Ricky Tick Club, Guildford

(c’62-66) After seeing how well the Ealing Club worked in early ’62, John Mansfield and Philip Hayward established The Ricky-Tick in Windsor, becoming an influential 60’s R&B venue, hosting the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Cream. The Ricky Tick was so successful that the enterprising duo established and promoted Ricky Tick clubs in 27 towns including Guildford, which was their second and the most regular club after Windsor. The Guildford Ricky Tick hired The Wooden Bridge, the Civic Hall, Guildford and Memorial Hall, Worplesdon before settling into The Plaza, Guildford. Five bob would get you in to see the likes of The Yardbirds, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Charlie & Inez Foxx, Graham Bond, Zoot Money, Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame, and John Mayall on a Friday night.

The Guildford Ricky Tick’s opening night was 9 March ’63 at The Wooden Bridge, Guildford and featured The Rolling Stones, who were making their first appearance in Guildford. Hundreds of fans had assembled, with many of the unticketed unable to get in. Doors and windows were shut and locked to bar the rabble from entry, but once The Stones began to play the fire doors burst open and the crowd poured in. The Wooden Bridge was more subdued, but still packed, on 31 May ’63 for Alexis Korners Blues Inc., with The Rolling Stones returning a week later on 7 June, the second of seven gigs Mansfield and Hayward had book the band to perform at Ricky Tick, Guildford. A similar booking arrangement had been set with the Cyril Davies All Stars with Long John Baldry who reappeared on 14 June and again on 5 July. A recently formed four piece jazz/rhythm and blues group called The Graham Bond Organization, consisting of Graham Bond, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and John McLaughlin, took to The Wooden Bridge’s low stage on 12 July; and The Rolling Stones returned the week after on 19 July.

The Cyril Davies All Stars with Long John Baldry returned on 26 July and The Rolling Stones fourth appearance was the following week on 2 August. The bands continued their rotation with the odd variation after moving to Worplesdon’s Memorial Hall, where at least eleven Ricky Tick (known as ‘R&B Guildford’ then) nights went down. John Mayall’s Blues Breakers rolled into the village on 9 August ’63, followed the next week, 16 August ’63, by The Cyril Davies All-stars with Long John Baldry. This gig is supposedly the one referenced in a Louder Sounds, May 2014 article ‘Boom Boom: The Untold Story of British R&B’ when Roland Kelly is quoted saying “We went to see them [Cyril Davies and Long John Baldry] over at Worplesdon Village Hall, which is near Guildford. He was absolutely stoned out of his brain with a suitcase of scotch, he could hardly stand but he still did the gig.”

The next gig scheduled for 23 August ’63 was a disaster: The Rolling Stones never showed up and neither Hayward (at the Windsor venue) or Mansfield (reportedly handing out Ricky Tick flyers at a concert in Guildford) were present. Guildford Ricky Tick managers David Woodrow, with help from Brenda Elsdon, did their best to pacify the crowd by telling stories, sing-a-longs, games and party tricks by the audience. The hall’s caretaker and his wife made cups of tea and orange squash for the fans, as there was no bar. Mansfield arrived around 9pm and diffused the situation with refunds and 1/2 priced admission to the Cyril Davies All-stars with Long John Baldry the next Friday, 30 August ’63. Admission ran from 2/6 to 7/6, pennies in today’s money. The Stones had gone to a London club to celebrate their appearance on ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ instead.

After the first few gigs in Guildford the Ricky Tick organizers noticed posters for Hogsnort Rupert about town, featuring the strong image of a singing/screaming face, and on discovering the creator reached out. Bob McGarth of Hogsnort Rupert had created the posters while at Farnham Art College and he agreed to design and produced posters for the Ricky Tick, using the image that became the Ricky Tick icon / logo, but eventually volumes grew, and he created a method for Mansfield and Hayward to do it themselves.

On 6 September ’63, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers were back, a month after their first appearance, and again on 20 September ’63. Sandwiched in-between these two date was Jimmy Powell & The Dimensions, probably with Rod Stewart, on 13 September ’63. The first concert in October featured the Cyril Davies All-stars with Long John Baldry on 4 October ’63 and the next week on 11 October, it was Jimmy Powell & The Dimensions once again, while local band Hogsnort Rupert’s Soul Builders with Mel Turner took to the stage the week after that, the 18 October ’63. Jumping to November ’63, Cyril Davies All-Stars and Long John Baldry were back again on 2 November followed by the last Rick Tick at the hall which featured The Stormsville Shakers on 15 November ’63.

