BEGINNINGS ~ 1965
1965 was to see the various future members of the band continue to ply their trade and hone their musical skills in front of receptive audiences.
Holder was by now a member of 'Steve Brett & The Mavericks' and would play live both far and wide as well as record three unsuccessful single records on the Columbia lable. Steve Brett however would allow his 'mavericks' to open their gigs by playing a short set of 'Memphis Cutout' favourites before joining them and taking centre stage where they became his backing band playing a mixture of mellow almost Val Doonican style numbers. Brett was a name and a face that carried great weight in the Midlands music scene which meant that he was never short of gigs. That constant gigging as professionals was giving Holder a thorough grounding in the up's and down's of life on the road despite the fact that he and Brett constituted diametrically opposed ends of the musical spectrum.
The Vendors, now rebranded as The N'Betweens were also moving along at pace and 1965 was to see them give up their day jobs and turn professional. Like Holder they would also get some studio time and record and release a couple of tracks on an EP commissioned by the French owned Barclay lable.
The N'Betweens were sometimes billed as 'Wolverhamptons Top Group' and had gained a healthy live reputation playing in and around the Midlands. A rearrangement of their management also meant that they were beginning to get to play on the same bill as some nationally known bands further increasing the local hype around them as the local press gave them good regular copy. It was all looking good for the band and world fame was surely to follow.
Their first step towards that aim was to conquer Germany, a popular foreign location for English beat groups since the Beatles had exploded out of Hamburg a couple of years earlier. Having successfully gained a residency at a club in Dortmund The N'Betweens duly spent some time abroad during which time they bumped into Noddy Holder who was abroad with The Mavericks.
The seeds were sown........
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
THE N'BETWEENS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
3/1 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
The Clayton Squares-The N’Betweens |
9/1 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
Lee Castle &The Barons-The ‘N’Betweens |
10/1 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
The Shakedown Sound - The ‘N’Betweens |
13/1 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
Georgie Fame-Zoot Money-Spencer Davis-Alexis Korner-The Soul Seekers-The N’Betweens |
15/1 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
Kenny Ball -The Sonnets-The N’Betweens |
20/1 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
|
22/1 |
St Lukes YC, Wolverhampton St, Bilston |
|
22/1 |
KENNY BALL REVIEW |
|
30/1 |
Rising Brook School , Stafford |
Beat Competition -The N'Betweens |
12/2 |
Rollerdrome, Wolverhampton |
|
14/2 |
Rollerdrome, Wolverhampton |
|
22/2 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton | Phil Ryan & the Crescents-The ‘Nbetweens |
23/2 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton | |
STEVE BRETT & THE MAVERICKS
Date |
Venue |
|
|---|---|---|
15/1 |
Gala Hall, West Bromwich |
2nd City Jazz |
16/1 |
400 Ballroom,Torquay |
|
23/1 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
Steve Brett and The Mavericks - Beat Ltd |
29/1 |
Wishing / Anything Thats Part Of You |
Single released |
30/1 |
Three Men in a Boat, Bloxwich |
|
5/2 |
Civic Centre, Brierley Hill |
Steve Brett & the Mavericks -The Barons |
6/2 |
Le Metro Club, Birmingham |
|
12/2 |
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton | Steve Brett and The Mavericks-Dripper Kent &the Martells-George E Washington &the Congressmen |
MARCH / APRIL
THE N'BETWEENS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
6/3 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
The Litter -The N'Betweens |
9/3 |
N'Betweens turn Professional |
|
14/3 |
Rollerdrome, Wolverhampton |
|
15/3 |
Youth Centre, Bilston |
The N'Betweens-The Subjects-The Earl King Three |
26/3 |
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton |
The -George E Washington & the Congressmen-The Tempo’s |
6/4 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton |
The Blue Stars - The Vendors |
11/4 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
The N'Betweens -The Little People |
13/4 |
Willenhall Baths |
Spencer Davis Group-Derek Day and the Trekkers-Johnny Love and the Spectres -The N'Betweens |
17/4 |
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton |
The Martells |
19/4 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
Simon Scott & the Leroys-Johnny Kidd & the Pirates-The ‘N’Betweens |
26/4 |
Crown Hotel, Birmingham |
|
29/4 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
|
30/4 |
Tyburn House, Birmingham |
|
STEVE BRETT & THE MAVERICKS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
1/3 |
Staffordshire Yeoman, Stafford |
Steve Brett & the Mavericks -Gerry Byrnes and the Invaders |
5/3 |
Three Men in a Boat, Bloxwich |
|
6/3 |
Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich |
The Uglys-Johnny & the James Boys-Steve Brett & the Mavericks |
8/3 |
Cleveland Arms, Wolverhampton | |
12/3 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
David Rollanson & his Showband-Steve Brett and The Mavericks |
24/3 |
Cleveland Arms, Bilston |
|
27/3 |
Town Hall, Walsll |
The Chuckles-Steve Brett & the Mavericks |
