We are often asked about what happened to certain acts and here, with Nick Catford’s help we give you the information we have.
If anyone else would like to contribute to this or indeed any other section then please do so here.
Mervyn J Futter
Research by Nick Catford.
Mervyn Futter has been playing music all his life joining his first band, a rock and blues outfit called Black Mood in the early 1970s. He started as a roadie for the band but when someone left, having learnt guitar, he was offered a place in the band playing rhythm guitar and singing. The name was changed to Barnaby and they quickly gained a following in clubs and village halls in East Anglia. The line up was Peter Griggs (lead vocals and guitar), Mervyn Futter (rhythm guitar and vocals), Steve Partyka (bass) and Nigel Owen (Hayman) (drums).
Barnaby eventually signed deal with R & B Promotions in Loddon (Norfolk) but as the disco scene began to flourish in the mid 1970s, bookings diminished. Nigel Owen left the band with Brian Everitt coming in on drums but when Steve Partyka also left the enthusiasm for playing had gone and without him Barnaby soon folded.
By the end of the decade, Mervyn and Barnaby’s lead guitarist Pete Griggs formed a new 4-piece band called Spring Fever. The line up was Mervyn Futter (vocals and rhythm guitar), Pete Griggs (Vocals and lead guitar), Philip Chilvers (Vocals and bass) and Ian Panks (drums). After a while they became a 5-piece with the arrival of Irwin Durrance (keyboards).
They played a variety of musical styles and even auditioned for New Faces at the London Palladium. They didn’t get beyond the auditions but at least they got to play at the Palladium. It was always a struggle to compete with the demand for discos and in an attempt to get more bookings, they widened their repertoire and became a function band playing at dinner dances, weddings etc. They regularly played at US Air Force bases in East Anglia and even passed an audition for Opportunity Knocks. Hughie Green was nice to them but they didn’t make it onto the show. Although the band was relatively successful, they only lasted for about three years and when they realised the fun had gone they knew it was time to throw in the towel.
Mervyn’s next project was a 4-piece band called Mosaic (Mervyn Futter (vocals and rhythm guitar), Tim Nesbitt (Vocals and bass), Irwin Durrance (keyboards) and Kevin Kayhill (Drums). It soon proved difficult to combine band work with his day job as an electrician and Mosaic only lasted for nine months.
By now, Mervyn was quite disillusioned with playing and he hardly ever picked up a guitar in the next two years. Eventually he met up with a fellow musician Ian Wells who was into acoustic and folk music. Mervyn also liked folk music and after chatting they teamed up with some friends to open a Folk Club in King’s Lynn. Ian and Mervyn also formed a duo called Wellie. The club quickly became popular booking established folk singers like John Betmead and Derek Brimstone. It was at this time, with the help of his good friend Eddie Reed, that Mervyn started to learn and develop the finger picking guitar style that he later adapted to Country and still uses today.
After two years away from the music scene and an excursion into folk, Mervyn got in touch the other Spring Fever band members and they decided to reform the band in an attempt to recapture their earlier success. Mervyn always had a love of Country music and tried to get the band to include some Country material in their programme. Unfortunately Spring Fever was unable to recapture their earlier popularity and after a year they decided to call it a day.
Mervyn was now working as a soloist in pubs but it wasn’t Country and he hated it. After two years on the pub circuit it was time for a change and if he knew if he wanted to only play Country he had to relaunch on the Country scene.
In the early 1980s he began his solo Country career as Mervyn J Futter, John being his middle name. In 1985 Mervyn bought a Tokai Telecaster guitar and quickly fell in love with it. He has been playing the same instrument ever since and he told me in 2018 “She’s a dear friend and I love her”.
Mervyn’s first album Turning Back The Pages was released in cassette form only in 1985. In 1986 he released a fund raising vinyl single, Jamie’s Song b/w Is There Anybody There? Mervyn wrote Jamie’s song for a family from Wisbech who were struggling to have a special room equipped for Jamie Fitt who was very badly disabled. All money from sales went to his appeal which certainly helped the family to complete the room. His first and only 12 track vinyl album From Me To You was released in 1987. It got a lot of local radio play and Roy Waller (BBC Radio Norfolk) featured it as Album Of The Month.
Another cassette album 40 Shades Of Green followed. A vinyl EP Dearest Mother was released in 1989. This had four original songs, two of which (Dearest Mother and Blue Eyes) were produced by Irish Country singer Bill Conlon at a London Studio.
