Band Bios ~~~~ The Man in Black Alan Vincent  -  Guitar & Vocals My first gig was with the recorder group at primary school. It didn't pay much but, oh the glory! At 'big' school, I dabbled with clarinet for a term or two (Acker Bilk was riding high at the time), but was introduced to the guitar by a friend who could do all the Hank Marvin bits after a fashion, and needed someone to play rhythm behind him. After a while, we formed a group playing R&B, soul and blues, covering stuff by Elmore, Muddy, Wolf, Sonny T & Brownie McG, James Brown, Spencer Davis, Yardbirds etc. The group folded when we left school, and for several years I played guitar, organ, or bass in a succession of deservedly little-known bands playing pop, rock, or blues.  Having decided that I was least bad at guitar, I stuck with that and, needing the money to help pay for a wedding and a mortgage, joined a band playing working men's clubs two or three nights a week. It was musically uninspiring but, as I say, we needed the cash. I left that band upon the birth of our daughter, and played no gigs for eight months, by which time I was climbing the walls. My wife (God bless her) told me firmly that I should 'go out and find a bloody band'. I was lucky enough to land a job with Shakey Vick, and have played in his band(s) on and off ever since (nearly 30 years now!). During that time, I've been in other bands 'on the side', including Bob Brunning's De Luxe Blues Band (with Mickey Waller and Dick Heckstall-Smith  -  wow!), Blueshouse, and Odyssey Blues Band. In spite of that, gigs were thin for a while, and I started going to blues jams, where I met Ray Bartrip, and other really good players. He and I always seemed to gel when called up to play together, and I was pleased and a little overawed when he suggested that we form a band playing the music we both love. We cherry-picked some of the best musicians from the Heathcote jam, and ended up with Back2Blues. When I think back to the early days, I could often get to a gig on my old Lambretta scooter simply by slinging the guitar over my shoulder, and strapping the Watkins Westminster amp to the rear-seat back-rest. Now, with a bad back, as I pack three guitars, an amp or two, a gig-bag, a pedal board, microphone stands, and a complete PA rig into the van, I sometimes wonder if I should have stuck with the recorder!           Vocals that you don't mess with Lynn Taylor  -  Vocals I probably started singing quite late in life compared to some.  I heard the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Jo Dee Messina, and Trisha Yearwood and this inspired me to join a local country rock band. Although this only lasted for a about a year, I had the bug .. So I joined a friend of mine in a covers band called 'Black Velvet'. Which turned out to be mostly rehearsals and drink ups, with a few gigs thrown in for good measure,  absolutely great fun !  When good things come to an end as they have a tendency of doing ..  I joined  'Bit on the slide' which was re-named 'Cryin'out Loud', we did a mixture of Southern Rock and Blues, and it was with this band at the Riga Bar Blues Jam, that I met Ray. He was putting together the Essex Delta Blues Cd at the time, and asked us if we would like to be on it.  'Cryin'out Loud disbanded in mid 2004 but lucky for me Ray asked if I'd join them in Back2Blues ,, and things are lookin' good !   (although I'm still waiting for the band drink ups! )            Solid as a rock Malcolm Benson  -  Bass Guitar & Vocals My musical journey began with the violin, playing (badly) in the school orchestra. Then in the early 60s I discovered pop music, learned to play guitar (almost), and formed a band with other schoolmates playing covers of songs by the Beatles, Stones and others of that era. I was playing lead then, but when this band folded, I quickly realised that I was never going to hack it as a guitarist, and changed to bass. I became a regular punter at the blues and R&B clubs of the mid 60's, and formed a blues trio which lasted a year or two, then played in a few other bands, before getting married and leaving the area. I gave up playing for a few years, and even sold my '62 Precision Bass (for £45 - ouch!). The itch returned, however, and needed to be scratched, so I joined a band with Alan Vincent which lasted until the late 70s. There followed another longer hiatus while I built up my electronics company, until I joined Alan again, this time in 'Buffalo' Phil Taylor's Blues Band. More recently I spent a couple of years in the Borroway Blues Band, then joined Loot, a rock covers band, for a few years. During this time I was a regular at various blues jams, where I met Ray Bartrip - and the rest, as they say, is history! At present I play a Tanglewood fretless bass and a '62 reissue Fender Precision (which cost a bit more than £45!) through Trace Elliot amps - one large and one small, depending on the venue. My musical tastes and influences range far and wide, but I always seem to gravitate back to the blues.             Obviously had jumgle training Phil Hughes  -  Vocals,  Sax,  Harp An accomplished vocalist, harp and sax player, Phil has been front-man of The Bluematics (regulars at Soho's "Ain't Nothin' But..." blues bar) for several years and has also filled the same role role in The Tonebrokers, supporting acts such as Jools Holland's R n' B Orchestra at London's Billingsgate Conference Centre. His vocal influences range from Sam Cooke to BB King via Donny Hathaway, while on harp and saxophone they include Little Walter, both Sonny Boys, King Curtis, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker             seems to get hairier by the minute Ray Bartrip  -  Vocals,  Hammond & Piano I began playing the piano in 1958, having classical lessons. In 1964 I started my first blues band, it wasn't very good but what we lacked in ability we made up for in enthusiasm. Most of the kids in our audiences liked it too, We started our own blues club in the backroom of a pub and charged half-a-crown to come in.  