This is intended to be a homage to very many musicians I've loved since I started listening to music. My intention is to tell what I know about them, hoping that those people who like them too, will help me fill numerous gaps, which I may have in their careers and discographies. Sorry, but there are no MP3 audio files here at all, just info (and love for the musicians).


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HiStats

Thursday, 3 December 2009

John Hedley (guitar)

BANDS:
BANDPERIODDETAILS
John Lewis Big Band [1966-?] 
Every Which Way [1970-1971]1 album
Carol Grimes Band   
The Phoenix Jazzmen [1972]1 album
Newcastle Big Band   
Last Exit [Oct 74-1976] 
Pete Scott Band   
Graham Bell Band   
Tony McNally Band [1994]1 album
Sting Band [May 06] (1 gig) 
Rudy´s Music Shop  1 album
BIOGRAPHY:

Fantastic player, I wish there were more albums containing his playing.

JOHN LEWIS BLUES BAND

First band I know with John Hedley is John Lewis Blues Band around 1966:

JOHN LEWIS BLUES BAND #?
1966-?
Bob Whitfield
vocals
Tony Pringle
bass
Malcolm Cornberg
drums
+ maybe others, unknown to me. Help!

John Hedley was guitarist of the John Lewis Blues Band based in Morpeth, Northumberland in 1967-70, well known in the North East they also played in London supporting Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac on several occasions (thanks to Anonymous for the comment with this info).


EVERY WHICH WAY

After a while, Every Which Way expands with a new member, superb guitarist John Hedley, recommended by Graham Bell and Alan Cartwright, after trying with different players:

EVERY WHICH WAY #?
1970-1971
êJohn Lewis Blues Band
Graham Bell †
vocals
Alan Cartwright
bass
Geoff Peach
flute
Brian Davison †
drums
Bell & Arcê
Carol Grimes Bandê

The band was short-lived, and after a fantastic debut album released in September 1970, Every Which Way, and a successful presentation at The Marquee, they sadly split in early 1971.

Other info on members of Every Which Way (I know up to 5 members)
Already covered (1): Graham Bell
To be covered (3): Alan Cartwright, Brian Davison, Geoff Peach

CAROL GRIMES BAND

John Hedley was guitarist for Carol Grimes, but can´t find any details about that. Help, please!

CAROL GRIMES BAND #?
?
Carol Grimes
vocals
+ others unknown to me. Help!

Other info on members of Carol Grimes Band (I know up to 26 members)
Already covered (2): Jeff Seopardie, Steve York
To be covered (23): Colin Bass, Mel Collins, Colin Fletcher, Ivor Goldberg, Carol Grimes, Gary Hammond, Tony Hicks, Tim Hinkley, Neil Hubbard, Ollie Marland, Janette Mason, Joe Mavety, Henry McCullough, John McKenzie, Phil Scragg, Alan Spenner, Terry Stannard, Tino Turville, Dave Vasco, Ian Wallace, Nigel Watson, Andy Winfield, Mike Woods

THE PHOENIX JAZZMEN

Next thing I know about John Hedley is playing around 1972 in The Phoenix Jazzmen, a band with Gordon Sumner, before being worldwide known as Sting:

THE PHOENIX JAZZMEN #?
1972-?
Sting
bass, as Gordon Sumner
Ronnie Young
trumpet, vocals
Graham Shepherd
clarinet
Gordon Soloman
trombone
+ drummer and pianist unknown to me. Help!

They recorded a single, ´Beale street blues / I´m the king of the swingers´.

Other info on members of The Phoenix Jazzmen (I know up to 7 members)
To be covered (1): Sting

LAST EXIT

Last Exit was formed in October 1974:
LAST EXIT #
John Hedley
(guitar)
Sting
(bass, vocals)
Gerry Richardson
(keyboards)
Ronnie Pearson †
(drums)
Apart from playing gigs, they were also hired to play in a theatrical work called 'Rock Nativity', in December 1974. The musical backing was made by Last Exit plus two more players: Iwan Williams (keyboards) and Derek Lunn (drums).

The band recorded some tracks that were included in a cassette-only edition called First from Last Exit..., produced by their friend Dave Wood.

