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MUSIC WEEK, JANUARY 20, 1979 n e SIIV i\ n DVJo After nine years hard driving. Red Bus REDBUS is still MS of energy and looking at new horizons Red Bus rides the wad to success its official release date. It made No. 1 within two weeks, RED BUS was formed in 1970 with and stayed at that position from June 1 until the end of offices at 33-37 Wardour Street in August, and remained in the chart until November. It London's Soho district. The company sold over a million copies in the UK alone and then proceeded to top the charts around the world, selling 11 name was an available unused one on the million in total eventually. companies registry list and it appealed to Red Bus began touring Mungo Jerry in the wake of the sense of humour of the Red Bus the disc's success, but that success brought disagreements about future musical policy and principals. direction with Barry Murray, who parted company with They were Eliot Cohen, Ellis Elias and Barry Red Bus in 1971. He was succeeded by Leslie Grade as a Murray, and in those early days the staff complement director and it was decided to begin record production was completed by one secretary. Cohen's background in addition to the management, agency and publishing was the London School of Economics where he functions of the organisation. obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. Elias had been studying print management and harbouring ambitions to gain entry to the Royal CAMPOS TOUR Academy of Dramatic Art. Murray was an ex-booker who had become a Pye Records staff producer. Red Bus Records was established in 1972 as was Red Cohen and Elias had been active on the booking side Bus Music and Geordie and Yellowstone and Voice of the music business since 1967 when they had set up were signed to the label. Licensing deals were done with an agency in Elias's bedroom to book artists into HAPPILY HOLDING some of the trophies won by In EMI for the UK, and Red Bus in conjunction with the universities and colleges. Cohen was studying for his New Musical Express arranged a penny concert tour economic degree at this time and was in fact on the The Summer lime, Red Bus's first enormous international success, are from left Ellis Elias, Eliot with Geordie and Yellowstone and Voice travelling entertainments committee of the LSE. They were around the UK campus circuit on a double decker red assisted in their campus entrepreneurial efforts by a Cohen, Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry and writer of the hit, and Barry Murray. bus (which broke down several times), playing concerts teachers training college student called Jancie who is from which the admission charge was Id and promoting now Mrs. Ellis Elias. Among the artists booked for the their respective product. LSE by Cohen were Jimi Hendrix and Soft Machine for working with Bryan Morrison and the first major Geordies' first release in the UK was Don't Do That £20 each. signing they made after forming Red Bus was Mungo produced by Ellis Elias and Roberto Danova, which Jerry with Ray Dorset, whom Murray was producing in was a hit, and the group scored consistently with his capacity as Pye A and R staffman. They also signed further titles including All Because Of You (their TOUR BOOKED an act called Trader Horne, comprising Judy Dyble biggest success, No. 6 in Music Week). They have from Fairpon Convention and Jackie McAuley from always been steady album sellers, and have achieved Prior to the Red Bus debut, Cohen and Elias moved Them, and set up Our Music Ltd. as a publishing considerable success around the world, including a to an office in Soho's Rupert Street just after Cohen partner for the Red Bus management and agency dedicated following in Scandinavia and Japan, where had obtained his degree. They called themselves operation. they toured regularly. The group is still touring Associated Entertainments at that stage and managed It was decided to launch Mungo Jerry and Trader extensively and is completing a new album and single to secure the management of Desmond Dekker and the Horne in a novel manner by means of an open-air music for early release this year, backed by a major European Aces, bringing them over to London from Jamaica. festival which, in the words of Ellis Elias, "turned out lour. An American singer called Felice Taylor, signed to to be rather expensive". It was called the Hollywood Yellowstone and Voice, both still associated with Red Eddie Kassner's President Records, came to England Music Festival after its site near Newcastle-under- Bus, began winning popularity abroad as artists and for a tour which was booked by Associated Lyme. The bill was completed by Free, Traffic, Black particularly songwriters, and their composition written Entertainments and, as a result of this contact, Cohen Sabbath, Colosseum, Jose Feliciano, Grateful Dead, with Danova called Signorina Concertina was a big hit and Elias sold out to Kassner in 1969. Ginger Baker's Airforce and Family, with comperes for another Red Bus signing, Shuki and Aviva. They established another company within the John Peel, Pete Drummond and Jerry Floyd. Kassner organisation specialising in the management of The event was scheduled for May 23 and 24, 1970, during a Bank Holiday weekend and one of its primary FESTIVAL PRIZE artists, among whom where the Skatalites who scored a purposes initially was to be a publicity vehicle for Red hit on the Island label with a reggae version of the Guns Bus's two acts. Mungo Jerry's In The Summertime, Of Navarone theme. Cohen and Elias worked with the composed by Dorset, was set for release to coincide It sold over 250,000 in France, and did well in Kassner organisation for a year and then left to fulfil with the festival, which did not make much money due Germany, Spain and South Africa. Another song titled ambitions of adding music publishing and recording to to the fact that a perimeter gate was broken down and Feeling, written by Yellowstone and Voice with Jane their management activities and becoming independent many of the 50,000 attending got in free, Schwartz, won the 1973 Yamaha Song Festival and in the process. _ . „ . Mungo Jerry were the hit of the event, however, and made the US chart via a recording by Steve Lawrence That marked the birth of Red Bus and the In The Summertime went straight in the Music Week and Eydie Gorme and produced by Mike Curb during involvement of Barry Murray in the enterprise. Cohen chart at No. 13 the following week within four days of his presidency at MGM. and Elias knew him already from his days as a booker Among the artists booked ill for the LSE by Cohen were K Jimi Hendrix and Soft "v. Machine for £20 each. M. yg&i fla.i.itidi To Page 67 1 1 ■ H llyw00t•r-' " , - ■;., 1Q70 near Newcastle-under.Lyme which marked tup A ST A GE view during the " i The Summertime smash hit. spectacular debut of Mungo Jerry and the In The sumtm PAGE 65 .

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