SD84 Roulettes.qxp 09/09/2018 11:32 Page 1 SOON YOU’LL BE LEAVING ME SD84 Roulettes.qxp 09/09/2018 11:32 Page 2 More than 50 years after their break-up, All four Roulettes still meet on THE ROULETTES more than deserve their own a regular basis and EDDY catalogue number in the ’60s pop library, if only for such BONTE was invited to join gems as ‘Bad Time’ and ‘The Long Cigarette’ guitarist Peter Thorp, or self-written floor-fillers like ‘Junk’ and ‘Jackpot’. drummer Bob Henrit, Providing a backbone for Adam Faith, they were on par with bassist John ‘Mod’ The Shadows, while their impressive musical curriculum Rogan and guitarist/ encompasses the likes of Chris Andrews, Unit 4+2, The keyboardist Russ Ballard Kinks, Argent, French superstar Richard Anthony and The to reflect on their story and c Shadows themselves. set the record straight SD84 Roulettes.qxp 09/09/2018 11:32 Page 3 Adam Faith and The Roulettes rehearsing at The Royal Albert Hall, 17th September 1961, their first show with him. L-R: John Roberts, Martin Blackwell, Tony Burgess, Peter Thorp, Adam Faith y erroneously commencing The Roulettes’ story in May 1962, websites and encyclopaedia conveniently argue that The Roulettes were put together to provide British pop star Adam Faith with a new sound to cope with “the dawn of The Beatles” or “to compete with the beat artists about to overtake the British music scene”. In actual fact, The Roulettes first hit the stage with Adam Faith nine months earlier, when Merseybeat was still a localised underground phenomenon at best and The Beatles pleased the German crowds with ‘La Bamba’B and ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’. Guitarist Peter Thorp tells us what really Besides, in September ’61 Adam Faith ‘Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop)’ – happened. “The Roulettes were formed in simply wasn’t preoccupied with changing even if the fans turned it into a #5 hit. September ’61. When at Sutton High his winning formula. The Pizzicato King Faith writes he wanted to be a bad boy, School For Boys I formed a band with was still riding high in the charts while “the one the parents were frightened of ”. various friends called The Strangers. We doubling as a successful film actor. In fact, Taylor kept the golden goose in the played regularly at The Sutton Granada, Faith was immersed in variety, all- golden pen, for instance by withholding a where we met Cliff Richard’s PR man entertainment shows and summer seasons. serious acting offer from Lindsay Leslie Perrin. When Perrin was Adam Faith’s real motives for a new Anderson. Songwriter Johnny Worth had approached by Adam Faith’s management backing band were of a different nature. provided hit after hit but, to Faith’s to find a new touring band for Adam “I wanted a set of musicians who dismay, he was now scoring with other Faith, who had until then mostly been answered to me and me alone,” he wrote artists too. The cornerstone of the Faith backed by The John Barry Seven, Perrin in his autobiography Acts Of Faith. The edifice, however, was John Barry: put our name forward. We passed the singer was getting increasingly frustrated composer, arranger, producer and leader audition. Our last gig as The Strangers with the three people who had so far of Faith’s backing band The John Barry was on Saturday 16th September at successfully steered his career: Eve Taylor, Seven. The man was becoming Sutton Public Hall and the very next day Johnny Worth and John Barry. He increasingly popular in various roles and we became The Roulettes backing Adam regretted he had let himself be bullied and would arrange the James Bond theme in Faith at The Royal Albert Hall! Quite a browbeaten by his manager Evie Taylor ’62. Understandably, a man of his stature jump!” into recording the utterly schmaltzy couldn’t invest all his talent in Faith alone. 40 SD84 Roulettes.qxp 09/09/2018 11:32 Page 4 Enter The Roulettes. of the charts. You should know that One Look’ and sounded as tough as The After the grand start at The Royal Adam Faith had the most fantastic record Mojos’ ‘Everything’s Alright’. Albert Hall, Faith took his four new lads collection, cases and cases of albums from “I was asked by Adam if I could write a on a two weeks tour of England with The America: James Brown, Booker T, song for his backing group The John Barry Seven, Irish comic Dave Allen, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Smokey Roulettes,” recalls Chris Andrews, “and clarinettist Desmond Lane, Johnny Le Robinson & The Miracles, the whole that’s how ‘Soon You’ll Be