In 1965 I teamed up with a couple of blokes, with whom I'm still good friends, and we formed "The Worrying Kynde", a blues, R'n'B and, eventually, soul band, typical of the 60's.  We played most of the trendy London clubs (the Beatles came in, one night!) and toured France, Germany and Poland. We supported quite a few big names like Alan Price, The Searchers, Cliff Bennet, The Kinks and The Scaffold and often did double header gigs with other bands on our agency, like The Artwoods (Jon Lord on organ) and Dave Anthony's Moods (Reg Dwight on organ), I had a lot of competition!. We made a couple of records but only one was released which, strangely enough, has turned up on a recent compilation cd of obscure stuff from the 60's.  The 70's saw my gradual transition from soul and R'n'B to progressive rock and heavy metal, screaming hammonds and such, largely inspired by Jon Lord who I had got to know in the 60's. The Band was called "Big Daddy". But by the end of the 70's the punk era was well and truly under way and, anyway, I was too fat for the spandex trousers so I stopped playing. I lived in the USA for a while in the 80's and I played blues piano in a bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in my spare time. Eventually, back in the UK, I met up again with Fig, the guitarist from "The Worrying Kynde", we started a blues band in 1988 called "Junkyard Dog". This lasted a couple of years and, with one or two personnel changes, became "Chicago Shouthouse", a good, tight, popular blues band which lasted until the mid 90's. Following the breakup of this band and a bit of illness, I joined the house band at the weekly blues jam at "The Heathcote" in London's East End. The was the "Blues Revue" band and I stayed with them for about 4 years. Through the Jam I met many blues players and jammed, played, rehearsed and recorded with several of them. I met the phenomenal slide guitar player Martin Fieber and joined "The Customtones", we recorded a CD in 1998 called "Brassfinger" and we still do gigs together, when I use my old white Hammond. In 1999 came the fruition of around 20 years dabbling about with songwriting when I made a cd of my own material called "35 years, Man & Boy" (see CD page). The Equipment I use includes a modified white Hammond T400 and Leslie 760 (Cut Down), Two Elka X50 drawbar organs, a Leslie pre-amp and a Leslie 760, A Kurzweil SP88 stage piano, Ohm amp and Yamaha cab, a Yamaha P80 stage piano, a Roland KR33 piano, and various other vintage keyboards and amps that I have collected over the years.  My personal Keyboard heroes are (in chronological order as I was influenced) Will Bradley, Mose Allison, Ray Bryant, Ray Charles, Otis Spann, Jimmy Smith, Memphis Slim, Dr. John (Mac Rebennac), Professor Longhair (Roy Byrd) and the great James Booker (who must have been born with 3 hands to play the way he did).             Ed Croney  - Drums First started playing drums age 13. My Mum Nellie (bless her) bought me my first kit (Broadway) from a shop in Wardour St W/E. near the Flamingo club. She saw my passion for music erupting, and always encouraged me to fulfil my dreams. She sat in the kitchen whilst I practised in the living room. I often wondered why the volume on the telly was always so high! Neighbours could be seen emerging from their street doors with cotton wool plugs hanging out of their ears (only joking!). I am very grateful for their patience though. Inspiration to play. So much music around locally in  East/West End of London, up and coming groups playing in local youth clubs all over.  A child of the sixties, when music was at the forefront of most teenagers' lives. So many good bands, The Stones The Who etc, inspiring musicians,  Real music played- not manufactured electronically. My first band when I was about 14, playing at local youth clubs and other  music venues, One in particular- The Rambling Rose, Dalston, where you could play a set once a week and practise the rest of the week for free. It was a very large building-I think it was an old picture palace at one time. Singers would be chain smoking to emulate the Otis Reading/Wilson Pickett voice. In later teenage years I played in a function/ pop band called The Millionaires playing the college/club American air base circuit supporting bands including The Cream, Spencer Davis Group, The Move and others. During the years that followed, I got married and started a family. My playing was put on hold when I broke my arm quite badly - quit playing and then life took over, although the passion has never been extinguished only dimmed. My life changed direction somewhat. I started training, and the link with percussion continued, as the sport that I pursued enabled me to meet Jeff Britton (late Wings etc) and Carl Palmer ( Emerson, Lake and Palmer etc). The 'Call to the kit' summoned again six years ago-2000 I was encouraged to go to a jam session locally in Colchester, where I am now based. I picked up the sticks and have vowed never to put them down again. Through the various jam sessions around, I have met some great musicians and enjoy every minute of playing time.