Nottingham blues band circa 63-65. Chicago-style R&B
Not to be confused with the slightly better known Junco Partners from the North East who operated at the same time. There was also another group local to the Notts/Lincs area in 1965 called the Junco’s or the Junco Sect.

JUNCO PARTNERS Line up:
Richard Williams – Drums
Dave Turner – Guitar
Mick Dale – lead guitar
Ian Taylor – electric pianist
Rae Drewery – bass-guitar and singer

Colin Staples would occasionally deputise for Dave Turner who couldn’t always make the gig. Colin was in The Beaconsville RnB All Stars playing a similar brand of blues along with brothers Dave and John Maslen.

Colin Staples was in fact in the Junco Partners on the night of their last gig supporting Tom Jones at the Elizabethan Rooms in 1965.

Mick Dale would later join Colin Staples Blues Band in 1971 securing gigs as the backing band for Champion Jack Dupree among others.

Richard Williams went on to become a highly regarded writer and critic in such papers as the Nottingham Evening Post, The Nottingham Guardian Journal, Melody Maker and The Sunday Times, hosting the early shows of the Old Grey Whistle Test and much more. He has an excellent blog which is a must for any muso’s out there called The Blue Moment

Rae Drewery was the father of Swing Out Sister’s Corinne Drewery who as a very girl grew up in the midst of her dad’s group.

The Junco Partners featured local hero Dave Turner whose reputation as a blues folk comedian many will remember. His elder brother Pete circulated in the early sixties Nottingham folk scene and his cousin Nick Turner who died this year (2022) was a well known character, musician and promoter.

The Junco Partners were blues purists covering Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. They took their name “Junco Partner” from a 1951 blues song by James Wayne which means roughly a worthless person or a tramp.
They supported many groups of the day, The Moody Blues, Sandy Shaw, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Mike Berry and Tom Jones but as with many groups they also performed at the local village hall dance.

In Nottingham in 1964 you had a choice of seeing many groups on most nights of the week. A snapshot of the entertainment on offer below highlights local Pye recording stars The Beatmen, the much loved Jaybirds featuring Alvin Lee and local acts Junco Partners, The Bluecats and The Lawmen.
Bridgford Beat Club was a venture by local Jazz promoter Bill Kinnell, a larger than life figure who tried his luck promoting the new fangled rhythm and blues music. A short lived exercise he returned to promoting jazz.

The Pretty Things are also in town.

Another Rave! The Junco Partners are at the cellar bar, Churchill house, now a grade 2 listed building. Other local acts are the Trentside Four, Ricky Trent and the Dangermen and The Zodiacs. The Zodiacs featured Rob Duffy who went on to mod band The Children, then The Lovin’ and becoming The Nerve recording for Larry Page’s Page One record label. At the Sherwood Rooms are local support acts the Sons of Adam and Orlovus Incorporated.

Jazz still had a strong presence in Nottingham but the new beat and RnB groups were moving in.

Junco Partners support Mike Berry at the Rainbow Rooms.

The Junco Partners split up the week after playing their final gig supporting Tom Jones in Nottingham in May 1965 as his hit “It’s Not Unusual” hit the No.1 spot.

More Coming Later ………..