Leaving Me’ Roy, and a host of other groups and Gordy catalogue. We’d never heard of came about. It was inspired by the entertainers. For the next 18 months, these people!” Liverpool bands I had been working with their life would be one long chain of Ever the business man and a trend at the Star Club in Hamburg. ‘I wrote summer seasons, variety, tours at home follower, he counter-attacked with ‘Bad Time’ in the car in my head, so not and abroad (Singapore, Australia, New efficiency. His first move was to choose a sitting at the piano or playing guitar. I Zealand, Hong Kong), radio and TV new songwriter. From the abundant thought the opening line sounded quite appearances. The line-up changed collection of songs by a young and eager strong and all the rest just followed. I continuously in-between and during tours Christopher Andrews, Faith and his remember I played it to the boys.” as Faith sacked musicians. Within weeks, management cherry-picked the tunes that It should have been huge. John ‘Mod’ he recruited and dismissed saxophonist were in line with the upbeat sound of the Rogan: “Yeah, that’s what we think. I Alan ‘Honk’ Jones and even pushed things day. remember we were recording in Abbey as far as to replace the confident Peter Secondly, he decided to do without an Road studios and Maurice – our manager, Thorp, begging him to return a few days orchestra and enter the studio with his Evie’s husband – came out of the door and later. To Faith, seasoned rhythm guitarist Roulettes instead. From now on, labels, said ‘Bad Time’ is #47 boys!’ and we and keyboard player Henry Stracey of sleeves and posters read, “Adam Faith with thought that was it, something is going to Cheshunt instrumental group The The Roulettes”. Russ Ballard: “The happen. ‘Bad Time’ was definitely a hit Hunters “doesn’t cut it”. Such was Faith’s Roulettes weren’t formed to deal with the record. It was commercial, it was dirty, it status that he succeeded in convincing Mersey sound, but when Merseybeat was of the era, it was exciting and it was newly-recruited Shadows bassist John happened really big it was convenient he well played. That’s the beauty of it, that Rogers (who replaced Jet Harris) to join had a ready-made band to strike out.” we could play well but still have the edge. The Roulettes. The new direction paid off We were extremely good playing artists, To cut a long story short, a steady immediately. Chris Andrews’ ‘The First ’cause we played with a big star and group was in situ by spring ’63: guitarist Time’, credited to Adam Faith with The everything had to be correct, to be Peter Thorp (the only remaining original Roulettes reaches the #5 spot in perfect, so we learned that skill and it member), bassist John Rogers (The Hunters via The Shadows), drummer Bob Henrit and guitarist/keyboardist Russ “When PR man Leslie Perrin was approached by Adam Faith’s ‘The Kiddie’ Ballard (both of Buster Meikle’s Daybreakers). This line-up management to find a new touring band for Faith, Perrin put our name recorded 30-odd episodes of their 15- minute shows for Radio Luxemburg, forward. We passed the audition. Our last gig as The Strangers was on sponsored by Ever Ready batteries. They canned six episodes per session at the Saturday 16th and the very next day we became The station’s own studios, each episode consisting of four songs with Adam and Roulettes, backing Adam Faith at The one without – often an instrumental, be it a hit or a new tune the guys had discovered themselves. Royal Albert Hall!” No sooner did the balance seem to working than John Rogers was killed in a September. With Henrit’s drums opening came across our records. And ‘Bad Time’ car accident on his way to the next gig on and closing the song, the stress on rhythm had that edge.” 5th May. Under pressure to fulfil the rather than lead guitar, strong harmonies Chris Andrews: “I have no idea why it upcoming gigs and with the summer and the vocal call-and-response so wasn’t a hit as the group sang and played it season just weeks away, Faith wasted no prominent in many early Beatles songs, so well. I was at the session when they time in recruiting a replacement. Enter perfectly crafted and faultlessly executed, recorded it, I think I sang some backing John ‘Mod’ Rogan – 19, bass player it’s as good as any other beat hit from the vocals. The Roulettes were all very (amongst other things) and founder period. talented musicians but, as Gordon Mills member of Hartlepool beat darlings The The new strategy now also allowed The once told me, ‘You throw the pennies Hartbeats.