums) and Jeff (off picture) Skates in a one-off appearance of 'Skates' at The Target Reading 1978
Shortly after Kate left the band, the remaining 4 of us turned professional and Final Decision went on the road. We played pubs and clubs all over England particularly in the north east and also went to Germany to play to the American NATO Forces servicemen. I remember a diet of weetabix and water washed down with a tumbler of neat brandy!
After a three month session in the channel islands during the summer of 1973 (very nice thank you!) and a successful audition for 'New Faces' to be televised later in the year, Final Decision broke up as Derek and Paul decided to leave. With shattered dreams, I joined Uptown Traffic - (Chris Robinson - guitar, Paul Carter - sax, Richard New - sax, Tony Locke - drums - Jed Waters - bass and Graham Hayes - trumpet). We used to enjoy playing some of the old 'sixties soul numbers and thru' Chris we got plenty of local work.
Uptown Traffic on the swings in Newbury town centre in 1973
Left to right - Paul Carter, Richie New (bottom) Chris Robinson (middle), Tony Locke (top), me, Graham Hayes and Jeremy (Jed) Waters
It was during this time that Paul Carter, one of the sax players, introduced me to Gillie my wife! Later on Paul became my best man.
After a couple of years together Uptown Traffic changed personnel and the famous Mr Ricky Hicks (vocals) joined us along with Barry Keene (Drums) and Stuart Briggs (guitar - yes 3 lead guitarists!).
Three months later Traffic disbanded and I joined up with John Kitchener (drums), Jimmy Johnson (keyboards), Dave Knowles (sax flute and gift of the gab!), Rod Garfield (harmonica) and the very famous Nigel Reveller (percussion). Derek Perris came back to play bass. The name of the band was Cluster.
Cluster
1974 at Chievely Village Hall
Back - John Kitchener (Drums), KD, Rod Garfield (Blues Harp),
Jim Johnson (Electric Piano). Front - Dave Knowles (Sax and Flute) and
Derek Perris (Bass)
Rod
Garfield saw this page in Oz and sent me this picture which I can't remember
being taken!
Nice one Rod!
Check out Rods
web site
Although the talents of Cluster were without question we did few gigs the last one ended
up in the biggest audience punch-up you could ever imagine! The band split
but the core members Dave, Nigel, Derek and myself formed The
Dave Knowles Band.
We used to have a regular spot at The Henwick in Newbury on a Thursday night and we pulled in the crowds with Dave Knowles stage antics. I remember he had a bath on stage for one number and on another night sang a serious slow blues while swinging Tarzen-like across the hall on a rope 12 feet up!
As Dave had big plans to go professional with a project called Turbo, and I had even bigger plans to marry Gillie, I left the band and joined The Chordets in 1977 taking over from Graham Canning.
The Chordets 1976 just before I joined.
Left to right Jimmy Shack, Albert Hinton, Trevor Holloway, Dougie Buller, Johnny Skates, Ray Hampshire (standing in for Graham Canning), Pete Howard and 'Scab' Rackley
Doug Buller (sax) had been running this band since 1962 and there had been literally hundreds of muso's passing thru'. The rest of the band at that time included John Skates (drums), Pete Howard (bass), 'Scab' Rackley (organ), Trevor Holloway (trumpet), Albert Hinton (baritone sax) and Jim Shack (trumpet), Marcus Alfred (Trumpet) and Burt Muir (sax and flute). Other regulars included Martin Dixon, Eddie Sloan, Peter James, Nigel Reveller, Paul Trubridge Spud Cox, Dave Todd, Dave Shoal, Andy Whitmore (now a big recording producer (East 17, Danny Minogueare just two of his named artists) with his own Greystoke Studios) Keith Guster, Steve Marshall, Dave Barker, Martin Lawrie and Terry Chappel. The Chordets were more of a dance band with their big brass sound but still played the latest commercial pops.
During my time in the Chordets I met 'the-one-and-only' (and thank god there is only one!) Martin Dixon (vocals). Other members to come along and stay were the very talented Martin Lawrie (keyboards), the incredible Keith Guster (drums) and the ancient Spud Cox (bass, all the way from Basingstoke!)
I stayed with the Chordets for 15 years but along the way I got involved in many other musical projects at the same time. I teamed back up with Kate Sloan (vocals), Martin Lawrie (keyboards), Derek Perris (Bass), Humbie Bradley (drums) and Chris Barrow (guitar and vocals) in Kate Sloans band Sloan.We even made a couple of records that got airplay! When Derek left, Steve Marshall (bass, flute and vocals) joined to bolster the already vocally strong band.
Sloan Summer 1980 - yes the hair is starting to resemble a brillo pad!
From left to right - Chris Barrow, Steve Marshall, Kate Sloan, Martin Lawrie (in shorts - he has very hairy legs!) Humbie Bradley and yours faithfully.
