Our Biography
Rod’s first release was Don’t Take Your Lovin’ Away and was sung by Kim Davis on Decca.
Kim was from Newcastle and was one of the original ‘northern soul’ artists before the term was coined. Later she had a top forty hit with Are You Ready for Love on CBS then went on to front the disco band Eruption taking over from Precious Wilson. Pre Radio 1, Don’t Take Your Lovin’ Away had regular plays on Luxemburg and the pirate radio stations and Kim also had the opportunity to promote the record while supporting The Walker Brothers and Roy Orbison with
her band, The Del 5. Arthur Greenslade who arranged the session and is also playing piano was responsible for the ‘barrel house’ piano on You Really Got Me by the Kinks. As an arranger he worked with Cat Stevens and Tom Jones, arranged Chris Farlow’s Out of Time and Dusty Springfields’ The Look Of Love. He also arranged the strings on Genesis to Revelation by Genesis. Don’t Take Your Lovin’ Away was produced my Mike Smith who among others produced the Tremeloes, Billy Fury, Love Affair, Georgie Fame and more recently Michael Ball.
Don't Take Your Lovin' Away
Something About Suburbia
(Something About) Suburbia came about after he sent a version of the song to Tony Hall. The original title, There’s Something About Suburbia, being shortened somewhere along the way. Sung by Tim Andrews and released on Parlophone it turned out to be a Radio One favourite
and was Tim’s follow up to Sad Simon Lives Again. When it was re-released on LP’s in 1982 and 1986 entitled ‘Sixties Lost And Found’ the sleeve notes read, “it has a good-time music hall atmosphere and is an eminently sing-along song”. The release of the record owes much to Tony Hall, producer, publisher, manager and the man instrumental in the careers of artists such as Five Star, Living in A Box and Loose Ends. The producer is Paul Korda who has worked with, among others Dave Edmunds, Elkie Brooks and Roger Daltrey, and produced Yes’s John Andersons’s first recordings. The arrangement is by Cy Payne who worked with Jeff Lynne’s first band,
The Idle Race, arranged United We Stand by the original Brotherhood Of Man (which included Roger Greenaway and Tony Burrows) and Concrete And Clay by Unit Four Plus Two. Recently his performance on a piece entitled Gentle Flute was sampled by Gnarls Barkley (Cee-Lo Green) on his song She Knows. ‘Suburbia’ is also on a recent CD of songs by Tim, the title taken from the song “Something About Suburbia “The Sixties Sounds of Tim Andrews.
Timothy Jones was recorded at Olympic Sound Studio; Barnes and it was produced by Jonathan King. Rod recorded this one which was the first release on the newly formed Cube Label taking over from Fly Records. Other artists on the label were John Kongos, Harvey Andrews and Joan Armatrading. The arranger was Johnny Arthey but the arrangement closely follows Rod’s original demo recorded at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth with Dave Edmunds on drums. The track has found its way on to compilation CD’s Mixed-Up Minds, and more recently Bubblerock is Here to Stay in 2020.
Rainbow Waters was composed on a hundred-year-old harmonium and at first producer, Dave Williams thought about using it on the record but later decided on the band, Driftwood who comprised of Brian Willoughby (guitar), Andy Richards (keyboards), Chas Cronk (bass)
and Tony Fernandez (drums) who are better known as the Strawbs. The name Driftwood was thought up at the last minute when contractual difficulties prevented the Strawbs’ name appearing on the record. The record went on to enjoy success in Holland on the Mamicha Music Label, and in Italy on Frog Records (Carosello) of Milan and was also used as background for television. Dave Williams, who has worked with the likes of King Krimson produced
Timothy Jones
Springwater’s number one hit, I Will Return. He is now producing the likes of Eleanor McEvoy at his studio, The Grange in Norfolk.
Rod’s song All The Love appears on the CD, Capt. Kane & Big Trouble, on Universal Norway
Jeremy worked early on with the band 3 Go Saling who were signed to Kingsly Ward’s Rockfield Studios working with producer Dave Charles whose productions credits include The Charlatans, Dr. Feelgood and The La’s. After just one single he went on to become lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band The Front Room who were signed to management company Miggins Music and secured a publishing deal Sony Asia/ATV. The band were produced by Gareth Young, who went on to produce hits for All Saints and Sugar Babes. One track from their CD prompted a critic to describe their sound as ‘Cow Punk a Go Go!
Jeremy and Rod have used Gareth to produce the tracks Complete and Everytime. The latter sung by Rhian Fisher and released by streaming company AEL Hitfinderz.
They’ve signed their Christmas song, Every Christmas Side By Side to Washington Street publishers in Nashville and also a release on Bongoboy Records of New Jersy. The producer is Gene Rabbai of Hendersonville, who has worked with the likes of Willie Nelson and Neil Young and produced many of Rod and Jeremy’s songs featured on this site such as, let it Show,
You Gotta Have Roots, Circling the Flame, Wish There’d Been Another Way and Things Are Looking Good. He’s also produced Wavin’ Goodbye and Out of My Mind sung by Melissa Duvall. Melissa has opened for Michael English, Crystal Lewis and Lee Ann Womach and has tracks featured on Ugly Betty and Born Country (CMT).
A Patient Man and Breeze Take Me Home were produced by Mark Donoghue and later Gareth Young and When the Talking’s Done by Gareth and Dai Shell of Sassafras fame. ‘Breeze’ and When the Talking’s Done are sung by Luther Vaughan who performs regularly with the Welsh National Opera Company. There are also versions by the Cambrian Male Voice Choir