Geno Washington
Encyclopedia
Geno Washington is an American
R&B
singer
who released five album
s with The Ram Jam Band
between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo
albums beginning in 1976.
with the United States Air Force
during the early 1960s. While stationed in East Anglia
, Washington became known as a frequent stand-in at gigs
around London
. When guitarist
Pete Gage saw him at a nightclub
in 1965, he asked Washington to join his new group, that was to become Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
.
They had two of the biggest selling UK
album
s of the 1960s, both of which were live album
s. Their most commercially successful album, Hand Clappin, Foot Stompin, Funky-Butt ... Live! was in the UK Albums Chart
for 38 weeks in 1966, and was only out-sold by The Sound of Music
and Bridge Over Troubled Water
. The other album was Hipster Flipsters Finger Poppin' Daddies. They had a number of moderate UK Singles Chart
hits
during 1966-1967 on the Pye
label
: "Water" (which reached no.39), "Hi Hi Hazel" (no.45), "Que Sera Sera" (no.43) and "Michael (The Lover)" (no.39). They managed to build up a strong following with the crowds and due to their touring and energetic performances. Like their Pye label mates and rivals, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds
, they became popular with the mod scene. The band broke up in the autumn of 1969 and the band members went their own ways while Geno Washington continued as a solo artist before returning to the United States.
The band's name came from the Ram Jam Inn, an old coaching inn
on the A1 (Great North Road) at Stretton
, near Oakham
, Rutland
. Gage later formed Vinegar Joe
with Elkie Brooks
and Robert Palmer.
to return to the United States
and disappeared from the music industry for a length of time. He studied hypnosis
and meditation
, made acquaintance with The Beach Boys
and recorded
some music
with them that was never released. He later recorded three albums for the DJM label, Geno's Back (1976), Live (1976), That's Why Hollywood Loves Me (1979).
hit single
, "Geno
", but he initially declined, as he was completing his degree in hypnotism. But soon he was back in the UK touring extensively and playing many gigs particularly in South East London.
As of 2007, Washington and his band could be regularly seen touring in the UK.
In January 2009 he released a single "I'm Doing 99 Years" and the proceeds from the single's sales will go to the victims of crime and child abuse.
In July 2009 he headlined the Kelvedon Free Music Festival.
In August 2010 Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band were one of the headline acts at Rhythm Festival
and will be appearing at the Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury in October 2010.
. This episode also featured other stars such as Françoise Hardy
, Cilla Black
, Wayne Fontana
and the Spencer Davis Group
. In 1967, along with the Ram Jam Band, he appeared on The Record Star Show and doubtless others in the 1960s. Since then he has appreared on Top Ten (1980) in 2000 and the mini series S.O.U.L.--Sounds of Underground London in 2003.
He has embraced acting
, taking a role in Paparazzo, a 1995 film starring Nick Berry
and Fay Masterson. In 2007 he appeared as himself in an episode of Midsomer Murders
, entitled "The Axeman Cometh", that also featured Suzi Quatro
and Mike Read
.
exploitation story. Washington has also penned children's stories. He has appeared as a motivational speaker.
for the track, "Get Here in Time."
Geno appears in the movie A Bit of Tom Jones, which had its London premiere in 2009. The film, which was made in Tredegar in South Wales, contains several unknown actors, including John Henshaw
and Denise Welch
.
club in London
, which is also the place where her sister met Peter Noone
of Hermans Hermits, whom she married, making Geno Washington and Peter Noone brothers-in-law.
This is also the same club where Paul McCartney met Linda Eastman
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
who released five album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s with The Ram Jam Band
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band were an English based soul band, active from 1965 to 1968.-Career:The Ram Jam Band were formed around 1964 and evolved out of a group called Les Blues who were formed to rival an English group with a Black American singer called Milton And The Continentals...
between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
albums beginning in 1976.
Early to late 1960s
Washington was stationed in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
during the early 1960s. While stationed in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, Washington became known as a frequent stand-in at gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
around London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. When guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Pete Gage saw him at a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in 1965, he asked Washington to join his new group, that was to become Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band were an English based soul band, active from 1965 to 1968.-Career:The Ram Jam Band were formed around 1964 and evolved out of a group called Les Blues who were formed to rival an English group with a Black American singer called Milton And The Continentals...
.
They had two of the biggest selling UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s of the 1960s, both of which were live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s. Their most commercially successful album, Hand Clappin, Foot Stompin, Funky-Butt ... Live! was in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
for 38 weeks in 1966, and was only out-sold by The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
and Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic and Stereo formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list...
