British Invasion Rock and Roll Autograph Collection
[c.1964]. Ephemera. Autographed ephemera obtained in person by a British teenager circa 1964 at various concerts and personal appearances. This collection contains many now obscure groups that, at the time, were important influences on the Liverpool, London, and British music scene in general. Over eighty signatures, many full signatures, some first name only. Some highlights include: Chuck Berry, The Hollies, The Kinks, Memphis Slim, Keith Richards, Ian Stewart and Carl Wilson. In addition, the following pioneering women of 1960s rock & roll are represented in this massive collection: Honey Lantree, Lulu, Julie Grant, Kiki Dee, Millie Small, Tammy St. John, and American blues singer Mae Mercer. With a "work copy" catalogue of the items listed alphabetically with their projected prices. Items which have been sold are noted.
An archive which includes the following:
Signed Loose Album Leaves (generally 4 x 6"):
Applejacks. Signed by four Applejacks. A minor British Invasion group. The reverse is signed by several members of Tommy Quickly and the Remo 4.
The Barron Knights with Duke D'Mond. Pop parodists. (Signed by Barron Anthony, Duke D'Mond, Butch Baker, David Ballinger, and "P'nut Salted"). Signed on the reverse by Michael Haslam. Haslam had the same manager as The Beatles, Brian Epstein. He toured with the Beatles in 1964, at the height of Beatlemania. Eventually, Epstein let Haslam go, extinguishing his moment in the spotlight.
Beat Merchants. Signatures of 4 group members. On the verso is Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, with 3 signatures.
Cliff Bennett & Rebel Rousers. Signatures of 7 group members on 2 leaves. Bennett and Rebel Rousers was an Epstein group. 3 of the group, Zephyrs, have signed on the verso of one sheet.
Russ Conway. English popular music pianist and composer. He was often on the charts in the late '50s and early '60s.
The Crescendoes. From Dorset. With signatures of 3 group members. Daryl Quist has signed the reverse.
The Cresters. The Cresters were active all the way up to the 80s. Two leaves with 6 signatures in full. On the verso of one leaf is 3 signatures (one in full) of Kevin Scott & the Kinsmen.
The Daly's. Signed by John and Paddy.
Dominoes. Signature of Bobby Thomson on a piece of paper that was once mounted to a leaf (tape stained at edges). He later joined Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.
Downliner's Sect. British R & B group from West London. Frontman Don Craine (who has signed here) wore a deerstalker cap to mock the aristocracy. Signed by 4 group members. The reverse is inscribed "To John, Best wishes, Jimmy Powell." (From Five Dimensions). Signature of one other member of Downliner's Sect included on a separate sheet.
Eric Easton. The first manager of the Rolling Stones.
Echoes. Signatures of all 6. Signatures of 2 members of Four Pennies on verso. Four Pennies hit with "Juliet" in April, 1964.
John Ferris. Inscribed "To My Good Friend John, Sincerely, John Ferris."
Honey Lantree. A woman, and the drummer of the Honeycombs. This was rare for a 1960s beat group, and Honey strongly disliked being dismissed as a "gimmick" (according to her obituary in The Guardian). The Honeycombs had the number 1 hit "Have I the Right" in 1964.
Lulu. One of the most well known Scottish singers. She rose to prominence with her cover of 'Shout' in 1964. H. J. Hinten, Manager of Nick Troy, has signed the reverse.
Kenny Lynch. One of the few people of Caribbean origin popular in the British world of pop. Cliff Bennett has signed the reverse.
Kiki Dee (Pauline Matthews). She was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records. In addition, she is known for her 1976 duet with Elton John, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," which was Elton John's first UK number one single. She is also an actress. She had a role in "The Lion King" (1994). On the reverse, is the signature of American songwriter Glen Campbell.
Cathy McGowan & Michael Aldred. McGowan is a British broadcaster and journalist, most known as presenter of the 1960s pop music television show "Ready Steady Go!" Aldred was a co-presenter on the same show. Signatures of both in full. 6 members of Ken Colyer's Jazzmen have signed the reverse.
Tony Marsh /Tony Hall. British DJs. Signatures of both on opposite sides of the leaf. Tony Hall, very visible in the London scene, was viewed as a mentor for a number of the emerging industry figures of the 1960s, including the Rolling Stones co-mananger Andrew Loog Oldham. Tony Hall Enterprises later went on to promote acts such as Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath.
Art School / Brit Garage / Freak Beat musicians Meddy-Evils from Southampton (signed by Roy Roberts, John Roberts, Tony Benson, Roger [Salomons] and Martin "Cuddles" Smith, the drummer).
