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(c’67-19) John Cree (vocals / drums / guitar)

Vocalist and guitarist Cree, who was also referred to as John Scott Cree, was born in Farnham, lived in Ash as a child and attended St. Joseph’s school in Aldershot. At secondary school in Weybridge, he learned to play guitar and began writing songs which he took to folk clubs in North Camp, Farnham, and Guildford, as well as youth clubs like The Four As, Aldershot.

He had been playing the guitar and singing at home for a while, when he saw a photograph of Bob Dylan playing guitar and harmonica at the same time. Keen to emulate Dylan, he asked his dad, Jock Cree, who managed Potter’s Music Shop, Aldershot, if he could get him a harmonica harness. On seeing the photo Jock Cree set about making enquiries until he got one from the sole UK manufacturer (whose main business was making vacuum cleaners). It cost 28/6d which was a small fortune at a time when an Echo Super Vamper harmonica cost only 11/3d. Now able to emulate one of his heroes, while others made their own harnesses from wire coat hangers, Cree decided it was an ideal time to start gigging. Cree’s first appearance was at the Church Hall of Holy Angels Church, Ash in ’65, between the two groups who were playing the dance, to give them a chance to clear the stage and set up the new equipment.

In ’65/’66 he played a number of times in the cellar behind The Plaza, Guildford, which was the original premises of what went on to become Guildford Arts Lab’s The Whole. Initially he performed blues material like ‘Ella Speed’ and ‘St. James Infirmary’ and others by such as Leadbelly and Josh White. Cree recalls going to Stratford on Avon to play that Summer and two young ladies approaching and asking if they had seen me at The Whole the previous week. Around ’67 he was involved with the JP Trio (which became a 5-piece) and recalls playing with the group at the Working Men’s Club, Frimley Green with Cliff Davies of The Moggies deputizing on drums, with playing appreciated by the band, if not the ‘jivers’ who complained vociferously about the lack of a strong off-beat. Cree also filled in for members of The Keynotes, a band in which his father Jock Cree was involved.

Howard Fullbrook recalls Cree’s band playing at his 21st birthday party in the barn at the Duke of Cambridge, Camberley. This was in January ’67 and the fee paid to the band was £10, with barn rental costing 5 guineas (105 shillings). Meanwhile, Cree informs us that Fullbrook joined in when the band covered The Small Faces’ “Sha La La la Lee”. 

In ’68, Cree moved to Earls Court and played in folk clubs and pubs, occasionally with Pauline Moran, bassist with The She Trinity, who became Miss Lemon in TV’s Poirot.

In ’69 he moved South, to Dover, and a residency at The Railway Club with the Frank Horton Trio, Pipe & Twee, and the Bill Barnacle Quartet while also picking up spots with the Martin Brown Band, Ian Shawcross and the Bod Bowles Jazz Band. From here he began to build a reputation as a singer-songwriter of folk and / or rock comedy tracks.

In ’71, he took over his father’s Flams Ltd record label and released LPs by acts from Kent. That year, Cree first appeared on vinyl playing guitar on the eponymous Bod Bowles Jazz Band LP on Flams Ltd [FR 1064].

After a move to Horley in ’73, he joined the New City Jazzmen, then shifted to folk and a residency at Chequers as well as touring the folk clubs and appearances at Cambridge Folk Festival. In ’76 he appeared on vinyl again, with 4 tracks on the “Folk At The Chequers – The First Three Years” compilation LP released on Wounded Records [WR 1068] , a subsidiary of Flams Ltd, that also carried recordings of Ivor Aylesbury (from The Silkie), The Foggy Bottle Tops, Mike Wortz, and McAnon; and was recorded live at the Chequers Hotel, Horley on 4 March ’75 and 17 April ’76. Godalming based folk club, Stag Folk, hosted John Scott Cree on 16 August ’76 at Shackleford Social Centre, Godalming. That year also saw him supporting Frogmorton.

Signing to Pye Records, Cree released the 7″ single “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” backed by “Palais” [7N 46034] in late ’77, although it was recorded in ’75 with Davies, The Moggies’ drummer (Davies would also appear on later Cree sessions for Pye Records). It was subsequently re-released in ’78 with a picture sleeve, making it to #9 in a Sounds chart. He then signed a publishing contract with EMI Music. ’78 also saw his second single on Pye [7N 46083], titled “His Greatest Hit” backed with “The Sensuous Man”, hit the streets. In ’78-’79 he supported The Enid on numerous dates, including an appearance at The University of Surrey, Guildford and a record attendance at the Technical College, Farnborough. He’d also played the Civic Hall, Guildford on 24 February that year; a gig that was part of a tour ending at Hammersmith Odeon to promote the release of the “Wivabandon Oneezone” LP, also on Pye [NSPL 18598], which had been recorded almost a year earlier in January and March ’78 at Pye Studios; with side two (the “Oneezone” side) recorded live at Brighton Polytechnic on 15th March ’78.

Over this Pye period he appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Noel Edmonds show, with Richard Digence on Capital, and others. On the University circuit, he also supported / opened for Chris Rea, Iron Maiden and The Pretenders. Cree’s “Rudolph…” would go on to appear in ’81 on the “They All Laughed! (Did You Hear the One About?…)” compilation LP on PRT Records [PYL 7006], and ’91’s “A Golden Hour of Comedy” compilation on Knight Records [KGHCD 157]. While this was going on Cree secured a residency at the Half Moon, Putney and stopped using the ‘Wounded’ prefix.

He went on to appear regularly at The Brambles, Horley and play with The Mid-Life Crisis Blues Band, Fair Trade/Reelstrings, and appear at the Broadstairs Festival for 20 years with the Phatt B’stards. In ’98, he released a CD titled “Superfluous Man”on Flams Records [FCD 002] and there was an e-book of the same name. He subsequently released 4 CDs and guested on others.

As of 2023 Cree was still performing. Some of his children perform and record variously as Gatekeeper, Kase 1 and as bassist with Bachelor Jack.

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