South London - Herne Bay
Arthur Kay first appeared in 1979 as did his his 7" Single "Ska Wars/ Warska" on the Folkestone Red Admiral Records Label, an enterprise he had partially financed due to the appathy of the music industry to his compositions and the personal need of a writer to write with a purpose.
Arthur Kay writes...
It all started for me in the spring of 1962. Their was Lenny and me on a street corner in London. It was one of those nights that you never forget. Every one was doing the twist to Chubby Checker,Sam Cooke and Gary US Bonds. I felt really sharp in my blue Prince of Wales check Italian suit and pointed toe shoes.
As the night closed in we moved on to a cinema showing 'Twist Around the Clock'. It was on this night I first heard Dion sing 'The Wanderer' and found three things in life I always wanted. An anthem, an ambition and Dion as my mentor.
By 1965 I had become a fully fledged South London mod with a Lambretta scooter, the full bit. I had one thing that set me apart from all the other faces, A Hofner violin beatle bass guitar. I had just joined my first proper band called the 'Next Collection'. We were a typical mod band playing a mix of Tamla, Stax soul and a few originals. One of our first gigs was the Ram Jam Club in Brixton the week after Jimi Hendrix. A few weeks later I was at a club on my manor in Streatham when I first heard Prince Buster and the sound of ska. Very soon the sounds of Jamacan ska was pumping out of every street and every club in Brixton. Around the same time my band had started recording in a studio down the Old Kent Road near Millwall football club. Our first session was for Decca Records with Harry Becket and trombone legend Rico, now with the Jools Holland Band.
About a year later our recording manager Vic Keary and Bluebeat Records boss Emill Shallet decided to start Chalk Farm Studios in North London. The vast amount of Trojan reggae records were recorded their. By now I had left the band and they changed the name to 'Second Hand' and signed to Polydor Records. I started to write my own songs and do the odd session for Vic and Emill for young Trojan hopefulls.
About 10 years or so later I was living just off Exmouth market in Clerkenwell. Apart from having my favorite eel pie and mash shop in London I also wrote the songs that would later form a large part of the of ' The Originals' reportoire. The big buzz in London was the film The Who were making about mods called Quadrophenia. At the time I was working in a factory in Islington. Around the corner was a cafe called Alfredos which the Who used for filming the coffee bar scenes. Seeing all the scooters lined up outside reminded me of my mod days in Brixton and Streatham.
Chalk farm studios recording engineer Mike Craig moved down to Herne bay and helped set up Europa Sound Studios in Folkestone with Chris Ashman. I was invited to do a session so I started work on a song called 'Ska Wars'. We played it down a local disco and it went down really well. We decided to release it on our own label Red Admiral Records. While waiting for it to be pressed, I heard of a band called 'The Special Aka' who played ska live. Watching them play at the Nashville in West London gave me the inspiration to form my own band which I called 'The Originals'. Two Tone had arrived and everyone was dancing to 'The Specials' and 'Selector'. My single got caught up in the slipstream, but by now I had a follow up called 'Play my Record'.
Out of 'The Pete Nu Jazz Trio' I recruited Kieron O'Connor on Drums and Pete Scott on Bass. Ex Northern Soul - Paul Mylnarz & George Sketcher on Sax alongside Trombonist Frank Wildbore formed the Horn section, and the line up was completed with the Skanking Guitar of Bob Coltart. After 'Play my Record' was released I decided it was time to do a few gigs. Bob Coltart suggested using his band mates from 'Life and Soul' who both Bob and Paul Mylnarz worked for. Our first gig was in the Cabin in Herne Bay which went down a storm. Another session followed at Europa and two of Bob's songs were recorded, 'High flyer' and 'No One But You'. A gig was offered supporting 'The Bodysnatchers' at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone but the band had other commitments. I decided it was time to find another Band. There was a new Ska band forming in Herne Bay who needed a Bass player and Singer so I suggested we joined forces. We called ourselves 'The Originator' and played a string of sell out gigs in kent. We recorded two songs 'Doctor bird' and 'Watching The Rich Kids' but all to soon the band started drifting apart and I decided it was time to move back to London.
I moved in to a flat next to Kieron o Connor in Coranation buidings South Lambeth Road. I started standing in with the London kings of New orleans music 'Diz and the Doormen'. While playing with Diz I was introduced to Piano Accordian wizard Geraint Watkins. We decided to form a Cajun band so along with Kieron, Gary Rickards and Robin Mckidd we formed 'The Balham Alligators'. We soon became the top pub rock band in London and played main stage at Glastonbury. In fact Doctor John was so taken with the band that he asked us to be his backing group on several ocassions.
Due to family problems I was forced to move back to Kent and leave 'The Balham Alligators'. Link records asked if they could release a mini album of 'The Originals' so in 1988 they released 'Rare n Tasty'. In 1989 Link records released a second album of 'The Originals' titled 'The Sparkes of Inspiration'. A few years later we recorded our third studio album 'The Count of Clerkenwell' with my old mate the late Bob Coltart. We then flew to Berlin to play our first major Ska festival at Potsdam. We played alongside 'The Specials' and the first lady of reggae Dawn Penn. It was that gig I found the sound I was looking for. Bronx soul mixed with Ska and the London street songs I grew up with. The set was recorded and released on Step 1 Records. We then retuned to the studio to record three more songs. A tribute to the music of Dion called 'The Last Of The One Named Singers'. 'Back street Warrior' about my boxing Grandfather and a song for the free Tibet campaign called 'Night train to Lhasa'. We then went on to become Judge Dread's backing group and played on his last ever studio recording 'Skinhead Moonstomp'. We then backed Judge Dread on his last gig at the Penny Theatre in Canterbury where he died on stage from a heart attack. Sadly Kieron O Connor and Bob Coltart are now no longer with us but their music along with Judge Dread will always remain in our hearts and memories.
ARTHUR KAY
