Thursday afternoon I got one of those really good phone calls – good
blood test result from MDU meaning no more big fat injections in the stomach every morning. Just as
well, the bruises were starting to join up. I could post a photo...no really it would be no trouble at all....are you sure you don't? Oh well it's up to you.
To celebrate I spent the evening at ‘my club’, that’s the
Staines Riverside club, formerly The Ex-Servicemen’s Club. Odd really, it's hard to come up with an army that would ever have had me, except perhaps for The Red Army. Anyway it’s
strictly no dancing for me, for the while.
‘Ain’t no love in the heart of the city’, gave all of us a
chance for a singsong but the star was Paul Cox and his gravelly, bluesy voice.
THE PROOF features the following musicians:
Paul Cox – vocals
Roger Cotton, keys and producer
Peter Stroud, drums
Nigel Hardy, bass
Mike Summerland, guitars
Paul Cox is one of the best showmen and singers around today.
Equally at home with Soul and Blues songs, and more than capable of Rockin’ it
up, he has been described by DJ and Blues Band legend Paul Jones as having “
one of the best voices in the UK.” Paul has an impressive track record, playing
with great guitar players including Snowy White, Ray Minhinnett, Henry
McCulloch, the late John Slaughter, and recently French guitarist Chrlie
Fabert. Paul is a regular at venues and festivals across the UK and Europe ,
including Montreux, Ronnie Scott’s, the London Palladium, and the Royal
Festival Hall. He has opened for some of the greatest artists in the world,
including Ray Charles and Eric Clapton, and sung with Paul Rogers, Bonnie
Tyler, Sam Brown, Ruby Turner, and Debbie Bonham.
Roger A Cotton (born 1946 in Bromley, Kent) is a musician,
singer, songwriter, producer and engineer. He plays keyboards and guitar.
Cotton first played in his father’s band at the age of 13. In the 1970s and
1980s he was a member of Peter Green’s Splinter Group, The Clockwork Orange,
The Bandwagon, and The Brothers Grim where he met longtime collaborator Alan
Glen. Cotton is currently the keyboard player in the Buddy Whittington Band.
Cotton, when a member of Peter Green Splinter Group, wrote some of the band’s
songs, including “Big Change” and “Real World”. He played keyboard and guitar
with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Paul Jones, Carlos Santana, Papa
George Blues Band, Soul Survivor, The Paul Cox Band, and with Buddy Whittington.
He has also written and recorded with Eric Bibb, Dr. Feelgood, The Barcodes,
Incredible Blues Puppies, The Downliner Sect, Sonny Black and Derek Nash. He
has also made various appearance on television in the United States, Europe and
Japan. He is the owner of Roundel Studios in Horton Kirby, Kent, where many
musicians have recorded.
Mike Summerland. Mike has worked in the music industry for
almost forty years. During his career he has worked with many artists such as:
Georgie Fame, William Bell, Graham Lyle (Gallagher and Lyle), The Marvelettes,
Doris Troy, Willie Tee, Al Jackson and Blodwyn Pig to name but a few. Mike and
Paul first met in 1987 and formed a band called “The Messengers” which only
lasted a few months, but the friendship was formed out of that time. Since
1999, Mike and Paul have worked regularly together gigging, recording and
writing for various projects.
Nigel Hardy is one of the most renowned and respected bass
players today. His sound is instantly recognisable, giving weight and substance
to the variety of music with which he’s been associated over the years. His
first major gig was with this country’s finest blues harp player, the great
Paul Jones. After which, he spent many years in the United States, honing his
craft with great musicians from The Mick Jagger and Bryan Adams Bands. On
returning to England, he worked with Robert Palmer. Over the years, he has
toured extensively throughout Britain and Europe as bass player/musical
director, with American Blues Artists including Phil Guy, Johnny Rawls, Deitra
Farr, Andrew “Junior Boy” Jones, U.P. Wilson and many more. He is now proud to
be a member of THE PROOF.
And it’s all true – Peter Green created Fleetwood Mac when it
was a real blues band. Check out the heads up for ‘The Downliner Sect’, a
fabulous 1960’s bluesband. And then there’s Dr Feelgood and Georgie Fame.
Great evening, good sounds.
Neil Harris
(a don’t stop till you drop production)
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