Van Morrison with The Monarchs / Them
Chronology 1947/8-1969
Compiled by David Chance
Compiled from books, articles, press clippings, liner notes,
interviews (numerous radio/TV/press audio/video interviews with relevant
information have yet to be transcribed or noted), contracts, and private
correspondence too numerous to cite properly (a detailed bibliography
would be book length!). Most of these materials are of public record,
though some located only through diligence, while a scant few were
provided in kindness by several who had firsthand documentation, knowledge
or experience of these events.
See also the Glossary entry for Them,
and the Them section of the Discography.
August 31, 1963 is the earliest specifically noted date, Van
Morrison's 18th birthday, celebrated in Heidelberg, West Germany while on
tour with "The International Monarchs". Them had, from best accounting, 16
working lineup changes before Van departed company circa August-September
1966. Placement of numerous events [noted by ???] is speculative. Most
textual information is directly quoted from source material. In some
instances I have parapharased events as noted in more than one source.
This document is anti-copyright, to be freely distributed for
information purposes. Criticisms, corrections (doubtless there are many,
as all primary source material contains discrepancies throughout, as do
I...help with UK geographics especially appreciated), ADDITIONS, and
verifications are greatly encouraged. Disclaimers ad infinitum apply.
I can be contacted via e-mail at: chancede@slu.edu
David Chance, PO Box 39500, St. Louis MO 63139-8500, USA
1947/48 | 1956?/57 | 1957-1958 | 1959 |
1960
1961-1962 | 1963 | 1964 |
1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 |
1969
******
 1947/8
******
(Hit Parader, 2/68: "When Van was 2 years old he had his first
job. His aunt from Detroit gave him $5 for singing "Money Is The
Root Of All Evil"; "...his greatest influence stems from his
parents, John Lee Hooker, Leadbelly, Edgar Allan Poe, Muddy
Waters, Ray Charles, Sonny Boy Williamson, a gypsy woman and,
moreover, soul brothers and soul sisters.")
********
1956?/57
********
??? Smithfield Market Belfast N. Ireland
(Turner: "That year his father took him to buy his first
acoustic guitar", with Solly Lipsitz & Jimmy Thompson [?];
12th birthday present ???, @August 31st; Mick Brown
interview, Van says he was 12 when his father bought him
his 1st guitar; Lonnie Donegan's Leadbelly cover "Rock
Island Line" was in the UK charts in March '56; Van, Hot
Press 2000: "I had this book, it was called the Alan Lomax
Folk Guitar Book, and it was mainly based on the Carter
Family style...I listened to records as well, of the
Carter Family and Leadbelly, while I was practising";
Peter Doggett: "by 1957 he had gathered together a group
of friends in his first skiffle combo, the Sputniks")
*********
1957-1958
*********
HOSPITAL STAGE PRODUCTIONS
?? ?? Belfast N. Ireland
(Van: "I toured with the Hospital Stage Productions when I
was 12. I think that was my first entry into the bright
lights" [answers a reader's letter {Jean Murphy, Bangor}
in the "You Pop the Question" column in unknown
publication, shown in W#4])
THE SPUTNIKS (Van Morrison [gtr, vox], Walter Blakely [washboard], Billy
Ruth [gtr], John McLean [tea-chest bass], Gil Irvine [zobo {wind
instrument}])
(formed late-1957??)
?? The Willowfield Belfast N. Ireland
(Turner: children's matinee at a local cinema, audience
aged between 7 and 11)
?? The Strand Belfast N. Ireland
(Turner: children's matinee at a local cinema)
?? Turner: "The Sputniks drifted apart later that year
[1958]"; Doggett: "the Sputniks collapsed within 18
months"
****
1959
****
THE THUNDERBIRDS, THE FOUR JACKS, THE ACES, THE JOKERS, etc. [band name
randomly picked from a card deck each weekend]
(George Jones [gtr], Billy McAllen [gtr], Roy Kane [drm/vox], Van Morrison
[sax, vox?])
(Mick Brown interview, Van: "various names...The Thunderbirds,
The Four Jacks...we changed the name about 6 times or something.
It was the Thunderbirds originally")
?? "the back of a truck parked outside George Jones's house"
Belfast N. Ireland
(at this time Van learns rudimentary tenor sax &
notation from George Cassidy in order to join "3 weeks
later" after first inquiring)
?? East Belfast Working Men's Club (aka The Hut)
Belfast N. Ireland
?? Brookborough Hall Belfast N. Ireland
?? Harriers Hall Belfast N. Ireland
?? Belfast N. Ireland
(Bill Dunn joins/sits-in at some point/s; Turner: "Bill
Dunn remembers working with Van in 'at least 4 different
bands' around this time...Deanie Sands & The Javelins was
simply another variation of the old line-up"; NDT 12/91,
Van: "We had a piano player but he didn't stay there;
"playing 'Peter Gunn' & 'Tequila' and all that kind of
stuff")
DEANIE SANDS AND THE JAVELINS (Evelyn Boucher [vox], George Jones [gtr],
Billy McAllen [gtr], Roy Kane [drm], Van Morrison [gtr?, sax, vox])
(Richard Cromelin writing in the UCLA Daily Bruin 1971: "a 7-piece
outfit called The Thunderbirds {sometimes The Monarchs}")
?? A.B.C. Cinema Belfast N. Ireland
(minors matinees, Saturdays; Frame: "who by 1960 had
evolved into The Monarchs")
Dec. ?? Orangefield School For Boys Belfast N. Ireland
(Van, Hot Press 2000: "The first song I got up and sang
would probably be the Leadbelly song 'Midnight Special'
when I was at school. We did this at Christmas, in my last
year there. I had a skiffle group and it went down great.
The other guys in the group were actually at the same
school as me.")
****
1960
****
THE MONARCHS (George Jones [gtr], Billy McAllen [gtr], Roy Kane [drm/vox],
Van Morrison [gtr, sax, vox], Wesley Black [keys])
(Rogan: "by late 1959 they were busy playing local gigs in
Belfast"; --discrepancy, Turner: "in 1960 the four boys, along
with Wesley Black, became The Monarchs"; Yorke: 1960, Van: "the
bass player [?] did the singing, I only sang for part of the
time...about a quarter of the singing")
@July ?? Turner: "Van left Orangefield" School for Boys
??? VM employed "a few weeks" as an apprentice fitter at
Musgrave & Co. [engineering firm]
??? "after a brief period in a meat-cleaning factory, Van
teamed up with Sammy Woodburn and began cleaning windows
in the streets around Hyndford Street"
??? [dance hall] Dundonald N. Ireland
(intermission at Johnny Johnston and The Midnighters gig,
witnessed by Tommy Hanna, co-worker at Musgrave & Co., he
sang "I Go Ape" [N. Sedaka 1959 charts]; Kane: "we had one
number based on a blues riff, 'Daddy Cool'")
*******
1961-62
*******
(order of membership in various bands is speculative; some events
may be as late as 1963)
THE MONARCHS (George Jones [gtr], Billy McAllen [gtr], Roy Kane [drm/vox],
Van Morrison [sax, vox, ?], Wesley Black [keys], Jimmy Law [vox], Davey
Bell [sax], Leslie Holmes [trmpt], Ronnie ? [trmbn])
(questions as to members of the band at this point)
?? King George V Youth Centre Belfast N. Ireland
(photo in Turner pg.29, noted as "King George VI")
?? Town Hall Carrickfergus N. Ireland
(recalled by Herbie Armstrong)
THE HALF CUTS (George Jones [gtr], Van Morrison [sax, vox, ?], Geordie
Sproule [?], ....)
?? Queen's University Belfast N. Ireland
("Geordie & Van & several Monarchs & Federals took the
stage during a rock 'n' roll festival...dubbing
themselves The Half Cuts...but the unique amalgam was
never repeated")
THE GREAT EIGHT (Harry "Mac" Megahey [baritone sax, trmpt], Van Morrison
[sax, vox, ?], ...)
?? ?? Belfast N. Ireland
("Van stayed with them for a few months")
THE HARRY MAC SHOWBAND (Harry "Mac" Megahey [baritone sax, trmpt], Van
Morrison [sax, vox, ?], ...)
(same as The Great Eight, above ?)
?? East Belfast Working Men's Club (aka The Hut)
Belfast N. Ireland
THE OLYMPICS (Harry Baird [?], Van Morrison [sax, vox, ?], ...)
?? ?? Belfast N. Ireland
("during this period he also became involved with
Harry Baird's Olympics; the Olympics hired Van for a few
gigs")
THE REGENTS SHOWBAND (Harry Baird [Hinton: sic?, Bird] [?], Van Morrison
[sax, vox], ...)
?? ?? Radalstown ??
(B[a]ird/Hinton: "a young farmers' dance, a 5 hour
marathon during which Van relieved the 2 main singers
with an impromptu version of Elvis' 'Blue Suede Shoes'. As
he started singing the audience stood mesmerized. "I edged
forward to look--his face had gone purple! His eyes were
stuck out like organ stops. He was freaking out, going
crazy, and the crowd watched in amazement, wondering if he
was going to have a stroke. We couldn't let him sing
anymore--he was scaring the people."")
