Side-stories
(04) BRIAN 'Licorice' LOCKING: A Roulette for 2 Days.
Exclusive Interview
It is common knowledge that bass-player Brian ‘Licorice’ Locking [22 December 1938 - 8 October 2020] was a member of Vince Taylor’s Playboys, Marty Wilde’s Wildcats, The Krew Kats and Tommy Steele’s band and, of course, The Shadows. It is, however, a well-kept secret that he also backed Adam Faith on a few occasions shortly before joining The Shadows in April 1962.
(03) PRE-ROULETTES: THE STRANGERS' DEMO
In August 1961, South London group The Strangers auditioned successfully for Adam Faith and quickly morphed into his backing-group The Roulettes. It is little known that these Strangers had recorded ‘Well I Ask You’ a few months earlier – and did so before Eden Kane. Surprisingly, a copy of their two-sided demo has actually survived. The B-side was written by group members Peter Thorp and Martin Blackwell, two future Roulettes.
(02) A TROGGS STORY
Is there a relation between The Troggs and The Roulettes? Not really, but the following story is just too good to be shelved… In short: pre-Troggs group ‘Ten Feet Five’ once opened for The Roulettes. And drummer John Walker still remembers.
(01) IKE ISAACS
Not all The Roulettes can be heard on their first release. In fact, the B-side of their first single for Pye ['Hully Gully Slip'n'Slide' c/w ‘La Bamba’, late 1962] was recorded with a little help from a session-player called Ike Isaacs.
Bob Henrit: ‘La Bamba’ features only Thorpy (Peter Thorp), Rogers and me, with a famous jazz guitarist called Ike Isaacs who was evidently brought in to show us the ropes in the recording studio. He probably was in his fifties, but a proper jazz guitarist. He does the solo’. Says Peter Thorp, who handled the lead guitar then: ‘On a Fender six-string bass. And he was ideal for that bit, to be honest’.
I searched the net, found a facebook page on Ike Isaacs. On 28 December 2018 I sent a message referring to Henrit’s and Thorp’s appreciation of Isaacs’ contribution and asking if more light could be shed on that session or his work for Pye.
Replies dated 29 and 30 December 2018
“Thanks for being in touch, Eddy. I am Ike Isaacs's nephew Mark Isaacs and run this tribute Facebook page. I'm sorry; though it is well -known that Ike was an active session player in that period, I don't have any more information about this recording or his work for Pye. That's really nice to know that such a tribute is there. Thank you”.
(signed) Mark Isaacs.
Ike Isaac (1919-1996), https://www.facebook.com/ikeisaacs/
© Eddy Bonte (site 23Mch2019)
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