Merv built his own recording studio called The Oasis at his home. He was doing a lot of songwriting at this time and having his own studio allowed him to take as much time as needed to get songs how he wanted them. He recorded all his own releases plus over the years many other artists including a couple of CD’s for George Moody, Circuit Judge and Speed Limit and numerous CDs for Steve Travis. Irish star Ann Breen recorded one album at the studio which was produced by Wayne Golden.
In 1991 Mervyn gave up his job as an electrician at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and turned fully pro. His first pro gig was supporting Poacher in concert at a local club. Later that year he formed Merv and Eddie duo with Eddie Reed (lead guitar and vocals). In 1992 Merv released one cassette album Merv & Eddie Vol 1. Later that year the duo expanded into a 5-piece band, Mervyn J Futter and his All Star Country Band. The line up was Mervyn J Futter (vocals, rhythm guitar and bass guitar), Sue Wright (vocals), Les Wright (bass guitar, pedal steel guitar and vocals), Eddie Reed (vocals and lead guitar) and Billy Key (drums). When Les played pedal steel, Mervyn switched to bass. Sue and Les Wright were married and had been performing together as The Wrights (duo) since the late 1980s.
Billy Key only stayed with the band for a year and when he left they became a 4-piece and carried on with the drum machine that Merv used for his solo act. Following the formation of the duo and then the band, Merv continued to take solo bookings. The band recorded one cassette album, Good Time Thank You in 1995. The band folded in 1996 after which Les and Sue Wright continued to perform as The Wrights until 2012 while Mervyn carried on as a soloist.
Mervyn’s daughter Maria was born in 1978. She grew up with a love of Country music and began her journey by learning the bass guitar at the age of 13, she used to practice in her room until her fingers were sore! Mervyn used to help run the Hayloft club, in King’s Lynn on Wednesday night and every other week she would play guitar there and build up her confidence. One year, a band failed to arrive at the Norfolk Festival which was stage managed by Mervyn. He put a scratch band together to fill the gap and as they were short of a bass player Maria got the gig at the age of 14. She admits to being “a nervous wreck” having to get on stage in front of 1000’s of people. It wasn’t long before her confidence grew and she started to sing a couple of songs the first song she learnt was The Judds’ Grandpa.
By the time she was 16, all the nerves had gone and she would beg her dad to take her with him to his gigs. He always said “yes” and she would get up and sing a couple of songs. She quickly went from a couple of songs to six and then a whole set. At that time it was still considered a hobby as she was at college. It wasn’t until she finished college and was thinking of a career that her dad asked if she would like to sing full time. She jumped at the opportunity although initially she was working during the week and singing at weekends. She soon tired of getting in at 3am and having to be at work by 7.30 so she decided to go fully pro and Merv & Maria Duo took to the road in 2000.
With his own studio always available there was plenty of recorded output to sell at gigs. Cassette albums were Blue Wing (1996) and Circle Of Life (1996). Both were later combined into a single CD. CD albums were: You Are No Angel (1998), I Ride A Horse EP (1999).
Merv & Maria CD albums were: Forever In Blue Jeans (2000), Life Is Just A Journey – all original songs (2001), Partners In Time (2001), Chasing Rainbows (2002) Live Vol 1 (2004) and Rolling Along (2005).
In 2008 Merv & Maria put together a 5-piece band to play behind Ollie Austin. Ollie Austin And His All Star Country Band comprised Ollie Austin (lead vocals), Andy James (drums), Les Wright (vocals and pedal steel guitar), Debbie Allen (vocals and keyboards), Maria Futter (vocals and bass) and Merv Futter (vocals and lead guitar). They stayed together for a couple of years playing concerts and including many theatre shows. They recorded one CD album, Ollie Austin & The All Stars Vol 1 in 2008.
Merv and Maria diversified into promoting Country & Irish music weekend events at holiday camps and leisure resorts and also one off dances. They ran very successful weekends at Potters Holiday resort for many years, and also ran popular weekends at Richardsons Holiday Village in Mundsley (Norfolk) and when Richardsons sold that resort they moved to Seacroft at Hemsby (Norfolk) where they continue to run very popular weekends although it’s now called Hemsby Holiday Beach Park.
Other weekend breaks have included Lakeside Holiday Village, Hayling Island, Bracklesham Bay and Pontins Pakefield which was always very well attended. The last Pontins event will be December 2024 after that, Pontins Pakefield is closing its doors to holiday makers. Merv and Maria also ran two week long holidays in Benidorm and currently also run a weekend for Irish star Stephen Smyth at the Savoy Hotel in Blackpool.