****
1963
****
(consistent print discrepancies concerning events 1962 or 1963
regarding tour of Scotland, to London, to Germany, home to
Belfast; verified by Van: "we got back from Europe in 1963")
??? ?? Drumshanbo Ireland
THE MONARCHS (George Jones [gtr], Billy McAllen [gtr], Roy Kane [drm/vox],
Van Morrison [sax], Wesley Black [keys], Jimmy Law [vox], Davey Bell
[sax], Leslie Holmes [trmpt], Ronnie ? [trmbn])
("after a few months Morrison set about returning to the
Monarchs")
@Jan-May ?? Town Hall Carrickfergus N. Ireland
?? The Calypso Lurgan N. Ireland
?? Thompson's Restaurant Belfast N. Ireland
(numerous performances)
THE MONARCHS (George Jones [gtr], Billy McAllen [gtr], Van Morrison [sax],
Wesley Black [keys], Harry "Mac" Megahey [sax, trmpt], George Hethrington
[vox], Laurie McQueen [drms])
(some question as to 6 or 7 members)
@Jun ?? [council house garden of manager Frank Cunningham]
33 Levernside Rd. Pollok Scotland
(rehearsal sessions; "starting a tour of Scotland on
Thursday"; urged to tour Scotland due to a trip to
Belfast by George Hethrington "a few weeks ago" trying to
lineup dates "for his own part-time band...He was
introduced to the Monarchs and signed on...he later got
his own drummer McQueen into the group"; "after touring
Scotland the boys move to England and sometime in August
they hope to tour Germany")
?? ?? Glasgow Scotland
("the unit spent much of the period starving in a council
estate in the middle of Glasgow...eventually they secured
a number of gigs"; "during the *months* they spent in
Scotland"; partial tour support for Don Charles)
?? [a spa] Strathpeffer Scotland
("they were scheduled to play at a local hop")
@July ?? ?? London England
("they decided to leave Scotland & risk the dangers of
life in London"; "the *sextet* lived & starved in an
Austin mini bus parked around the Leicester Square area";
"one night they were driving around Central London in the
middle of a *summer* fog"; introduced to Ruby Bard,
manager of Don Charles & Georgie Fame; Van: "after about 2
weeks of sleeping in the park we finally got an
audition...we played about 6 numbers"; Mick Brown
interview album 1986 inner sleeve transcript, Van: "we
did U.S.Airbases in England and then in Germany. No, here.
It was just here actually. We just played U.S.Airbases in
England, but we went to play clubs in Germany. About four
months, every night for four months, gruelling. I was 17
about then."
?? Flamingo Jazz Club London England
?? ["Irish dance hall"] London England
?? ["Irish dance hall"] London England
?? ["Irish dance hall"] London England
(Bard: "we booked them into a few Irish dance halls in
London")
THE INTERNATIONAL MONARCHS (George Jones [gtr], Billy McAllen [gtr], Van
Morrison [sax], Wesley Black [keys], Harry "Mac" Megahey [sax, trmpt],
George Hethrington [vox], Laurie McQueen [drms])
@Jul-Aug ?? Storeyville Jazz Club Heidelberg W. Germany
("they played an arduous series of gigs"; McAllen: "we
did a second month in Heidelberg and then moved on to the
Storeyville Club in Frankfurt")
@Aug-Sep ?? Odeon Keller Heidelberg W. Germany
("one month booking")
Aug 31 [Van's 18th birthday] Heidelberg W. Germany
(Van: "Hiedelberg...The Odeon Keller...My surprise
birthday party...7 sets a night, 7 nights a week,
matinees Saturday & Sunday")
@Oct ?? Storeyville Club Frankfurt W. Germany
THE INTERNATIONAL MONARCHS (George Jones [gtr], Billy McAllen [gtr], Van
Morrison [sax], Wesley Black [keys], Harry "Mac" Megahey [sax, trmpt], Roy
Kane [drms, vox], "King" Oliver Trimble [vox])
(George Hethrington & Laurie McQueen fired while
in Frankfurt, vocalist "King" Oliver Trimble hired, Roy
Kane flies over to take over drums & co-vocals)
@Nov ?? Storeyville Club Cologne W. Germany
("at the height of their success in Frankfurt they were
required to complete their contractual obligations with
a residency in Cologne"; Van appears as a walk-on jazz
musician in a movie titled 'Glide' after being spotted by
the film director ["he"]; band scouted by Ron Kovacs of
CBS Records)
?? Ariola Studios Cologne W. Germany
("Boo-Zooh"/"O Twingy Baby" [both credited to Bob Elger]
recorded under the name Georgie and The Monarchs [song
titles & band name as per sleeve, "Boo-Zooh (Hully Gully)
on label?]; first appearance of Van on record, sax only;
single released only in Germany & Holland; Doggett: "an
18-year old Van just recognizable on the extreme left of
the cover in a ridiculous hat")
?? London England
(Doggett: "within a few weeks the Monarchs were back in
London" [probably to settle 'business'] where they
immediately broke up")
@Dec ?? Belfast N. Ireland
(the band returns home "a few weeks later"; "Van stayed
around [London] for awhile" --discrepancy?, likely Van
returns to Belfast with the rest of the band then joins
The Manhattan Showband for a tour of England; "following
the return George Jones received a package of records
congratulating him on the Top 50 success of 'Boozoo Hully
Gully'...several weeks later a telegram arrived indicating
the single had risen to #4 in the German pop charts")
****
1964
****
THE MANHATTAN SHOWBAND (Geordie Sproule, Van Morrison, Billy McAllen,
Herbie Armstrong, ...)
@Jan-Mar ?? ?? Calais England
??? ?? Dover England
??? ?? London England
(NDT 12/91, Van: "We were playing at a club in Heidelberg
[Summer 1963]...so I went back--Calais, Dover &
London--and it had all changed from 6 months previously"
[referring to R&B vs. "groups" style of music being
popular]; Turner: "they played weekend dates mainly at
Irish clubs"; Frame: "Morrison joined The Manhattan
Showband for 3 months before playing briefly with The
Golden Eagles")
?? Club A-Go-Go Newcastle England
(Turner: "in Newcastle they saw the Alan Price Set",
with Eric Burdon, later The Animals; --discrepancy, Van:
"we played the Cafe A-Go-Go in Newcastle...they said
there's this band in here called the Alan Price Band or
something like that, but we never heard them")
March 16 Studio 51 (Leicester Square) London England
(Van & Herbie Armstrong attend The Downliners Sect
concert; Armstrong: Van asks "if he could blow harmonica
with them but they said it was too late")
17 [Irish ballroom] Camden Town London England
?? Camden Town London England
(Van plays 'Could You Would You' for Herbie Armstrong "in
a spare bedroom over the venue")
?? The band returns home to Belfast
2? The Orchid Belfast N. Ireland
(Wrixon: "at the same time the Manhattan Showband had come
together to play in the Orchid, with Van Morrison on sax")
(BRIAN ROSSI AND) THE GOLDEN EAGLES (Brian Rossi [organ], Herbie Armstrong
[gtr], Van Morrison [sax, harmonica, vox], Tito Tinsley [bass], ...;
11-piece band, "9 men & 2 teenage girls")
2? The Plaza Ballroom Belfast N. Ireland
(Turner: upon his arrival back in Belfast Armstrong
invited to join The Golden Eagles, Van offers his
services, hired as a vocalist [auditions had been held
for 2 weeks], Van & Herbie rehearsed the next day at
Armstrong's home, drive to the audition in a butcher's
van "to avoid being seen by anyone connected with The
Manhattan Showband", they started work that night; Van
given vocalist spot on 'Sticks and Stones' & 'What'd I
Say'; "five-night-a-week feature"; "during this period
there was an advert in the Belfast Evening Telegraph,
'Musicians wanted to start R&B club'; Van: "there was
only me and this other guy who showed up")
THE GAMBLERS (Billy Harrison [gtr, vox], Alan Henderson [bass], Ronnie
Millings [drms], Eric Wrixon [keys], Van Morrison [sax, vox])
("formed in 1962"; Wrixon recruited later, who later recruited
Morrison; --discrepancy as to who "recruited" whom, whether Van
was seeking a "backup group" for the R&B club, or The Gamblers
took him on as another member...I suppose it depends on how one
looks at it and who is doing the looking)
?? ?? Belfast N. Ireland
(Hinton: "their repertoire was largely rock 'n' roll:
early Presley, Little Willie John's 'Fever', 'The Hippy
Hippy Shake'"; Wrixon: "that went along for 2 or 3 months
rehearsing as The Gamblers; at the same time the Manhattan
Showband had come together to play in the Orchid, with Van
Morrison on sax; Billy & I went along to see it one night,
we were speaking to Van afterwards...Van came down and
within a week he was a permanent fixture in the band";
band name soon changed to 'THEM')
THEM (1)
(Billy Harrison [gtr, vox], Alan Henderson [bass], Ronnie Millings [drms],
Eric Wrixon [keys], Van Morrison [sax, vox, hrmca]; 16 lineup changes
before Van leaves circa August-September 1966)
April ?? (Hinton: "a band also called The Gamblers had just
replaced The Tornados as backing group to Billy Fury";
"Eric Wrixon came up with the name Them when we were
sitting in the rehearsal rooms, and we decided to let the
hair grow..."; Wrixon: "I think it was a reaction to the
fact that everyone was called the 'somethings'...I think
it was the first time anyone had given themselves a name
that was a single word"; the group rehearsed at Billy
Harrison's home and in a rented attic room above Dougie
Knight's bicycle & record shop)
