In November 1966, Vince Taylor toured across France backed by French outfit Les Rockers with Bobbie Woodman on drums.
The Bobbie Clarke Noise kept backing Vince Taylor until the rest of the decade with various line-ups.
One of them featured liverpuldian guitarist Brian Griffiths, formerly with The Big Three, and bass player Dave Curtiss, from the Tremors, an English band that was currently resident in France. They took part of the first edition of a tour across France called "L'épopée du rock" during 1967. Curtiss and Woodman were both hired in a band called Roundabout that evolved into Deep Purple in early 1968, before forming a Prog Rock group, Bodast, with Steve Howe.
For the second edition "L'épopée du rock" in 1972, Vince Taylor was backed by The Bobbie Clarke Connection gathering Bobbie Woodman, Stash Klossowski and Tony Harvey. In 1974, Bobbie Woodman and Vince Taylor finally parted company. Bobbie went back to England meanwhile Vince toured with The Larry Martin Factory.
The following years, Vince worked mostly with French musicians from the Big Beat Records Label. However the English rock revival band Matchbox backed him at the Palace, Paris, in 1979.
Whatever became of the Playboys?
Vince Taylor moved to Switzerland in 1983, in an attempt to break with his past. He married that same year in Epalinges, near Lausanne, later moving to Lutry on the shores of Lake Geneva. He tried many come back appearances but with no success. He died in Lutry in August 1991.
Tony Sheridan went to Hamburg with a make-shift group from Soho named The Jets in June 1960, where he met a group called The Beatles who backed him on stage and on some titles for Polydor records. After playing in Germany for 7 years, and touring Switzerland, Austria, France, United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Ireland & Norway, he accepted an offer to play for the U.S. troops in Vietnam for two years at the end of the decade.
In the 70s, Sheridan appeared mainly in Germany and the U.K., playing folk & blues. In 1978, he recorded with Elvis Presley’s TCB Band in Los Angeles. In 1986, he recorded an L.P. of his own material with guitarist Albert Lee, in Milan. By July 2002, he released his last LP entitled "VAGABOND"comprising of rock, R’n’B, country, ballads and critical songs.
After the demise of The Playboys, Tony Harvey joined a french outfit called Les Champions replacing Claude Ciari then he backed singer Joe Dassin, son of movie producer Jule Dassin, until 1976. During the 80s, he worked in aesthetic business. He then retired from the music scene and passed away in February 1993.
Joe Moretti became a very prolific sessionman recording with Johnny Kidd (“Shakin’ All Over”), Tony Meehan & Jet Harris (playing lead on most of their tunes after Jet had a car accident), french rocker Johnny Halliday, Georgie Fame, among others.
Guitarist Kenny Fillingham, who had been in a lancastrian outfit called The Dominoes alongwith Georgie Fame, returned to his old band now called The Beat Boys, recording with Joe Meek then Screaming Jay Hawkins in the mid 60s. He played guitar with various bands e.g. New City Showband, The Midnight Sect, Great Expectation, recently Rave On. He passed away in 2007.
Guitarist Geoffrey Gloverwright reinvented himself as “Buddy Britten”, fronting various bands (see
http://www.forgottenbands.blogspot.com/)
Guitarist Brian Marshall returned to Portsmouth and went back to his old trade as a Carpenter, still playing with a local group The Nightriders until 1962.
He got married in 1963 and did'nt play again until 1990 when he went out on his own with backing Tapes for 2 years. He played a few gigs
with a 2 local Bands for the last time in 2006.
Guitarist Bob Steel went on to work with Jackie Lynton in 1963
Original bass player Tex Makins worked with Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Johnny Halliday, Georgie Fame, Freddie Mack among others.
Bass player Brian Locking aka “Licorice” joined The Shadows in 1962 as replacement for Jet Harris, reuniting with Brian Bennett. The Shadows were the most succesful British band before The Beatles. He finally left them in 1963 and retired in religion. He later recorded with Donovan.
Bass player Johnny Vance worked with french rocker Eddy Mitchell then went back to England, recording with American producer Shel Talmy. After a career in the musical edition and then in the casino management, he retired in the early nineties and is now leaving in London.
Keyboardist Brian Pugh aka “Lou Bryan” joined The Echoes, later teamed up with vocalists John Carter and Ken Lewis, providing backing vocals (as “Perry Ford”) on various recording sessions (The Kinks, The Who, The Flowerpotmen…) then forming together The Ivy League in the mid 60s. He was also a succesful songwriter, penning for Adam Faith, The Bachelors ect. He passed away some years ago.
Keyboardist Mike O'Neill fronted and still front Nero & The Gladiators.
He played organ for The Kinks, The Ivy League, The Flowerpotmen and Heads, Hands & Feet (and Bellies?) among others. He had been an original member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience before it became a trio.
Keyboardist Miki Dallon became a producer (The Sorrows, Neil Christian) and A&R man for Strike records
Keyboardist Alan Leclaire, who left the Playboys in 1964, emigrated to Australia in 1973, he kept working musically full time in UK and part time in Australia until 2001 when he started managing a school for taxi driver and then became the Principal of Australian College of Vocational Studies, in Sydney (see http://
www.taxicollege.com.au and http://
www.acvs.com.au)
Drummers Tony Meehan and Brian Bennett joined Cliff Richard and his backing band, The Shadows, respectively in 1959 and 1961. Tony Meehan teamed up with Jet Harris, topping the British charts with “Diamonds” in early 1963, then became a producer (Ian Stewart & The Railroaders). He had been A&R man for Decca records (refusing to sign The Beatles) since 1961. He passed away in late 2005 at 62.
Drummer Clem Cattini and bass player Brian Gregg replaced Bobbie Woodman and Tex Makins in the Larry Parnes’ organization then backed Johnny Kidd as his new Pirates, recording his biggest hit “Shakin’ All Over.” They reunited in the Tornados, the first British pop band to top the American charts with “Telstar.” Cattini became a very prolific sessionman playing drums on more than 40 British number one hits (e.g.“You Really Got Me” by the Kinks, “Bye Bye Baby” by the Bay City Rollers) while Gregg returned to his old band Terry Dene & The Dene Aces.
Drummer Johnny Watson went to Hamburg in 1962 and joined Tony Sheridan’s Beat Brothers, recording for Polydor with them. He then moved to Perth, Australia in 1969 where he opened an Antique furniture shop plus selling second hand Cars, but has never stopped playing the Drums.
He has been playing for the last few years in a group called CROCODILE ROCK 50/60's music.
After the demise of The Bobbie Clarke Noise in 1965, Bobbie Woodman worked with Californian outfit Love, Roundabout before they became Deep Purple, Bodast, The Jeff Beck Group etc. Meanwhile he still fronted his own band The Bobbie Clarke Connection backing acts of his early days such as Johnny Halliday, Screaming Lord Sutch and Vince. He still plays the drums for many revival 50/60's acts: e.g. Nero & The Gladiators, Terry Dene & The Dene Aces and The Silver Stars
Acknoledgements
Recollections & Photos courtesy the late Rick Hardy, Ronnie Carr, Alan Leclaire, Brian Marshall, Mick Morris, Betty Osment, Dave St-John, Johnny Watson, Colin Wilsher. Thanks to all the others, sorry if we forget their names.
Researches by Alain, Denis, Michel, Patrick, Christine, Carole & Nicole
