I chanced on some one that interviewed my father back in May of '78. The interviewer was following the career of Kelly Jay (aka Henry Blake Fordham) of Crowbar fame. When Skip was a teenager he got hooked on playing music, likely due to his mother always having a piano in the house, which they both played.
At some point, the 2 Oakville residents formed a band called "Kelly Jay and the Jamies" I always recalled the named to be "Jay Hawks" instead of jamies, my bad.
Toward the end of 1961, they released a single (45 RPM record for those not remembering vinyl) The 2 songs on it are called "Let Love Walk Right In & Two-Faced Woman" released under the Barry label.
Besides Skip on bass and Kelly singing, the other members at that time were Brian Kirkwood on guitar and Harold Rudy on drums. After my Dad left the band (year unknown to me as of yet) Kirkwood moved to bass and John Till (later to play with Janis Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band) came in on guitar. By that time the drummer was Pete Deremigis.
One thing led to another and Kelly and a couple other members were part of Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins band, then formed Crowbar with many greats associated with that time and scene (King Biscuit Boy, The Band, Bob Dylan, David Clayton Thomas to name a few)
As for Skip, he still played until around the time I was 2 with Dallas Harms, Ernie Varga, Mike Hillsey, Doug Ritz and Dale Hutchinson. The band was called "The Squires" He mainly played piano, but also plucked on bass.
He'd always have a guitar handy and never hesitated to play. Bon fires, sailing regattas, get togethers, hell, even if after a few ryes at home and the mood drove him. His instrument of choice for band play was always the bass, although he was quite affluent on piano and guitar as well.
Much later, he hooked up with some guys from Bronte Harbour Yacht Club to eventually form a Bluegrass/Rock/Country band "Safety in Numbers" which gigged a few times, but nothing big.
When I took interest in guitar, he showed me 3 chords, E, A, and D. I taught the rest myself. As a youngster, maybe 10-12, I took piano lessons, not from being forced... I was asked if I wanted to, but wasn't pressured. There'd always be "cool" tunes in our house....Chicago, CCR, Crowbar, The Band and so on. So, I knew what GOOD rock 'n roll was and where the scene came from.
It's only been since an email from the interviewer Bill Munson that I've come to realize just how big a sacrifice Skip made to be a Father and Husband. Small wonder he never really got into great details when I asked him about this.... I know I would have been holding onto those memories and wondering what could have been had a passion for music been fully pursued...especially with roots like this. For all I know he could have played Woodstock had he kept at it 100%
Skip passed away Feb 10th 2001 of cancer.... less than 10 days after finding out he had it, and exactly one week after his 57th birthday. I miss the old man, and can only hope that if there is a heaven, he's been jamming with all the dead greats he admired through out his life.
1 comment:
This is also on my facebook page.
My Dad and his music career
9:02pm Saturday, Oct 20
I chanced on some one that interviewed my father back in May of '78.
The interviewer was following the career of Kelly Jay (aka Henry Blake Fordham) of Crowbar fame.
When Skip was a teenager he got hooked on playing music, likely due to his mother always having a piano in the house, which they both played.
At some point, the 2 Oakville residents formed a band called "Kelly Jay and the Jamies" I always recalled the named to be "Jay Hawks" instead of jamies, my bad.
Toward the end of 1961, they released a single (45 RPM record for those not remembering vinyl)
The 2 songs on it are called "Let Love Walk Right In & Two-Faced Woman" released under the Barry label.
Besides Skip on bass and Kelly singing, the other members at that time were Brian Kirkwood on guitar and Harold Rudy on drums. After my Dad left the band (year unknown to me as of yet) Kirkwood moved to bass and John Till (later to play with Janis Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band) came in on guitar. By that time the drummer was Pete Deremigis.
One thing led to another and Kelly and a couple other members were part of Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins band, then formed Crowbar with many greats associated with that time and scene (King Biscuit Boy, The Band, Bob Dylan, David Clayton Thomas to name a few)
As for Skip, he still played until around the time I was 2 with Dallas Harms, Ernie Varga, Mike Hillsey, Doug Ritz and Dale Hutchinson.
The band was called "The Squires"
He mainly played piano, but also plucked on bass.
He'd always have a guitar handy and never hesitated to play. Bon fires, sailing regattas, get togethers, hell, even if after a few ryes at home and the mood drove him. His instrument of choice for band play was always the bass, although he was quite affluent on piano and guitar as well.
Much later, he hooked up with some guys from Bronte Harbour Yacht Club to eventually form a Bluegrass/Rock/Country band "Safety in Numbers" which gigged a few times, but nothing big.
When I took interest in guitar, he showed me 3 chords, E, A, and D.
I taught the rest myself. As a youngster, maybe 10-12, I took piano lessons, not from being forced... I was asked if I wanted to, but wasn't pressured. There'd always be "cool" tunes in our house....Chicago, CCR, Crowbar, The Band and so on. So, I knew what GOOD rock 'n roll was and where the scene came from.
It's only been since an email from the interviewer Bill Munson that I've come to realize just how big a sacrifice Skip made to be a Father and Husband. Small wonder he never really got into great details when I asked him about this.... I know I would have been holding onto those memories and wondering what could have been had a passion for music been fully pursued...especially with roots like this.
For all I know he could have played Woodstock had he kept at it 100%
Skip passed away Feb 10th 2001 of cancer.... less than 10 days after finding out he had it, and exactly one week after his 57th birthday.
I miss the old man, and can only hope that if there is a heaven, he's been jamming with all the dead greats he admired through out his life.
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