14 Belfast Telegraph ad: Who are? What are? THEM
15 Belfast Telegraph ad: When? and where? will you see THEM
16 Belfast Telegraph ad: Rhythm and Blues and THEM When?
17 Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel, College Square North
Belfast N. Ireland
(aka "The Maritime Club", later Club Rado)
(Belfast Telegraph ad: To-night, 8:30, Introducing
THEM, Ireland's Specialists in Rhythm and Blues;
200-capacity ballroom; "the first night ["gig on a
Friday"] there were 40 people"; 1st public performance, 20
weeks later to the day they would release their 1st single)
24 Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
(2nd performance; "the second [week] there were 100
[people]"; supporting band The Mad Lads come on board)
May 1 Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
("the third week they were queueing before 6:00 to get
in"; "the thing just took off on that third week"; Wrixon:
"it was sold out at 7:00 with 250 people paying 10
shillings")
8 Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
(4th week; "gig on a Friday night")
15 Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
(Hinton: "The Misfits drummer would often deputize for
Ronnie Millings, or Van would duet with Keith [sic,
Kenny] McDowell of The Mad Lads, or for showmen of the
calibre of Johnny Johnston or Tony Ford to vault on stage
for a couple of numbers"; "The Rolling Stones played
Belfast a month after the opening of the Rhythm & Blues
Club")
??? [recording studio ?] Belfast N. Ireland
(1st studio session with engineering student Peter Lloyd
[having seen them perform, implied] for "a University rag
week promotion"; "Peter persuaded them to record a song
for the University rag [Queens' University Rag Week]"
--see late-66 also; college-issued recording/vinyl ???)
22 Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
??? [recording studio] Belfast N. Ireland
(2nd studio session w/Lloyd; "and following the session he
took the group into another studio where they cut 'Turn On
Your Lovelight'"; "the fledgling band recorded some demos
for Peter Lloyd" [see?? the 'bedroom tape' @4/67]; the
song ['Lovelight'] was then taken to Mervyn Solomon,
brother of Phil Solomon; Mervyn "arranged for the group to
come to his home where they ran through their repertoire
on acoustic guitars...satisfied with what he heard he
alerted Phil", who then contacted Dick Rowe)
29 Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
@June ?? Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
Belfast N. Ireland
("Dick Rowe arrived one night at the Maritime")
?? (contract signed between Decca & manager Phil Solomon for
Them; Hinton: "Rowe had to secure their parents'
signatures for a *standard 2 year contract*"; "within
weeks of the signing Them were taken to" London to record)
@June?-Dec? Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
Belfast N. Ireland
(numerous performances, "we reached the stage of playing
7 nights a week, 4 times a night")
??? The Dance Studio Belfast N. Ireland
??? The Fiesta Belfast N. Ireland
??? Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
(Wrixon: "the way of making money was to play in as many
places as possible in one night; once the Maritime had
been built up with Them as the anchor band, Them would
have gone out and played [The Dance Studio & The Fiesta]
and then an hour in the Maritime")
??? Spanish Rooms (Falls Rd.) Belfast N. Ireland
??? Sammy Houston's Jazz Club Belfast N. Ireland
??? Embassy Derry Ireland
??? ?? Dublin Ireland
??? ?? Waterford Ireland
(Hinton: "during a month with run-of-the-mill dates like
the Spanish Rooms & Sammy Houston's Jazz Club, there would
be side trips into ballrooms like Derry's Embassy...they
would regularly drive over the border to Dublin & as far
south as Waterford")
??? The Plaza Ballroom Belfast N. Ireland
(BW who attended: "they would have played there at least a
couple of times at lunchtime")
??? The Plaza Ballroom Belfast N. Ireland
(BW: "they would certainly have played there at night"
[as well])
??? Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI)
Belfast N. Ireland
(as per BW who attended)
??? Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI)
(BW: on at least 2 occasions)
??? Queen's University Belfast N. Ireland
(MB: "Holmes Hook, contracted Them for a gig in '64. Their
organ died and they left it in the club. It was at the
same university where Van got his honorary doctorate")
??? King George V Youth Centre (May St.) Belfast N. Ireland
(as per BW who attended, noted as "King George VI" in
Turner pg.29)
??? Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI)
Belfast N. Ireland
(as per BW who attended, "it was on a Saturday night
before the week they headed off to London to record their
first record...well documented in the papers")
??? Rhythm & Blues Club, Maritime Hotel
("on one occasion Van entered the club at closing time
and along with a fellow member of Them took the stage
for an impromptu session...a couple of hours")
??? (Eric Wrixon departs, Patrick 'John' McAuley recruited)
THEM (2)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Ronnie Millings, Van Morrison, Patrick
'John' McAuley)
July 5 [Decca's #2 studios] West Hampstead London England
(1st sessions, Turner: Groovin', You Can't Judge A Book By
Its Cover, Turn On Your Lovelight, Don't Start Crying Now,
One Two Brown Eyes, Philosophy, Gloria)
?? Aaland Hotel [lounge] Bloomsbury London England
("the band stayed at the same hotel as blues harmonica
legend Little Walter"; Van: "we had a manager who brought
us to London to stay at this hotel...we were sitting
there for weeks...we were having a jam session downstairs
and all of a sudden there people were wandering through
and somebody says 'Little Walter's coming in!'...and I
used to go for Chinese food for him--there was a Chinese
restaurant a couple streets away"; NME '65, Van: "we used
to have sessions with him and John Lee Hooker in the
lounge"; Van: "sometimes I would run errands and then he
[Little Walter] would show me something like playing a
harp in several keys")
?? Bloomsbury Cafe across from the Aaland Hotel
(Dutch article 3/77, Van: "There we used to get
sandwiches, if we had the money for them {and that was
seldom}")
?? [club, Little Walter gig] London England
("Van, Alan and Billy went to see Walter at a club one
night and he called us up on stage to play with him; he
and Van both sang and blew harp, Alan played bass, Billy
played guitar")
??? [club, Jimmy Reed gig] London England
(Dutch article 3/77, Van: "One day we were asked to
{support} Jimmy Reed in London. And there we went,
nervous as hell...the night before the gig we wanted to
meet Reed to go through the setlist, but Jimmy had
troubles at the airport, so we only saw him when we had
to get up on stage")
??? ?? Manchester England
(Dutch article 3/77, Van: "Manchester was a real Them
minded town. We loved playing there. It's still a real
Jimmy Saville town. We got to see him once when we were
touring the town. We said hello and he invited us into his
club")
??? ?? England
(at some point Them tours with The Pretty Things)
@Aug ?? band returns to Belfast
Sep 4 "Don't Start Crying Now"/"One Two Brown Eyes" released
(1st Them single; review appears in Record Retailer and
Music Industry News, September 3, 1964, W#11)
??? 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' [TV studio] ?? Ireland
(Saturday night ITV program, "first important public
appearance")
@Oct ?? band returns to London
(2nd sessions: Baby Please Don't Go, All For Myself,
Stormy Monday Blues, ...)
Nov 6 "Baby, Please Don't Go"/"Gloria" released
(2nd Them single; DeWitt: BPDG reaches #2 in Ireland, #5
in England, #108 in America [8 weeks in Billboard]; Gloria
reaches #1 in Holland, #71 in America [7 weeks in
Billboard]; --discrepancy, see UlsterWeek 9/65: "BPDG
reached #10")
??? 'Discs-a-Gogo' (TV program) ?? ??
??? ?? ?? ??
(J.Robb column @Feb '65: "[Billy Harrison] told the
story of the time Phil Solomon bought them a set of new
suits for a TV show--and they turned up in old
prisoner-of-war garments bought in an army surplus shop
for a few shillings"; Discs A-Go-Go??)
THEM (3)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Patrick 'John' McAuley)
?? (Ronnie Millings returns to Belfast; "for a short while
they worked as a 4-piece"; Patrick 'John' McAuley switches
from organ to drums; "lasted only a few weeks")
THEM (4)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Eric Wrixon, Patrick 'John'
McAuley)
@Dec ?? (Eric Wrixon returns on keyboards)
2? 'Ready Steady Go' Redufussion TV Studios
Kingsway London England
(lip sync, "Baby Please Don't Go"; Hinton: "a Yuletide
edition of ITV's Ready Steady Go, headlined by The Rolling
Stones"; "2 weeks later they learned that BPDG had entered
the British charts and that the song was going to be
played each week over the opening credits of Ready Steady
Go", "supplanting Manfred Mann's '54321'")
2? the band returns to Belfast
("Don't Start Crying Now was released and did nothing so
the Solomon organisation said 'It didn't chart, why don't
you fuck off back to Belfast'; so the band arrived back
in Belfast about 12 weeks later"; Frame: "they went home
for Christmas")
?? "Baby, Please Don't Go" enters British charts at #46
(Yorke: "it hit the British charts in the last week of
1964")
@Dec-Jan'65? (Yorke: "they had to abandon their residency booking at
the Maritime Hotel")
****
1965
****
??? Queen's Hall Holywood Ireland
??? Queen's Hall Newtownards Ireland
??? Queen's Court Bangor N. Ireland
??? The Crown Morden England
??? Hope & Shamrock Birmingham England
??? The Lyceum ?? ??