Merv was overwhelmed when given the honour of being inducted into The British Country Music Hall Of Fame in July 2019. It’s one of his proudest moments as he is alongside people he looked up to, loved and respected; it’s a truly great honour that he’s very proud of.
Merv and Maria have no plans to stop and are carrying on with their Country & Irish Party events which will be running three times a year at Richardsons Hemsby Beach Holiday Park. These events feature many of the Irish stars and British acts. It’s a real family affair and the whole family are involved in running these events including Maria’s two girls.
Maria has now retired from singing sadly because of ongoing vocal problems but she does still sing on all the Merv & Maria weekends. She misses gigging but her involvement is very important to the success of their weekends. She comperes and plays a major part in the organisation, booking of acts, presenting the raffle in her own very cheeky style and is vital to the success of the weekends. She is also in charge of all social media. You can see all that Merv and Maria are up to on their website www.mervandmaria.com
Merv still loves to perform, sing and entertain and has teamed up with a good friend of his, singer Steve Layne. Together, they have formed a duo called Margaritaville (named after the Jimmy Buffet song). They play a wide variety of music which includes Country, Irish, Sixties and Rock & Roll. They have a wealth of experience and are happy to work at festivals, concerts or dances and are available for bookings at CMCs.
The Wrights
Research by Nick Catford.
Husband and wife Les and Sue Wright from Kings Lynn in Norfolk performed as The Wrights Duo from the late 1980s until 2012.
Les Wright started playing in the early 1960’s in pop bands. One of these bands was a trio called The Likely Lads who formed in 1968. They were Les Wright (vocals, guitar), John Cork (vocals and bass) and Terry Rose (vocals and drums). Les got into Country music by accident in 1969 when he got to know an ex-GI Pepper who worked for his father. Pepper, who had been a professional Country fiddle player before entering military service, was in a duo with Harry, a serving GI policeman at RAF Lakenheath, one of the US airbases in East Anglia. They performed mainly on the pub circuit but attempted to get a booking at the Rod and Gun Country Music Club at RAF Lakenheath. The club only booked bands so the duo wasn’t able to get a booking.
They started as a 5-piece with Terry Rose (lead vocals and drums), Les Wright (guitar), John Worfolk (guitar), John Cork (bass) and Douggie Empson (drums) After a few weeks, Douggie left the band to concentrate on his business building custom racing bike frames and he retired from all playing and the band carried on as a 4-piece. The band was also sometimes known as The New Mountain Dew and Terry Rose & The Mountain Dew. They were signed to Philips Records and released a 12 track album Southern Journey in 1971.
The band split up at the end of that year and Les joined Cambridge band Countrystyle. He replaced a GI fiddle player from Mildenhall who had left to form his own band The Western Echos. Lead singer Pat Judge left in 1975 (and later went on to form Circuit Judge) and was replaced by Sue Thurlow who was a classically trained soprano but had little experience of live band gigs. She was, however, a fervent Linda Ronstadt fan and quickly adapted to Country music.
At this time, the line up was Sue Thurlow (lead vocals), John Worfolk (guitar and vocals), Les Wright (pedal steel guitar), Roy Linsey (bass and vocals) and Mick ‘Tex’ Downes (drums). Countrystyle split at the end of the 1970s and Sue and the band’s the lead guitarist joined the Kings Lynn based Mark Lindsay Band – Sue Thurlow (lead vocals), Mike Williamson (lead guitar), John Worfolk (bass) and Mal Ashby (drums); they were a function band playing a wide variety of music genres. At this time Les took a short break from playing.
In late 1981 Les was called on by the Kings Lynn based Country band Pinewood County whose lead guitarist had suddenly quit. Pinewood County was started by Laurie Seward and his brother with Paul O’Connell (guitar), Davie Morland (bass) and Kevin Cahill (drums). What started as a one month fill-in became permanent. The lead singer had ambitions for the band to have more talent and eventually all the rest of the band members were replaced by Roy Linsey (bass) – a former member of Countrystyle, Dennis Scott (drums), Ron Pitt (guitar) and Sue Wright (vocals) – by this time Sue and Les were married. Having made those changes, Laurie also left his own band and started doing karaoke and Sue took over as lead vocalist. This lineup recorded a cassette album, Pinewood County, and appeared on the opening night of 5th Peterborough Festival Of Country Music on the 24th August 1984 with Tommy Cash (US) and Poacher (UK) as the headline acts that day. John Derek & Country Fever was also on the bill that night. Les Wright went on to do a number of gigs with Country Fever.
