Nottingham Drummer 1960s to the present. The Dolomites, The Dunn Thing, Life Without Mother, Merlin’s Wake, Sounds of Peace, Screaming Lord Sutch, Desperate Dann, Agents, Gaffa, Florida Snow Shifters and many more.
Some classic Desperate Dann. Hear the rest of the gig.
I spoke to Steve about his career in music. July 2025
Steve Otter was born in August 1949 at 98 Gawthorne Street, New Basford and grew up in Basford. Both his parents were Nottingham folk. Steve’s dad, Kenneth Otter had lived on Mansfield Road and his mum had grown up in Basford too.
“When I was young I liked the idea of the circus. Not so much the show itself but the idea of a travelling show, the setting it up, doing the show and then moving on. It appealed to me.“
“We only had the radio. My dad wasn’t a jazz fan but there was always music on in the house. I liked Dean Martin and all that. I remember Heartbreak Hotel. I was aware that something was going on.“
“When I was 9 I must have seen something but can’t remember what that made me want to play drums. I got some plain postcards and drew some drums on them and wrote it’s my birthday soon and put it under my dads pillow.“
“We had an old record player, a wind up with a horn. We had a Lonnie Donegan record. It might have belonged to my sister who was three years older than me. She used to buy Cliff Richard records as well”.
“I made some drum sticks. I had no idea what they should be like but they worked for me. I just built bits to make a rudimentary kit. I was practicing drums in my front room. Some local youngsters came round and said we play guitar, you play the the drums don’t you. So, some of us practiced but we didn’t have a name just playing a few Shadows numbers.”
THE DOLOMITES 1965-66
The Dolomites
From PlayedInABand website John Jayes recalls the early days:
"At the end of 1963, four of us at the Ellis School discussed forming a band, and by the beginning of 1964 Ian Bainbridge (lead guitar), Jon Jayes (rhythm guitar), Steve Hurd (bass) and Maurice Higgs (drums), were practising together on simple instruments. Initially, we were an instrumental group playing Shadows music, calling ourselves the Dolomites out of desperation, with a gig to play at the weekend and no name on the drum kit. We had recently had a geography lesson studying Italy with Mr Clarke at school, hence the name. It seemed like a good idea at the time!After a couple of initial gigs in the Percy Andrews canteen in Bulwell, Maurice left and we found a replacement drummer, Tony Richards. Due to musical differences, Tony left shortly afterwards and Steve Otter answered our ad for a drummer."
Steve goes on:
“When I was 15 I answered an ad in the paper for a drummer. We practiced at Steve Hurds mothers house in Bulwell. In the back room we recorded a few songs. Steve’s mum, who had a little theatrical background, was very encouraging. Come on lads, she would shout everybody has got to do a turn.“
Line up:
Ian Bainbridge: Lead guitar
Jon Jayes: Rhythm guitar
Steve Hurd: Bass
Steve Otter: Drums
“You’d be 15 but you go out and play three times a week in the pubs. I’ve never done it for the money although you need a bit to get by. I loved The Shadows. We did The Pretty Things as well. It was all covers though. I’m not sure why the band folded.“
From PlayedInABand website Jon Jayes recalls more about The Dolomites:
"We began buying slightly better equipment, but couldn’t afford the Vox amps or Fender and Gibson guitars which some bands were using. We built our own speaker cabinets with Linear 30-watt amps and bought a PA system. As we were all only 14 or 15 years old, we had to rely on what transport we could – friends, relatives or hiring a driver and van at thirty bob a trip from gig fees. We performed at various venues over the couple of years that we played together, quickly leaving the Shadows music behind and concentrating on R&B, with me (JJ) playing the harmonica and Steve Otter and Steve Hurd singing. During our short time together, we played several times at the Fox on Parliament Street, Maid Marian in Arnold, the Apollo in Bulwell, many times at the Hendon Rise Social club, miners’ welfares in Basford, Hucknall and Ripley and many other places, with around 60 appearances in the months we played together. All that whilst studying for our GCE’s. Our final appearance was at the Country Hall in 1966 after leaving school and getting ‘proper jobs’."