("at the Lyceum Van's moodiness incensed the punters to
such a degree that they booed him off the stage")
??? The Pacific ?? ??
(photo accompanying Billy Harrison interview, W#4,
manager Micky Quinn)
??? The Royal Hotel London England
(Van meets Gene Vincent; Van: "I hung out with him...and I
got to know him a bit. He'd been to Egypt and he'd just
got back")
THEM (5)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Patrick 'John' McAuley,
Jackie 'Griff/ith' McAuley)
Jan ?? ("early in January" Eric Wrixon departs, replaced by
Jackie McAuley; "Peter Docherty comes in as road manager
prior to return to London; both out within 4 months")
??? ?? Strabane Ireland
??? ?? Newry Ireland
("the band started to be demanded in provincial Northern
Ireland", mention of previous 2 locations)
?? ?? Donegal Town Ireland
("penny riot")
?? Lifford Ireland
("penny riot"; same evening?, "they had been booked to
make half-hour appearances at a dance...on Sunday night")
?? Orange Hall Armagh Ireland
(Friday night, "penny riot")
?? Town Hall Cookstown Ireland
("penny riot"; weekend after Donegal Town & Lifford
incidents; attended by City Week journalist Paul Charles)
?? Strand Ballroom Portstewart Ireland
("the week after Cookstown; supporting The Pacific
Showband; Baby Please Don't Go at #4 in Ireland, #23 in
Britain" [NME charts])
?? (Wavelength filmography note "11/64" interview clip news
report "standing next to a juke box commenting on recent
crowd trouble at a gig")
?? 'Top Of The Pops' (BBC TV) Manchester England
(introduced by Alan Freeman, "BPDG" at #23;
--discrepancy?, see March 1965 below)
?? Delta Rhythm Club Ireland
("this week's stars of Top of the Pops")
?? The Flamingo Ballymena Ireland
(2 nights after Top of the Pops aired; --discrepancy?, see
March 1965 below)
?? Sammy Houston's Jazz Club Belfast N. Ireland
("last Belfast appearance before...London")
21 the band returns to London
(Johnny Robb column: "their return to England on January
21; Lillian Gore, the 18-year old machinist who is
secretary of the THEM Fan Club")
?? [recording studio] London England
(Hinton: "in January Berns jetted across the Atlantic";
"he forced them to undergo endless rehearsals in a
room above a pub facing Brewer Street...in a matter of
weeks Them were transformed into a reasonably effective
recording unit"; 3rd recording session with Bert Berns:
Here Comes the Night, (It Won't Hurt) Half As Much, Little
Girl [rude], ...)
??? ?? ??
(Them interviewed by Ron Boyle, Daily Express: "he could
not remember a less co-operative group than THEM...'One
of them even refused to answer simple personal questions
like "What age are you?" I just got fed up and left
them'")
??? ?? ??
(J.Robb column @2/65: Them interviewed by Des Hickey,
Sunday Independent, "a few weeks ago...he said they were
rude & disinterested & Billy Harrison started to play the
guitar while he was talking to them")
Feb 9 ("'Baby, Please Don't Go' reached the #9 spot in Britain's
most authoritative chart...it was #2 in Ulster and went to
#5 in Scotland")
1? London England
(see Feb. 19th Johnny Robb column)
20 Club Noreik Tottenham London? England
?? 'Them' EP released in the UK (Decca DFE 8612) w/"Philosophy"
?? (Mirabelle, 'Heart Throbs' column [Them & Michael Caine]
by Dawn James: [Harrison] "our next record 'Here Comes The
Night' is more melodic than the last. It will be a hit")
??? Edinburgh Scotland
??? Barnstaple England
??? ?? Scotland
(Jackie McAuley: "we'd be in Edinburgh one night,
Barnstaple the next, back in Scotland the next,
sometimes twice a night")
??? Pontiac Putney England
??? Beat City London England
(Hinton: "strutting their stuff in supercool new clubs
like the Pontiac in Putney or Alexis Korner's Beat City")
Mar 5 "Here Comes The Night"/"All For Myself" released
(3rd Them single; "3 weeks later it entered the British
charts & finally peaked at #2, 2 months later it entered
the US charts [DeWitt: July], peaking at #24"; 10 weeks in
Billboard)
17 "Here Comes The Night" at #25 UK
19 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' (Irish Television [ITV] program)
(Saturday night, "to plug new single")
31 "Here Comes The Night" at #12 UK
??? ?? Stevenage ??
(Chris Ryder: "in Stevenage they doubled the average
crowd when they appeared")
??? ?? Bath England
(Ryder: "in Bath they drew 500 more than The Beatles")
??? ?? Elgin Scotland
(Ryder: "in Elgin rag students captured them...all were
mobbed and lost cufflinks, ties and even shoes")
??? ?? Barrow-In-Furness England
(sleeping in a jail for lack of hotel space & minibus
trouble)
??? The Bird Cage Plymouth England
??? Agincourt Camberley England
??? Floral Hall Southport England
??? Basingstoke Technical College Basingstoke England
??? Rock Garden Pavilion Llandrindod Wells England
??? Dreamland Margate ?? England
??? Palace Ballroom Isle of Man
(Hinton: "they zigzagged from the Bird Cage...to the
Palace Ballroom on the Isle of Man, often they would
have to drop everything to fit in Saturday Club or Top of
the Pops"; see January 1965 above)
??? ?? ??
(Jackie McAuley: "one time Van got out and I went with
him; we walked for miles...he was saying 'I'm just gonna
keep walking, for ever and ever.'...Billy would do
everything he could to persuade Van that everything would
work out in the end...one time Van never said one word
for 3 days, and we were with him 24 hours a day!")
Apr 3 'Saturday Club' (BBC radio) London England
(1st BBC radio session, possibly 'Saturday Club', a
morning show: Here Comes The Night, All For [By] Myself)
7 "Here Comes The Night" at #5 UK
11 The Empire Pool (Wembley Arena) London England
'New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert 1965'
(introduced by Jimmy Saville, "Here Comes The Night",
"Turn On Your Lovelight"; only live performance of Them
known to exist, concert recorded for UK TV broadcast,
unreleased)
14 ?? Birmingham England
(last performance of Jackie McAuley with Them; "Here Comes
The Night" at #3 UK)
THEM (6)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Patrick 'John' McAuley)
(Jackie McAuley sacked in Birmingham; Frame: "Jackie left
following a ferocious argument with Alan Henderson and
went back to Belfast"; Jackie reported "missing for a
week" since the 15th, press clip @April 21st)
15 ?? Kidderminster England
(single performance by this 4-piece lineup of Them)
17 St. Columbana's Parish Church, Ballyhome, N. Ireland
(marriage of Billy Harrison to secretary Vivian McMeekin;
honeymoon in London; Alan Henderson is Best Man; remainder
of the band "stayed in their Belfast homes")
THEM (7)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Eric Wrixon, Patrick 'John'
McAuley)
(Eric Wrixon returns "for another 6 weeks")
??? Wimbledon Palais London England
(as per Chris Walter, photographer)
??? ?? Swindon England
(Hinton: "a support slot to Screaming Lord Sutch dragged
from Morrison, 'I wasn't born in Swindon, but I'm dying
here'")
??? [recording studio] London? England
(interview with Keith Altham of the NME; "Billy Harrison
spent most of the interview cleaning his nails with a
jack-knife")
??? [office of the Solomon Bros.] London England
(Turner: press conference, Great Malborough Street, the
group arrived an hour late)
??? ?? ?? ??