The club was becoming too big for their venues and so the Ricky Tick moved to The Plaza, Guildford on 29th November ’63, It was here that they started doing mid-week concerts as well as weekends and where Wednesday nights belonged to The Stormsville Shakers, who released “Ricky-Tick 40 Years On” following their brief reformation in 2005. On 15 December ’63, The Rolling Stones took to the stage at the Civic Hall, Guildford, thanks to the Ricky Tick promoters, Mansfield and Hayward. Also, on the bill that night were The Yardbirds, who’d recently recruited Eric Clapton.

Eric Burdon led The Animals onto The Plaza’s stage on 10 January ’64, followed a week later, on 17 January, by Sonny Boy Williamson with The Yardbirds, and on 31 January Alexis Korner played the club and The Yardbirds returned, without Sonny Boy, a few days later, on 4 February. Valentine’s Day ’64 saw couples grooving to Georgie Fame, with The Yardbirds back again on 18 February. Three days later, on 21 February, The Animals performed a very popular repeat show followed on 25 February by UK session band The Exotics, who had just released their first single, ‘Cross My Heart” on Decca. The Pretty Things appeared on 17 April ’64, who’d just signed to Fontana Records.

The likes of The Yardbirds backed America artists all over the UK thanks to the UK Musicians Union rule that required UK artists touring America be exchanged with USA artists performing in Britain. The Ricky Tick, like many clubs, benefited with the likes of Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry and many more touring the UK as part of the exchange program. But, it was too expensive to bring backing bands as well. This is how John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers backed John Lee Hooker and the Stormsville Shakers backed Larry Williams and Johnny Watson – recording two LPs for the Decca and Sue labels with them – at the Ricky Tick, Guildford and other venues.

Graham Bond appeared on 5 June, Georgie Fame on 6 June, and John Lee Hooker with John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers backing on 9 June. We lose track of the summer session at The Ricky Tick, Guildford in ’64, but find The Night-Timers with Ronnie Jones and Mike Eves at the club on 25 September; Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band dropped in the next night and The Moody Blues on 2 October followed by The Alan Price Set on 3 October.

The local paper advertised that The Cheynes who appear at Guildford’s Ricky Tick on 9 October, followed by The Five Dimensions the following week, on 16 October; between those two, Bo Diddley with The Duchess, aka Norma-Jean Wofford, and Jerome Green hit Guildford on 10 October ’64. The Ricky Tick’s Saturday show featured John Lee Hooker on 24 October and later that month, on 30 October, the blues blew in again with Sonny Boy Williamson and John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers backing; a musical relationship that would be celebrated by Mayall on his “Blues Alone” LP in ’67 in the form of “Sonny Boy Blow”, a harmonica-driven boogie tribute to the then recently deceased Williamson.

The next night, on 31 October ’64, a Guildford gig that almost any music aficionado wishes they had seen went down. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and rock audiences, who was later referred to as “the original soul sister” and “the Godmother of rock and roll”, electrified the The Plaza.

The Alex Harvey Soul Band, who spent considerable time touring the UK, rolled into Guildford’s Ricky Tick on 6 November ’64 followed by The Soul Agents on 13 November a month after the release of their second single. They were followed by American blues musician and songwriter Jimmie Reed on 14 November. Howlin’ Wolf on 11 December and Graham Bond on 19 December. On Boxing night The Cheynes and The Chessmen wrapped up Christmas.

The New Year Party at Ricky Tick, Guildford, on 1 January ’65, featured Alexis Korner with Herbie Goins, and The Muleskinners, followed by Sonny Boy Williamson with Zoot Money on 8 January ’65. Alexis Korner returned for the second time that month on 12 January and Ronnie Jones and the Nightimers dropped in on 15 January, followed by John Mayall on 22 January, and Georgie Fame on 29 January. Don Craine walked onto the Ricky Tick, Guildford’s stage in his customary deerstalker cap to co-front The Downliners Sect on 29 February ’64, The next month The Chessman appeared on 5 March, Zoot Money on 12 March, Georgie Fame on 19 March, and Goldie and The Gingerbreads on 26 March. When Larry Williams with Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson & Band appeared on 2 April ’65 there was a photographer in the crowd capturing images of the show. One of these was later used for the sleeve of the Decca released LP ‘The Larry Williams Show featuring Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson with the Stormsville Shakers.’

Long John Baldry was back on 9 April ’65, as was John Mayall on 16 April, The Yardbirds on 23 April and the Ricky Tick welcomed Goldie and the Gingerbreads mid-week, on 28 April ’65. On the Friday, Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds rolled in, followed a week later by the first appearance at the venue of The Spencer Davies Group on 7 May. This was topped by a return visit for John Lee Hooker on 14 May ’65. On 21 May ’65, The Who played at the Ricky Tick, Guildford. They had come straight from Ready, Steady, Go! where they had been plugging their new release ‘Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’ and appeared in Guildford in the same clothes. Reportedly, a contingent of Guildford Mods were unimpressed by the clothes and music and walked out of the Plaza. A week later, on 28 May, the Vagabonds wandered into the venue, followed by John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers on 4 June.

