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LONG
JOHN BALDRY, one of the very first English artists to sing the
blues (with the Sims-Wheeler Trade Band around the '60's and later,
of course, with Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies) had formed his own
band- THE HOOCHIE COOCHIE MEN. When they split in 1965, he
went looking for a new group and appoached BRIAN AUGER, who
was beginning to make a name for himself around the London clubs.
At the time, I was looking after BRIAN and a young girl-singer,
JULIE DRISCOLL, who up till then had never sung with a group
professionally. JOHN had also with him the now famous trendsetter
in fashion ROD 'The MOD' STEWART. It was an obvious idea
to put them all together.
BRIAN was known as the chief 'steamer' around (a 'steamer' is a
person capable of great 'swinging', 'looning' and 'lurching'), and
it was no less natural to name the new band THE STEAMPACKET.
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none of its members (except for LONG JOHN), were much known to the
public at large, the combination of their various talents and the
later developments in their individual careers made it into the first
'supergroup' in England. THE STEAMPACKET got off to very good start,
but due to contractual difficulties it was never possible to record
them commercially as a unit, and soon, because of the general indifference
of TV and Radio towards them (apart from records, the only other way
of promoting an artist), THE STEAMPACKET split towards the
middle of 1966. LONG JOHN went his way, taking with him once more
ROD STEWART, JULIE and BRIAN began their 3 year-long association wich
made them into household names. VIC BRIGGS later joined Eric
Burdon and the 'new animals', MICK WALLER joined Jeff Beck
where he met up with ROD again, and LONG JOHN made a hit record. ROD,
not with the Faces, has been voted by Melody maker Nš. 1 singer in
England in 1971-1972. |
There
were no other recordings ever made of THE STEAMPACKET.
Future members of THE FACES, TRINITY, ANIMALS...
This recordings re-surfaced as an LP during the 1970's, and now are
reissued by Munster to let the world know about probably the first
British Rock supergroup!!! |
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