(15-minute interview with Judith Simons; "Eventually she
said, 'Well, who actually formed you?' and Harrison said,
'British Plastics fucking molded us'")
??? [interview with the New Musical Express] London England
(Frame: "Van would tell the NME that the greatest thrill
of his life was 'talking the blues' with John Lee Hooker,
who he'd met in the interim"; see July 1964 above)
THEM (8)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Patrick 'John' McAuley,
Ronnie Millings)
@late-Apr?? (Eric Wrixon leaves again, replaced by Ronnie Millings)
?? Rikki Tik Windsor Cheshire England
(Millings: "they knew their *organist* was leaving...I
went along and played that night at the Rikki Tik",
probably only gig this lineup)
THEM (9)
(Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Patrick 'John' McAuley,
Peter Bardens)
May ? ("Peter Bardens recruited from The Cheynes; Millings
switches to drums"; question as to a 6-piece band for a
short while ?, "Millings switches to drums"; Millings
"leaves" at some point; Frame: "as soon as Bardens arrived
they began work in earnest on their first LP")
7 (CityWeek: "Them have been recording a lot during the past
few days with new organist Peter Bardens for their
longplayer which will be released soon")
??? Y.M.C.A. (Tottenham Court Rd.) London England
(rehearsal session)
?? Regent Sound (recording studio) London England
(Frame: final Berns session, band records Go On Home Baby,
My Little Baby, and I Gave My Love A Diamond; "Berns
returned to the States leaving Tommy Scott to complete the
work on Them's debut album"; likely point at which Little
Girl re-recorded due to "rude ending" on Lord Taverner's)
?? Lord Taverner's '14' album released w/"Little Girl" [rude]
12 "Here Comes The Night" at #2
?? (Chris Ryder column: "Dick Clark has booked our own
Belfast popsters to appear in his own 'Caravan Show'";
later publication: "owing to the present difficulties with
the immigration authorities and American unions, the
trip--originally scheduled for June--may have to be
postponed")
28 'Them' album released in Belfast
(CityWeek: "although its official British release date is
tomorrow, the debut album from THEM has been available in
their native city since last weekend")
June 1 Tunbridge Wells Public Hall ?? England
2 Bristol Corn Exchange Bristol England
3 Town Hall Holsworthy England
4 Forum Plymouth England
7 Top Spot Ross-On-Wye England
10 'Them' album released in the UK (Decca LK 4700)
released on a Thursday (from clipping); "The Angry Young
Them" [publicist Les Perrin] on the back cover, Decca logo
on the front cover; "for 1965, best selling album on the
Irish charts, 8th best selling album in the British
charts, reaches #54 in US album charts [Yorke: #21]
(released July) [in Billboard for 23 weeks]"; Henderson:
"the 3 sessions we did for it were good")
?? "One More Time/How Long Baby" released
(4th Them single; half-page ad on the front of the NME,
June 1965; DeWitt: reaches #1 in Ireland, #4 in England,
not released in the U.S.; --discrepancy, see CityWeek
8/65: "which did not get enough TV plugs to push it past
the 46 slot")
11 Scunthorpe TA Centre Scunthorpe? England
12 Ramsey Gaiety ? England
13 Putney The Place ? England
19 Town Hall Dudley ? England
21 Beachcombers at Leigh & Bolton ? England
23 'Ready Steady Go' (TV studio) ? England
(2nd [?] appearance "to plug new single"; Frame: "they
were dumped off RSG for being 2 hours late for rehearsal"
--conflicts w/Hinton pg.52; NME "Lifelines" section
article; CityBeat: "Ulster TV didn't take the programme
until the week after their appearance"; possibly a "3rd"
RSG appearance back in April 1965?; Henderson: "that was
just about the best thing ['One More Time'] we've done
live")
?? BBC Studios (radio) London England
(2nd BBC radio sessions: "Gloria", "One More Time")
?? [recording session?] London England
("'Them Again' cut at various sessions since June")
??? ?? London? England
interview with Richard Green of Record Mirror
("Green asked Morrison how he wrote 'One More Time', the
singer replied abruptly, 'I got a pencil and wrote it on
a piece of paper.'")
July ?? North London England
(CityBeat: "they all live in different flats around North
London...Billy & Vivienne living in Willsden since their
marriage last Easter...Alan Henderson shares the 5-room
apartment"; Turner: "Van was now living in a rented
flat [Nottinghill Gate]")
? ?? Preston England
? ?? West Hartlepool England
? ?? London England
(CityBeat article, Harrison: "We've no intention of
breaking up...truth is, I'm tired out. We have just
finished as 800-mile round trip, playing dates in Northern
clubs...W.Hartlepool, Preston, London tonight. Man, I'm
shagged."; Henderson: "Splitting up indeed! Here we are,
one record in the American top 20, another one moving up
the British charts and *less than a month away from our
tour of the States*"; CityBeat: "the boys hope to get back
to Belfast for a few days before their August 1st
departure")
?? the band returns to Belfast
?? [CityWeek offices] Belfast N. Ireland
(presented with 1st CityBeat Golden Guitar Award; "one of
their first Belfast stops will be the CityWeek office
where they will be presented with the Golden Guitar
Award")
THEM (10)
(Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Patrick 'John' McAuley, Peter Bardens)
? ?? ?? ??
(Billy Harrison leaves the band: "one day they turned up
in the minibus at the house *to go to a show* and I said,
'Bye, bye. Go on your own. I'm not going'"; single ?
performance with this 4-piece lineup?; breakup reported
as "the other 4 members of Them met recently and voted
Billy out of the group")
THEM (11)
(Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Patrick 'John' McAuley, Peter Bardens, Joe
Boni)
?? Belfast N. Ireland
(Joe Boni recruited to replace Harrison; Bardens/Frame
interview: "Van was head and shoulders above the rest of
the band, though he was often difficult to work with and
often had trouble communicating his ideas to the others.
As well as that there was always conflict and tension over
who was leader...'and sometimes Van's eyes got all glassy,
you knew he was about to erupt!' All of this internecine
warfare came to a head in the first week of July when
Harrison was booted out")
THEM (12)
(Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Peter Bardens, Joe Boni, Terry Noone)
(discrepancy? as to the name(s) Joe Boni and/or Joe Baldi
[sic?] around this time, one and the same person??)
?? ?? ??
(Patrick 'John' McAuley departs "within days of
Harrison's dismissal"; replaced by Terry Noone; Turner:
lineup "never recorded...lasted only a matter of weeks")
?? ?? ?? ??
(press clip, "Lowdown": "their minibus, which has only
been able to travel backwards because of gear
trouble", "the group also fell out of the back recently,
their Canadian road manager forgot to lock it...shame
about the split")
Aug 1 ("but they're looking forward to a trip to America on
August 1...their visit will last 5 weeks")
?? Ruislip Lido ??
(photo session in a swimming pool, Turner pg.59)
3 (contract signed in London by "Mr. Boyle" for gig on
Nov. 19 in Shropshire UK)
?? "(It Won't Hurt) Half As Much"/"I'm Gonna Dress In Black"
released
(5th Them single; "recorded before Harrison & McAuley left
last month")
16 ("on August 16 they fly to America for a five week tour")
?? Edinburgh Scotland
("Van & Alan sacked Boni, Noone and Bardens"; Frame:
"Baldi [Boni?] 'One day we arrived in Edinburgh and I said
'this is where I get off'...Bardens, unhappy with the
administrative side of the group, took that as his cue to
leave too, and Noone, who had never felt comfortable, made
it three"; Van & Alan return to Belfast)
Sep 1 (UlsterWeek: "Billy Harrison & John McAuley are starting a
group called Them. They claim they have the name
registered with the Board of Trade...presently rehearsing
for a recording session next week...joined by Nick Wyner
& Skip Allen"; "shortly after this news broke, Alan
Henderson admitted that he and Van were coming home this
month to form a new all-Irish group")
3 The Wheels release their cover of "Gloria"
THEM (13)
(Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Eric Wrixon, Jim Armstrong, Ray Elliot,
John Wilson)
?? The Maritime Hotel Belfast N. Ireland
(band audition, Saturday; band rehearsals "each day this
week"; Frame: "Morrison and Henderson shot back to Belfast
and in 2 weeks had recruited, rehearsed and debuted a new
Them"; ?: "new players were rapidly recruited including
Joe Baldi [sic?, likely inaccurate, see Edinburgh previous
entry], soon replaced by Jim Armstrong, returning pianist
Wrixon, saxophonist Ray Elliot & drummer John Wilson";
6-piece lineup)
1? Belfast N. Ireland
1? Belfast N. Ireland
1? Belfast N. Ireland
(Wrixon: "we did about 3 gigs...and then...I...left")
??? Belfast N. Ireland
(as per Frame, at some point "Van [had] asked Paul Brady
to join Them")
THEM (14)
(Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Jim Armstrong, Ray Elliot, John Wilson)
24 Top Hat Club Lisburn N. Ireland
(Friday night gig, debut of new band lineup; "played a
40-minute set...before leaving for London"; Belfast clip:
"their first work will be in America. Them fly out after
their Belfast holiday" --discrepancy?)
