Malcolm Tomlinson
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Tomlinson is most notable as a Canadian musician, particularly active as a recording artist in the late 1970s.
, started out in the early 1960s playing drums in West London band The Panthers. Around 1962, he joined Jeff Curtis & The Flames, the house band at the famous Ealing Jazz Club
. The group recorded a five-track acetate with the legendary Joe Meek
before Tomlinson left in late 1963 to join The Del Mar Trio with singer Jimmy Marsh (born James Marsh, 9 April 1941, Salem, Carmarthenshire
, Wales
), guitarist Allen Bevan and bass player Tony Rowland. In February 1965, the group recorded 4 tracks for EMI at Abbey Road under the supervision of Bob Barratt. Two months later, the band changed name to James Deane & The London Cats and headed for Germany for a year.
In June 1966, Tomlinson and Marsh joined forces with two members of The Noblemen - bass player Bryan Stevens (born 13 November 1941, Lha Datu, North Borneo
) and keyboard player and singer Mike Ketley (born Michael Ketley, 1 October 1947, Balham
, South West London
) - in a new version of The Noblemen which changed name in November to The Motivation. The new Noblemen line up advertised in Melody Maker
for a saxophone player and duly recruited two players from Birmingham combo, The Moonrakers, Chris Rodger (born Christopher Rodger, 16 October 1946, Solihull
, Warwickshire
) and Martin Barre
.
The Motivation supported visiting US soul acts like Lee Dorsey
and The Coasters
. They also toured under their own name, sharing the bill with the likes of The Herd (twice at the Marquee), Cream and The Tremeloes. They also spent six weeks in Rome
playing at the Piper Club during April-May 1967. By early June, Marsh and Rodger had left and the band brought in former Clayton Squares' singer Denny Alexander (born Denny Alexander Thomas, 10 March 1946, Liverpool
, Lancashire
), changing name to The Penny Peeps later that summer. Barre then dedicated his time to lead guitar.
The Penny Peeps signed to Liberty Records
and recorded two singles, including the excellent mod-rocker "Model Village" and some further demos (some of which have subsequently been released) before Alexander left and the remaining members evolved into blues band, Gethsemane
. The group shared the bill with notable acts like Jethro Tull
, Fleetwood Mac
and David Bowie
among others. In mid-December 1968 Barre joined Jethro Tull and Gethsemane broke up.
in March 1969 with his former colleague from Jeff Curtis & The Flames, guitarist Louis McKelvey (born Louis Campbell McKelvey, 31 October 1943, Killorglin, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland). The pair formed the group, Milkwood
, which appeared at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival
concert on September 13, 1969. The band also recorded an unreleased LP for Polydor Records
with Jerry Ragovoy
producing. The pair also appeared on an unreleased LP by Toronto singer Jay Telfer while Tomlinson guested on Life's eponymous album for Polydor Records. The pair then formed a new band, Damage, but this was short-lived and during the early 1970s, Tomlinson played in a succession of local bands, including Syrinx
, and a latter day version of Elektra band, Rhinoceros
.
In 1973 Tomlinson joined Rick James
' original Stone City Band and appeared on an LP that was never released. He later recorded with the band Bearfoot
and then formed the Malcolm Tomlinson Band. The group recorded two albums in 1977 and 1979 for A&M Records
.
On 2 June 2007, Tomlinson was behind the kit for a one-off reunion of the seminal 60's Toronto band Kensington Market. He also doubled up to play with Luke & The Apostles.
He is still active with The Malcolm Tomlinson Band, which includes Gerry Markman
- guitar (The Sensations), Steve Hunter - keyboard (M/D Hair & Rocky Horror Show) and Glenn Olive - bass, and recently contributed to an LP by the Cameo Blues Band
.
UK Years: Early 1960s-1969
Tomlinson, a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriterSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, started out in the early 1960s playing drums in West London band The Panthers. Around 1962, he joined Jeff Curtis & The Flames, the house band at the famous Ealing Jazz Club
Ealing Jazz Club
The Ealing Jazz Club at 42 A The Broadway, Ealing W5, opened in January 1959. Situated in a basement below an Aerated Bread Company tea shop, opposite Ealing Broadway station...
. The group recorded a five-track acetate with the legendary Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
before Tomlinson left in late 1963 to join The Del Mar Trio with singer Jimmy Marsh (born James Marsh, 9 April 1941, Salem, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
), guitarist Allen Bevan and bass player Tony Rowland. In February 1965, the group recorded 4 tracks for EMI at Abbey Road under the supervision of Bob Barratt. Two months later, the band changed name to James Deane & The London Cats and headed for Germany for a year.
In June 1966, Tomlinson and Marsh joined forces with two members of The Noblemen - bass player Bryan Stevens (born 13 November 1941, Lha Datu, North Borneo
North Borneo
North Borneo was a British protectorate under the sovereign North Borneo Chartered Company from 1882 to 1946. After the war it became a crown colony of Great Britain from 1946 to 1963, known in this time as British North Borneo. It is located on the northeastern end of the island of Borneo. It is...
