The Stormsville Shakers

(c’61-’67) Phillip Goodhand-Tait (keyboards / vocal), Paul Demers (drums), Ivor Shackleton (guitar), and Michael Francis ‘Kirk’ Riddle (bass)

Phillip Goodhand-Tait – who used to live on Bushy Hill Estate, Guildford and went to Pewley then George Abbot schools – joined forces with Demers, and Goldalming Grammar students Shackleton, and Riddle to form Phil Tone & The Midnighters. The band rehearsed at the Youth Club, Merrow and played their first gig at the Town Hall, Eastleigh, Hampshire on the 2 September ’61.

Riddle was the band’s driver to these early gigs, getting them to venues like the Village Hall, Effingham; Youth Clubs in Farncombe, Merrow, and Charlotteville; the Congo Youth Club that was held on North Street, Guildford; the Odeon, Guildford; and Friary Brewery, Guildford.

In Dec ’62 the band, now going by The Stormsville Shakers or Phillip Goodhand-Tate and the Stormsville Shakers monikers, signed with the Michael G. Burton Agency to be represented by Mike Gee. The band graced the NAAFI Club, Aldershot on an almost weekly basis in ’63 and were hired by Brian Howard to appear on 21 September ’63, as Phill and the Stormsville Shaker at Peace Memorial Hall, Ashtead, supported by the Echolettes. They were at the Village Hall, Churt on 7 December ’63 and only advertised a few days later on 22 December ’63 the band performed at the Holy Trinity Hall, Guildford in aid of Oxfam. On 25 January and 8 May ’64 the group returned to the Village Hall in Churt and then went on to win The Surrey Rock Competition on 25 May ’63, held at Shalford Park. They also won the 1st heat of the All England Beat Competition, held at the Plaza Ballroom, Guildford on 24 Sept that year. The prize was a recording session at Decca, publicity in the Surrey Advertiser and the titles of “Surrey’s Top Group”. Towards the end of ’63 they were starting to get gigs further afield in Ipswich, London (inc. the Flamingo Club) and The Jazz Cellar, Kingston-Upon-Thames. Meanwhile they were still busy on the local circuit supporting the likes of The Yardbirds, John Mayall, Alexis Korner and The Rolling Stones at The Wooden Bridge, Guildford. On 4 November ’63, Phil and The Stormsville Shakers headline opening night of the Rock & Twist Dances at the Civic Hall, Guildford, with The Original Dominos, The Condors and The Age Beaters in support.

Early January ’64 the band expanded with the addition of Steve Howard (tenor sax). The next month Dick Forcey (drums) replaced Demers. A few days later they had there first official recording session in West Hampstead. A couple of days after that there was a recording audition for Decca followed, within a few weeks, by a Recording Test in Studio 1. Brian Howard booked the band again, this time as support to Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated on 7 March ’64 at Epsom Baths Hall, Epsom. On 4 July ’64 they supported the Paramounts at the Civic Hall, Guildford and John Lee Hooker at the Ricky Tick Club, Windsor on 11 July. It was around this time that Patrick Martin of The Late approached Riddle and asked how he achieved the ‘really punchy sound’, with Riddle crediting “La Bella Flatwound” strings. Mid-July they became a 6-piece with the addition of Peter ‘Greg’ MacGregor (tenor sax).

It was around this time The Surrey Advertiser titled them the “Go ahead Generation – Number one group” and they became a regular feature at Ricky Tick, Guildford and Windsor. On 10 August they enter a studio again, this time Central Sounds, Denmark St, returning on the 18 August. Shortly after the first recording session Mick Douglas (guitar) ‘temporarily’ picks up the axe for Shackleton. In early September, duties change again when MacGregor leaves to be replaced Geoff Cooke (tenor sax). The band are now playing nationally including Stringfellows’ The Mojo Club, Sheffield; The Place, Stoke on Trent; ; Crawdaddy at The Star, Croydon; California Ballroom, Dunstable; Blue Moon Club, Hayes; and the Whisky A Go Go, Newcastle. On the 1 October ’64 the combined Farnborough Tech & RAE Rag Ball was held at R.A.E.’s Assembly Hall, Farnborough and featured The Art Woods, Reading based The Moquettes, and Phillip Goodhand-Tate and the Stormsville Shakers. Two weeks later they were at the Locarno Ballroom, Swindon supporting Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders on 15 October. On 13 December the band were the headliner at Ilkley D.J. Club at the Troutbeck Hotel, Ilkley, supported by Thimble Riggers, and in mid-December ’64 there was a 4-day tour of Scotland followed by a recording session at the Marquee Studios with Georgio Gomelski on the 23 December, with a gig at the Flamingo Club with Zoot Money straight after. To close out ’64 and hail in ’65 they played Ricky Tick, Windsor supporting Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames. A portion of Fame’s performance was introduced by Brian Matthew with June Imrat and broadcast live from Clewer Mead as part of BBC Radio’s “New Year Revels”, which also featured Mark Wynter.

