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  1. Thanks Chris, Neil Daniels? That was the biography on Robert Plant which was panned for its inaccuracy. He didn't do any thorough research, eg still calls the band Hoobstweedle.
  2. Bloco or Scott, do you have any information regarding dates Plant worked for Wimpey in Birmingham? I've seen conflicting dates published, either in 1966 or 1967. Plant also worked for Woolworths in Halesowen.
  3. If you get a chance, read Steve Sauer's review of Cross' book. He found it riddled with factual errors. Meg
  4. If you do a search of the forums you can find plenty of discussions about this. What is "ZoSo"? To me it's a sigil representing Jimmy's astrological sun sign of Capricorn, ruled by the planet Saturn.
  5. The July dates are correct. My understanding of those May dates were that they were cancelled and rescheduled for July. Before Tim Rose died, on his official site there used to be a forum with many posts from fans recollecting seeing Tim during the 1968 tours. Sadly the forum was removed but I do recall some posts about Visa problems and a dispute with the promoter over monies.
  6. Given Bill's recollection, and we have a Woolpack date of the 27th July, I would venture to guess that Plant was in Pangbourne sometime between the 22nd and the 26th. Plant returning to Walsall on the 27th to tell members of Obs-Tweedle he has signed up with Jimmy's band, and the offer made to Bill to join Terry Reid's band. Band of Joy split in March 1968. Tim Rose didn't return to the UK until June 1968. There is a 3 month gap there. It is quite likely Bonham must have been playing for some band between Band of Joy and Tim Rose. Meg
  7. YMMV on this but Robert one time was also offering the services of the Band of Joy to play for world peace for free anywhere on the planet. There exists a photograph of Robert outside the Charge d'Affaires of the Republic of China, holding a letter, dated 15 November 1967.
  8. The report says "and is now with Uncle Joseph", and the date of the report is the 18th, so I'm inclined to believe he was "de facto" with the band, given Tim Rose's bass player was also with Uncle Joseph. In a previous, different thread, we established that Tim Rose used another drummer on his BBC recording session in London. It's quite possible that when John wasn't drumming with Tim, he was performing with Uncle Joseph, although I'd like to see some advertised gigs for this. There is also gaps between when the Band of Joy broke up and Tim Rose's early dates.
  9. Thanks Chris, so John also played in Uncle Joe, interesting. And a report Tim Rose's bass player was John Hill. Meg
  10. Going over what Bill told me, he states that Obs-Tweedle finally folded after a gig at the Woolpack. Robert turned up to offer Bill the keyboard position with Terry Reid, as a gesture of goodwill after leaving Obs-Tweedle. Terry had previously asked Robert if he knew any keyboard players, he was auditioning for his tour and debut recording. Meg
  11. Some Alexis Korner dates from Melody Maker, incomplete list. Saturday 8 March 1968 Middle Earth Club, London with Fleetwood Mac, Bruno's Blues Band, DJ Jeff Dexter Thursday 24 March 1968 Frankfurt Jazz Festival, Frankfurt, Germany Sunday 13 April 1968 Roundhouse, Chalk Farm with P.P. Arnold, and C.A.S.T. Friday 19 April 1968 Korner's 40th Birthday Party, Queensway with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers April-May Recording sessions at Sound Techniques Studios, London Friday 3 May 1968 Rutherford College, Kent with The Pentangle, Moe, and Dorris Henderson Thursday 9 May 1968 Audimax Pop Festival, Star Club, Hamburg, Germany Friday 17 May 1968 Middle Earth Club, London with Pink Floyd, Free, DJ Jeff Dexter, and Chakra Sunday 19 May 1968 The Civic Centre, Swiss Cottage NW3 "Alexis Korner presents the Submerged Seven Eighths of the Blues with actor Alexis Kanner" Sunday 26 May 1968 OZ Benefit, Middle Earth Club, London with The Pretty Things, Social Deviants, Blonde On Blonde, Pink Floyd, Miss Kelly, The Flamingoes, Buzby Lloyd, John Peel, Jeff Dexter and The Transcendental Aurora Light Show Monday 27 May 1968 Folk at the Garter, Star and Garter, Bromley with Pete Brown's Poetry Band, King Ida's Watch Chain, Mike Hawkins, Mike Horovitz, Brian Patten, Priests of the Raven Friday 21 June 1968 New Universities Festival, Bradford University Union, Bradford with Champion Jack Dupree, 'Midsummer Night's Dream' with Fleetwood Mac, Hedgehoppers Anon., Blossom Toes & Amboy Dukes. Wednesday 26 June 1968 Hampstead Country Club, Hampstead Saturday 6 July 1968 Woburn Music Festival, Bedfordshire with Jimi Hendrix, Pentangle, Donovan, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, The Taste, Geno Washington, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Roy Harper, Al Stewart Tuesday 9 July 1968 The Blues Roll On, BBC Radio 3 Tuesday 16 July 1968 The Blues Roll On, BBC Radio 3 Tuesday 23 July 1968 The Blues Roll On, BBC Radio 3 Sunday 11 August 1968 8th national Jazz, Pop, Ballads & Blues Festival, Sunbury, Berkshire Host Monday 12 August 1968 London Jazz Centre, 100 Oxford Street with Chris McGregor and Sandy Brown Thursday 26 September 1968 International Essen Song Day, Grugahalle, Essen, Germany Thursday 17 October 1968 Porchester Hall, Queensway with Roy Harper, Pete Brown, Deviants, and The Action