?? [Decca studio] London England
("in September Morrison recorded with the fresh lineup")
Oct 15 Zeeta House Putney ?? England
19 Olympia Paris France
(CityBeat: "Iron Curtain Tour For Them?...1st working
visit abroad...appeared just one night...more European
tours are in the offing, among them the possibility of
Poland...they may be going back [to France] before
Christmas"; Armstrong: "Barry Maguire was on the bill with
us...we played 6 numbers, 3 of which are in the French top
30"; CityWeek: "they had no less than 4 curtain
calls...only vocalist Van Henderson [sic] & bass
guitarist Alan Henderson are left of the original...the
once-scheduled Stateside autumn tour that was lined up
before their troubles is definitely on in the New Year")
Nov 5 (Patrick 'John' & Jackie 'Griff' McAuley, under the
management of Ray Henderson, had formed a group also
calling themselves Them ["once billed as 'Some of Them'];
advertisement was made in Disc Weekly for 'Them' in
caricature, the McAuley brothers along with "Ken" [Billy
Harrison] & "Mark" [?, Van Morrison], "the agency were
unable to supply the surnames of the latter pair";
alluding that this 'Them' was the 'Them' of Baby Please
Don't Go fame; legal complaint registered under the
'Business Names Act' of 1916 by "Them Limited in the name
of Them" [London; "Capable Management Ltd."; "Maurice
King, boss"] through Bernard Sheridan for an injunction
against the McAuley group...alleged by the petitioners as
constituting a misrepresentation"; Harrison: "the McAuley
group are not the group that kids know as THEM. I got out
of the whole affair pronto before this thing blew up"; see
Jan 13, 1966)
?? "Mystic Eyes"/"If You And I Could Be As Two" released
(6th Them single; DeWitt: reaches #33 in America
[Yorke: #29] in December; 8 weeks in Billboard; fails to
chart in the UK; may be 1st week November release)
?? London England
(interview 10/65, Van comments on recording 'Mystic Eyes':
"the lyrics were just words from another song I was
writing at the time...we put it on tape the 2nd time
around")
?? ("a second Them LP was finished by November, cut at
various sessions since June"; Turner: "in Dec. Them
recorded their second album with Tommy Scott in total
control")
19 Majestic Ballroom ?alington Shropshire England
(contract signed August 3 by "Mr. Boyle, 'the Management'")
25 profile of Van Morrison appears in CityWeek
Dec 16 contract signed between Galaxy Entertainments (management)
and Kings Agency for bookings in January 1966
@Oct-May'66?? various unknown UK/European gigs
(Wilson: "I was so young I couldn't get a permit to do
European gigs, so they had to get a stand-in drummer any
time they played in Europe")
?? St. Mary's College ? ?
(Armstrong: "one night in St. Mary's College they pulled
the plug...the caretaker came on and switched off the
power", during 'Train and the River')
?? Newcastle College Newcastle England
(Armstrong: "we found out that our manager was actually
charging a lot more...at Newcastle College they told us
they'd paid 500 [pounds] for us, and we said, 'But we're
only supposed to get 300'...when we asked the management,
their line was 'You've been booked from someone over here
who's paying 400 for you, and someone over here paid
300'...we couldn't understand why they couldn't sell us
direct for 500. And the management was taking 35% of the
300 as well.")
****
1966
****
THEM (15)
(Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Ray Elliot, Jim Armstrong, Dave Harvey)
(Hit Parader 2/68: "Van scored a successful tour in 1966 in France,
*Scandinavia* and the West Coast of America with Them")
Jan ? (John Wilson leaves the band, replaced by Dave Harvey)
4 Assembley Hall Aylesbury Bucks England
10 Labour Hall Bletcheley Bucks England
11 The Hut (Furlong Rd.) Westcott Surrey England
12 'Them Again' released in the UK
13 (legal case over McAuley group's 'Them' appears in court
documents signed by J.H. Davies, Registrar of Business
Names; CityBeat's Johnny Robb columnist called in to
testify; CityBeat article week of Jan 16-22)
?? ?? ?? Wales
("at the time of press [legal affair], Van Morrison was
touring with THEM in Wales")
27 Whitehall East Grinstead Sussex England
?? (CityWeek 1/66: THEM wish to thank their many fans for the
wonderful success in voting them TOP in the 'Irish Beat
Group Of The Year' Poll and in the Rhythm and Blues
section, and also Tenth in the 'Best British Group'
section. They would like to hear personally from their
fans if they would care to write to: THEM c/o Hyde Park
Music Publishers Ltd., 73-75 New Oxford Street, London WC1")
Feb ?? ??? ??? UK
Mar ?? "Call My Name"/"Bring 'Em On In" released in the UK
(7th Them single; Collis pg.210 "alternate versions")
?? "Call My Name"/"Bring 'Em On In" released in the USA
(album versions --Collis pg.210)
?? ?? ?? Wales
?? Hungerford Bridge, Thames Embankment nr Big Ben
London England
('Shindig / Where The Action Is' film shoot; aired on US
TV, voice of Dick Clark dubbed in; lip-sync "Call My Name"
& "Mystic Eyes"; Armstrong: "we drove overnight from
Wales, were in London 8:00 a.m. to pose & mime to some
records for an American TV show called 'Shindig'
['Shindig' was cancelled 1/66, 'Where the Action Is'
became "replacement" show], and then we drove to Edinburgh
for a gig that night")
[unknown venue] Edinburgh Scotland
Apr ?? 'Them Again' released in the US
(reaches #138 in Billboard, 6 weeks in the charts)
?? [recording studio] London England
(last studio session, "Them didn't record after April";
"Tommy Scott produced the final Them session"; Richard
Corey, Mighty Like A Rose, ...)
May 14 Decca Entertainments Centre ("the Ashton Palais")
Ashton-under-Lyne England
?? "Gloria" at #71 Billboard charts USA
?? "Richard Cory"/"Don't You Know" released
(8th Them single)
2? the band flies to America, "accompanied by Tommy
Scott"; Armstrong: "we were met in at the airport in NY
[Kennedy Airport for a press reception] and had the Riot
Act read to us. No drugs, no underage women. ["they
visited radio stations"] Then we flew to San Francisco and
the guy who'd read us the riot act woke up beside a 15
year old!...then we flew to Phoenix"
2? [football field] Phoenix AZ
(Armstrong: "we did the first gig in a football
field...they drove us on an open-backed Cadillac with
these masses of screaming kids around us. We had a P.A.
with 2 little column speakers and I had a little Fender
amp, not miked or anything, and we were expected to fill
this huge outdoor arena"; see August below, return to AZ)
27 Rollarena San Leandro CA
(Van meets Janet "Planet"; supporting acts were Peter
Wheat & The Breadmen, and The Canadian Fuzz)
28 'American Bandstand' [TV studio] Los Angeles CA
(only reference found in DeWitt: "in May 1966 when Van was
interviewed by American Bandstand's Saturday show from
L.A. [possibly the 21st? band in NY?]...when Them was
booked to appear on American Bandstand, Ronnie Harran the
talent agent for the Whisky-A-Go-Go, was able to sign Them
for a 17 night [sic] stint")
30 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
(Monday, 1st night of an 18-night stint (24 performances);
300-capacity club owned by Elmer Valentine; 1st week
supported by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, with
Frank Zappa on occasion joining Them [Armstrong: "played
with us a couple of times...it was fun swapping choruses
with him on something like 'Stormy Monday'"]; John
Densmore: "Them slammed through several songs one right
after the other, making them indistinguishable...Van was
drunk & very uptight & violent with the mic stand,
crashing it down on the stage...when he dropped his lower
jaw & tongue and let out one of those yells of rage")
[opening night private party, apartment] ?? CA
(Densmore: "[Van] sat on the couch, moody & glowering, and
didn't say a word. All of a sudden he grabbed a guitar and
started singing songs about reincarnation, being in
'another time & place'...the apartment fell silent and all
eyes were riveted on Van..."; Van roomed at the Sunset
Palms)
31 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
June 1 [Wednesday, night off]
2 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
3 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
4 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA (2 shows)
5 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA (2 shows)
6 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
(Frame: 2nd week opening act was The Doors; other acts
appearing at the time were The Association, Buffalo
Springfield?, ...; a live album was planned [unreleased];
contract signed in Beverly Hills with Artistic Consultants
for Hawaii gigs July 8-10)
7 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
8 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
9 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
10 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
11 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA (2 shows)
12 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA (2 shows)
13 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
(DeWitt: among those who witnessed the performances were
Roger McGuinn, Harry Vestine, Mac Rebennack, Jim Guercio,
Grace Slick, Kim Fowley, Nick Venet, Lou Adler, Joe Smith
["soon Warner Brothers, at Smith's urging, began a
campaign to lure Van to their label"]; Armstrong: "beer
was free for the band and spirits half-price, but we still
ran up a tab of $2600 in 2 weeks!")
14 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
15 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
16 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
17 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
18 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA (2 shows)
("on the last night of the residency Jim Morrison joined
Them onstage...'we did the big Gloria jam'"; Densmore: "we
all played 'Gloria' together, 2 keyboards, 2 guitars, 2
drummers, Alan [bass], and 2 Morrisons"; Yorke: "In The
Midnight Hour" also performed)
23 Fillmore Auditorium San Francisco CA
(supported by The New Tweedy Brothers)
2? Longshoremen's Hall San Francisco CA
26 Oakland [Coliseum] Auditorium Arena Oakland CA
July 8 Waikiki Shell Kapiolani Park Honolulu Hawaii
(shared the bill with the Ramsey Lewis Trio; Turner:
'Ballerina' played for the first time in public, having
been rehearsed on tour; Armstrong: "a lot of the stuff we
rehearsed into tape recorders was the guts of 'Astral
Weeks'. Alan, Ray and I sat acoustically with flutes and
stuff playing 'Ballerina' into a tape recorder. In fact we
used to do 'Ballerina' on stage")
9 Waikiki Shell Kapiolani Park Honolulu Hawaii
(the promoter, thinking the band had played horribly &
was drunk the 1st night, confronted them; "we played
Waikiki Shell absolutely sober...so the *next night* we
all got drunk")
10 Waikiki Shell Kapiolani Park Honolulu Hawaii
(rain date; likely no performance)
??? ?? Fresno Beach CA
(as per Armstrong interview 1989)
??? ?? San Luis Obispo CA
(incident between Ray Elliot & Van)
??? Loser's South San Jose CA
(Turner: "to play a residency"; possibly August)
23 Strand Theater Modesto CA
29 Fillmore Auditorium San Francisco CA
(supported by The Sons of Champlin; Dewitt: "3 encores")
30 Fillmore Auditorium San Francisco CA
Aug ?? football stadium at Salpointe Catholic High School
Tucscon AZ
(Turner: "after playing more dates in AZ the tour ground
to a halt in Los Angeles"; see May 2? above; "at the
same time they were unable to extend their visas and had
to turn down offers of extra dates"; Van buys an
"expensive reel-to-reel tape recorder")
6 Los Angeles CA
(Turner pg.66: Van sends postcard to Bangor, having just
met Bo Diddley)
?? (Van leaves the band, returns to London w/Alan Henderson
"to sort out business", leaving Armstrong, Elliot & Harvey
in L.A.)
