The Silhouettes

Early sixties Nottingham group.

Early line up 1962/63
Pete Lewis
Archie Roberts
Brian Scrimshaw
Jim Cartwright

Later line up 1964 –
Norman Sullivan
Pete Lewis
Archie Roberts
Brian Scrimshaw

Jim Cartwright tells the story at the Playedinaband website

There was a group from Derby also called The Silhouettes who were also active in the mid to late sixties and some of the advertisements for the Nottingham group could possibly be for the Derby group. The Derby groups story can be seen here. There must of been plenty of other groups called The Silhouettes in the early 1960’s up and down the country with little chance of bumping into each other. A bigger one was Brian Howard and the Silhouettes who were active in the early sixties alongside such acts as Eden Kane and The Searchers.

Starting out in the very early 1960’s the Silhouettes from Nottingham were a beat group who played locally but also further afield in Mansfield, Shirebrook and the Boston Gliderdome. Jim Cartwright had previously played in the Jailbreakers in the late 1950’s with a young and as yet unknown Alvin Lee. The Silhouttes played regularly at the Crescent Carousel Club in the Meadows area of Nottingham and the Wembley Club in Sneinton. Jim Cartwright’s old friend Alvin Lee was also a regular at these venues with his Jaybirds group. Some others who also played were The Five Fellas, The Escorts, The Rocking Vulcans, Tony and the Varitones and the ever present Reg Guest Trio.

1962

1963

January

February

March

April

May

I assume this is the Nottingham group but who knows, it could be another group of the same name.

June

July

Described as Danny Carlson and the Silhouettes it is unclear if this is the Nottingham group.

September

October

November

1964

February

June

October

November

Probably the Nottingham group but could be the Derby group.

December

Again, this could be either the Nottingham or Derby group. Who Billy Twilight was, I don’t know.

1965

1966

1969

1972

In 1972 Moor Farm Inn had started a heavy rock night on Sunday’s starting with a lot of local groups but slowly venturing out to the Birmingham proto metal groups like Judas Priest and Necromandus. A group called The Sillhouettes played on the 13th August 1972 and, as seasoned musicians, it could be the remnants of the Nottingham sixties group trying their hand at some heavier guitar riffs.