BANDS:
- Free At Last
- Denny Laine String Band
- The Huge Local Sun
- Vince Crane Combo
BIOGRAPHY:
Very good player from the 60s, he sadly appears in very few recordings. It's extremely complicated finding data about him, so I've included here all that I know...
FREE AT LAST
Sometime during September 1966 and January 1967, Binky McKenzie replaces Cliff Barton in Alexis Korner's new band, Free At Last:
They recorded at least one track, ´Rosie´, recorded in January 1967.
The band changed when Hughie Flint left in June 1967.
But I have a different version about what Binky did in that period.
|
ALEXIS KORNER BAND #? |
Sep 66-Jun 67 |
|
|---|---|---|
Alexis Korner † vocals, guitar | Binky McKenzie bass | Hughie Flint drums |
They recorded at least one track, ´Rosie´, recorded in January 1967.
The band changed when Hughie Flint left in June 1967.
But I have a different version about what Binky did in that period.
DENNY LAINE´S STRING BAND
In December 1966, he joins Denny Laine's String Band, a trio with an added string section:
But in May 1967, Binky leaves (being replaced by Cliff Barton).
|
DENNY LAINE BAND #? |
Dec 66-May 67 |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denny Laine vocals, guitar | Binky McKenzie bass | Viv Prince drums | + | Clive Gillinson cello | Chris Van Campen cello | Wilhelm Martin violin | John Stein violin |
But in May 1967, Binky leaves (being replaced by Cliff Barton).
THE HUGE LOCAL SUN
The Huge Local Sun was a supergroup assembled by singer/poet Pete Brown:
They recorded some demos, but split before they played any gigs.
|
THE HUGE LOCAL SUN #1 |
? |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pete Brown vocals | Graham Layden vocals | John McLaughlin guitar | Phil Lee guitar | Binky McKenzie bass | Danny Thompson bass | John Mitchell keyboards | Dick Heckstall-Smith † sax | John Mumford trombone |
They recorded some demos, but split before they played any gigs.
VINCENT CRANE COMBO
Another band with Binky was the Vince Crane Combo:
They also played with Arthur Brown.
And, after that, I've never been able to find more info about Binky. But, John McLaughlin dedicates a track to him, ´Binky's Beam´ in his magnificent Extrapolation album from 1969 (Binky doesn't play there, though).
|
VINCENT CRANE COMBO #? |
? |
||
|---|---|---|---|
Vincent Crane † vocals, keyboards | Binky McKenzie bass | John Claydon sax | Gordon Hadler drums |
They also played with Arthur Brown.
And, after that, I've never been able to find more info about Binky. But, John McLaughlin dedicates a track to him, ´Binky's Beam´ in his magnificent Extrapolation album from 1969 (Binky doesn't play there, though).
DISCOGRAPHY: (1 albums known to me - Status: Completed)
COMPILATIONS (SESSIONS) (1 credit)
- Fairport unconventional - Fairport Convention (2002)
- Members: Martin Allcock, Bob Brady, Roger Burridge, Gerry Conway, Jerry Donahue, Judy Dyble, Roger Hill, Ashley Hutchings, Chris Leslie, Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, David Rea, Bruce Rowland, Ric Sanders, Dave Swarbrick, Richard Thompson (RIP: Sandy Denny, Martin Lamble, Trevor Lucas)
- Guests: Don Airey, Ian Anderson, Barriemore Barlow, Martin Barre, Phil Beer, Gary Boyle, Dave Bristow, Victor Brox, Paul Burgess, Mike Burney, Ian Campbell, Martin Carthy, Clem Clempson, Joe Cocker, Shirley Collins, Christine Collister, Steve Cooke, Spencer Cozens, Pat Donaldson, Alan Dunn, John Etheridge, John Evan, Hughie Flint, Robert Fripp, Steve Gibbons, Mike Giles, Pete Giles, Steve Goldstein, Alan Greed, Clive Gregson, Mark Griffiths, Sue Harris, Tony Hooper, Karl Jenkins, Eddie Jobson, Bob Johnson, Rick Kemp, John Kirkpatrick, Peter Knight, Cathy Lesurf, Neil Marshall, Julie Matthews, Jackie McAuley, Ian McDonald, Rory McFarlane, Binky McKenzie, Jacqui McShee, Doug Morter, Poli Palmer, Doane Perry, Maddy Prior, Michael Rosen, Jean Roussel, Larry Steele, Cat Stevens, Liza Strike, Roger Swallow, John Tams, Graeme Taylor, Danny Thompson, Linda Thompson, Peter John Vettesse, Peter Watkins, Chris While, Gay Woods, Terry Woods, P J Wright, Pete Zorn (RIP: John Bonham, Ron Chesterman, Mark Craney, John Dunkerley, Graham Gallery, Tim Hart, Dorris Henderson, Gordon Huntley, Alexis Korner, Ronnie Lane, Steve Miller, William Murray, Cozy Powell, Alan Spenner, Drachen Theaker, Jerry Underwood, Royston Wood)
THANKS:
Special Thanks to:
WHAT'S NEW:
26/March/2010 - Page added to the blog.