. The other album was Hipster Flipsters Finger Poppin' Daddies. They had a number of moderate UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
during 1966-1967 on the Pye
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
: "Water" (which reached no.39), "Hi Hi Hazel" (no.45), "Que Sera Sera" (no.43) and "Michael (The Lover)" (no.39). They managed to build up a strong following with the crowds and due to their touring and energetic performances. Like their Pye label mates and rivals, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds
Jimmy James (Singer)
Jimmy James is a soul music singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.-The Vagabonds:...
, they became popular with the mod scene. The band broke up in the autumn of 1969 and the band members went their own ways while Geno Washington continued as a solo artist before returning to the United States.
The band's name came from the Ram Jam Inn, an old coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
on the A1 (Great North Road) at Stretton
Stretton, Rutland
Stretton is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland, England, just off the A1 Great North Road. The Ecclesiastical parish of Stretton shares the same boundaries and is part of the Rutland deanery of the diocese of Peterborough. The incumbent is The Revd Richard Jan...
, near Oakham
Oakham
-Oakham's horseshoes:Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe...
, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
. Gage later formed Vinegar Joe
Vinegar Joe (band)
Vinegar Joe were a British R&B band. They issued three albums on Island Records, but were best known for their live shows and launching the solo careers of Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer.-History:...
with Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
and Robert Palmer.
The 1970s
Washington left the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and disappeared from the music industry for a length of time. He studied hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, made acquaintance with The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
some music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
with them that was never released. He later recorded three albums for the DJM label, Geno's Back (1976), Live (1976), That's Why Hollywood Loves Me (1979).
The 1980s
He was encouraged to make a comeback in 1980 due to the rekindled interest in him resulting from the Dexys Midnight RunnersDexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....
hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Geno
Geno (song)
"Geno" is a song by Dexys Midnight Runners which reached #1 on the UK singles chart for two weeks in May 1980. Written by Kevin 'Al' Archer and Kevin Rowland, it was band's second single and their first number one...
", but he initially declined, as he was completing his degree in hypnotism. But soon he was back in the UK touring extensively and playing many gigs particularly in South East London.
The 1990s to present
Washington has been active on stage, recording and releasing new music on various labels, with titles such as "Change Your Thoughts You Change Your Life", "Live Sideways", "Loose Lips", "Put Out the Cat", "The Return of the G", "Take This Job and Stuff It" and "What's In the Pot?".As of 2007, Washington and his band could be regularly seen touring in the UK.
In January 2009 he released a single "I'm Doing 99 Years" and the proceeds from the single's sales will go to the victims of crime and child abuse.
In July 2009 he headlined the Kelvedon Free Music Festival.
In August 2010 Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band were one of the headline acts at Rhythm Festival
Rhythm Festival
The Rhythm Festival is an outdoor music festival held at The Mansion House, Old Warden Park, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire from 2011. From 2006 until 2010 it was held at Twinwood Arena, near the village of Clapham, Bedfordshire, England.. Rhythm Festival was founded by music promoter Jim Driver...
and will be appearing at the Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury in October 2010.
TV & Film career
Washington has appeared on television as far back as the 1960s. In 1966 he appeared in Episode 11 of Ready Steady Go!Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
. This episode also featured other stars such as Françoise Hardy
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...
, Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
, Wayne Fontana
Wayne Fontana
Wayne Fontana is an English pop singer. In 1962, he formed his backing group, the Mindbenders and got a recording contract.-Biography:...
and the Spencer Davis Group
Spencer Davis Group
The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England, formed by Spencer Davis with Steve Winwood and his brother Muff Winwood...
. In 1967, along with the Ram Jam Band, he appeared on The Record Star Show and doubtless others in the 1960s. Since then he has appreared on Top Ten (1980) in 2000 and the mini series S.O.U.L.--Sounds of Underground London in 2003.
He has embraced acting
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, taking a role in Paparazzo, a 1995 film starring Nick Berry
Nick Berry
Nicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
and Fay Masterson. In 2007 he appeared as himself in an episode of Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
, entitled "The Axeman Cometh", that also featured Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
and Mike Read
Mike Read
Michael David Kenneth Read is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter.-Early life:...
.
Writing and public speaking
He is the author of The Blood Brothers, a warVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
exploitation story. Washington has also penned children's stories. He has appeared as a motivational speaker.
Hypnotism
Washington is a member of the Guild of Hypnotists. He has also included hypnotism as part of his act. In the past his show has consisted of some demonstrations of hypnotsim in the first half and some "Get down soul music" in the second half.Current & recent activities
He recently collaborated with comedian and musician Matt BerryMatt Berry
Matthew Charles "Matt" Berry is an English actor, writer, comedian and musician. Berry is perhaps best known for his appearances in The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and The Mighty Boosh; he also had his own series, Snuff Box...
for the track, "Get Here in Time."
