Nottingham progressive blues group formed in 1967 who released a single in 1968 and an album in 1969 both of which failed to gain any sales and the band disbanded.
They recorded at Codolar studios in Nottingham producing an acetate.
In May 1968 they were described as a three piece featuring Rik Kenton, Steve Harris and John Clerk. The Cellar at the Milton’s Hotel was the venue for the burgeoning local progressive blues scene.
Biography from the album sleeve with some added notes.
John Sanderson: Tenor sax, Flute, Violin
Born in 1946 & 47 has played behind Irma Thomas, Circus Elephants and Screaming Jay Hawkins.
Mick Wheat: Bass
Started playing at 14 and toured Europe along with John Sanderson. He would later play with Life Without Mother and Desperate Dann.
Steve Harris: Drums
Played “Roll Over Beethoven” for two years. Toured Europe with a soul combo. After Woody Kern, Steve had a productive career with many bands including Whichwhat, Barracuda and Amazorblades.
Rick Kenton: Guitar, Keyboards
Was working as a croupier in a casino before joining Woody Kern but was in Nottingham band The Houndogs prior to that. Rik is known for being a bass player but was guitarist with Woody Kern. He is most well known for having a short stint with Roxy Music but has played with Armada, Mouseproof and Savage Progress.
The Union Club where the two live band photographs are from was one of the three Boat Clubs down by the River Trent close to Nottingham Forest Football Club. The Boat Club itself is the most famous but both the “Union” and the “Brit” also had many, now famous, groups playing there in the sixties and seventies.
There are two biographies out there that are worth reprinting here.
Woody Kern – Biography
Not a solo artist but a band from Nottingham, England who included in their ranks…
Rik Kenton – Guitar / keyboards / vocals
John Sanderson – Saxophone / flute / clarinet / violin
Mick Wheat – Bass
Steve Harris – Drums
Woody Kern had its beginning with trio Rik Kenton (who was the focal point during live performances), Mick Wheat and Steve Harris forming the band in 1967 in their hometown of Nottingham. As the pivotal figure, Kenton was often mistakenly identified as the mythical ‘Woody’ by individuals in the audience at gigs as well as promoters. Later that year, John Sanderson was invited to join the group and the foursome played the Working Men’s Club circuit in the Nottingham area.
Their music was a mix of blues, jazz, soul and psychedelia. At the beginning of 1968, after the previous year’s psychedelic ‘summer of love’, recording labels were looking for blues bands to sign. The British Blues Boom was considered the next big thing about to happen in the music world. Woody Kern would travel down the M1 to play at the Marquee. Spotted there at a gig one night, Birmingham agency, Inter City Artists, offered to represent them.
The agency, with other artists such as the Velvet Fogg in its fold, presented Pye records with a package lot of groups that the agency represented, including Woody Kern for recording purposes. In the summer of 1968, Pye requested an album from the group. The album title “The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk” was inspired by a book of the same name published in 1836 and written by a nun (or, as has been attested, her ghostwriters) describing forced sexual encounters by the priests who lived in the seminary next door.
The original album cover concept, as conceived by Pye, involved a ‘nun’ (actually a stripper named Lucy) whose habit was falling away from her body in a lurid fashion. (Pye had produced a similarly trashy album cover for the Velvet Fogg.) The finished photos for the projected Woody Kern release looked ridiculous and farcical and as a result Pye used a close-up photo of Steve Harris instead.
The band were teamed with Jack Dorsey, formerly a big band leader, as producer and the album was created in an almost live fashion. The group wanted to overdub additional instrumentation but as John Sanderson relates, all Jack Dorsey “was really interested in was whether we could introduce him to any of the type of girls that he thought must follow a rock band”. The group were dissatisfied with the final mix since Dorsey had added effects, without the group’s knowledge, that interfered with the blues atmosphere. The album and a single were released but failed to achieve any sales success and the band went their separate ways.