Sloan was a band I really did enjoy because there really was so much untapped talent to explore. The acurate four part vocal harmonies were unlike anything I'd heard before - we had a very unique sound plus acoustic AND electric guitar, a synthesizer and flute too. No wonder we were asked to make some records. The first was 'One More Night'/Moonlight and the second was SoIn Love and the flip was the most incredible track called 'Teller of Tales'. All the tracks were written by Kate and Chris but I think I might have had a 'ten-penneth' in it as well somewhere. Both records got Radio 1 airplay (all-be-it at 4:00 am!). In 1981 my wife Gillie and I had the news that our first child would be born in the autumn 1981. Being in two bands at once was always a strain and as I was to become a dad soon, I left Sloan (who renamed themselves Prisnor) and concentrated earning the badly need cash with the Chordets.
Me (note the signs of a showing scalp!) laying down the lead guitar solo for Teller of Tales at Rock City Studios, Shepperton.
I also joined up with Derek Perris (bass), Simon Currie (sax), Paul Trubridge (bass), Terry Jones (vocals), Paul Jones (Vocals), Martin Lawrie (Keyboards), Nigel Reveller (percussion) and John Marter (Drums) for a 'one gig' project called 'Between the Sheets'.
Sometimes Andy Carter who runs the Sunset Showband rang me and I stood in for Chris Robinson (now Andy's guitarist) when he's not available.
Meanwhile The Chordets were going from strength to strength. We were getting quality well-paid work - Savoy Hotel London, Lincolns Inn Fields London, Hexagon Reading, Fulcrum Slough, Henley Regatta on the Caversham Princess. By now the band had stabilised with extremely talented players, Martin Dixon, Martin Lawrie, Spud Cox and Keith Guster. This became the core of the Chordets and it was little wonder that our increasing momentum started to eclipse the brass section.
The Chordets (or part of)
Left to right Dougie Buller, Rick Martin, Me, Martin Lawrie at The Drag-Hunt Ball, 1988
In 1991, I left The Chordets and the core players of the band (Martin Dixon, Spud Cox, Keith Guster and Martin Lawrie all left with me. We formed Quartz which is my current band. We decided the band should not only be strong on its musicianship but that it should be visually dynamic and use the very latest musical technolgies. To that effect we have an extensive special effects lighting rig, special pyrotechnic effects, sampling, midi guitar, harmoniser and a vocoder.
Quartz 1991
Left to right - Keith, Mart, Rick, Spud and Me (complete with very sad hairline!)
During the summer of 1996, I recorded the demo tape for Catch 22 (Phil Sutton (guitar) Pauline Ritchings (vocals), Paul Ritchings (bass), Justin Mackey(keyboards) and Paul Tanner (drums).
One other musical project I have been involved in the The Electric Carol Show with Paul Athoe (non-muso but general good egg and have a go at doing anything) whereby I took some of the technology borrowed from Quartz into the Newbury primary schools for a Christmas Show like no other.
Although still hard at work with Quartz (who's latest recruits Sarah Dixon(vocals) joins her father (Martin's) side and James Gee (DJ) runs the newly added Quartz Disco Roadshow, I am slowly putting together my 8 track digital/midi project studio DYSONGS. I already have DAT/CD mastering and CD duplication as well as good quality outboard, monitoring and sound sources and I have several clients, one of which - Country singer Kevin Hockley, engaged me to record and produce his CD.
In 1999 I submitted an orchestral entry to Newbury Variety 2000 as the overture to their Year 2000 variety show due to be held in July 2000. I was particularly pleased that Millennium Sentinel was actually selected from and a total of four entries. Considering I am a pop/rock musician and I was up against some very good classical composers, I don't reckon that was too bad! You can hear the piece played from my homepage
We were one of the very lucky bands who were actually working on New Millenniums Eve. It was a show like no other. We took along some TV sets to link up with the 'happenings' at the Dome and used an awesome arsenal of special effects. During our final set in the early hours of Jan 1st 2000 we shocked the crowds and ourselves with some fancy dress costumes onstage. Most pictures are so outrageous that it would not kind to show them here....
Except perhaps just one....
Hair today!
After being made redundant from my daytime job in 1999, I needed to make music work to help pay the bills. I was involved with numerous projects but after enjoying Chris Robinson's 50th birthday party in March 2000 we decided to form Onyx. This is a project which is currently doing well in the local Newbury pub scene. Although we use backing tracks played back from a laptop computer, the backing is recorded and arranged in the Dysongs studio and is giving me the chance to perform some of the songs I've always wanted to.
While working at Newbury College I met Sean Caveille who is a talented film producer. Sean gave me the opportunity of producing music for his films - something I've always really wanted to do. So dar I have composed and provided soundtracks for Sean's films - Calleva, Danebury- Ritual and Religion, Ephemera and Hengistbury Head.
Footnote... I would also like to dedicate this page to my friends and musos that have now gone to 'The Great GIG in the sky'
Jeff Davies
Derek Perris
John Kitchener
Terry Chappel
Derek Simmonds
Barry Richardson