) and keyboard player and singer Mike Ketley (born Michael Ketley, 1 October 1947, Balham
Balham
Balham is a district of London, EnglandBalham can also refer to:*Balham, Ardennes, a commune in France*Balham station, railway and tube station in Balham, London*Balaam, a Biblical figure...
, South West London
South West London
South West London could refer to:*SW postcode area*South West *Western part of South London*South West...
) - in a new version of The Noblemen which changed name in November to The Motivation. The new Noblemen line up advertised in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
for a saxophone player and duly recruited two players from Birmingham combo, The Moonrakers, Chris Rodger (born Christopher Rodger, 16 October 1946, Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
) and Martin Barre
Martin Barre
Martin Lancelot Barre is an English rock musician.Barre has been the guitarist for rock band Jethro Tull since 1969. He has appeared on every Jethro Tull album except their debut This Was...
.
The Motivation supported visiting US soul acts like Lee Dorsey
Lee Dorsey
Lee Dorsey was an African American pop/R&B singer during the 1960s. Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint with instrumental backing provided by the Meters.-Career:...
and The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
. They also toured under their own name, sharing the bill with the likes of The Herd (twice at the Marquee), Cream and The Tremeloes. They also spent six weeks in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
playing at the Piper Club during April-May 1967. By early June, Marsh and Rodger had left and the band brought in former Clayton Squares' singer Denny Alexander (born Denny Alexander Thomas, 10 March 1946, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
), changing name to The Penny Peeps later that summer. Barre then dedicated his time to lead guitar.
The Penny Peeps signed to Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
and recorded two singles, including the excellent mod-rocker "Model Village" and some further demos (some of which have subsequently been released) before Alexander left and the remaining members evolved into blues band, Gethsemane
Gethsemane
Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.- Etymology :...
. The group shared the bill with notable acts like Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
among others. In mid-December 1968 Barre joined Jethro Tull and Gethsemane broke up.
Canada: 1969-Present
Tomlinson subsequently moved to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in March 1969 with his former colleague from Jeff Curtis & The Flames, guitarist Louis McKelvey (born Louis Campbell McKelvey, 31 October 1943, Killorglin, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland). The pair formed the group, Milkwood
Milkwood (band)
Milkwood was an Anglo-Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in March 1969 by former Influence guitarist Louis McKelvey with future Celine Dion backing singer Mary Lou Gauthier and English multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Tomlinson, who’d worked previously with future Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre...
, which appeared at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival
Toronto Rock and Roll Revival
The Toronto Rock and Roll Revival was a one day, twelve hour music festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 13, 1969. It featured a number of popular musical acts from the 1950s and 1960s...
concert on September 13, 1969. The band also recorded an unreleased LP for Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
with Jerry Ragovoy
Jerry Ragovoy
Jordan "Jerry" Ragovoy was an American songwriter and record producer.His best-known composition "Time Is on My Side" was made famous by The Rolling Stones, although it had been recorded earlier by Kai Winding and Irma Thomas...
producing. The pair also appeared on an unreleased LP by Toronto singer Jay Telfer while Tomlinson guested on Life's eponymous album for Polydor Records. The pair then formed a new band, Damage, but this was short-lived and during the early 1970s, Tomlinson played in a succession of local bands, including Syrinx
Syrinx (band)
Syrinx was a Canadian electronic music group active from 1970 to 1972. Their song, "Tillicum", received national attention as the theme music for the television series Here Come the Seventies.-Members:* John Mills-Cockell - keyboards...
, and a latter day version of Elektra band, Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
.
In 1973 Tomlinson joined Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
' original Stone City Band and appeared on an LP that was never released. He later recorded with the band Bearfoot
Bearfoot (Canadian band)
Bearfoot was a Juno Award-nominated Canadian rock band, founded by Jim Atkinson, Terry Danko, Dwayne Ford, Hugh Brockie and Brian Hilton. Initially going by "Atkinson, Danko and Ford", they changed their name out of practicality and because they didn't want to sound as though they were a law-firm...
and then formed the Malcolm Tomlinson Band. The group recorded two albums in 1977 and 1979 for A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
.
On 2 June 2007, Tomlinson was behind the kit for a one-off reunion of the seminal 60's Toronto band Kensington Market. He also doubled up to play with Luke & The Apostles.
He is still active with The Malcolm Tomlinson Band, which includes Gerry Markman
Gerry Markman
Gerry Markman , is a Canadian guitarist. His particularly notable musical associations have been with The Cameo Blues Band, The Lincolns, Richard "Hock" Walsh and Alannah Myles.-Biography:...
- guitar (The Sensations), Steve Hunter - keyboard (M/D Hair & Rocky Horror Show) and Glenn Olive - bass, and recently contributed to an LP by the Cameo Blues Band
Cameo Blues Band
The Cameo Blues Band is a Toronto-based blues band, originally formed in 1978. It is particularly notable for its association with several of Canada's leading blues singers, including Richard "Hock" Walsh, Tony Flaim and Chuck Jackson, all of whom were also associated with the Downchild Blues...
.