Back to The 2i's


In January 1960, Brian Marshall, Johnny Vance and Johnny Watson moved to London with Vince Taylor, leaving Buddy Britten to carry on working for Reg Calvert with a new backing band, The Regents.
They took a residency at The 2i’s Coffee Bar for 3 months until mid March 1960, backing Vince but also Tony Sheridan, Keith Kelly, Lance Fortune among others. Rick Hardy aka “Rick Richards” had immortalized some of their appearances there: on a very small stage as Brian recalls – with “JUST ABOUT ROOM FOR 4 OF US.”
Weekends, they played other venues: mostly Rock’n’Roll Jamboree Dances organised by Rory “Shakes” Blackwell, who had disbanded his Blackjacks after their unsuccesful residency at Islington Strava Ballroom in late ‘59.

Brian Marshall
“After 5 months Vince wanted to move back to London so we went with him leaving Buddy to carry on working for Reg.
We were resident backing band at the 2is for about 3 months with TONY SHERIDAN, KIETH KELLY , LANCE FORTUNE...
“AND WE GOT PAID £1 POUND PER NIGHT, NOT ALOT FOR 4 HOURS WORK!!”
Vince performed most nights as well. Weekends we played other venues but we did a few organised by Rory.Shakes. Blackwell.”
While Vince Taylor wore Black Leather like Gene Vincent during his first tour of Europe, the Band had Red Coats, Black Trousers, Black Shirts and Red Ties.
One of the last gigs with Vince Taylor was a package show at Stevenage Town Hall on Saturday 19th March 1960: Johnny Watson performed as “Little Jony” and Brian Marshall as “Eddie Sex” – and as he says “FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY (NEVER LIVED IT DOWN)!!”
As the poster of the show suggest it, both Watson and Marshall started to record some demo’s on their own at that time.

Brian Marshall
“The Demo's we made on our own were done at Pepy's Studio in Berwick Street. The songs we did were DREAM LOVER, YOUR RIGHT I'M LEFT SHE'S GONE ,POOR LITTLE FOOL, and a song that Tony Sheridan wrote which I wrote another verse called I
KNOW BABY.”

While Gene Vincent opened a new tour on April 30, 1960 at Hanley Gaumont, Vince Taylor & his band appeared on ABC TV's "Wham!" along with Wee Willie Harris and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates featuring former Playboys Joe Moretti, Brian Gregg and Clem Cattini who played together on the future British number one hit single “Shakin' All Over” that had been composed in similat circumstances as “Brand New Cadillac”: on a piece of paper on a table in a Soho hang out - The Freight Train in Berwick Street, managed by Chas McDevitt.
In fact, Gregg and Cattini had been elbowed from the Larry Parnes’ Beat Boys as Makins and Woodman had been before them prior to becoming the core of the new Pirates.
However the Playboys rehearsed for the show, Lord Rockingham's XI backed most of the artists that appeared on it.

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