BANDS:
| BAND | PERIOD | DETAILS |
| 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 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).
|
JOHN LEWIS BLUES BAND #? |
1966-? |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bob Whitfield vocals | John Hedley guitar | 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:
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.
|
EVERY WHICH WAY #? |
1970-1971 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
êJohn Lewis Blues Band |
||||
Graham Bell † vocals | John Hedley guitar | 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 | John Hedley guitar | + 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:
They recorded a single, ´Beale street blues / I´m the king of the swingers´.
|
THE PHOENIX JAZZMEN #? |
1972-? |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Hedley guitar | 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:
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) | Ronnie Pearson † (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 | John Hedley guitar | + others unknown to me. Help! |
GRAHAM BELL BAND
In the mid eighties, Graham Bell formed a new band with his old friend John Hedley:
They played many gigs, but as far as I know, they never recorded any studio material.
|
GRAHAM BELL BAND #? |
? |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Graham Bell † vocals | John Hedley guitar | 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 | John Hedley guitar | 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 | John Hedley guitar | 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:
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.
|
RUDY´S MUSIC SHOP # |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pete Dodds vocals, guitar | John Hedley 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)
- Members: John Hedley, Deon Krishnan
- The Colour blue - Pete Dodds & Rudy´s Music Shop (2007)
- Members: Joe Hedley, John Hedley
- Beale street blues / I´m the king of the swingers (SINGLE) - The Phoenix Jazzmen ( - )
- Members: John Hedley, Sting
- 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:
Thanks to:
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.
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.
ReplyDeleteJohn played with the Mick Whitaker band at the Battle Hill Social Club in the ninetys it was a great band with some fine musicians
ReplyDeleteMy dads got an vinyl album i used to play a lot called WHTV - Whitaker, Hedley ? & Vasey if this helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks, 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.
ReplyDeleteWHTV
ReplyDeleteMick 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
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.
DeleteHello
ReplyDeleteWHTV 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
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!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Dee Vasey.
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!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, warm regards,
Dee Vasey
email - artistrymakeup@yahoo.co.uk
Hello there
DeleteWHTV 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.
John was my guitar teacher for 4 years, brilliant guitarist. Even now hes friends with sting. Last saw him in 2013
ReplyDeleteAround 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
ReplyDeleteBass player would be Frankie Gibbon, who was in Little Mo Harold's band with Brendon about that time.
DeleteHello, 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.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if my last message went through?
ReplyDeleteHi 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.
Dunno if you'll see this but there's a copy for sale on amazon
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amazon.com/Whitaker-Hedley-Tilbrook-Vasey/dp/B00FMZ7M2M
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