The John Dummer Blues Band

The John Dummer Blues Band - Lost 1973 Album - 2008 - Angel Air Records

The John Dummer Blues Band's reputation as one of those groups that hung forever on the cusp of a major step forward, but never quite made it over the top, is one of those odd little injustices with which the British blues scene forever prickles. There is simply no way of judging why one band made it while another failed to crackle, but Dummer and company were unluckier than most and, by 1973, their fortunes had reached rock bottom. Vertigo, their home for two albums, was about to let them go as part of the company-wide purge that so devastated what had once been one of Britain's most visionary record labels -- and when the bandmembers returned to the studio, it was in the knowledge that they had one last chance to convince the bigwigs to keep them on board. They should have succeeded, too. The result is a pièce de résistance, a sparkling album that not only packs some of the band's best ever recordings, but also boasts one of their strongest ever lineups: organist Colin Earl and guitarists Dave Kelly and Pete Emery, a rhythm section of Ian Thompson and Pick Withers, and, on saxophone, the legendary Graham Bond. But somehow it all slipped through the cracks. Within a year, Bond was dead; this may well have been his last ever recording session, a manic four-day span that saw no less than 11 tracks kicked out, and then abandoned. Before that, though, Vertigo did indeed pass on the album, and attempts to land a U.S. deal via the Foghat connection (Colin Earl, of course) were doomed to failure. The tapes were shelved, the band broke up, and it would be 35 years before anybody ever thought to give them another listen. Now, however, they are where they belong, on the streets and still sparkling as brilliantly as the best of the Dummer band ever did. © Dave Thompson © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/lost-1973-album-r1442486/review

John Dummer may be best known as a member of the late '70's British doo-wop revival band, The Darts. However, from the late '60's to the early '70's, he recorded some good Chicago Blues rock albums with The John Dummer Blues Band. The band were a fairly successful hard-working live act, and were popular on the blues clubs and college scene. They also supported some top acts like Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker on UK tours. In it's relatively short history, the band went through numerous personnel changes and included musicians like Graham Bond, Dave Kelly, Jo Ann Kelly, Tony McPhee and Pick Withers. The albums, "The John Dummer Band", and "Cabal" from 1969 are good albums and worth hearing. The "Lost 1973 Album" posted here was lying in the vaults for over 30 years before it saw an official release. It's a fairly typical album of the period with blues, folk, and country undertones and a good collection of songs with great musicianship

TRACKS

1 La Lady 2:39
2 Sunny Wine Song 3:17
3 Short Haul Line 3:15
4 Reach for Me 4:29
5 Goin Home 3:51
6 Bad Dream 6:19
7 Good Rockin Man 4:01
8 Undying Love 5:15
9 Whos Foolin Who 5:40
10 Stealin 2:31
11 Keep It in My Mind 7:19

BAND

Dave Kelly - Guitar, (Vocals on Tracks 1-5, & 7-11)
Pete Emery - Guitar
Ian "Thump" Thompson - Bass Guitar
Colin Earl - Keyboards
Pick Withers - Drums
John Dummer - Percussion (Vocals on Track 6)
Graham Bond RIP - Saxophone

SHORT BIO

This blues outfit formed in the Summer of 1967 in London. By the beginning of 1968, Tony Walker and Roger Pearce had both quit the music business. The next line-up was playing solid Chicago-styled blues. In July 1968, they turned professional. By now, Steve Rye had departed for Simon and Steve, and Tony McPhee, a friend of Dave Kelly's, came in on guitar. However, McPhee's stay was brief - a few month later he left to join The Groundhogs. Their two albums for Mercury are the most sought-after by collectors.Dummer followed this with Music Band, a venture with violinist Nick Pickett, which achieved little here but had a French hit with “Nine By Nine”. Shortening their name to John Dummer, they signed to Vertigo, recording “Blue”, with a cover designed by Roger Dean. The music was still competent blues-rock, but nowhere near as good as their earlier, late-sixties offerings on Mercury. Then, teaming up again with his original guitarist Dave Kelly, Dummer recorded “Oobleedooblee Jubilee” with a country-influenced band. This was a dreadful album, and Dummer went on to hit the skins for another appalling (if commercially successful) band, Darts.Only his early albums are recommended. John Dummer's Famous Music Band's French hit, “Nine By Nine” can also be heard on Vertigo's 1971 compilation, “Heads Together, First Round”. - from The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson

BIO (WIKI)

The John Dummer Band also known as John Dummer's Blues Band, John Dummer's Famous Music Band, John Dummer's Ooblee Dooblee Band and The John Dummer Band Featuring Nick Pickett was a British blues band, of the 1960s and 70s, who "hung forever on the cusp of a major step forward, but never quite made it". It was noted for its extensive roster of members, including Graham Bond, Dave Kelly, Jo Ann Kelly, Tony McPhee and Pick Withers, and for supporting US bluesmen such as Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker on UK tours. The band was formed by drummer John Dummer (born 19 November 1944, Surbiton, Surrey). He formed Lester Square and the G.T's in 1963, and toured the UK and Germany for 2 years, before briefly leaving the music industry. He formed the John Dummer Blues Band in 1967. The original line up included Dummer (drums); Dave Kelly and Roger Pearce (guitars); Tony Walker (bass); and Steve Rye (harmonica). Walker, Rye and Pearce left and Bob Hall (piano), John O'Leary (harmonica) and Iain "Thunder" Thompson (bass) joined. The band then turned professional and Tony McPhee joined, before they recorded their first album Cabal (1968). Soon after, McPhee left to reform The Groundhogs being replaced by Adrian Pietryga for the second album John Dummers Band By the third album Famous Music Band (1970) Stephen Miller (piano);and Adrian Pietryga (guitars); Iain Thompson and Keith Tillman (bass); Jo Ann Kelly (vocals) and Miller and Tillman left and McPhee left to reform The Groundhogs being replaced by Nick Picket . the Kelly siblings and Hall had left, whilst John Fairweather (harmonica) and Chris Tengrove (sax) joined. After the third album the band "drifted apart", only to reform when they discovered that their song "Nine By Nine" from their third album was #1 in France. By the next album Blue (1972) the band had reduced to a four-piece (Dummer, Pickett, Pietryga and Thompson) Oobleedoobleejubilee (1973) again included the Kelly siblings, along with Michael Evans (violin) and Roger Brown (vocals). The next album, also including Graham Bond (sax), Pick Withers (drums), Pete Emery (guitar) and Colin Earl (Foghat) (keyboards) was shelved, and the band broke up in 1974, the last album was finally released in 2008 as the Lost 1973 Album. John Dummer became a Promotion Manager; spending 3 years at MCA and a year at Electra, before joining A&M. In 1977 he became the drummer with Darts, joining former Dummer Band members Thompson and Currie, and wrote songs including Dart's "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love", which reached #45 on the UK singles chart, before leaving in 1980. His next group, True Life Confessions, featured his wife Helen April, second drummer Manic Esso from The Lurkers, bassist Harry Kakouli from Squeeze, guitarist Mark Nevin and two Afro-French girl singers. They issued several records on A&M, but none charted. Dummer and his wife also performed as a duo, and had a UK top 50 single with their version of "Blues Skies" and were also known for "Own Up If You're Over 25". He then managed The Screaming Blue Messiahs for three years, before restoring properties in France and Portugal. He formed Screwy Truants with French musicians, sang and played harmonica with French guitarist Jean-Claude Manuel, and drummed with harmonica player and blues singer Nico Toussaint. He is currently an antiques trader, furniture restorer and novelist.