Currently: Archie Brown (lead vocals, guitar, saxophone)
Pat Rafferty (vocals, guitar, accordion, keyboards)
Phil Screaton (vocals, lead guitar)
Neil Ramshaw (vocals, drums)
Ian Thomson (bass guitar) plus countless others over the years...
Biography...
Autumn 1975 - Bucks 1
The band is formed in Newcastle by Pat Rafferty and Tony Wadsworth. First gig is the University Fine Art Dept Xmas Party. Still without a name, inspiration comes from Bogart's "Key Largo" - "I'm looking for a couple of young bucks in fancy shirts who busted out of prison".
Pat Rafferty: Insta Piano & Fender Bronco,
Tony Wadsworth: Hofner & Vox
Tim Wilder: Assorted Drums
Steve Brooks: Fender copy Bass
John Glynn: Alto & Tenor Saxes
Summer 1976 - Bucks2
Band is instantly popular. John Glynn moves to London and joins proto punks 'X Ray Spex'. His replacement is Archie Brown, sax player and songwriter with local band 'Pylon'. Band starts playing Monday nights at the "Cooperage" which is sold out for the next two years. Summer '77 Tim Wilder is replaced by Seb Shelton.
Band records its first single "Get your feet back on the Ground" which becomes single of the week in 'Sounds'. Summer '78 band moves to London and signs to Tom Watkins, later to manage 'Pet Shop Boys', 'Bros' and 'East 17'.
Pat Rafferty: Insta piano, Vox Continental, Fender Bronco, Vocals
Tony Wadsworth: Fender Stratocaster, Vocals
Seb Shelton: Drums
Steve Brooks: Fender Jazz, Bass
Archie Brown: Alto & Tenor Sax, Vocals
Spring 1979 - Bucks3
Steve Brooks quits Spring '79 to become a dragonfly expert at the Natural History Museum, and is replaced by Geoff Lincoln. Seb Sheldon don's a mohair suit and joins 'Secret Affair' with whom he has a couple of hit singles and a hit album. He subsequently exchanges his suit for torn dungarees and joins Kevin Rowland in 'Dexys Midnight Runners', has a worldwide hit with 'Come on Eileen' and hit album 'Too Rye Aye'. He is replaced by Geoff Rich, now with 'Status Quo'.
Archie becomes lead vocalist and another sax player is brought in, Dave Winthrop formerly of 'Supertramp' and 'Chicken Shack'. By the summer of '79 Thatcher is Prime Minister, Pat is not seeing eye to eye with Tom Watkins, Archie is "upset" and forms a new group. Tony is biding his time. The band's latest gig is Cirencester Agricultural College in July '79 supporting 'Slade'.
Pat Rafferty: Viscount Organ, Intercontinental, Fender Strat, Vocals
Tony Wadsworth: Fender Tele, Vocals
Geoff Rich: Drums
Geoff Lincoln: Kramer Bass
Dave Winthrop: Alto & Tenor Sax
Archie Brown: Alto Sax, Vocals
Summer 1985 - Bucks4
Summer '79 Pat returns to Newcastle to work as a musician in a theatre company. He then joins 'Arthur 2 Stroke and the Chart Commandos', then 'Dust on the Needle' and 'The Mick Whitaker Band'. The bass in all these is provided by Ian Thompson. Tony works briefly in 'The Savoys' with Paul Martinez (Robert Plant Band) and Pick Withers ('Dire Straits') but quickly starts his meteoric rise in the music business working for 'Logo', 'RCA', and 'EMI', which culminates in him becoming MD for 'Capitol' and 'Parlaphone' UK.
Archie forms the 'Upset', has one single and is approached by Kevin Rowlandless Dexys Midnight Runners. He joins the band as singer, records one album under the name 'The Bureau' and tours America with 'The Pretenders'. They have two hit singles in Australia. The band split and Archie joins forces with Dave Cairns formerly of 'Secret Affair' and they form 'The Flag'. They record one album for 'Skotti Bros' in the USA.
