Chris Ian and the Newcomers / The Newcomers

[Keith Jordan]

What information do we know about this band?

- Members
- Influences
- Gigs

- etc?

[Keith Jordan]

Chris Ian & The Newcomers (Cambridge Band)
(January ? March 1963)

Band Members

Barney Barnes ? Rhythm Guitar
Roger Bibby ? Bass Guitar
Chris Ian Culpin ? Drums
David Gilmour ? Guitar, Vocals
Ken Waterson - Vocals


Performances

1963

26 January 1963 ? Memorial Hall, Fulbourn, Cambridge, England

16 March 1963 ? Guildhall, Cambridge, England
23 March 1963 ? Village Hall, Dry Drayton, Cambridge, England

[Keith Jordan]

The Newcomers (Cambridge Band)
(April ? October 1963)

Band Members

Barney Barnes ? Rhythm Guitar
Roger Bibby ? Bass Guitar
David Gilmour ? Guitar, Vocals
Kenny Lennon ? Vocals (performances marked *)
Johnny Philips ? Vocals
Ken Waterson ? Vocals
Willie Wilson ? Drums


Performances

1963

04 May 1963 ? Guildhall, Cambridge, England
25 May 1963 ? Village Hall, Trumpington, Cambridge, England*
27 May 1963 ? St Andrew?s Baptist Hall, Cambridge, England*

08 June 1963 ? Rex Ballroom, Cambridge, England

03 August 1963 ? Rex Ballroom, Cambridge, England
24 August 1963 ? Rex Ballroom, Cambridge, England

05 October 1963 ? Rex Ballroom, Cambridge, England

[Miles leighton]

Regarding the apparent mystery surrounding the early years of the group Chris Ian & The Newcomers: The name and use of the Newcomers was created and designated by its founder, the drummer Christopher J. Ian (Culpin), who was to form the group as it was to become known, from a existing Cambridge jazz band. The group took on its new persona after Chris Ian kept a promise that he and his friend David (Gilmour) had earlier made to each other, that when either found themselves effectively in a band or group they would invite the other to join.

Though there has been some confusion and mischievous manipulation over the years of the members, the original and definitive line-up was as follow.

Chris Ian - Drummer (B/Vocals)
David Thaxter - Saxophone/Clarinet (B/Vocals)
David Gilmour - Lead Guitar/Lead Vocalist
John (Johnny) Barnes - Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
Richard (Dick) Fletcher - Trumpet
Roger Bibby - Bass Guitar (B/Vocals)

The group, as such were one of the largest in East Anglia at the time, its unusual line-up affording it the possibility of covering a wide musical spectrum. It should be noted that the groups endeavours were highly motivated in backing its lead singer and guitarist David Gilmour, who even in those early days captivated the audiences with his presence. Though the group was often referred to as Chris Ian & The ..., this was due mainly to Chris's activities as group manager, booking negotiator, driver, his then professional abilities in electronics, and as he often remarked, his name writ large on his bass drum.

Subsequently, with the generating hysteria surrounding anything Beatle-orientated , the group brought in the talents of a second support lead vocalist, known initially as 'Kenny Lennon', though he later choose to adopt his own name Ken Waterson. His wide song portfolio and special singing abilities expanded the groups rock and roll range and gave extra credence to the groups developing and popular performances of the Beatles ever-increasing record material.

The group effectively ceased after Chris Ian, then David Thaxter and David Gilmour were to depart. Though there were oft-reported sightings of others briefly sitting in for Chris Ian with a now misnamed group, David Gilmour and Chris had a brief dalliance with the idea of creating a vocal harmony group with another guitarist and vocalist John (H). This was aborted when David, who was frequently called upon to be a stand-in lead guitarist and singer for other groups, eventually became a permanent fixture in a new line-up.