1/4 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
|
10/4 |
Le Metro, Birmingham |
|
11/4 |
Three Men in a Boat, Bloxwich |
|
15/4 |
Queens Head, Erdington |
|
20/4 |
Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham |
Marianne Faithfull-Steve Brett & the Mavericks 2.15pm-4.45pm-7.00pm |
28/4 |
Cleveland Arms, Wolverhampton |
|
MAY / JUNE
STEVE BRETT & THE MAVERICKS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
3/5
|
Crown Hotel, Birmingham | |
6/5 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
|
8/5 |
The Hobson Restaurant, Wolverhampton |
Steve Brett and The Mavericks-The Tremors-The Atlantics |
14/5 |
SAD LONELY AND BLUE released |
|
17/5 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton | Steve Brett and The Mavericks-The Chantelles |
21/5 |
Club Pandora, Birmingham | |
26/5 |
Queens Head, Erdington |
|
31/5 |
Queens Head, Erdington |
Steve and the Veldens-Steve Brett and the Mavericks |
THE N'BETWEENS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
6/5 |
Queens Hotel, Erdington |
|
9/5 |
Le Metro, Birmingham |
The Measles-The ‘Nbetweens |
10/5 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
The Wayfarers-The N’Betweens |
14/5 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
The N'Betweens - The Matchmakers |
18/5 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton |
|
23/5 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
Alexis Korner-The N'Betweens |
24/5 |
Queens Hotel, Erdington |
Derek Day and the Trekkers |
28/5 |
Quarry Club, Upper Gornal |
|
29/5 |
Memorial Park, Willenhall |
|
2/6 |
The Ellowes Inn, Lower Gornal |
|
4/6 |
Bushbury Arms, Wolverhampton |
The Wodens |
12/6 |
400 Club, Torquay |
|
20/6 |
Le Metro, Birmingham |
|
22/6 |
Recording at PYE |
|
23/6 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
The Spencer Davis Group-The N'Betweens The Misphits |
JULY / AUGUST
THE N'BETWEENS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
4/7 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
Boston Dexters |
9/7 |
The Quarry Club, Upper Gornal |
|
19/7 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton | The Size Seven |
25/7 |
Le Metro, Birmingham |
|
26/7 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
The Size Seven |
30/7 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
|
1/8 |
Le Metro, Birmingham |
|
3/8 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton |
|
7/8 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
The Ides of March |
21/8 |
Le Metro, Birmingham |
|
23/8 |
Queens Head, Edgebaston | Cosmos |
24/8 |
Wheel of Worfield, Wolverhampton | |
31/8 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton | |
STEVE BRETT & THE MAVERICKS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
9/7 |
400 Club,Torquay |
|
10/7 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
The Crosbys |
15/7 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton | |
17/7 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton |
The Students |
26/7 |
Cleveland Arms, Bilston |
|
14/8 |
Town Hall, Walsall | The Nomads |
15/8 |
The George, Wellingsborough |
|
21/8 |
St Helens, Liverpool |
|
21/8 |
Klic Klic Club, Stanley St, Southport |
|
22/8 |
Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire |
|
23/8 |
Winter Gardens Blackpool | |
28/8 |
Le Metro, Birmingham | |
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER
STEVE BRETT & THE MAVERICKS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
4-10/9 |
400 Club,Torquay |
|
16/9 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
|
17/9 |
Town Hall, Walsall |
Stu James & the Mojos-Korolevu Trio |
25/9 |
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton |
The Castells |
26/9 |
Town Hall, Bilston |
The Vendors - Group M5 |
29/10 |
Germany ~ Dortmund, Frankfurt, Cologne | Playing Storeyville Clubs... |
THE N'BETWEENS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
5/9 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
Crawdaddies |
9/9 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton |
|
24/9 |
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton |
Tommy Burton-The Zuider Zee |
5/10 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton |
|
9/10 |
The Misphits |
|
10/10 |
Hen & Chickens, Langley | |
18/10 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
|
21/10 |
Willenhall Baths |
Sounds Incorporated-Les Jondors |
23/10 |
YMCA,Percy Thomas Hall,Wolverhampton |
Opening night THE BLUE FLAME |
25/10 |
Willenhall Baths |
|
29/10 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton |
|
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER
THE N'BETWEENS
Date |
Venue |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
6/12 |
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton |
The Zero Five |
8/12 |
Casino Club,Walsall |
As The Vendors |
11/12 |
Willenhall Baths |
The Sabres |
12/12 |
Tito’s,Birmingham |
|
12/12 |
Silver Blades, Birmingham |
The Sabres |
21/12 |
The Woolpack, Wolverhampton |
Lunchtime Gig |
23/12 |
Ship & Rainbow, Wolverhampton | |
24/12 |
Civic Hall, Brierley Hill |
|
29/12 |
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton |
Zuyder Zee |
31/12 |
Mossley Youth Club | |
STEVE BRETT & THE MAVERICKS
Date |
Venue |
|
|---|---|---|
1/12 |
Mavericks return from Germany |
|
This information is presented here in its most basic form, for those of you wishing to flesh in the bones of the story of these early days then simply follow the link to Michael Parkers excellent pages on the subject.