In the summer of '85 Pat, Archie and Tony meet at a mutual friend's wedding and the following day meet to record on a portastudio. The sound is instant and during Autumn '85 and spring '86 'Bring me the Head of Jerry Garcia' is recorded at Elephant Studio in London. Ian Thompson and Geoff Lincoln provide bass, and Ray Laidlaw and Tony Cook drums.
Pat Rafferty: Accordion, Vocals
Tony Wadsworth: Fender tele, Vocals
Archie Brown: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Autumn 1987 - Bucks5
The 'Jerry Garcia' album is released in early '87. Tony continues his ascent in the music business, Pat is working as a lawyer in Newcastle. In the summer of '87 Archie is spotted busking on the London Underground by German artist Leni Hoffmann. She loves the music and arranges a short German tour. Within a week of arriving the band is offered three separate record deals and signs to Dortmund based 'Plane'.
Two albums are released 'Jerry Garcia' and 'Rafferty, Rafferty Fish' and the band tours Germany extensively. Tony can't make the tours and is replaced by Pat Cunningham, Irish guitarist/songwriter who played with Archie in the 'Bureau' and subsequently by Paul Rose, a Geordie guitar hero, later to be voted guitarist of the year in 'Guitarist' magazine.
Pat Rafferty: Accordion, Vocals
Pat Cunningham: Fender Strat, Vocals
Geoff Lincoln: Bass
Tony Cook: Drums
Archie Brown: Acoustic Guitar, Sax, Vocals
Summer 1990 - Bucks 6 and 7
By 1990 both Geoff Lincoln and Archie had relocated to Newcastle. Tony Cook is replaced on drums by Steve Dolder and then by Neil Ramshaw, formerly of '21 Strangers' and who played with Pat in 'The Mick Whitaker Band'.
Due to difficulties in replacing Tony Wadsworth and his various successors on guitar, Archie buys a Fender Telecaster and starts playing the lead guitar. Geoff Lincoln leaves to join 'Kathryn Tickell' and is replaced by Kenny Potter and then Ian Thompson who had been playing with 'Sid Griffin and the Coal Porters' in America.
Pat Rafferty: Accordion, Vocals
Ian Thomson: Bass, Vocals
Neil Ramshaw: Drums, Vocals
Archie Brown: Fender telecaster, Sax, Vocals
London Band:
To further complicate matters Jon Payne persuades Archie to form a London band. Jon Payne produced an album using people from both bands, and in summer 1993 "Young Bucks in Fancy Shirts" is released by Chris Donald of VIZ. A young manager called Matt Parkin attempts to guide the ship but is soon sent packing.
Flakey Jake: Accordion, Vocals
Jon Payne: Bass, Vocals
Robert Ward: Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Tony Cook: Drums
Archie Brown: Fender Telecaster, Vocals
Autumn 1995 - Bucks 8
'Dirt and Romance' is recorded throughout '95. The Newcastle Bucks are joined by Bren Gore and Gerry McLaughlin, old school chums of Pat from Manchester. Robert Ward, acoustic guitarist in the 'London Band', is tragically killed by an express train. His funeral is so mobbed that it stops the traffic. He was only 27 years old.
Summer '97 - Bucks 9
Archie releases solo album 'Prisoner of Fender'. Jim Hornsby, legendary country guitarist, plus the amazing Paul Smith on drums feature strongly. Ian Thomson joins 'Lindisfarne' and is replaced by a familiar face, Geoff Lincoln. After seven years Neil moves on and in comes Rob Walker on drums.
Pat Rafferty: Accordion, Vocals
Geoff Lincoln: Bass, Vocals
Rob Walker: Drums, Vocals
Archie Brown: Fender Telecaster, Sax, Vocals
2000 - 2001 - Bucks 10
'Turks Head Soup' is recorded with the working band and studio musicians. Phil Screaton joins the Bucks on guitar and Neil Ramshaw returns on drums, (Rob Walker joins the QE2, the Ship as opposed to the Tribute band.) The indispensable Paul Smith and Jim Hornsby plus Bradley Creswick, leader of the Northern Sinfonia and Martin Fletcher, local harp hero all guest on the album. Fran Brown sings two duets with Archie and brings the house down when the album is done live at Live Theatre Xmas 2000.