THE DUNN THING 1967
Steve Otter and Steve Hurd had connected strongly as a drums and bass duo and met Harold, John and Ray to form a new group. Friend Wayne Evans saw them at St Margaret’s in Aspley, playing soul stuff, James Brown etc. They just played the local pub scene like the Beacon, Carlton Hotel and the Maid Marion in Arnold.
Line up:
Steve Otter: Drums
Steve Hurd: Bass
Harold Burgon: Guitar
John Dunn: Guitar
Ray Straw: Vocals
“We rehearsed with the Dunn Thing at John Dunn’s place. Alvin Lee, still playing with The Jaybirds at the time, came along to watch us because his girl friend Loraine Burgon was the sister of Harold. I remember overhearing Alvin saying to Harold ‘the drummers good’ which made me feel great.“
“My mum and dad didn’t mind what I did (music) but would say it’s alright doing that but you need a trade. However, I’m glad I was born when I was. It was the perfect time. It was so invigorating to have bands like the Small Faces around. Everybody was young. When you went out to a beat night, you didn’t think there might be old people there. I wouldn’t want to be seventeen now.“
LIFE WITHOUT MOTHER
Nottingham progressive blues band circa 1968-69. John Dunn left The Dunn Thing and the remaining four renamed themselves Life Without Mother and took a turn away from the soul songs they had been performing to the late sixties trend of Blues Rock.
Line up #1:
Steve Hurd – Bass
Steve Otter – Drums
Ray Straw – Vocals
Harold Burgon – Guitar
Line up #2:
Steve Hurd – Bass
Steve Otter – Drums
Ray Straw – Vocals
Harold Burgon – Guitar
John Carling – Guitar
Because of Harold Burgon’s connection to Alvin Lee (now leader of Ten Years After) the band got invited down to London.
“Alvin got us (Life Without Mother) a night at the Marquee. A talent night. It was a Monday night, a showcase night. The band Free were playing, a residency night, we got a spot with them. It was before they were known. We were sat in the dressing room with Alvin. Alvin encouraged us and showed us what it like to be on the professional circuit. Alvin took a shine to me. ‘I’m going to the revolution club tonight, come down with me’. Jethro Tull are doing a showcase gig. I’m just seventeen in a local band and here I was with all these Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull people doing their thing in a big London club. It was exciting. For young people it was just excepted. We went to Alvin and Loraine’s house in London. I remember sitting next to Ron Burg (Blodwyn Pig drummer). My batteries were charged and it motivated me even more. I’ve decided I wanted this and I was right, not because I was into the glamour. Being in London for me was like being at the centre of the Earth. London, that’s where it was, you could feel it. I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else. I still get a buzz from it, not in a big headed way, just the being involved.“
The Milton’s Head in Nottingham was an important meeting place for the new local progressive blues bands emerging at the time and a place to network with other musicians.
“We were doing a gig down Milton’s Head around 1969 and Al Gascoigne was there. Al was playing with Colin Staples at the time. Al was great, very full of himself. He came up to me and said he’d got an idea, ‘we’ve got me, we’ve got Mick Wheat from Woody Kern…..’ Because it was the supergroup era he was planning ahead.“
MERLINS WAKE
In the summer of 1969 Life Without Mother split up. Ray Straw went to work at the Nottingham Evening Post and Steve Hurd would later team up with Colin Staples in one of his many blues excursions. Steve and Harold from LWM teamed up with Al Gascoigne, Mick Wheat and Tim Disney to form Merlins Wake. Al Gascoigne had been playing with Colin Staples, Mick Wheat already had a track record with bands like Tiny Davis Soul Ago Go and Woody Kern who were signed to PYE records, releasing an album in 1969. Tim Disney was also one of the early Nottingham blues pioneers having served in Twenty Per Cent and the Redhouse Blues Band and he joined as lead vocalist and harmonica player. There is a little bit more about Merlins Wake here.
Line up:
Harold Burgon: Guitar
Tim Disney: Vocals, Harp
Al Gascoigne: Guitar
Stevie Otter: Drums
Mick Wheat: Bass
Thanks to Sophie Straw for these photos. (The original website had “Scraw” but surely that is a mistake and I guess she was Raw Straws brother or wife maybe).
MUCH MORE
COMING LATER….