(c’68) – Chandler “Roy St. John” Holmes (guitar / vocals), Peter “Jug” Mallett (jug), Pete Farr (?) and John Lathey (guitar/vocals).
Holmes was an American living in Farnham and pulled together The River Bottom Band with a few work colleagues at Shattaline and others. They played a number of local gigs and had a residency at the Bush Hotel, Farnham playing a repertoire of jug and country rock; covering the likes of “Proud Mary” along with their own compositions, “Met You Down in Moretonhamstead” among them.
The band supported Farnham Wall of Sound at the Civic Hall, Guildford on 8 April ’70, then on 7 August that year Holmes formed a duo with Steve Bayfield to perform at the Church House, Farnham, at which The River Bottom Band also played. They returned to the Civic Hall on 5 November and along with September Tree and Zynthoid supported Don Partridge.
Holmes went on to join the Farnham Wall of Sound. Under the stage name Roy St. John, Holmes later recorded on Virgin Records, notably “The Way You Look Tonight” in 1976 and led Pub Rockers “Phoenix”. He later moved back to the US. We would rediscover Lathey at Crofter’s Folk Club, The Wheatsheaf, Alton, on the bill with Hot Vultures and Earthforce on 13 September ’78. He would also support the latter’s headline slot at Bellerby Theatre, Guildford on 23 November that year. His composition for guitar, “Just a Little Something for Goldfish to Dance to” appeared in 2009 on Mikkel Andersen’s LP “El Llanto De La Guitarra” (The Lament of The Guitar) on the Helikon label [HCD 1057]. Farr went into the movie industry after Falmouth Art College. Worked on Alien and The Meaning of Life amongst others. Now retired he does some sculpting and has started making acoustic guitars. Mallet would also perform as a duo with Bayfield, appearing at the Arts Lab held at the Library Hall, Aldershot on 25 July ’70. He moved to Cornwall in the mid 70’s then to Devon, where he sadly died at the turn of the century.
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