Les Wright had known British Country singer Jed Ford for many years since Countrystyle were the supporting act when he appeared at a holiday venue where they were playing. Both Countrystyle and Pinewood County later acted as his backing band on numerous occasions. Pinewood County and Country Fever (with Les Wright) have also backed a number of visiting US singers including Hank Thompson, Nat Stuckey, Hank Locklin, Barbara Fairchild and Tommy Cash.
By the later part of the 1980s Les and Sue Wright started doing duo gigs as The Wrights to supplement the band work. In 1991, Kings Lynn based soloist Mervyn J Futter formed Merv and Eddie duo with Eddie Reed (lead guitar and vocals). Later that year the duo expanded into a 5-piece band, Mervyn J Futter and his All Star Country Band. The line up was Mervyn J Futter (vocals, rhythm guitar and bass guitar), Sue Wright (vocals), Les Wright (bass guitar, pedal steel guitar and vocals), Eddie Reed (vocals and lead guitar) and Billy Key (drums). When Les played pedal steel, Mervyn switched to bass. Sue and Les were still performing as The Wrights while they were members of the band.
Billy Key only stayed with the band for a year and when he left they became a 4-piece and carried on with the drum machine that Merv used for his solo act. The band recorded one cassette album, Good Time Thank You in 1995. The band folded in 1996 after which Les and Sue Wright continued to perform as The Wrights.
In 2008 Merv and his daughter Maria, who were by that time performing as Merv and Maria Duo (since 2000) put together a 6-piece band to play behind Ollie Austin. Ollie Austin And His All Star Country Band comprised Ollie Austin (lead vocals), Andy James (drums), Les Wright (vocals and pedal steel guitar), Debbie Allen (vocals and keyboards), Maria Futter (vocals and bass) and Merv Futter (vocals and lead guitar). They stayed together for a couple of years playing concerts and including many theatre shows. They recorded one CD album, Ollie Austin & The All Stars Vol 1 in 2008.
The Wrights Duo came off the road in 2012 after which Sue and Les joined Ron Ryan. Tony Harris and Reg Stratton as Country Knights. They stayed together until Covid lockdown in 2019. Since Covid Les has retired from all pedal steel and guitar playing.
Greta & The Strayshots
Research by Nick Catford.
Greta & The Strayshots was formed in Essex in 1985. The line-up was Greta Granger (vocals), Colin Baxter (lead guitar), Rob Childs (rhythm guitar and vocals), Tom Kemp (bass and vocals) and Mark Hewitt (drums). The band members were in their early 20s and all lived in Hutton, a part of Brentwood, becoming friends at local youth clubs. With the exception of Greta, they had all played in local rock bands since their teens. Rob’s first band was Max Headroom and the Car Parks which he joined in 1978; they played mix of R&B and country rock. Also a member of the band was Steve Curtis who, many years later, would later work with Greta and The Strayshots.
In its early years, the band line up was quite fluid. Tom Kemp gave up playing and moved to Bristol to work as a carpenter; his replacement was Simon Kemp (no relation). After a couple of years, Colin Baxter left and became a guitar teacher. He was replaced by firstly Steve Crispe (1987-88) and subsequently Tommy Levin (1988-9) both from Kent. Steve had previously played for Roger Humphries and Tommy and his brother Billy had previously been in the Jailhouse Band with Peter ‘Pedro’ Barlow. Tommy Levin was a guitarist with a great voice and Albert Lee styling. After Tommy left due to family commitments, he was replaced by 17 year old Glen Mitchell in 1990. Glen was the son of Steve Mitchell whose band Shiloh was very popular on the country circuit. Glen stayed with the Strayshots for a year eventually leaving to join The Tracy Elsdon who had just got a contract with Ritz Records. Next came a young guitarist called Steve Phillips. He lived in Wiltshire and although he was an excellent guitarist, inspired by Jerry Donahue, working with the band involved too much travelling; he left in 1991 just before the start of an extensive your of the north-east.