?? "I Can Only Give You Everything"/"Don't Start Crying Now"
released in the US "posthumously"
(9th/final Them single w/Van)
??? London England
(Turner: "they failed to reach an agreement with the
Solomons and returned, dejected, to Belfast"; Rogan: "When
he visited Phil Coulter upon his return to London, it was
evident that Van had not yet recovered from the sudden
break from his manager")
??? Belfast N. Ireland
(Frame: "he arrived back in Belfast a couple weeks before
his 21st birthday")
THEM (16)
(Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Jim Armstrong, Sammy Stitt)
@Sep ?? Embassy Ballroom Derry Ireland
("Back in Ireland the band played a last few gigs",
w/Sammy Stitt [drums, Van's cousin]; Armstrong: "we ended
up playing the Embassy in Derry with Van's cousin Sammy
Stitt, a harmonica player on drums. The place was stuffed
but the band was awful. There was still a bad feeling from
the American tour and the drummer was all over the place,
so I said forget it")
?? ?? Dublin Ireland
(Hinton: "Van and Alan gravitated back to Belfast and
played 2 final concerts, in Derry & Dublin")
VAN MORRISON AND THEM AGAIN
(Van Morrison [vox, gtr, sax], Eric Bell [gtr], Joe Hanratty [drms], Mike
Brown [bass])
@Sep-Nov ?? The Maritime Club Belfast N. Ireland
(Eric Bell: "Morrison held auditions in the Maritime Club
for a new band"; Turner: "after playing through his set
with them individually at home he arranged for them to
rehearse in a room over Dougie Knight's [bicycle/record
shop]" Collis: Van living in a flat in Ladbroke Grove)
??? Square One Club Belfast N. Ireland
("the first gig we did", on a weekend; Turner: Alan
Henderson "turned up to double on bass for some Them
numbers such as 'Mystic Eyes', & 'Baby Please Don't Go',
the local press was on hand and the room was so jammed
that girls in the front were actually playing with the
musicians' shoe laces"; Bell: Van said "fuck the list and
start a blues in E...he was playing a blue
Stratocaster...and started making things up as he went
along...just like a jazz musician")
??? Town Hall Carrickfergus N. Ireland
(Turner: "their next performance"; "top the bill to the
Bangor Carpetbaggers and The Fugitives in a beat-feast";
"Van turned a few heads by arriving in a floral suit
bought in San Francisco"; "in the middle of the set he
walked to the mic with a big book in his hand...he stood
there and said, 'To wank or not to wank, that is the
question'...when he didn't get much reaction he said,
'Hands up all the wankers in the hall'...Teddy Boys
started throwing pennies on stage and the promoter had to
clamber up and appeal for calm", as per Bell)
??? [various locations] Ireland
("we played around Ireland for 2 or 3 months"; Rogan: "on
one occasion he was joined onstage by Rod Stewart for an
impromptu rendition of 'Gloria'"; Doggett: "Van was
performing 'TB Sheets' by the end of 1966")
??? Sammy Houston's Jazz Club Belfast N. Ireland
("the group played a few more local gigs at Sammy
Houston's Jazz Club and at Queen's University")
??? Queens' University "Rag Ball" Belfast N. Ireland
(incident reviewed in City Week by Donal Corvin; Bell: "I
left the band that night because there was a bad feeling")
****
1967
****
VAN MORRISON
@Dec'66-Feb?? [monastery] ?? ??
(Interview 3/67: "We heard something, you were in the
monastery some time...is it true?"; Van: "Yeah I was,
yeah."; "Why?"; Van: "Because I was completely sick of the
pop scene and I just wanted to get away from it all
because it was gettin' too much, y'know, it's so false,
the pop scene is false, it's not real...I went and they
said they would let me stay there for as long as I
intended to stay, to think and read, philosophize, y'know,
this type of thing, and they said if I wanna come back
anytime I could come back")
?? Alan Henderson, from America, contacts Jim Armstrong "at
the beginning of 1967 and asked if I fancied going back to
the States. We [without Van] rehearsed in Belfast with
Kenny McDowell on vocals and we were sent tickets [Texas
promoter?] and went back without Van. Van actually rang
Alan in the States wanting to know how we'd got over
there"; Them, without Van, goes on to record later in
1967, releasing an album 1/68, "Now and Them", more to
follow through 1979, various incarnations of 'Them'
?? Turner: "during this period he had been writing a lot
more songs with the use of the new tape recorder [see
August 1966] and sending tracks to record
companies...Philips in London had begun to show some
interest and also Bert Berns in NY"; possibly offers from
Warner Bros. as well --see June 1966; Hinton: "Decca
showed interest and arranged for 4 solo tracks to be
recorded at their West Hampstead studios"; Doggett: demo
tape with 'Brown Eyed Girl' & 'TB Sheets' "circulated
around London and also sent to Bert Berns"; Van: "somebody
saw Bert and he said, 'Oh, yeah, if you see Van, tell him
I have my own record company, and I'd like to do something
with him'. At the same time I was trying to get a solo
thing together, and basically the interest from Bert was
the first thing that had come through. I was waiting on
someone else from another company to make up his mind when
Bert said, 'Why don't you come over and we'll cut a few
things'"
Mar ? Van travels to Holland
?? ?? The Netherlands
(Van interviewed by Harry 'Cuby' Muskee & Willem De
Ridder for Hitweek; Van: "I have a new manager, Jerry
Flanagan")
9 Buiten Societeit Deventer The Netherlands
(concert reel of this perfromance sent to a US fan by Van
later; existence noted of a Van/Cuby studio collaboration,
as yet unissued)
?? Wassenaar Wildlife Breeding (zoo) Wassenaar The Netherlands
(w/Cuby & The Blizzards, lip-sync "Mystic Eyes" +
'monastery' interview)
?? (H.Armstrong, "playing guitar in The Wheels with Brian
Rossi, asked Van if he would like to join": "he told me
that he had a phone call to make to Bert Berns in America")
2? (Turner: "Dougie Knight remembers Van coming into his shop
and announcing that he was going to be making a record in
New York; within days word was out that he'd signed a
contract and was in America")
2? (Hinton/Dougie Knight: "one night just before taking the
plane Van spent an evening drinking & listening to blues
albums, 'At one stage he decided he was going to swim
across the Lagan' but was persuaded against it")
27 Van arrives back in New York City, Kennedy Airport
(Hinton: "took a taxi to Bert Berns' apartment"; Van: "I
had a couple of other offers but I thought this was the
best one seeing as I wanted to come to America anyway")
28 A&R Studios (112 W. 48th St.) New York NY
(first BANG recording sessions; Rogan: "One day Bert
entered the studio...Morrison was instructed to cut 8
tracks from which Berns intended to select 4 singles":
Brown Eyed Girl [23 takes], Ro Ro Rosy, Goodbye Baby,
TB Sheets; Hinton: the session was from 4:00pm-midnight)
29 A&R Studios (112 W. 48th St.) New York NY
(2nd day of recording: Who Drove the Red Sports Car,
Midnight Special, Spanish Rose, He Ain't Give You None;
--discrepancy, Van, Hot Press 2000: "I went to New York
for 4 days. One of those days I recorded 8 tracks")
30 (Turner: "the next day Van was on the plane back to
Belfast")
@Apr-Jun?? (Turner: "he kept a low profile over the next 3 months,
during which he spent a lot of his time at home on
Hyndford St. writing most of the songs that would make up
'Astral Weeks'", notably Madame George & Beside You)
??? The Netherlands
('The Bedroom Tape' sent to "Mysterious Strength" fanclub
in Holland [originally called The Dutch Them Fanclub,
started @1966, name changed "within a few months" to The
Dutch Van Morrison Fanclub, name changed to Mysterious
Strength "at Van's suggestion"]; speculative: tape made
available through Van's mother; J.Armstrong, commenting on
"Now and Them" LP 1/68: "'Walking in the Queen's Garden'
is one we used to do with Van" [America '66 tour])
July 15 "Brown Eyed Girl" released
(reaches #10 Billboard "about 6 weeks later" and remained
there for 16 weeks"; Van: "originally it was called 'Brown
Skinned Girl' when I wrote the song...after we'd recorded
it, I looked at the tape box and didn't even notice that
I'd changed the title")
22 Turner: "BEG enters the Cashbox charts on July 22nd and
eventually rises to #8; --discrepancy with next entry
28 "Brown Eyed Girl" released in the UK (London Records)
@Aug ?? [phone interview from Belfast to "Go" magazine in NY]
(Van: "Now there is no limit to what I can do. I plan to
use the type of instrumentation I like and be completely
free. This is only the beginning for me.")