In July 1975, the band was contracted to play in Spain (!!), and they augment their lineup with sax player Cormac Loane:
LAST EXIT #
John Hedley
(guitar)
Sting
(bass, vocals)
Gerry Richardson
(keyboards)
Cormac Loane
(sax)
Ronnie Pearson †
(drums)

Other info on members of Last Exit (I know up to 5 members)
To be covered (4): Terry Ellis, Ronnie Pearson, Gerry Richardson, Sting

PETE SCOTT BAND

When John Hedley left Last Exit, he joined Pete Scott Band, but can't find any info about it:

PETE SCOTT BAND #?
?
Pete Scott
+ others unknown to me. Help!


GRAHAM BELL BAND

In the mid eighties, Graham Bell formed a new band with his old friend John Hedley:

GRAHAM BELL BAND #?
?
Graham Bell †
vocals
Hilton Valentine
guitar
Paul Nichols
drums
+ others unknown to me. Help, please!

They played many gigs, but as far as I know, they never recorded any studio material.

Other info on members of Graham Bell Band (I know up to 7 members)
Already covered (3): Graham Bell, Gary Moore, Steve York
To be covered (3): Pearce Kelly, Paul Nichols, Hilton Valentine

AND LATER...

And it's been difficult to me tracing his career since then, so I only know a few details. He was a member of the house band for TV program 'The Tube'. He also played in cruise ships, such as QE2 (like other great musicians).

TONY McNALLY BAND

Tony McNally recorded his third album, Save with help from John Hedley (guitar) and Deon Krishnan (bass). In order to promote the album, he played some gigs with them around 1994:

TONY MCNALLY BAND #?
1994
Tony McNally
sax, multi
Deon Krishnan
bass

Other info on members of Tony McNally Band (I know up to 3 members)
To be covered (1): Deon Krishnan

STING BAND (just for a day!)

In May 2006, Sting was honoured as doctor by Newcastle University. After the event, a party and a concert was held for his friends, where he reunited with some old friends from the Last Exit period. This was the special lineup for that concert:

STING BAND #?
May 06
Sting
vocals, bass
Terry Ellis
guitar
Gerry Richardson
keyboards
Pete Volpe
trumpet
Pat Crumly
sax
Garry Linsley
sax
Cormac Loane
sax
Don Fairley
trombone
Ray Chorter
trombone
Brian Chester
trombone
Paul Smith
drums
Andy Hudson
arranger

Other info on members of Sting Band (I know up to 60 members)
To be covered (59): Mick Barakan, Katreese Barnes, Lorraine Barnes, Pete Beachill, Chris Botti, Miles Bould, Delmar Brown, Jeff Lee Campbell, Keith Carlock, J P Ceccarelli, Brian Chester, Ray Chorter, Mino Cinelu, Vinnie Colaiuta, B J Cole, Steve Coleman, Pat Crumly, Russ David, Mark Kipper Eldridge, Terry Ellis, Don Fairley, Josh Freese, Donna Gardier, Clark Gayton, Omar Hakim,... up to 59 musicians.

RUDY´S MUSIC SHOP

Rudy´s Music Shop is the project of singer Pete Dodds. His band ranges from trio to a quintet. This is the biggest lineup:

RUDY´S MUSIC SHOP #
Pete Dodds
vocals, guitar
Joe Hedley
bass
Kelly Brownell
keyboards, vocals
Colin Mason
drums

They recorded the album The colour blue, recorded with these musicians, with guests such as Neil Harland (bass) and Rachael Rhoades (violin). The album was produced by Tony Davis who also plays keyboards.

Other info on members of Rudy´s Music Shop (I know up to 7 members)
To be covered (1): Joe Hedley
DISCOGRAPHY: (6 albums known to me - Status: In progress)

ALBUMS AS A BAND MEMBER (5 credits)
  • Every Which Way - Every Which Way (09/1970)

    • Members: Alan Cartwright, John Hedley, Geoff Peach (RIP: Graham Bell, Brian Davison)
    • My opinion: I absolutely love this album. My favourite tracks are the lengthy 'Bed ain´t what it used to be´ and ´All in time´.
  • First from Last Exit... - Last Exit (07/1975)

    • Members: Terry Ellis, John Hedley, Gerry Richardson, Sting (RIP: Ronnie Pearson)
    • Comments: Cassette-only edition.
  • Save - Tony McNally (2002)

  • The Colour blue - Pete Dodds & Rudy´s Music Shop (2007)

  • Beale street blues / I´m the king of the swingers (SINGLE) - The Phoenix Jazzmen ( - )

COLLECTIVE ALBUMS (1 credit)
  • Sunday for Sammy 2008 - VVAA (2008)

