Just as things were going well, we started to experience problems. Peter for example needed to go to College to study and was under some obligation to his parents who owned a successful bakery business and wanted him to prepare to take over from his father. Graham was not too happy about a few things. We had, up to now, had a policy of no girls allowed on gigs as they disrupted the evenings, got jealous on the reacations of the crowd etc. I tried to keep my girl friends out of the scene but while doing this managed to let the group spoil some potential relationships. One girl friend Carol Gillespie was very understanding that I could only see her during week days or when we were not playing. I remember her mother giving me an ear bashing about the situation. " Carol does not want to go out on Saturday nights because you are not with her , sometimes she is in tears" But the group came first so I lost her. I really did like Lorraine Ricca ( her father was an ex Rugby player and landlord of a pub in Elland) We got on well and I remember going to the jazz club, Plebians in Halifax and various places in Elland. Again I could not keep Lorraine because of the band and at the time I was hurt when we parted. When the Yolks split up as Peter and Graham were leaving we decided to take a rest for a while. During the so called rest time Peter started to go out with Lorraine and by coincidence John met Carol and started going out too. So I had two ex girl friends who I could not keep because of the band who were then pinched by members of the band, joking, I did not care as I had a new girlfriend Pauline, the one I married.
Mike Yarwood
During the time of The Yolks at a club in Bradford ( famous in those days) I think it was the Lyceum Rainbow Rooms, we did the Mike Yarwood Show. I recall the club was not too busy so we went out front and cheered Mike on a bit to get the audience going, as time went on the club did get busy so he did not need us. He did a great Harold Wilson, Steptoe act, great pro. We shared dressing rooms although we could have had our own so we could have a good chat. Mike was a nice guy, very shy and nervous before going on stage, I got the feeling he liked to have people around rather than being alone in the dressing room. I had a white guitar case at the time so Mike signed it for me. He was a massive TV star in the early sixties.
The Yolks what a stupid name, cant remember how it came about but I am sure I am not to blame. We knew we had chosen a bad name because without relating the word to an egg, many people could not pronounce the word...... Yol kus.... Yoluks Tony Aspey left the group, dont think his parents approved. John Bell knew a guy called Graham Hilton would could play lead guitar, ex Dino and the Travellers and Thunderbeats. Graham was great, he even played lead solo's with the guitar on his shoulders behind his head adding good visual effect to the group and John would do the splits while singing Whole Lot Of Shakin. During 1965 we appointed a new manager, Geoff Fisher, I think this is the first time I had knowing met a gay guy as I did not know what one was.... true. It was not out in the open in 1965. To me Geoff was a nice guy caring and considerate to others , (think he had been married) but lived alone with his mother. During the day he was a furniture salesman at Waring and Gillam in Wade Street Halifax, just around the corner from where I worked. Another first for me is that Geoff developed diabetes soon after joining us, I remember he just started drinking gallons of lemonade. Then the news came he was ill with Diabetes. Geoff was not a ideal manager because although he was keen he did not have the contacts in the business so we tended to only work locally. We were spotted by an agent named Harry Morris Entertainments of Bradford. Harry was keen to sign us up but only if Geoff stepped down as manager as Harry wanted total control. First thing Harry did was to get us some great work. We followed big names like Rod Stewart at The Troutbeck, Ilkley and on 1st May 1965 we supported Screaming Jay Hawkins the following Saturday was Long John Baldrey. The Blue Set were the backing group for S J H they had a great sound. Some of the guys are still around today as I have been in contact with Ronnie Carr recently. Jay Hawkins was a mad man on stage he did a Voodoo act half naked with a leopard skin and a pole with a skull on top. He made fires on stage from like small square biscuit tins. In the dressing room he sat and meditated. He did tell us about his early days working with Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry in fact just 10 years earlier he had a big hit with the song he wrote " I Put a Spell on You"
Sadly,Jay Hawkins died on 12th February 2000 aged 70.
Gerry Dorsey
Gerry Dorsey was a popular artist we used to see him on a TV programme 6-5 Special. The Yolks were booked again at the Bradford club to do the Gerry Dorsey Show early 1967. Gerry turned up and as the Yolks were the support band he listened to us at the side of the stage. We came off from our first session and chatted about the bands who were about at the time. His manager turned up, I recognised him as he was Tom Jones's manager and I think Billy Fury's. He was a stoutly guy, jewish, with cigar and camel coat. Their dressing room was closed and somekind of conflict going on with the management. It was then announced that Gerry Dorsey would not be appearing on the Gerry Dorsey Show ( dont know why). In retrospect I think there was some argument about money. We never heard anything of what happened to Gerry Dorsey but within months he had be renamed Engelburt Humperdinck and recorded Release Me !!!
Brearley, personal websites, Peter and the wolves, the system, the yolks, the misfits, st julien duo, halifax town,