From 1988 Rob Childs started to play pedal steel guitar as well as rhythm guitar and Greta had started playing rhythm guitar. With the tour about to start and no lead guitarist available it was decided that Rob should step up to lead guitar with the band becoming a four piece comprising Greta Granger (vocals and rhythm guitar), Rob Childs (lead guitar, pedal steel guitar and vocals), Simon Kemp (bass guitar and vocals) and Mark Hewitt (drums). This is probably the best known line up. At this time the Strayshots were fully pro with a busy diary that took them all over the country and abroad. During the 90s the band played on the same bills as Johnny Cash, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Billy Jo Spears and other touring American acts.
In 1994 Rob Childs joined Nadine Summers and Glen Mitchell in a trio working three nights mid week as the house Country band at the Heathrow Sheraton hotel. By this time line dancing had taken a hold in many of the Country clubs and bookings for Greta & The Strayshots were in decline. As a result, Rob Childs started looking for other work to augment his week day commitment at the Sheraton. He was offered the chance to join The Coal Porters, fronted by one of his big country rock/Americana influences, Sid Griffin. Sid is a Kentuckian who formed a band in California called The Long Ryders in the mid 80’s. They had recently split due to a disastrous deal with Island Records and Sid had relocated to the UK to live with his new wife Kate St John who was playing sax for Van Morrison. It was not possible for Greta to manage with Rob committed to other acts so she recruited an excellent new guitarist, another Essex man called Ray Evans. Ray fitted in well with the Strayshots who by now were only working part time. All the band members had other jobs, Greta taught guitar, Mark worked as a gardener at a local stately home and Simon worked as a van driver. After a couple of years Ray was soon forced to leave the band due to ill health and his place was taken by Steve ‘Tiny’ Curtis, an excellent guitarist and singer who started his career with his dad Joe Curtis at the age of 15. He had also established himself on the country circuit playing with both Homer and Barry Westbrook and Mean Business.
Although the band still had a strong line up, bookings continued to dwindle as Greta’s programme was not suited to line dancing and she felt her heart was no longer in the band. She stopped taking bookings in 2005; all country gigs had stopped by then leaving a handful of corporate bookings; once they had been fulfilled the band folded after 20 years on the road.
All the band members carried on in the business. Greta started a local pub duo with Steve Curtis called Gibson & Hart. They eventually got together as a couple and moved to France, where the duo was renamed Steve and Greta. They made a living there for a couple of years, also working in Cape Verde for 8 months, before relocating back to East Anglia where they continue to work as a duo in local pubs. In the mid 2010s the formed a 4-piece band called STiGMa covering popular hits from the last 50 years with a mixture of rock, pop, country and blues. STiGMa have now folded but Steve & Greta continue working as a duo in Essex & Suffolk.
Having been away from the Country scene since 2005, Steve & Greta took one CMC booking on 3 November 2019 which was booked as a double header with Dave Paisley; Steve had previously been a member of Dave’s band Homer. On the night, Dave’s car broke down on his way to the club so Steve and Greta sung Country songs all evening. The unexpected return to the Country circuit hasn’t inspired them to take any more Country bookings. Steve is now also working as a guitarist and composer, specialising in the composition and recording of Americana, Blues and Rock music, he also works as a soloist.
Simon Kemp (Bass) moved back to his native Yorkshire and now lives in Derby and since 2010 he plays in a 4-piece bluegrass/folk band called Acoustic Union.
Rob Childs remains one of the busiest artists on the country circuit. As previously mentioned in 1994 he began working with Nadine Somers and Glen Mitchell at the Sheraton Hotel. Glen was also working with his own band, The Troubleshooters and he was about to embark on a career in Nashville so his place in the trio was taken by Geoff Hall on bass; Geoff had previously played some gigs with The Strayshots. In 1998 Nadine gave up the residency and the Nadine Somers band was launched fulltime on the country circuit. Geoff Hall was soon replaced by Bob Keeley from Blackjack who were The Troubleshooters after the departure of Glen Mitchell. For three years the band did very well winning numerous awards. They split in 2000 when Nadine wanted to start a family and Rob Childs and Bob Keeley carried on as a Vegas duo until 2008. Bob then quit the duo to pursue a solo career and he was replaced by Andy Saphir. In 2009 Nadine rejoined Rob, replacing Andy Saphir and Vegas became Lass Vegas. It soon proved difficult to juggle work with bringing up a family and running her own beauty business and Nadine was eventually replaced by Maria Saunders. Nadine still does occasional gigs with both Rob Childs and Bob Keeley with very occasional reunions of the Nadine Somers Band. Rob also started taking solo bookings in 2014.