?? Hinton: "within weeks Berns had summoned him back
to NY & booked him into a hotel on Broadway--within safe
view & bugging range of Berns' office"; Turner: "with a
hit on his hands Berns made plans to have Van return to
America...Janet & Peter flew in from CA to move in with
Van"
?? [boat celebration/gig] Hudson River New York NY
(DeWitt: Bert Berns hired a boat to cruise down the Hudson
River and this extraordinary press conference resulted in
airplay and a great deal of media attention"; photo shown
in the Sep. 2nd issue of Record World)
31 The Bitter End New York NY
(possibly shows on August 29 and 30 as well)
Sep 1 The Bitter End New York NY
2 The Bitter End New York NY
3 The Bitter End New York NY
4 The Bitter End New York NY
11 The Scene New York NY
(Van, Hot Press 2000: "I got a gig at a place called The
Scene in New York, for $75 all in. I had to pay the band,
pay the taxi, pay everything out of $75 a night, two sets
a night") --may allude to Jan. 27, 1969 press (?) gig
12 The Scene New York NY (2 shows?)
13 The Scene New York NY (2 shows?)
14 The Scene New York NY (2 shows?)
15 The Scene New York NY (2 shows?)
16 The Scene New York NY (2 shows?)
17 The Scene New York NY (2 shows?)
(possible final show on Sep. 18, 1967)
?? "The Story of Them" posthumously released single
Oct ?? "Ro Ro Rosey"/"Chick-A-Boom" [w/The Sweet Inspirations]
released
(reaches #107 in the US, 2 weeks in Billboard)
?? Van begins West Coast tour
(backed by Charlie Brown [gtr], Eric Oxendine [bs] and Bob
Grenier [drms]; Rogan: "a tour of the States was
arranged...in order to cash in on the chart impact of
'Brown Eyed Girl', booked into a number of dives and MOR
joints"; Van: "it put me in some of the worst joints I
ever worked...they were totally unreal")
7 Hullabaloo Club Hollywood CA
13 The Family Dog Denver CO
(opening act, The Daily Flash)
14 The Family Dog Denver CO
(opening act, The Daily Flash)
17 Crystal Ballroom Portland OR
20 Avalon Ballroom San Francisco CA
(opening acts, The Daily Flash and Hair)
21 Avalon Ballroom San Francisco CA
(opening acts, The Daily Flash and Hair)
22 Avalon Ballroom San Francisco CA
(opening acts, The Daily Flash and Hair)
?? Blowin' Your Mind LP released
(Turner: "he learned of its release while on the road";
Van: "I got a call from a friend one day [Peter Wolf?] and
this guy says 'Hey I got your album, man.' And I said,
'What album?' Bang had turned around and put out an album
of those 4 singles and I didn't even know about it!";
reaches #182 in Billboard, 7 weeks in the charts)
Nov ?? [KRLA radio studio] Los Angeles CA
(interview w/John Carpenter)
11 'American Bandstand' [TV studio] Los Angeles CA
(broadcast date ?; brief 'interview' with Dick Clark;
lip-sync Brown Eyed Girl, Ro Ro Rosey)
??? Loser's South San Jose CA
?? Van returns to New York
?? [recording studio] New York NY
(3rd studio sessions with Berns: Chick-A-Boom, It's All
Right, Beside You, Madame George, Joe Harper Saturday
Morning, ... [8 tracks altogether])
Dec ?? DeWitt: "there were a number of major record companies
interested in Van and during December several recording
executives approached him"
30 Bert Berns dies of a heart attack, 38 years old
(Doggett: "the day before New Year's Eve)
****
1968
****
??? [Green Street] Cambridge MA
DeWitt: "in late 1967 Van moved from NY to Cambridge";
--discrepancy w/Doggett: "soon after the collapse of
Van's contract with Bang [Van & Janet] set up home in
Cambridge"
Feb ?? "The Best Of Van Morrison" released
(BANG label, including songs from 11/67 sessions)
??? Doggett: Eileen Berns told Turner that Van quickly
approached her with a request to be released from his
contract"; see 'The BANG Contractuals'
Mar-Aug ?? ?? ?? ??
??? [WPIX Channel TV] ?? New York
(appearance with Tom Kielbania & John Payne, "on a Sunday
morning/afternoon", live show)
??? [unknown] ?? MA
(TV appearance "on a public station in Boston" with Tom
Kielbania & Charlie Mariano, live show)
??? [unknown small club] Cambridge MA
(DeWitt: "one night in an obscure Cambridge club Van and
Peter Wolf shared the stage and sang 'Gloria' and 'Brown
Eyed Girl' to an eager audience of about 50 people")
??? Doggett: "for the rest of 1968 Morrison played local
shows with jazz musicians like Tom Kielbania and John
Payne"
??? Doggett: "as soon as the Warners deal was completed,
Morrison began cutting songwriting demos of the material
he'd accumulated over the past year. Warners Music
apparently has around 6 hours of this material, dating
from 1968 and 1969, though only about 60 minutes of tapes
have leaked onto the collector's market"; see bootleg
"Gypsy Soul"
Sep ?? Century Sound [recording studio] New York NY
(Doggett: "the sessions for Astral Weeks occupied 3
days in September 1968")
??? Doggett: "later in the year [Van & Janet] were married"
Nov ?? 'Astral Weeks' released in the US
(Doggett: "it reached American shops before Christmas
but wasn't issued in Britain until the following autumn")
****
1969
****
Jan 27 ? The Scene New York NY
(not verified, possible pre-West Coast press gig?)
31 Avalon Ballroom San Francisco CA
Feb 1 Avalon Ballroom San Francisco CA
2 Avalon Ballroom San Francisco CA
Feb 5 Whisky-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
(Doggett: "Judy Sims, Hollywood correspondent of
London-based 'pop paper' Disc & Music Echo, reports on
Van's opening night: [her review trashed the
performance...one who attended a following night notes
that the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance],
'he played an acoustic guitar backed by a saxophone player
[John Payne, also on flute] and an upright bass {Tom
Kielbania]'"; see example line-up, Don Paulsen photo,
Turner pg.82)
6 Whiskey-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
7 Whiskey-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
8 Whiskey-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
9 Whiskey-A-Go-Go West Hollywood CA
1? Van returns home to Cambridge MA (see next entry)
1? Doggett: "in February 1969, the week after [the
Whisky-A-Go-Go gigs], Van & Janet Morrison moved out to
Woodstock"
21 Grande Ballroom Detroit MI
22 Grande Ballroom Detroit MI
23 Grande Ballroom Detroit MI
Mar-Jun ?? ?? ?? ??
??? The Catacombs Boston MA
??? The Gaslight Boston MA
(???, New York City NY ???)
Jul 20 [unknown venue] Newport RI "Newport Folk Festival"
Aug 29 Cafe au Go Go New York NY
30 Cafe au Go Go New York NY
31 Cafe au Go Go New York NY
Sep 15 Ungano's New York NY
16 Ungano's New York NY
17 Ungano's New York NY
18 Ungano's New York NY
Oct-Dec ?? ?? ?? ??
??? Woodstock NY
(at some point Van rehearses, performs, and records
[on drums] with The Montgomeries, a local Woodstock band,
producing some songs with them; see also David Gahr photo,
Turner pg.103, possibly 1970)
***************************
PRIMARY SOURCE BIBLIOGRAPHY:
***************************
CityWeek - CityBeat column clippings
Collis, John - Van Morrison: Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (1995)
DeWitt, Howard A. - Van Morrison: The Mystic's Music (1982)
Doggett, Peter - articles
Frame, Peter - The Beatles and Some Other Guys: Rock Family Trees
from the Sixties Beat Boom (1997)
Hinton, Brian - Celtic Crossroads: the art of Van Morrison (1997)
Hodgett, Trevor - articles
Hogg, Brian - articles
New Musical Express - clippings (@1964-66)
Rogan, Johnny - Van Morrison: A Portrait Of The Artist (1984)
Turner, Steve - Too Late To Stop Now (1993)
Wavelength: the Unofficial Van Morrison Magazine
http://www.wavelengthltd.co.uk/ [The Story of Them series]
Yorke, Ritchie - Van Morrison: Into the Music (1975)
private correspondence - Thanks! to innumerable who have generously
supplied scarce secondary source material
DEDICATION:
To myself, because I put so much damn work into it for no one's ultimate
curiosity & obsession but my own. And to Van Morrison, and everyone
concerned/mentioned in this chronology, for allowing heart to open in
spite of the bullshit and unawares... admirable for anyone to live in,
whether it's mobile phones or a knock on the door. "Take it where you
find it". Thanks for keeping it real...
Part of the van-the-man.info unofficial website
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