Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
Encyclopedia
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band were an English
based soul
band
, active from 1965 to 1968.
Geno Washington
was a U.S.
airman
stationed in East Anglia
who became well known for his impromptu performances in London
nightclub
s. In 1965, guitarist
Pete Gage needed a singer
front his new band and replace the previous singer Errol Dixon, and asked Washington to join and the latter was discharged from the U.S. Air force
, he became the band's frontman.
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 some moderate hit single
s released by the Pye
label
: "Water", "Hi Hi Hazel", "Que Sera Sera" and "Michael (The Lover)
".
They managed to build up a strong following with the crowds and due to their touring and engergetic 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.
Washington temporarily reformed the band between February and June 1971 with new band members Dave Watts (organ), Mo Foster
(bass), Mike Jopp (guitar) and Grant Serpell
(drums)
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
.
England
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...
based soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, 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. Before taking on Geno Washington, they had been backing a British Blues singer by the name of Errol Dixon. Their first single featuring Dixon, "Shake, Shake, Senora" / "Akinla" released on Columbia had sunk without a trace.Geno Washington
Geno Washington
Geno Washington is an American R&B singer who released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976.-Early to late 1960s:...
was a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
airman
Airman
An airman is a member of the air component of a nation's armed service. In the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force , it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank...
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...
who became well known for his impromptu performances 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...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. In 1965, 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 needed 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...
front his new band and replace the previous singer Errol Dixon, and asked Washington to join and the latter was discharged from the U.S. 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...
, he became the band's frontman.
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 some moderate hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s released by 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", "Hi Hi Hazel", "Que Sera Sera" and "Michael (The Lover)
Michael (the Lover)
"Michael "Sometimes written "Michael the Lover" or simply "Michael" . is a soul song originally performed by American Chicago soul group the C.O.D.'s....
".
They managed to build up a strong following with the crowds and due to their touring and engergetic 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.
Washington temporarily reformed the band between February and June 1971 with new band members Dave Watts (organ), Mo Foster
Mo Foster
Mo Foster is a British session musician, playing primarily jazz, jazz-fusion and rock bass guitar. He is also a music producer and songwriter/composer. In over 40 years as a musician Foster has played on and produced countless albums, singles, and film soundtracks...
(bass), Mike Jopp (guitar) and Grant Serpell
Grant Serpell
Grant Serpell was a member of several bands during the 1960s and 1970s, including Affinity and Sailor, and was an encouraging influence over two of the members of The Hoosiers while being their chemistry teacher at Waingels College.Serpell enjoyed a revival of Sailor's success, which started in...
(drums)
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....
.
Former members
- Geno Washington, lead vocalsSingingSinging 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...
- Pete Gage, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Lionel Kingham, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Buddy Beadle, saxophone
- Geoff Pullum aka Jeff Wright, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
(now a linguist) - John Roberts, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Pete Carney, bass
- Herb Prestidge, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Clive Burrows, saxophone
- Paul Turner, bass guitar
Singles
- "Shake, Shake, Senora" / "Akinla", Columbia 7621, 1965 (Ram Jam Band only)
- "Water" / "Understanding", Piccadilly 7N 35312, UK #39, May 1966
- "Hi Hi Hazel" / "Beach Bash", Piccadilly 7N 35329, UK #45, July 1966
- "Que Sera Sera" / "All I Need", Piccadilly 7N 35346, UK #43, October 1966
- "Michael (The Lover)Michael (the Lover)"Michael "Sometimes written "Michael the Lover" or simply "Michael" . is a soul song originally performed by American Chicago soul group the C.O.D.'s....
" / "Gotta Hold On To My Love", Piccadilly 7N 35359, UK #39, December 1966 - "Always" / "If You Knew" / "She Shot A Hole In My Soul" / "I've Been Hurt by Love", Piccadilly 7N 35392, 1967
- "Tell It Like It Is"/"Girl I Want To Marry You", Piccadilly 7N 35403, 1967
- "Different Strokes"/"You Got Me Hummin'You Got Me Hummin'"You Got Me Hummin" is a popular song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. It was first popularized by Sam & Dave, who had a Top 10 R&B hit with the song in 1966 on Stax Records. It was subsequently covered by Cold Blood who had greater success with the song on the American pop charts...
", Pye 7N 17425, 1967 - "I Can't Quit Her"/"Put Out The Fire Baby", Pye 7N 17570, 1968
- "I Can't Let You Go"/"Bring It To Me Baby", Pye 7N 17649, 1968
- "My Little Chickadee"/"Seven Eleven", Pye 7N 17745, 1969
EPs
- Hi Piccadilly NEP.34054 - 1966
- Different Strokes Pye 7N.17425 - 1967
- Small Package Of Hipsters Pye NEP.24302 -1968
- Que Sera Sera Flashback FBEP.103 - 1980
Albums
- Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt ... Live! - Piccadilly NPL 38026 - 1966
- Shake A Tail Feather - Piccadilly NPL.38029 - 1967
- Hipster Flipsters, Finger Poppin' Daddies - Piccadilly NPL.38032 - 1967
- Running Wild - Pye NSPL.18219 - 1968
- Sifter Shifters And Finger Clickin' Mama's - Marble Arch MALS 816 - 1968
- Uptight - Marble Arch MALS 1162 - 1969
- Golden Hour Of Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band - Golden Hour GSH 594 - 1975
- Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt ... Live! (Reissue) - PYE NSPL 18618 - 1980
CD
- Hip Shakin' Soul Breakin' Earthquakin' Live - PYE PYC 4018 - 1988
- Hand Clappin Foot Stompin' Funky Butt Live - Repertoire REP 4189-WZ - 1991
- Hipsters Flipsters, Finger Poppin' Daddies! - Repertoire REP 4190-WZ - 1991
- Geno Washington VS. Jimmy James ... No Holds Barred Sequel NEX CD 169
- Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt ... Live! & Hipsters Flipsters, Finger Poppin' Daddies! - C5 CD 581 - 1995
- Geno - Spectrum 5507692
- My Bombers, Mey Dexy's, My Highs (The Sixties Studio Sessions) - Sequel MEMCD 973 - 1998
- Geno! Geno! Geno! ... Live In The 60's - Sequel NXTCD 295 - 1998
- Foot Stompin' Soul - Castle 1304 - 2006