Rob left the Coal Porters in 2000 following the bands change in direction from country rock to psychadelic folk. Shortly after leaving, US comedian Rich Hall was making a TV special and asked his fellow American Sid Griffin if he knew of any steel players in the UK; Sid recommended Rob Childs. After working with Rich on what he thought was a one-off DVD appearance he has now been Rich’s musical right hand man for the last 23 years, playing in prestigious venues all over the world. Working with Rich Hall always takes priority over his County bookings.
Mark Hewitt, the Strayshots drummer also joined Rich Hall for a while tour managing his comedy country band act ‘Otis Lee Crenshaw and The Honky Tonk Assholes’. He then worked as tour manager for comedian Andy Parsons and now plays drums for Rich Hall’s Hoedown band on his UK tour. He also plays in a rockabilly band Johnny Gunner and The Raiders and a pub covers band Rant ‘n’ Rave. He also still has his job as gardener at a stately home.
Of some of the earlier members of the Strayshots, Colin Baxter passed away in the mid 2000’s. Tommy Levin ended up forming a band with his brother Billy called The Hollywood Cowboys. Both the Levin boys have always been professional plumbers. Billy now fronts his own Billy Levin Band. Steve Crispe plays in a Kent pub band called The Brothers Grimm and also is the host of a blues jam every Monday night at the Lower Bell pub near Bluebell Hill, Kent where a lot of Kent country musicians congregate. After leaving The Strayshots, Steve Phillips went to Bath University and graduated in electronic and electrical engineering. He now plays for fun in jazz bands in the Bristol area.
I would like to thank Rob Childs and Greta Granger for their help in compiling this feature. Rob has and amazing recollection of his time with the band.
You can see Greta & the Stray Shots at The Harrier CMC in Hatfield in 1992 on the video below.
Steve Scott & Rio and Steve Scott's Changes
Research by Nick Catford.
Steve Canham was born on 25th March 1948 in Bethnal Green Hospital and was brought up in Peckham in South-East London. Wanting to learn guitar, his parents bought him a Ukulele and later a guitar. He helped form his first group with a friend, and he began playing country music a few years later. Most of Steve’s years working in the entertainment business had been as a singer but he was also a mobile DJ in the late 70’s and early 80’s using the name Steve Scott.
He also took a great interest in pirate radio station Radio Caroline when it was launched in 1964 and would eventually join the station in later life.
In the early 1980s he joined Rio, a pre-existing band and it wasn’t long before he became their lead singer. At that time the line=up was Steve Scott (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Steve Wilson – real name Steve Hackwell (lead guitar), Roger T Ford (bass) and Tommy O’Donnell (drums).
Sometime in the early 80s, Rio released a 4-track vinyl EP ‘Looking For Love’. It was on the Ten Record label (Rio 1) and was produced by Andy McEdit who later worked with many established artists including Steps and Atomic Kitten.
In the late 1980s Rio released a cassette album ‘Farther Down The Line’. Clive left in March 1990 and was replaced on bass by Francis Wootton. On my 1992 video of Steve Scott and Rio (see link to it below) you may notice that Francis is referred to as Wayne by Steve Scott. This is a reference to Francis’ previous band before joining Rio. Francis co-launched a country rock band called Slowpoke. All the band members had joke names – Duane Pype, Rich Head (He was Mark Bickerstaffe who would later form Trading With The Natives), Les Miserables, and Francis was Wayne Kerr. As that name wasn’t acceptable on the British Country scene he was just called Kerr and it was a bit of an in-joke on Steve’s part calling him Wayne!
Another cassette album, ‘We’re On The Move’ was released in summer 1990. Although Clive Grant had left the band he did play bass as the tracks that had already been recorded. By this time the band were called Steve Scott and Rio.
In 1992 Glyn Long and Steve Wilson left to form their own band, Longshot. Steve Wilson was to be the longest serving member of the band staying with Rio for nearly 10 years. Steve was replaced by Dave Luke on lead guitar (his first Country band) with Luce Langridge coming in on drums.
Another cassette album, ‘From Where We Stand’ was released that year and a third cassette album ‘Hard Times For An Honest Band’ followed in 1993. On this, bass guitar is credited to Francis Kerr! Neither Dave Luke nor Luce Langridge stayed long. Dave left in 1993 and was replaced by Roger Manning. (Dave is now a member of the Clint Bradley Band, a band he joined in 2015) By that time Luce had moved on too because he had other commitments including tours with George Hamilton IV and Slim Whitman. Luce was replaced by Wol Webster with Steve Jackson depping occasionally when Wol wasn’t available.