Geno appears in the movie A Bit of Tom Jones, which had its London premiere in 2009. The film, which was made in Tredegar in South Wales, contains several unknown actors, including John Henshaw
John Henshaw
John Henshaw is a British actor, best-known for his roles as Ken the landlord in Early Doors, Wilf Bradshaw in Born and Bred and PC Roy Bramwell in The Cops. He is often associated with playing "hard men"...
and Denise Welch
Denise Welch
Jacqueline Denise Healy is an English actress, dancer and television presenter.-Early life:Denise Welch was born in Ebchester, County Durham, to father Vin and mother Ann and has a younger sister Debbie...
.
Personal
Geno met his wife Frenchie at the Bag O'NailsThe Bag O'Nails
The Bag O'Nails was a live music venue and meeting place for musicians in the 1960s, situated at 8 Kingly Street, Soho, London. Bands and other musicians such as, Georgie Fame and Gass appeared there, often jamming with artists such as Jimi Hendrix...
club in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which is also the place where her sister met Peter Noone
Peter Noone
Peter Noone is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as "Herman" of the successful 1960s rock group Herman's Hermits.-Early life:...
of Hermans Hermits, whom she married, making Geno Washington and Peter Noone brothers-in-law.
This is also the same club where Paul McCartney met Linda Eastman
7" Singles
- "Alison Please" / "Each and Every Part of Me", PYE 7N 45019 - 1971
- "Feeling So Good (Skooby Doo)" / "My Little Chickadee" - PYE 7N 45085 - 1971
- "Dirty Dirty" / "Give 'Em a Hand" - PYE 7N 45121
- "End of the World" / "Tell Me Tell Me Please" - DJM DJS 10365 - 1975
- "Hold On Momma" / "Help I'm In Love Again" - DJM DJS 10392 - 1975
- "Love Me Love Me" / "Hold On" - DJM DJS 10642 - 1976
- "Oh Pretty Woman" / "B.S.E. Love - DJM DJS 10669 - 1976
- "Your Love Keeps on Haunting Me" / "La La La" - DJM DJS 10712 - 1976
- "Soothe Me" / "My Kind of Love" - DJM DJS 10761 - 1977
- "Boogie Queen" / "Why Did You Go Away?" - DJM DJS 10803 - 1977
- "Proud Mary" / "Stir It Up" - DJM DJS 10825 - 1978
- "My Money Your Money" / "Get Some Bad Tonight" - DJM DJS 10919 - 1979
- "Baby Come Back" / "Caught in the Middle" - DJM DJS 10926 - 1979
- "Michael" / "Accept My Invitation" - Soul Supply 7SS101 - 1984
- "Rock the Car" / "Catch Me" - Mil MILS 1 - 1988
- "Jingle Bells" / "Rock the Car" G Kap GKA 001 - 1988
12" Singles
- "Baby Come Back" / "Caught in the Middle" - DJM DJR 10926 - 1979
- "My Money Your Money" / "Get Some Bad Tonight" - DJR 18005 - 1979
- "Michael" / "Accept My Invitation" / "Emergency 999" - Soul Supply 12SS101 - 1984
- "Rock the Car" / "Catch Me" - Mil MILST 1 - 1988
Albums
- Geno's Back - DJM DJF 20457 - 1976
- Geno Live - DJM DJF 20486 - 1976
- That's Why Hollywood Loves Me - DJM DJF 20561 - 1979
- Put Out the Cat - Teldec AP 624665 - 1981
- Live Sideways - Ammunition GENO LP1 - 1986
- Take That Job and Stuff It - Konnexion KOMO 788027 - 1987
CD Single
- "The Blues Walks With Me" / "Wake Me When the Morning Comes" - Thunderbird CSA 007 - 1998
CD Album
- Change Your Thoughts You Change Your Life (With the Purple Aces) - thunderbird CSA 114 - 1998
External links
- Geno Washington official site
- Geno Washington is a legend
- Interview with Geno Washington at the 2006 Blackmore Music Festival
- Geno Washington biography at Soulwalking.co.uk
- "Gino Washington vs. Geno Washington" biography at Complicated Fun, 20 October 2005
- "The Genius of Geno"
- The Guardian Mojo's mix and match Geno Washington Jazz Cafe London
- Whats On Soul Survivor Geno Washington by Sam Beattie Evening Gazette
- High Tide magazine: The hypnotist: Geno Washington interviewed