    • Guests: Alan Clark, Charlie Harcourt, Brendan Healy, John Hedley, Ray Laidlaw, Billy Mitchell
    • Comments: A charity DVD of a concert held in Newcastle to commemorate the life of deceased actor Sammy Johnson. It features some former members of Lindisfarne as well as other local musicians. The house band comprised: John Hedley (guitar), Charlie Harcourt (guitar), Alan Clark (keyboards), Brendan Healy (keyboards), Frankie Gibbon, Finn McArdle and Ray Laidlaw (drums, who also produced the DVD). Special appearances by Billy Mitchell, Ray Jackson and others.
QUESTIONS:

01. Was John a member of Arc? Maybe as bassist? I need more info, please...

02. Was he a member of Uncle Dog or maybe he was a member of Carol Grimes live band?

03. Was John a member of Newcastle Big Band?

04. Does John appear in the live DVD The Hull Story celebrating the memory of Alan Hull? The concert was held in November 2005, and John was part of the house band, but I don't know if they're featured in the DVD.

05. Can someone give me info about the Mick Whitaker Band, please?

06. Has John played or recorded with Mike Harrison?

06. Was John a member of Whitaker Hedley Tilbrook & Vasey?

THANKS:

Very Special Thanks to:
  • John Hedley: for his help with info, and most important, for his music (2008).
  • Joe Hedley: for his offer of help (2011).
    •
    Thanks to:
  • Kevin Murphy: for his message about Every Which Way and Graham Bell (2010).
    •
    RELATED MUSICIANS:

    John Hedley mostly worked with these musicians: (name + number of credits)
    Sting (2)
    Page created by Miguel Terol on: 04/May/2009 - Last modified on: 26/November/2011. If you want to contribute with info, please write to: molympus1@gmail.com
    Please, note than you can check the indexes (musicians, bands, obituaries) at the top of this page.
    Publicado por molympus en 12/03/2009 02:43:00 pm
    Etiquetas: , , , ,

    17 comments:

    1. Anonymous24 April 2010 at 15:43

      John Hedley was guitarist of the John Lewis Blues Band based in Morpeth, Northumberland in 1967-70. Other members were Bob Whitfield (Vocals), Tony Pringle(Bass) and Malcolm Cornberg (Drums). Well known in the North East they also played in London supporting Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac on several occasions.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Anonymous21 July 2010 at 20:10

      John played with the Mick Whitaker band at the Battle Hill Social Club in the ninetys it was a great band with some fine musicians

      ReplyDelete
    3. Anonymous7 April 2011 at 10:39

      My dads got an vinyl album i used to play a lot called WHTV - Whitaker, Hedley ? & Vasey if this helps!

      ReplyDelete
    4. molympus7 April 2011 at 12:00

      Thanks, Anonymous. Yes, it's Whitaker Hedley Tilbrook & Vasey. Is it an album with covers of Van Morrison songs? I've never found that album myself, so can't tell who the musicians are. Do you still keep the album? Would you mind telling me who are their complete names, please? Thanks.

      ReplyDelete
    5. Anonymous28 May 2013 at 10:19

      WHTV
      Mick Whitaker (Vocals)
      John Hedley (Guitars)
      Adrian Tilbrook (Drums)
      Dek Vasey (Bass)

      Side One
      These Dreams Of You (Morrison)
      Cleaning Windows (Morrison)
      One More Chance (Hedley/Whitaker)
      Woodchoppers Ball (Woody Herman)

      Side Two
      Aint Nuthin You Can Do (Morrison)
      El Yarby Jones (Vasey)
      Make It Thro The World (Morrison)
      Louie Louie (Trad.)
      Try Me (Ry Cooder)

      As you can see they're not all Morrison covers

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. molympus28 May 2013 at 10:35

        Hi and thanks a lot for the info. It seems nobody knew the answers... I'll update the info here and in my page about Adrian Tilbrook. Any help at knowing the year of release, please? Thanks again.

        Delete
    6. Anonymous28 May 2013 at 11:18

      Hello

      WHTV might have been recorded in or around 1982.

      Perhaps checking this website might help. It belongs to Adrian Tilbrook

      http://www.justdrumming.co.uk

      regards

      BillB

      ReplyDelete
    7. Unknown29 March 2014 at 22:35

      Dek Vasey on the album was my dad. His sadly passed away now but was a very talented musician. It would mean the world to me to either get a copy of the W.H.T.V Album or pay for the record at a good price. Please get in touch with me on artistrymakeup@yahoo.co.uk if you know anyone who has this record as it would mean the world to me. He wrote Yarby Jones on the record as this was his dog who he loved very much. If you need to know anything on My dad's musical history, I'm happy to answer, but for me, if you have the records, please give me a shout!
      Many thanks, Dee Vasey.