Chris Ian, at David Gilmour's suggestion, was to invite another quite brilliant Cambridge guitarist, Rado Klose, to join him for some outstanding gigs. Rado in turn was to propose his friend Geoff Pike, another splendid guitarist, double bass and impressive harmonic player, to join him, a combination which with David Thaxter, and bass player Nigel Smith led to Chris Ian's establishment of the R&B, somewhat jazz-orientated group, Blues Anonymous. A young singer Barney Barnes was to join later, developing quite successfully his own, then quite unique and talented style.

Both the Newcomers and Blues Anonymous groups enjoyed the frequent 'stand-in' sessions and jamming performances afforded them by frequently being joined on stage by members of other popular groups as well as some impressive individual musicians - several of whom were to make their own names in the then burgeoning world of classic 'Sixties' music.

[Keith Jordan]

Hey, welcome to the forum!

Thanks for clearing things up. Did you know any of the band members? Where is your information from?

[Miles leighton]

Absolutely correct... it's the problem of an old and discombobulated mind. But then of course it's 'Gilmour', not 'Gilmore'. Nonetheless, thank you for your attention. I'll try harder!

[Keith Jordan]

Miles, I deleted his picky post as we tend not to treat newcomers to the forum with an English lesson after their first post!

[Duckboy]

hey Keith did you delete my post?

EDIT: seems you answered that one

i was just confused is all

ive never heard of any of this s o i thought someone had something wrong oh well

interesting stuff though

[ivansc]

Hi - I was a founder member of Blues Anonymous.
Great fun.
At one time in the early days we had Alan Sizer Geoff Pike AND Rado playing guitar - I started out on bass and wound up on guitar.
John Phillips was one of the TWO John Phillipses in my earler band Johnny R `n B Phillips and the HI-Fi`s & neither of them played in Blues Anonymous!
The other one was later a Cambridge City Councellor & doubled drums & Keyboard.
Most notably he played "Telstar" on the pipe organ in the Guildhall at Cambridge and brought the house down.

Best gig B.A. played was a club in Yarmouth, which had music in the basement, a bar on the ground floor, am illegal gambling club on the first floor and a combined knocking shop & the owners accomodation on the top floor.
Remember seeing a baby in a craps table being used as a cot on one occasion. Wierd times indeed.

Oh and band uniform was blue mohair suits with pink tab collar shirts and shiny blue silk ties.
I kid you not!

We also got to open for Neil Christian and the Crusaders on one occasion.
Neil was nothing special but his guitarist ( a young Jimmy Page) was.
Great band, shame about the singer!

Clive Welham is not doing too well at the present, sadly, so spare him a thought.

Alan Sizer died tragically a year or two back, just after we had caught up for the first time in 25 years.

Ken "the teeth" Waterson is apparently still around despite rumours a few years back thatrHE had died also.

Takes me back.

[Keith Jordan]

Sounds like you and your brother would have some great memories from all those years back!! Does your brother keep his catalogue of bands from Cambridge online? I wouldn't mind having a look at that! I am writing a brief history of Pink Floyd book so any research around that period would be most useful!!

I am going to be using the information from this article I wrote a couple of years ago as the basis to chapter one of my brief book!

http://www.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk/magaz ... -floyd.php

[Miles leighton]

It's a great pleasure to see some responses to my earlier posting about Chris Ian, The Newcomers and Blues Anonymous. Yes indeed, Great Yarmouth had memories for all those mentioned above. A name that springs to mind, (and I have to wonder), is Ivan Carling, splendid chap, excellent all round musician. He not only joined with Blues Anonymous but was an original member with David Thaxter, Phil Higgins, and David Hurst in Vogue Sound. As best I recollect, he went off to the States and had some success in Nashville. I'm sure Chris Ian and the others of his groups would like to know how he is. Incidently, I am happy to tell that David Thaxter, David Hurst and Richard Fletcher are all well, all playing, and in good form. Finally Keith, I'm truly impressed with your forum. There's much more to come in I'm sure.

[ivansc]

(grin) So who the hell are you, embryo? I`m Ivan Carling!
Miles Leighton doesn`t ring any bells so go ahead and embarrass me.
Cant believe I never bothered to google the floyd until after Rick died.

