By Nick Warburton
West London R&B band Jeff Curtis & The Flames were regulars at the famous Ealing Club where they rubbed shoulders with the nascent Rolling Stones. After recording unsuccessfully for Joe Meek on several occasions and briefly backing Johnny Kidd, they ultimately morphed in The Kool in 1967.
Individual members later toured and played in such far flung places as Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, South Africa, Canada and the United States and worked with such notable bands as The A-Cads, Influence, The Penny Peeps, Manchester’s Playboys, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and The Army.
In the first part of an exhaustive history, Nick Warburton tells the story of one of the UK’s long forgotten bands.
Jeff Curtis & The Flames 1962. Left to right: Louis McKelvey (lead guitar); Keith Gardiner (rhythm guitar), Jeff Curtis (lead vocals); Malcolm Tomlinson (drums); Dave Wiggington (bass) and Malcolm Tagg-Randall (saxophone)
Great Stuff! Rock On!