      ReplyDelete
    8. Unknown29 March 2014 at 22:42

      I'm Dek Vaseys daughter & yes it was about 1982, the song Yarby Jones was written as that was his dogs name so all written on true life. I would love to get a copy or purchase at a good price the WHTV Album as my father Dek has sadly passed away now and it would be lovely to have his record. Please contact me if you have the WHTV record. I am happy to answer any queries you wonder about musical history etc. But for me, If you know anyone who has the record, it would make my day to hear from you as I've never heard the record from being a baby!!!
      Thank you, warm regards,
      Dee Vasey
      email - artistrymakeup@yahoo.co.uk

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Paul Leonard24 June 2014 at 17:39

        Hello there
        WHTV played during 1982 probably around the NE, at the Southern Cross, Marton, Spa Hotel Saltburn by the sea, Battle Hill Social Club. They did the first album for Chubby Brown, is he your uncle? The four guys had much fun, backing Mick, but having the opportunity of solos, every gig. Your dad was a quiet nice chap. We were all a bit skint in tjhose days and I only know one guy who got the album. I will keep an eye out for it for you. Best wishes.

        Delete
    9. Anonymous12 May 2014 at 22:44

      John was my guitar teacher for 4 years, brilliant guitarist. Even now hes friends with sting. Last saw him in 2013

      ReplyDelete
    10. Anonymous1 August 2014 at 09:57

      Around 84/85 I worked as a stagehand at the Newcastle Playhouse. I was just learning to play guitar then - play a lot and regularly now, but was just starting out - and I'm fairly sure John Hedley played in the house band for a rock musical that was staged there. The musical director was Brendan Healey, bass player Frankie something-or-other. Drummer was called Bruce, I think. Anyway, lovely guys, very supportive of a young lad trying to learn, and inspirational as musicians. I would often get to work early to sit up in the auditorium and watch them jamming together to warm up for the show. Some days, they'd all switch instruments, which always seemed to be the most ridiculous demonstration of how I would never be as good as them! I still only play one instrument, but perhaps play it well enough to impress if I was ever to meet them again. Anyway, the guitarist - who I only remember as John - said he'd played in a band called Every Which Way. Very modest and unassuming, lovely guy. They're all fondly remembered all this time on, and I was just idly trying to find something about him on the internet when I stumbled across this site. All the best. Keith keithdavies100@btinternet.com

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Anonymous23 June 2024 at 16:01

        Bass player would be Frankie Gibbon, who was in Little Mo Harold's band with Brendon about that time.

        Delete
    11. Dave Taylor1 February 2015 at 18:52

      Hello, some memories here, and sad to read about Dek Vasey WHTV at the Southern Cross in the early 80s was an absolutely brilliant venue, the guys had quite a following and played to a full house every Monday night as I remember, may have played on a Thursday also, not sure. All nice guys and fine musicians, they were a great band. There was a good crowd also, that along with few beers all made a good night out. At one gig I managed to purchase a signed copy of their WHTV album, played for years, it's now somewhere in the loft. I was listening to the radio to Van Morrison's Cleaning Windows which spurred me to search Mick Whittaker to see if he or any of the band members are still playing, miss the live music. Anyway, to all you Monday night WHTV revellers, best wishes.

      ReplyDelete
    12. Dee7 February 2015 at 10:54

      Don't know if my last message went through?
      Hi Dave, it's Dek Vaseys daughter here, Dee. I've been on a search for dads WHTV album for years as his past away now, it would be very special to either get a copy of or better still purchase the WHTV record, dad wrote a song on their for his fave old dog Yarby Jones & would love to hear it as I never have! Lovely to hear you know him from those days, music was everything to him. Be great to copy or buy it from you if you find it on the loft! Ha. Warm regards, Dee.

      ReplyDelete
    13. MD6 April 2018 at 17:03

      Dunno if you'll see this but there's a copy for sale on amazon

      https://www.amazon.com/Whitaker-Hedley-Tilbrook-Vasey/dp/B00FMZ7M2M

      ReplyDelete
    14. Anonymous23 June 2024 at 16:04

      I remember as an aspiring roadie doing a gig for Graham Bell and John at either The Spa or The Zetland Hotel in Saltburn in 1984.

      ReplyDelete

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