Georgie Fame. The name alone makes me think of mohair, a smoky basement full of the likeminded and cool music….

If any native musician from the British Isles captured the sound of the ‘Modernist’ scene of Wardour Street club all-nighters, pills, college-boy haircuts and beautifully cut clobber, it was Georgie.

Backed by his band, The Blue Flames, his distinctive husky velvet tinged vocals and buzzin’ Hammond organ sound, sent any early crowd he appeared in front of into a frenzy.

Thankfully, we have evidence of the ecstatic noise of those in attendance, because he was recorded in his pomp for the album ‘Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo’ in September 1963, which saw the light of day on EMI Columbia in 1964. With engineer Glyn Johns at the controls, the whole package of band, crowd and stage announcer create a beautiful sonic time capsule.

Though failing to chart at the time, the album has gone on to be one to have in any record collection of note.

Christened Clive Powell and born on June 26th 1943 in Leigh, Lancashire, Fame studied piano from the age of seven, discovering his first musical love, Fats Domino, at the age of fourteen. After playing in local bands, he worked professionally at a Butlins Holiday Camp in North Wales at the tender age of fifteen.

Arriving in London at sixteen, he was taken under the wing of songwriter Lionel Bart, who later would find fame and fortune with the musical ‘Oliver’. Bart introduced Georgie to pop impresario Larry Parnes, who became an early manager and who then changed his name to Georgie Fame and set him to work touring in the backing bands on piano for the likes of Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent, as well as early British rock and rollers such as Joe Brown and Billy Fury.

When he and the rest of Fury’s backing band were ‘let go’ for being ‘too jazzy’ at the end of 1961, they teamed up and got work in the clubs of London, notably The Flamingo.

The ‘Mingo, as it was known to its regulars was essentially a jazz club, though Georgie at first persists with a mainly rock and roll set, but that changes quickly as the jazz he is surrounded by begins to influence his sound.

The songs of King Pleasure, Lambert Hendricks and Ross and later Mose Allison are on his turntable at home. Black American GI’s, stationed in the South of England at Air Force bases are also feeding Fame 45’s at his club gigs.

By the end of 1962, Georgie immediately begins using a Hammond organ after hearing ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T and the MG’s and his set develops a more soul-based edge.

Picking up on the Jon Hendricks vocal version of Mongo Santamaria’s tune ‘Yeh Yeh’, Georgie is soon performing his own version of the song around the clubs, recording it in late 1964 with the result of it becoming the first number one in the UK of 1965.

Numerous songs such as ‘Meantime’ ‘Right Track’ ‘Sitting In The Park’ ‘Sweet Thing’ and ‘Sunny’ were soon to become big crowd favourites.

When you add other less well-known tracks such as ‘One Whole Year Baby’ ‘Outrage’ ‘Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu’ ‘Try My World’ and ‘Whole World Shakin’ to the mix, you end up with a fine body of work.

Described on its sleeve notes, as a ‘milestone in Fame’s career’ by journalist Chris Welch, is the album ‘Sound Venture’. The success of ‘Yeh Yeh’ had enabled Fame to self-finance the recording of the jazz flavoured work through 1965 and 1966, with his record company reluctant to pay for it. ‘They asked’ says Fame ‘why do you want to go off and sing jazz with a big band for? But I saw it as part of my musical education’.

On it, he is accompanied by the Harry South Big Band, which included the cream of the British jazz scene of the time, with the likes of Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott, Phil Seaman, Stan Tracey and Jimmy Deuchar among the stellar line up. Standout tracks include ‘Papas Got A Brand New Bag’ and the self penned ‘Dawn Yawn’

The overall sound of the record was an early pointer to the direction of where Georgie Fame would ultimately end up and where he is still plying his trade in 2017.

I had the honour to compile greatest hits CD called Yeh Yeh for Universal a few years ago and it was a joy to do, such a great selection of songs to choose from.

A recent show from Georgie at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in London saw him deliver the story of his life and career in among the well-loved songs.

The man is still at the top of his game, still ‘Preachin’ and a Teachin’ and I am still very much, in the congregation.

Amen.

The Mumper of SE5