While signed to The Rik Gunnell Agency the band pretty much gigged every other day through ’64 and the schedule didn’t change entering ’65, which included touring with The Larry Williams Show. More recording in the first week of January ’65 at IBC Studios, London, but why waste a trip to town; getting booked to play the Marquee Club that night and running down to Reading the day after to join The Animals at the Olympia on the 7 January. Around mid-February ’65, David Sherrington (tenor sax) and Tony Hurley (tenor sax) join as Cooke and Howard leave. In March The Stormsville Shakers are recording again, this time at Regent Sound Studios, London. They were back on local turf on 31 March ’65 performing for The Guildford School of Art Students Union at the Village Hall, Merrow with The SmokeStakks in support.

Finally, on the 5 and 6 April ’65, they enter the studios to record an LP with Larry Williams at Decca Recording Studios and Marquee Studios, London respectively. The bands time with The Larry Williams Show and these recording sessions led to their appearance on the snappily title “The Larry Williams Show Featuring Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson With The Stormsville Shakers” LP, the cover of which carries an image taken at The Plaza, Guildford. On 19 April ’65, The Stormsville Shakers were supporting Downliner’s Sect at the Rendezvous Club at Oddfellows Hall, Portsmouth, shortly before the club stopped operating. THe band arrived at The Scotch of St.James, Mayfair at 7:30pm on 7 May ’65, performing three 35 minute long spots across the night and finished at 2:00am. They were subsequently booked to appear at the venue on both the 14 and 15 May. Jammed between their constant gigs come more recording sessions: 18 May at Regent Sound Studios, London they lay down “Long Live Love” and “I’ll Do The Best I Can” with Chris Andrews; 23 June at Regent Sound Studio, London for “Do What You Wanna Do” and “There You Go”; 4 August and 13 September recording at Rayrick Studios, London; 15, 27 and 30 September and 1 October at Advision Studios, that included recording “It’s A Lie”; and 23 December at R.G. Jones Studio, Morden, to record “Number One” and “There You Go”. In late ’65 Ian Jelfs (guitar) replaces Shackleton. As a result Shackleton misses out on the bands first international gigs on the 18 and 19 December at La Locomotive, Paris before returning to The Wooden Bridge, Guildford for a Christmas Eve gig.

The band returned to R.G. Jones Studio in January ’66 to finish “There You Go” and “Number One” and again on the 4 February for “I’ll Do The Best I Can” and “Gonna Put Some Hurt On You”, again on the 14, and once more on 17 February when they worked on “Gonna Put Some Hurt On You” again, but this time with The Marionettes vocal group and Gus Galbraith on trumpet. They were still playing, almost every other day, and sometimes twice a day, everywhere from pubs, clubs, colleges/polytechnics and wedding receptions up and down the country. On 29 January ’66, The Stormsville Shakers appeared with Lee Dorsey at the Flamingo Club, Wardour Street in the evening staying on to re-appear supporting Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band at the Allnighter Club at midnight. Then on 20 February they began a tour of France starting off in Paris with a gig at the Weekend Club (which was recorded), two at the Sims Club, and the Locomotive Club on the first day alone. Over the next five days they played eight gigs at the Palladium, Poparama, Television, Top Ten, New Palladium and a private party. The crazy schedule didn’t stop when they moved onto Nantes, with four performances on the 26 February and another on the 27 February. Back to Paris and another private party on 1 March and eleven more club gigs over the next five days at Top Ten, La Plantation, Whisky A Go Go, Potel Etoile, Le Club, Weekend, Locomotive and Les Chateaux. Mid tour they return to London for recording sessions at Rayrick Studios laying down “The Bear” and Advision Studios, London for more work on “Gonna Put Some Hurt On You”, then it’s back off to Paris for the rest of March and all of April, with a quick trip to Marseilles’ Club L’Omnibus on 26 and 27 March. On 1 April they take on a month long residency at Paris’ Palladium, playing every night of the month through 1 May.