It was return visits for Pretty Things on 11 June, the Vagabonds on July 9, John Mayall on 16 July, and a first and only appearance for brother and sister act Inez & Charlie Foxx on 23 July. A few months later they would join The Marquee Package Tour with some other Ricky Tick regulars: Manfred Mann, Yardbirds, Paul & Barry Ryan, Mark Leeman Five, Scaffold and Gary Farr & The T-Bones. On 30 July, Graham Bond returned followed by another John Mayall appearance at the Guildford venue on 3 September ’65. Then, shortly after leaving The Animals and being interrupted, during a backstage performance of “Little Things”, by Bob Dylan at another venue – and caught on film – to ask why he’d left, Alan Price’s new band, the Alan Price Set took to the stage on 10 September.

A full six months after the release of their “Watermelon Man” single, The Shevelles – who’d been at The Flamingo Club, presented themselves on 17 September. The following week, on 24 September, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames appeared. In slightly less than six degrees of separation Fame had knocked The Beatles hold on the number one spot in January ’65 with a song titled “Yeh, Yeh”, that was first recorded by Mongo Santamaria on his 1963 album “Watermelon Man!”.

The Ricky Tick hosted Chris Farlowe on 24 Oct ’65 and Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band the next week on 31 October. The V.I.P.s, from Carlisle, showed up on 7 November and Ricky Tick regulars John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers were performing on 14 November. On 28 November ’65, The Night-Timers with Herbie Goins played the Ricky Tick, Guildford. The Shakedown Sound, who would become Jimmy Cliff’s backing band and then change their name to Silence, before becoming better known as Mott The Hoople, appeared on the 12 December ’65. The Who played the venue again that year, on 19 December, but Moon was replaced by Pretty Things’ Viv Prince. Local band The Rivals also played on various dates through ’65.

Mister showman himself, Zoot Money, packed them in on Boxing Day. Then in the New Year, The Chessmen, on 2 January ’66; T-Bones on 16 January; The Action on 23 January; and Lee Dorsey with The Crew and Ronnie Jones with The Blue Jays on 30 January were the penultimate act to perform at a Ricky Tick at The Plaza, Guildford. The Final Ricky Tick Club night at The Plaza was given to Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner’s ‘favourite white blues singer’ and writer of Black Sabbath’s anthemic song “Warning” the one and only, Victor Brox and The Blues Train.

Most of these acts, including The Who, would use a house behind The Plaza as a changing room. There was a coffee bar upstairs; and this along with The Plaza in general was managed by Ken Brewer who worked with his wife Joanne. Brewer went on to work at Lakeside, leaving us in 1999. Throughout ’65, The Plaza was leaning toward bingo to fill it’s coffers and the Ricky Tick eventually moved across Bridge Street in February ’66 to The Harvest Moon, within the Rodborough Building, for a couple of months, before ending up at The Stoke Hotel, Guildford.

On 3 March ’66, T. Bones along with the Mark Barry Group performed at the new Ricky Tick venue, upstairs at The Harvest Moon. The following week, on 10 March, Welsh beat pop group The Shevelles were back; with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers featuring Eric Clapton on 17 March. Soho scene-sters, Zoot Money appeared on the 24 March and Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band on 7 April.’ But after a couple of months it was time to move again.

The Stoke Hotel, Guildford, affectionately called Stoke Hole, served the Ricky Tick well for its final four months. On 4 August ’66, Zoot Money was back. Elevated from support to headline the Mark Barry Group performed on 11 August. Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band had just released the ‘Hi, Hi, Hazel’ single on Piccadilly when they performed on 18 August. On 25 August ’66 it hosted The Gass, the following Thursday, 1 September, John Mayall took to the ‘stage’ followed by Amboy Dukes the next week. Rod Stewart and Beryl Marsden were featured with Shotgun Express on 15 September followed by The Gass’ monthly visit on 22 September and Zoot Money on 29 September. The Ricky Tick’s last Guildford event was in October ‘66 at Stoke Hole, but we’ve yet to confirm who appeared.

Post Ricky Tick, Hayward continued to promote bands, opened Pantiles, Bagshot in ’67, and got into other businesses, such as betting shops, while Mansfield started and ran a wood stripping and restoration business. Hayward passed in 1993. In 2019, ‘As You Were – The true adventures of the Ricky-Tick club’, designed and produced by McGarth’s Eyeball Productions, was published. Mansfield, in frail health, was there for the book’s release. About a month later, he died at the age of 81.

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