Hello Everyone ,
May I thank you all who sent me letters and cards on the loss of my wonderful husband Mike. I still cannot believe that he is no longer with me.
He loved the club and always looked forward to coming to the meetings. He attended the meeting in November 2022, it did take a bit of persuading to get him there but he thoroughly enjoyed it . Unfortunately we left early as he was really tired.
I have been watching the videos on YouTube , it is so good to see him playing and singing ,bringing him back to me .
Once again, thank you all so very much for your kind words
Kathy Ellis
2023 £15.00 . Due on 26/02/2023. ( Day of the AGM and Ettington Meeting) . If you are unable to make that meeting and wish to pay for your membership please contact The Membership Secretary , Elaine Bryant, on elaine.bryant@outlook.com
2023 Members £3 Non -members £5
Dear WSGC Member.
As you might imagine, we have been continually assessing the relative safe reopening of the club throughout the Pandemic
This is to advise you that we now have resumed meetings with a couple of changes to our previous format, that we have made in an effort to best adapt to the current challenges
First we have a new venue, which will offer a better space, good parking , ease of access, and most importantly, our own entrance and exit (I.e. The meeting will for the most part be self-contained) , please take a look at their website in this link https://www.ettingtoncommunitycentre.co.uk/ and scroll down to take a virtual tour . We will be using the Main Hall.
however there will be no buffet or refreshments provided, so it will be a case of bringing your own refreshments, (incl drinks)
The Meeting next will take place on
Sunday 10th December 2023
12.00-4.30pm
( for other dates in 2024 scroll to Next Meeting page )
We hope to see as many of you as possible and get back to the sound of music and banter that makes our club so special
Best wishes from the Committee.
With the re-opening of the WSGC (see below for details) it is probably a good time to check we have your current email address. If you have changed your email address over the last couple of years , or you think you may not be getting emails from us , please let us know at wsgcwebsite@btinternet.com
* Please note if you wish to have a favorite Backing Track added to the library on the club i-pad please email the mp3 as an attachment to warwickshadsbts@gmail.com
It is with great sadness I have to announce the passing away of Mike Ellis.
Mike was a stalwart of our club playing bass and rhythm guitar at nearly every meeting and also singing as well. He was a very talented and enthusiastic player always willing to help and often bringing in new ideas.
What I hadn’t realised until recently is the interesting musical past he enjoyed working with leading bands of the 1960’s, playing on BBC Radio shows and even having John Bonham (yes that’s right Led Zeppelin) on drums! – Wow!
Mike will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his Kath his wife and his family at this sad time.
We have added Mike’s profile below.
Ian McCutcheon
(WSGC Chairman)
Name. Mike Ellis: AKA Jumbo Jet
Married to. Kathleen: Children. Joanne and James
Instrument played. Bass Guitar : Other instruments played. Rhythm guitar, Keyboards, Drums
Favourite musician. Jet Harris
First instrument. Hofner Committee Guitar. (Cost 60 in 1960! I paid for it from my paper round!)
Influences : Buddy Holly, Everly’s, Shadows, Chet AtkinsBeatles
I had my own band which I fronted from 1965 to 1994. (Royal Four).
All the same members too!! After having an operation on my vocal
chords in 1994, I was forced to pack singing in so we disbanded. We
used to play 300 gigs a year. I put my bass away and it only came out again in 2002 after a guy I met persuaded me to start playing again.
Memorable gigs or meetings? Too many to remember l. I met
Hank in 1999 and I was so overcome I thought I was talking to God!! I then met Bruce a year later and really enjoyed his company for an hour.
I got Hank to sign my right arm with a fine line pen which I then had
overwritten by a tattooist! Bruce also signed my left arm and I did
the same to that. It does create interesting comments
though when people see them!
Thoughts on WSMC ? Excellent, well run family club where all the
people seem to enjoy and partake in doing what they like doing! We are all there for the same thing, and all abilities are encouraged, as they should be!
Any other points of interest: My first band was a 5-piece called
the Nighthawks, and we were together from 1960 till ,62. After we packed up, Me, the drummer and the lead singer/ Guitarist formed a band called the " Blue Star Trio” (we got the name from the Shads tune! )
We used to have a lad come to see us every week and used to ask if he could have a go on the drums, so when our drummer left, we invited him up to play and show us what he could do ! Wow....we had never heard a drummer like it before, he was LOUD and fantastic with it!! He later went on to even more fame and fortune when he joined Led Zeppelin! Yes folks it was JOHN BONHAM!!
We started to work for the BBC in 1963 and used to play in pop shows on the Radio!
One tune we did was DIAMONDS and John had Tony Meehan's solo off to a tee!.
After we split in late 1964, I switched to Bass guitar an, I briefly played with the top B’,ham band, " Johnny Neal and the Starliners, who had just returned from taking over from the Beatles at the Star club. When I left I got together with 3 other local guys and we played together from 1965 till 1994.
My Mother used to say to me: " Our Michael, if you can play an
instrument you will always have a pound in your pocket " A truer word
has never been spoken!!
Club Chairman Ian McCutcheon presenting Adrian Johnson with raffle prize which was kindly donated by Ian Johnson ( no relation !)
The Blackstar Amp most generously bequethed to the club by Bob Golding ( see obituary below ) was won by George Height ( unfortunately George couldn't be at the meeting so sadly there is no photo.
Ian McCutcheon’s Shadows Workout 22
10 Brand new backing tracks
Something for all tastes and abilities
Track list:
· The William Tell Overture
Theme from the Munsters
Desifinado
Tuxedo Junction
Soul Bossa Nova
The QuietThree
Smooth Operator
Should I
Can't help Falling in Love
Gypsy Beat
Usual superb production
Available now from
Leos Den
Tel 01305 570796
Email Juliette@leosden.co.uk
OR
Ian McCutcheon TEL 01926 882762 Email ian_mccutcheon@hotmail.com