From Monolover
Blues/prog/psych outfit formed 1967 in Nottingham, England, by guitarist/keybordist Rik Kenton, John Sanderson on horn and violin, bassist Mich Wheat and drummer Steve Harris. After playing locally popular club gigs they were invited to perform at the Marquee in London and there spotted by an artist agency who fixed them a contract with Pye label. Title of the album was picked from an early 19th century book about the sexual adventures of a nun. Original photo sessions for the sleeve was with a stripper picturing a nun in certain positions, but those didn’t turn out as expected so instead they added a last minute face pic of drummer Steve Harris on front. As the story goes producer Jack Dorsey didn’t care much for producing and was more interested in the band’s groupies, so the recordings were mostly live in the studio and instead of the overdubs the band wanted Dorsey added psych effects they didn’t like. Feel I have to mention the circumstances, cause when it come to performance and song-writing this is a highly enjoyable album and I guess with a more appealing sleeve consisting of “sexy nun” pics and a thorough production it could have been at least a small success at the time. Now it didn’t sell at all and the band dissolved soon after. Listening today I hear a very appealing example of the genre merge that started about that time and later blossomed as “prog” or “art-rock”. If you haven’t heard it yet – imagine a blend of early Jethro Tull and Savoy Brown as inspired by Colosseum and Fleetwood Mac, spiced with some psych effects (messy description I know, but to my ears it’s all there…funny cause in the rear notes John Peel is comparing them to Captain Beefheart and Family…so there may have been an even wider range of inspiration ). I get a mix of white blues, jazzy ballads, dreamy instrumental parts plus good sax and guitar solos. Audio on this UK press is top notch – big and clear with good separation providing very good listening. Favorite tracks – “Uncle John” frenzied with adventurous saxophone, “Gramophone Man” as Spirit covers always are welcome and “Vile Lynn” hard blues with flute and howling guitars. For more on the songs and band background check rear notes below. To say something negative – Rik Kentons vocals may be percieved as somewhat plain and a couple of the cuts sounds dangerously close to Jethro Tull, but he do nail the notes and most bands at this time copied eachother rather barefacedly so no big deal. Also originally released on Pye in Canada (same number) and France (CLVLXPY 353), but to my knowledge never issued in US. Counterfeits exist on both vinyl and CD. UK 2002 legit CD on Castle Music (CMRCD 515) came with mono single mixes of “Biography” and “Tell You I’m Gone” as bonus tracks. Premiere UK had label as shown here, thick unflexible vinyl and laminated flip-back cover. (PÖY*)
More coming later …….
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Two months after the release of their album they changed the line up. Tony Crosby came in on guitar and Alan Gee took up the vocal spot.
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John Warburg Information.
WOODY KERN
Woody Kern was formed in 1967 in Nottingham with a line-up of Rik Kenton on lead guitar, organ (b. Richard Kenton, Wednesday, October 31, 1945, Sherwood, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England), Mick Wheat on bass (b. Michael Wheat, Thursday, April 1, 1948, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England) and Steve Harris on drums, percussion (b. Steven John Harris, Monday, August 16, 1948, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England d. Friday, January 11, 2008, Hospital, Dorchester, Dorset, England of liver cancer).
Later in 1967 Woody Kern was joined by John Sanderson on tenor & soprano sax, flute, violin (b. 1946/1947).
Kern who lived in Haydn Road, Sherwood, Nottingham and had been to High Pavement School, Chaucer Street, Nottingham and had been in The Houndogs.
Wheat had been in The Tony Davis Soul Band.
Sanderson and Harris had been in Rocky Sharp and the Razors.
The group’s manager was John Carlin (b. John Stuart Carlin, 1947 d. 2022).
In September? 1968 The Awful Disclosures Of Maria Monk was recorded at Pye Studios, ATV House, Bryanston Street, Marbel Arch, West London. The album was produced by Jack Dorsey (b. Handel Huckridge, February 1929, Wrexham, Clwyd, North Wales d. Sunday, April 30, 2017, Hove, East Sussex, England) and engineered by Andrew Hendrikson and Dave Hunt (b. David Hunt).
On Friday, January 3, 1969 Woody Kern released their only single ‘Biography’ (Rik Kenton, Mick Wheat, John Sanderson, Steve Harris) and ‘Tell You I’m Gone’ (Rik Kenton, Mick Wheat, John Sanderson, Steve Harris) on Pye 7N 17672. It was produced by Jack Dorsey.
In January 1969 The Awful Disclosures Of Maria Monk was released on Pye NSPL. 18273.
In January 1969 saw a line-up change when Kenton left and the band was joined by Tony Crosby (b. Anthony Crosby) and Alan Gee.
Saturday, May 3, 1968: The Union Rowing Club, Trentside North, West Bridgeford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
Saturday, May 18, 1968: The Union Rowing Club, Trentside North, West Bridgeford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
Also on the bill:
Friday, November 22, 1968: The 76 Club, 76 High Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
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More coming later …………….