  12. Another entry... The Origin of the Species, page 189 "Alexis Korner poked his head into the bandroom [at the Speakeasy] afterwards. He and Robert began talking blues, partly because they both remembered Plant as a Crawling King Snake once volunteering, nay, insisting, on blowing harmonica druing Korner's second set at Kidderminster's Cannon Hill Arts Centre a while back. Had Robert ever enjoyed a more interesting conversation? The feeling seemed to be reciprocal, and it wasn't long before Plant and Korner started working together, on and off, as a duo of the same kidney as those with whom Robert had performed in the folk clubs. With pianist Steve Miller, they also attempted to tape an album that was aborted after two weeks. 'Operator' and 'Steal Away', a fragment of which was to be quoted in Led Zeppelin's 'How Many More Times'. Thus the middle-aged Korner became the despairing young minstrel's career advisor, father confessor and a major catalyst in the recovery of his artistic confidence, 'Alexis absorbed me into his larger family of musicians and friends in London,' beamed Plant, 'He aided my schooling for what was about to come, and is still coming.'" Meg
  13. Interesting follow up... in The Origin of the Species book by Adam Clayson, he states on page 73 that John Paul Jones used to play organ for Herbie Goin's and the Night Timers, to let off steam after his studio sessions. I wonder...
  14. An account of Alexis Korner jamming with Robert at the Midland Arts Centre: Motor city music - Birmingham-style Birmingham Post, 9 March 2000 "[Chris] Phipps has ramped up a 35-year ­career in the music industry. Based in the United Kingdom, he has worked in the United States, Japan, Africa, Israel, Holland and throughout Europe. His passion and enthusiasm for music remains as ebullient as it was in the mid-1970’s when, as a college disc jockey, he began promoting local bands. He has worked with the best, from Bob Marley to Sting, the Pet Shop Boys and Dire Straits and as a television producer and interviewer, he has put many more bands and musicians on the world’s screens, including Joan Armatrading, Ozzy Osbourne, UB40, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Steel Pulse and the Fine Young Cannibals. Born in Northfield, he attended King Edwards School, Camp Hill, and studied teacher training at West Midlands College of Education. Phipps was already steeped in vinyl and music, booking local bands such as Carl Wayne and the Vikings (later The Move), The Idle Race with Jeff Lynne, who was later to form the Electric Light Orchestra and Jon Lord (later to form Deep Purple). Phipps recalls: “Sixth form was great – Steve Winwood was playing in local jazz bands before the dawn of the Spencer Davis Group, Robert Plant was getting up to sing with Alexis Korner at the Midland Arts Centre, Gene Vincent was at St Francis Hall, Bournville, the Four Tops played the Odeon. “At college, I booked Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, got sacked from the Ents Committee for booking Cream for £360 and then reinstated myself by getting The Scaffold to perform in the Common Room; I booked Paul Simon for £6 for the Christian Club, Black Sabbath, the original Fleetwood Mac, Joe Cocker, Jethro Tull ...” http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2009/03/09/motor-city-music-birmingham-style-65233-23101093/ Meg
  15. Doing an archive search, I've uncovered another Robert Plant & The Band of Joy gig, much later than their last mid-March 1968 gig in Birmingham. In Melody Maker, the gig is advertised for Saturday 30 March 1968: "Ewell Technical College Students Union presents Herbie Goin's and the Night Timers plus Robert Plant and the Band of Joy. Reigate Road, Ewell, Surrey." Like the other reported art college gig, this could be Obs-Tweedle performing under the name Band of Joy, given Obs-Tweedle had already performed a few gigs by then. Also there is an interview with Alexis Korner in Beat Instrumental magazine dated December 1970. In that interview, Korner says he discovered Plant after seeing him perform with the Band of Joy at London's Speakeasy. He could not fathom why his talent had been better known. A quick check of gigs indicates Robert Plant and the band of Joy performed on 19 February 1968 at that venue. If what Korner is saying is correct, the long association between Plant and Korner started after that date. Meg