By 1994 gigs were in decline and Steve launched a duo called Changes that ran alongside the band. The name was inspired by the Heather Myles song ‘Changes’ and was initially Steve Scott and Roger Manning. Roger left both duo and band c1996 and Alan Hutchinson replaced him in both. Alan had previously worked in a trio called Arrival based in Ashford.
By now Changes was far busier than Rio so when Francis was offered a job in the Mary Rose Band, Steve decided to fold Rio with the final gig at the Harlow CMC on 6th June 1996, a club where the band had always been very popular. Changes remained busy and c2003 Alan was replaced by Mike Norton and the duo became Steve Scott’s Changes. Mike was an experienced guitarist from Essex who had spent 12 years in Sounds Around, the house band at the Circus Tavern nightclub in Purfleet, in the 90s.
As mentioned earlier, Steve had always had an interest in Radio Caroline and in recent years he started presenting programmes for Caroline which had, by then, become an internet station. He had regular shows, including co-hosting the ‘Archive Roots Americana Show’ and his own show on Caroline Flashback from his studio in Chatham. In 2016 Steve decided to retire from singing and concentrate on his radio shows.
On 7th August 2017 Steve passed away suddenly at home. Steve had a rich clear voice and will be very fondly remembered by many. As a tribute, Steve Scott’s 100th programme on Radio Caroline was re-broadcast shortly after he passed away and can be heard here https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/st…
I videoed Steve Scott and Rio a number of times during the 1990s. This video was made at the Blacksmiths CMC, Epping, Essex on 22nd June 1992.
Way Out West
Research by Nick Carford.
Andrea Burdett’s parents had a love of country music and she always wanted to play country songs from an early age. She taught herself to play guitar when she was 11 and soon realised that she could sing entering, and winning , Junior Startime a talent contest at the Theatre Royal, Norwich in 1978.
She auditioned for BBC TV’s Crackerjack the following year in Norwich. A producer from the BBC’s regional TV programme Look East was there and he asked Andrea to record a song. This proved so popular with viewers that she was invited back another five times. Andrea was now much in demand. Dick Condon from the Theatre Royal, Norwich wanted to manage her but she also had a letter from the BBC who wanted her to meet Robin Nash producer of Top Of The Pops. He believed he could get her a recording and publishing deal stating that she was going to be bigger than Lena Zavaroni. He made a programme for the BBC about her and at the age of 14 she was given a recording and publishing deal. Her parents refused to sign and after several years wrangling Andrea’s hopes of becoming a star came to nothing.
Andrea was obviously very disappointed. She was already a prolific songwriter and knew that she wanted to make music her career so she turned pro as a singer guitarist when she was 16. She worked mainly in pubs and social clubs in Norfolk and Suffolk playing middle of the road music which of course always included some country. She was quickly able to establish a considerable fan base, lots of pubs had singers at that time and the music scene in East Anglia was especially vibrant. She was quickly introduced to a basic drum machine which allowed her to be more creative with a much fuller sound.
In 1982, Suffolk Punch a popular country trio were looking for a new bass player to replace Lindsey St John. After hearing about Andrea, they asked to see her and although it meant switching from guitar to bass she joined the trio and was soon touring all over the country. Suffolk Punch were Isobel Coe, lead vocals and guitar, Mike Coe drums and harmony vocals and Andrea Burdett bass, lead and harmony vocals. After a few months with the band, Andrea found the continual touring exhausting and when a tour of Japan was being planned she decide to leave but stayed on to tour Germany with her replacement Laurie making the trio up to a 4-piece band to comply with the requirements of the US Army air bases in Germany.
After Suffolk Punch, Andrea returned to the less hectic life of a singer/songwriter guitarist once again taking only local gigs. During this period she recorded two cassette albums recording all her own backing tracks. In about 1990 she was looking for a fiddle player for two original songs she wanted to record and she approached Suzie Hanna who, at that time was working in a popular local busking band.
In 1992 she decided to form an all girl country trio. She was very keen to have a fiddle player in the line up so asked Suzie Hanna who agreed to join the band. A local music arranger recommended Leigh Anne-Perryman as a bass player and Way Out West were launched onto the country circuit that year.