Any idea as to where Ricky Wills is now? I nearly caught up with him a year or so back when I returned from Corsica - apparently he had just moved from Toft where his wife had some sort of shop but I`ve lost track again.
No sign of Mr. Pike either, although I did find out what Bubs White has been up to.
Sorry to hijack the thread by the way.

[Miles leighton]

And yet an even bigger grin... I was pretty sure twas you... I have a good reason to tread with caution, just until this Cambridge hysteria calms. I also made a sort of promise to some of our more 'illustrious' friends. Please accept the caution, think hard, a Cambridge village birthday party! Say nothing please... better for Keith, our host here, and of course for some really good memories to come to light. Of course that is if we can hang on to them, our memories I mean. It seems some people have become a little pickled of late. Reference Blues Anonymous, remember their signature tune? It became a standard for Vogue Sound also. Chris, David T and David H. will be tickled to know you've resurfaced. Much to tell, but gently... keep this up. Oh, and if a light does flash, try hard find me.

[ivansc]

All is now clear - apparently I had nodded off for a while even as feverish preparations for a fiesta/fiasco went on in the background.

My apologies for being so elusive, chaps and chapesses.

To quote Doctor John. "Now dat you got me, what you gonna do?"


P.S. This will make no sense at all to "the rest of you" - sorry but I have no other way to contact the mysterious forces working behind the scenes on this site.
All this might well be explained later if possible.

[Miles leighton]

Well Ivan, not so much a Fiesta, more, a brief 'Tardis' style vacation into the days of yesteryear... certainly not a fiasco. For all those interested in these matters, as surely you are if your reading this forum – In Cambridge last week, during its ‘City Wakes’ event, a reunion... forty-five years on, of the members of some of 'Cambridgeshire’s' best loved groups.

For all those there, moments of mixed emotion as faces, whether vaguely familiar or instantly recognisable, brought back those distant memories of being in a 'pop group' in the groundbreaking era of the early sixties. Imagine a room full of people whose puzzled faces one by one slowly changed to expressions of delight, as the mist of time cleared and those faint past experiences became positive memories... placing, as best as one could, all those now recognised.

That you Ivan Carling yourself were unaware of the great efforts that were made to find you was an unfortunate occurrence, however, at the actual event it was well acknowledged and appreciated, that your own contribution to the Cambridge bands of the sixties was impressive. As for those there with whom you'd played in the 'Blues Anonymous' and 'Vogue Sound' bands, you were sorely missed.
It would be fair to say that the lack of your presence and that of David Thaxter’s saxophone, (he’d thought he wouldn’t need it), was sad, though his particular style of imbibing made for an excellent and hysterically amusing evening.
As to the evening’s overall ambiance, it is to be reflected that there were no indelicate distractions, no recriminations, nor displays of overblown egos, just a great assemblage of happy and contented people.

Though it took time for the abundance of musicians to react, the instruments, looking lonely on an empty stage, were eventually taken up, and various jamming sessions, as it should be, just burst into life. That Rado Klose was there was a plus - being probably the closest invitee in relation to the weeks 'City Wakes' event. As a founder member, with the late Roger 'Syd' Barrett, of the group Pink Floyd, his presence turned out to be a real treat as he with others was persuaded to play.

Although the drummers present were reticent to take up the drumsticks - admitted by most as being the fear of playing the provided electronic kit - eventually they all did. Most splendidly and enjoyably for all, Clive Welham, who has been unwell, showed the courage many had initially lacked. Even Chris Ian, after 35 odd years, remembered that to be an effective drummer one needs a stick in each hand, and tapped a few beats and dinged a few dongs.

In closing this insight to the evening, there were of course also moments of shock and dismay on discovering that often those friends that were not there had sadly passed on.

Finally, you and many others perhaps will be pleased to know that this little reunion could well spawn a fun event in the future. The many stalwart acquaintances of the period apparently feeling that 2010 could well be an ideal time for celebrating 50 years since the beginning of the sixties.

There’s a saying that goes along the lines of… “If you love and remember the sixties, you probably weren’t there…” How very untrue!