18/September/2003 - Original page written by me (in the old site).
Page created by Miguel Terol on: 26/March/2010 - Last modified on: 27/July/2010. 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.
I too would like to know more about him.
ReplyDeleteHe was in another line-up with Pete Brown, the First Real Poetry Band, which did perform. They did a week at the Edinburgh Festival with Davey Graham in August '67 (see Wikipedia entry for Pete Brown and Pete's comments at www.gargoylemagazine.com).
Binky disappeared from the public sphere around 1969, apparently having been convicted of a heinous crime.
From Andy Fraser website www.andyfraser.com (bass player with Free)
ReplyDeleteI was very influenced at the time by one "Binky Mackenzie", by all accounts rated to be the next jazz bass genius, who happened to be my elder sister's boyfriend. For quite a while, whenever he came over to our house, I would be sure to leave my bass lying around, so that when he picked it up and played, I could catch it from the next room, or wherever I was secreted to hear what he was doing. Binky was one very intense individual. Example. At some later point in time he decided he would consider what was mine was his, and would just take my amplifier from whose ever house I had left it at across town. A guitarist who I was working with, who was not only the same age as Binky, but a lot taller, notified him that he shouldn't be doing this. This was sufficient for Binky to threaten him in such a convincing way that the guitarist joined the merchant navy, and I never saw him again... probably the only reason he is still alive. Binky, who's intensity was being magnified by his increasing drug use, was stopped by 4 policemen, for reasons I never knew, but the long and short of it was he killed all 4 cops with his bare hands and was incarcerated for life. So much for his music career.
I was at school in kilburn with Binky for a couple of years around late 50s early 60s and then lost contact until he played with my brother in a band which was a regular at witches cauldron in hampstead. we became friends again and he used to come to ours on occasions to listen to jazz etc. I dont think he killed 4 coppers, I think he did attack some members of his family one night in cricklewood around 1970 and I guess he went to an institute for mentally ill as his case never came to court. I often think of him and his brother bunny and really wish them well as life has probably not been what they expected as kids. and yes, he was a great musician.
DeleteI think Binky (and possibly Bunny) were jailed sometime in 1969 or earlier in 1968. John McLaughlin mentions this on his 1969 (mid to late of that year) LP in which he mentions as unjust, the jailing of both siblings. A recent Duffy Power CD release has emerged with a superb recording which might very well have Binky on bass. Just Stay Blue [Marquis Music session 1967] https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xZ7YXEk9KO4
DeleteBack in the late 60s, I used to frequent Ronnie Scott's Old Place in Gerrard Street, where I once saw the Steve Miller Blues Band (not the American of the same name!). On my way to the club, I passed a busker playing very nice saxophone. Anyway, once the band was assembled on the club stage, I was amused to see the same sax player, who turned out to be Lol Coxhill. Apart from Lol, Steve on piano and an unknown drummer, there were two black guys on bass and guitar respectively. I didn't catch their names, but I reckon that they were Binky and Bunny McKenzie, about whom I knew nothing at the time. They were certainly very good, as was the whole band, but I don't think that combination lasted long. Can anyone involved with this band confirm the above?
ReplyDelete