Pat Rafferty: Accordion, Vocals
Geoff Lincoln: Bass, Vocals
Neil Ramshaw: Drums, Vocals
Phil Screaton: Fender Stratocaster
Archie Brown: Vocals, Sax
To be continued......
Archie Brown & The Young Bucks's Friend Space (Top 8)
at The Magnolia, 211 Lordship Land, East Dulwich, London SE22 8AH Telephone : 020 8299 4116
Intimate warm-up to the 3-day event in the small upstairs room at The Magnolia featuring the great Miller Anderson (accompanied by Kris Gray) with The Broadkasters, Dr King & Nervous Jonty Atkinson supporting
Saturday 28th November '09 at the Half Moon, 10 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, Lonodn SE24 9HU Telephone : 020 7272 2733
Afternoon Session : 12.00 noon til 5.00 p.m. £5.00 entry (money back with vinyl purchases over £5.00 from Jailhouse Records who wil be selling rare vinyl at the accompanying 'Dream Machine' record Fayre
Miller Anderson Jonty Atkinson Dr King Steve 'Boltz' Bolton Butch & femme Gabriel Mesh Archie 'Zoo Kid'
Evening Session : 6.00 p.m. til 12.00 midnight. £10.00 entry (money back with vinyl purchases over £5.00 from Jailhouse Records who wil be selling rare vinyl at the accompanying 'Dream Machine' record Fayre
Miller Anderson (with Kris Gray) East of Ealing Dave Sutherland Siobhan Parr The Broadkasters Steve Morrison
at the Half Moon, 10 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, London SE24 9HU Telephone : 020 7274 2733
Afternoon Session 12.00 noon til 4.30 p.m. £5.00 entry (moneyback with vinyl purchases over £5.00 from Jailhouse Records who will be selling rarw vinyl at the accompanying 'Dream Machine' Record Fayre)
Miller Anderson Jonty Atkinson Dr King Joe Wooley Sasha Adamcewski
Evening Session 5.30 p.m. til 10.30 p.m. £10.00 entry (moneyback with vinyl purchases over £5.00 from Jailhouse Records who will be selling rarw vinyl at the accompanying 'Dream Machine' Record Fayre)
Miller Anderson (with Kris Gray) The Coal Porters Big Joe Louis Fran McGillivray & Mike Burke The Hine Brothers
Just to inform you of two important "happenings" in our own little world:
Firstly.....we release our debut single "The Contessa" / "Snake Charmer" on Sept 26 at, curiously, the celebration/launch shindig for our debut album in central London.
Copies of the ltd edition single will be available on the night at Crossfire 14 held at 229 The Venue in Gt. Portland Street, London (opposite Regent's Park) with the DCs on stage around 10pm followed by a blistering all-niter...
And.....this is our next BIRMINGHAM gig....coming up on SATURDAY SEPTEMBER12th @ the Sound Bar....hope you can make it:
Also we play a small home-town show in Tamworth on Sunday September 13 @ Bullit (about 9pm we think)....
Pat and Archie had been friends and band-mates in Newcastle's finest, The Young Bucks, for many years. Over the years they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures, played a million gigs from Wallsend to Weimar, from South Shields to the South of France, got drunk in each other's company many, many times. One day when having a post-gig pint together at the glamourous epicentre of rock 'n' roll that is Doctor Brown's (Middlesbrough), Pat looked at Archie and said: "Now don't get mad at me. I know we've been friends a long time, that we've been through so much together - but I just can't this second think of your name. I've thought and thought, but I can't remember it. Please tell me what your name is." Archie glared at him. For at least three minutes he just stared and glared. Finally he said, "How soon do you need to know?"
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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Here’s wishin’ you the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest New Year…May 2009 bring your family and you all the happiness and health you could ever imagine. May it bring families together who've been apart & May your music find wings…and take flight to the places you want it to go…and friends my wish for us all… May we flourish in gods grace as it shines on us each and every day.
It's a place for bands to explain how they book shows. Comes along with news on web technologies, recording gizmos as well as music industry trends and anecdotes.
I've just read Nigel Panter's book "Ska's For Life" where he talks about The Specials travelling to The Smoke to try to poach Seb Sheldon from "up and coming London band The Young Bucks". Seb turned them down...
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