Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames - Personnel

Personnel

Georgie Fame, drummer Red Reece, bassist Tex Makins and guitarist Colin Green were rehearsing with singer Clay Nicholls in 1961 when they were hired by Larry Parnes to back Billy Fury. Green and Fame (then Clive Powell) had first worked together in Colin Green's Beat Boys, who had accompanied Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran when in the UK. They were dismissed in February 1962 for being "too jazzy" for Fury, to be replaced by The Tornados, and Fame took over on vocals. Green left for a while, replaced first by Joe Moretti and then John McLaughlin who held the post until April 1963, when McLaughlin joined The Graham Bond Organisation and the band was without a guitarist until Green returned in October 1964. In that time Boots Slade had taken over on bass from Makins for some time while the latter toured with Johnny Hallyday.

Reece remained a constant until he became ill in 1964 after the group's second album appeared: he was followed by Tommy Frost and Roy Mills then Jimmie Nicol, who quickly left to replace Ringo Starr on The Beatles' tour. Phil Seamen and Micky Waller helped out until Bill Eyden was taken on in September 1964. Eyden and Makins remained as the group's rhythm section until the group's last line-up, when they were replaced in December 1965 by Cliff Barton and Mitch Mitchell: the group was augmented by Ghanaian percussionist Neeomi "Speedy" Acquaye, who was with the band from May 1962 until shortly before it folded on the same day that Mitchell joined The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The Blue Flames always featured saxophones: Mick Eve joined in 1962 and left in July 1964, having been joined by Johnny Marshall and then, in 1964, Peter Coe. Coe remained, eventually joined by Glenn Hughes and then by Eddie "Tan-Tan" Thornton (trumpet), who had for some time appeared occasionally with the group.