On 6 May ’66 “Gonna Put Some Hurt On You” backed with “It’s A Lie” is released on Parlophone Records [R5448]. As their single hits the charts in early May ’66 they are back gigging in the UK. Mid-May saw Goodhand-Tate signing a publishing contract with Dick James Music and the band engaged Tony Brainsby as Publicist; Mel Collins (sax) also joined the band. The single enters the Melody Maker Pop 50 chart by 21 May and they close out the month with The Who at Morecambe, Winter Gardens. By 4 June the single has reached No.40 in the Melody Maker Pop 50 chart and the almost daily gigging continues. In June, news breaks of Sherrington having an incident with a British Rail policeman. On 15 July they find time to hit the studio – R.G. Jones Studio again – and record “No Problem”, “What More Do You Want”, and “Where Were You”. “No Problem” is assigned to Dick James Music on 1 August and the band work on the track at R.G. Jones Studio the next day. Towards the end of August ’66 “No Problem”, produced by Chris Cassup, who also managed the band in the early to mid-sixties, backed by “What More Do You Want” is released on Parlophone Records [R5498].

A meeting with producer Roy Pitt in September results in a number of recording sessions at Maximum Sound Studios on: 11 and 12 October “You Can’t Take Love” is initially laid down; on the 19 October, with The Carols as backing, they work on the track some more; and then on 2 and 9 November ’66 they wrap it up. In the middle was another one week tour of France. On 2 December, Parlophone Records released “You Can’t Take Love” backed by “J.C. Greaseburger” [R5547]; and “I’m Gonna Put Some Hurt On You” appeared on a compilation by Columbia [SX6062].

Early ’67 and the gigging schedule continues at it’s usual rapid rate, including two week long trips to Belfast in March and April. There’s a break in the gigging on 30 January to record “The Society For The Protection Of Love” at R.G. Jones Studio. The 13 February ’67 sees the band at the Marquee, London supporting The Herd, a role they repeated at the venue a month later on 13 March. The 30 March is used recording “One And One Is Two” and “There You Go” at CTS Studio; 4 April back at R.G. Jones Studio, 18 April at IBC Studios, London, 17 May at City of London Recording Studios recording “Sink Or Swim” and “Gone Are The Songs Of Yesterday”.

Then in April ’67 rumors started of a name change. In ’67 we know that Doreen Pettifer, of Godalming, was the official secretary of The Stormsville Shakers Fan Club and Chris Cassap from Guildford was their manager. On 28 July ’67, The Stormsville Shakers closed out the month with a gig in Ostend, Belgium on then took a break before hitting Switzerland mid-August en-route to Italy to play the Piper Club, Rome on the 15 August, then the Piper Club, Viareggio on the 21 August. They finished out August back in Rome recording a scene playing “You Got Me Humming” for the Italian movie titled “Main City”. On 1 September ’67 the band changed their name to Circus.

In June 2003: Phillip Goodhand-Tait and the Stormsville Shakers, The Switch, The Phantom Four and Razzle Dazzle got together and played a final gig at the Civic Hall, Guildford. 2015 saw the release of “One And One Is Two – The Stormville Shakers and Circus with Phillip Goodhand-Tait, Complete Recordings 1965 – 1967” [RETRO967] which carries 27 tracks including the five Parlophone singles. This was also the year that John Reed and Paul Robinson of Cherry Red Records worked with 23 Ears to compile the CD that accompanied the June 2015 issue of MOJO Magazine titled ‘My Generation – 15 Tracks of ’60s Beat-Filled Teenage MOD Angst‘ that included The Stormsville Shakers ‘Number One’ as the fifth track.

Other members not yet slotted into the timeline are Graham “Cupcake” Cooper (guitar) who went on to play in Strange Brew and Jackie Lynton’s Happy Days Band, and Chris Brayne (drums) who would later join Backhurst, Manhole, and Cryin’ Out Loud. Copper would be later found performing solo under the Graham “Cupcake” Cooper moniker, and some recall Eric Clapton joining him and other local musicians onstage at The Royal, Guildford for a charity gig in the early ’80s with Bruce Foxton of The Jam in the audience. Chris Cassup, who is listed as the producer on the “No Problem” single and was the band’s manager opened the Unit Three burger bistro in Jeffries Passage, Guildford around 1974, opposite the Horse and Groom. Cassup was working the night that the bomb went off, he was unhurt. He went on to run a guest house on the coast and died around 2006. Riddle, who lately played in the Staubanzee skiffle band, sadly passed away November 2017. Dick Forcey was last heard of in Australia. Sax player Sherrington passed in early March 2022 with sax all set up just 6 feet away.

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