  16. Also given Plant's previous comments of having actually stayed in London with Korner, it does seem rather an odd thing for Plant to say to Rodgers that he didn't know what London was like. Maybe Rodgers memory is playing up? Or was it just throw away small talk by Plant? Meg
  17. From When Giants Walked the Earth, page 27: "Paul Rodgers, then fronting Free, recalls seeing Plant perform in the summer of 1968. 'It was just before he joined Zeppelin,' he says. 'Free played up in Birmingham with Alexis Korner at the Railway Tavern, a blues club and Robert got up to jam with Alexis and he was the Robert Plant that we know and love today – full-on hair and tight jeans and everything, doing that "Hey babe!" [imitates Plant's trademark vocal]. Full on everything, you know? He was giving it large with Alexis who was playing an acoustic guitar, and people didn't quite get it. He really needed Bonham and Page behind him. We were staying at some hotel and afterwards he came back for a cup of tea. He said: "You know, I’m thinking of going down to London. What's it like down there?" I said, "Oh, it’s pretty cool, you know, it's good." He said, "I've had a call from this guy called Jimmy Page, have you heard of him?" I said, "Oh yeah, everyone's talking about him, he's a big session guy down there." He said, "Well, he wants to form a band with me. They've offered me either thirty quid or a percentage." I said, "Take the percentage." Next thing I knew it was Led Zeppelin, right?' Thirteen days after the final Yardbirds show in Luton, Plant packed an overnight bag and bought the cheapest train ticket available that would take him from Birmingham to Reading, and then onto the local stopping service to Pangbourne." Meg
  18. From Q magazine interview, May 1990: "Robert became a regular at The Diskery in Birmingham, delving deep into the seam that ran from the Delta to Chicago. "I got a series of French RCA EPs with Jazz Gillum, the original Sonny Boy Williamson with sleevenotes by Alexis Korner. I worked with Alexis Korner just pre-Zep. I used to sleep at his place in Queensway [Westminster, London]. Goodnight, Robert, he'd say; you'll have to sleep on the couch tonight — oh, by the way, it is the same couch that Muddy used to sleep on when he stayed here. And I don't know if we’ve changed the toilet bowl since Buddy Guy was here… This was fabulous – I'm only from Wolverhampton, you know!" Meg
  19. From Rolling Stone magazine interview, 8 July 1971: "... “We kept the trio going out of the band. Danny Thompson and Terry Cox and myself used to play a lot of gigs up and down the country.” It was around this time that Korner, using his broadcasting experience, started to sing as well as play guitar. He cut his first singing album, New Generation of Blues in 1968. The band once more became a cult and musicians would arrive at gigs for occasional sessions. One was a Birmingham singer, Robert Plant. He toured with Korner around the club and university circuit before being picked up by Jimmy Page to join Led Zeppelin in California [i think RS meant Scandinavia here not Cali]. He didn’t get to finish an album he was cutting with Korner and Steve Miller, though some of the completed tracks will be included in an anthology to be released later this year [1971] which will also contain songs with Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. For a while Korner led another trio, called Free At Last." Meg
  20. Alexis Korner was recording in March-April 1968, at Sound Techniques Studios, in London. It could be possible Plant recorded uncredited with Korner during the sessions there. I have to follow this up by looking into further database searches. Prior to the 1970s, Korner's gig career is poorly documented in many of the publications I've come across.
  21. As I mentioned off-list. I am of the belief that The Answer had folded in 1967 and what BB has said is based on memory, which sadly cannot be trusted. If a search reveals the lack of any Answer gigs January-March 1968, this is probably the case. BB never kept a diary or receipts.
  22. Yes, that would be most obvious if the band were named there by Bill's dad.
  23. Which is why gig ads around February-March 1968 would be helpful
  24. Bill somewhat contradicted his story above by telling me Robert did not go to Hamburg with the band, as he had not joined at that stage. One possibility is that Robert decided to join Obs-Tweedle after the Band of Joy folded in February 1968, but had been previously booked to record with Alexis Korner, in March 1968, and thus didn't "officially" join until after they returned from Hamburg.
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