Suzie came from a large family who lived in a cottage without electricity and running water in the middle of the Norfolk marshes, so played music for their own entertainment. Her mother played piano, her brother played banjo and she and her sister played fiddles. She met her husband, Bob, at a folk club in Sheffield, and they played together in a duo for some years. In the 1980s, they moved to Norwich where they formed a jug band called the Oily Rag Band whose performances included busking with a large homemade double bass and a piano. They played at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and in the Canary Islands. Some members of the band went on to form the Ten Bob Notes.
Leigh-Anne is trained on classical piano and had played in covers bands and backing bands since she was 16, while still at college, studying journalism and drama. She switched to playing in country bands when she decided to pursue music as a part-time career, as there was more work available in that genre. She toured with Brendan Shine and also worked as a photographer for a few years. In 1991, she became deputy editor of The Franchise Magazine and began working in modern jazz/fusion bands too, playing bass and keyboards. When she joined the fledgling Way Out West in 1992 playing bass and keyboards she initially continued with her journalism work but as the trio became established and started touring nationally she had to give this work up although she did continue studying for an Open University degree in history of art.
Way Out West became increasingly popular on the club and festival circuit. They toured extensively and worked on cruise ships. This quickly earned popularity brought them a BCMA nomination for Best British Trio in 1993.
During their time on the road they recorded three cassette albums, Way Out West, Good Time Girls and Backlash.
Suzie left the trio in 1996 and was replaced by another excellent fiddle player Hayley Moyses. Her time with the band was short lived however and she left the trio to work with Brian Mann in New West duo. Her replacement was another very experienced fiddle player Sandra Waters. Sandra had worked with the Tony Rouse Band and also with the very well respected Sweet Revenge which featuired the late great John Stannard on lead guitar and Dennis Bray on vocals. Sandra too also only stayed with the band far a short time. Each time a fiddle player left Suzie Hanna would come back to stand in and on one occasion her husband Bob made the trio up to a quartet for a tour. Eventually, after a series of top session musicians including Wayne Hawes who played guitar for Billie Jo Spears when she toured the UK, keyboard player Jack Stowe and David Hartley one of the best pedal steel players in the business, had come and gone, Andrea and Leigh-Anne decided to call it a day in 1999.
A number of factors led to this decision. Both Andrea and Leigh-Anne were getting weary of touring and this was beginning to affect Andrea’s health. It was impossible to maintain the integrity of the band with three girls and a fiddle so when Leigh-Anne decided to move to Somerset the decision was made and Way Out West played their final gig.
After disbanding, Andrea took her first normal job having been a musician all her working life. She joined the Civil Service as a manager and then became an OFSTED inspected child minder.
Leigh-Anne has not worked in a band since the demise of Way Out West. She had a complete change of direction and after gaining a teaching qualification she began designing and teaching community education courses local to where she lived, in Somerset. She then started teaching arts courses for the Open University which she did for 15 years gaining a Masters in Education from the OU in 2006. After later gaining a PHD, Dr Leigh-Anne Perryman became a full-time academic with the OU, involved in research and in writing and chairing postgraduate courses.
Suzie Hanna has continued as a musician and for the last four years has been playing fiddle and musical saw in The Marisca Trio with her sister Lucy on fiddle and banjo and her husband Bob on piano and vocals. They play some Americana and bluegrass but mainly Scottish, Shetland, Canadian and New England tunes with some diverse song content including anything from The Lovin Spoonful and The Pogues to ancient ballads and Music Hall songs. There is still some country music in the repertoire.
When not playing in her band, Suzie has been busy teaching in Higher Education for over two decades, and making animated films. She is now a Professor of Animation Education at Norwich University of the Arts.
Way Out West made a brief reunion in 2013 when the three girls played together for the first time in 14 years without any rehearsal at Suzie’s 60th birthday party. After this, Andrea was once again bitten by the bug and in 2014 went back on the road as a singer with a guitar. She is now once again fully pro working mainly in hotels and social clubs around the Norfolk and Suffolk coast. She does take some country club bookings and has accepted a short northern tour from Sylvan Entertainments later in the year.
A full blown Way Out West reunion was also planned before covid struck. The girls are definitely ‘up for it’ but no dates have yet been set. It is a matter of finding a slot in their busy work schedules. Suzie told me “ We had a lot of fun, and we are still good friends, so we are serious about doing a gig together again. I honestly don’t think anyone has ever made me laugh as much as Leigh-Anne and Andrea used to.”
Here’s a video I made of Way Out West at Hainault, Essex, on 28th of September 1993.