Memphis Slim. In the early 1960s, Memphis Slim was one of the first artists to sign on when German promoters, along with Willie Dixon, proposed the European blues concert that would eventually become known as the American Folk Blues Festival. This festival was highly influential to the young musicians who would soon after make up the British Invasion. Dave Berry has signed the reverse.
Mae Mercer & Keith Smith Band. Signed by Mercer and the group. Keith Smith included on separate sheet. Mae Mercer was an American blues singer and actress who spent much of the 1960s performing at the Blues Bar in Paris. She also performed and recorded in the UK. By 1965, Mae Mercer was such a prominent figure in Europe that she was profiled in "Ebony" magazine. On verso is signature of Adrienne Posta.
Matt Monro. Band leader, often compared to Frank Sinatra. He was chosen to sing Britain's entry in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest. He came in second, which heightened his career.
The Monsters with Rory Blackwell. 4 members (Rory Blackwell included) have signed in full. Rory Blackwell was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest drummer in the world. One member of Rebel Rousers has signed on the verso.
Don Moss. UK Radio personality. Associated with "Pick Of The Pops".
Nashville Teens. Legendary "Tobacco Road" group. 3 signatures on paper. Tape stains at edges.
Andrew Loog Oldham. Manager of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967. He was 19 years old when he signed the band to a management deal. He is known for producing such hits as "Paint It Black," "Get Off My Cloud," and "Can't Get No Satisfaction." Eric Easton has also initialed this leaf. Oldham and Easton catapulted the Rolling Stones to fame.
The Other Two.
Jimmy Powell and the 5 Dimensions (signed by Jimmy Powell, Louis Cennamo, Pete Hogman, Martin Shaw, Brian "Chick" Kattenhorn (?), and Kenny Vandell).
The verso of this slip is signed by Millie Small of "My Boy Lollipop" fame as "Millie". "My Boy Lollipop" was one of the biggest-selling ska songs of all time.
The Pretty Things. A British R & B band. Viewed almost like rivals to the Rolling Stones. Two members have signed in full. The AllMusic website states: "Their cult was drawn to either their vicious early records, where they sometimes seemed like a meaner version of The Rolling Stones, or to their 1968 psychedelic touchstone S.F. Sorrow... Taking their name from a Bo Diddley song, the Pretty Things were intentionally ugly: their sound was brutish, their hair longer than any of their contemporaries, their look unkempt."
Keith Richards. Signed in full. Four group members of Gerry and the Pacemakers have signed on the reverse. Like the Beatles, they hailed from Liverpool, and were managed by Brian Epstein.
The Roulettes. 4 signatures.
Jimmy Savile. The once highly revered DJ, television (Jim'll Fix It), and radio personality, who has since become highly controversial, as well as the subject of a documentary. After his death, hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse spanning six decades were made against him. Allegations were made before his death as well, but unfortunately they were dismissed. A "DeeDee" (?) has signed the reverse.
Bobby Shafto. He was associated with the groups, The Moontrekkers, and The Playboys.
Millie Small. Inscribed by Millie Small (first name). Millie Small was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who was best known for her 1964 hit "My Boy Lollipop." This song reached number two on both the U.S. and U.K. charts, and went on to become one of the top-selling ska hits of all time. She also garnered some attention for her single "Enoch Power," a song which strongly criticized the anti-immigration stance of British right-wing politician Enoch Powell. AllMusic.com refers to her as "one of the very few female singers in the early ska era in Clarendon [Jamaica]."
The Soul Agents. From Southampton. With 5 signatures. 6 signatures from Muleskinners on the verso. Muleskinners were classified as Freakbeat / Psychedelic / Garage.
Ian Stewart. Stewart was a Scottish keyboardist and the cofounder of The Rolling Stones. Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham didn't think that he had the right look for the band, so he asked him to stop performing with the band, but kept him on as the road manager. Despite this, Stewart played on many of the albums that the Rolling Stones released without being an actual member. Four signatures from The Worrying Kind are on the verso.
Ian Stewart. Millie Small has signed with her first name on the reverse.
Nick Troy and the Trojans. With signatures of 5 group members, including female vocalist Esme Duval. Three members of The Transatlantics have signed the reverse.
The Undertakers. A leading group in the Merseybeat music scene. The Beatles were fond of them. Soulful British singer Jackie Lomax was in this group. Unfortunately, they sunk into oblivion in 1966. 6 signatures.
Don Wardell. DJ. Chief announcer at Radio Luxembourg in the mid-60s. Inscribed.
Mark Wynter. His most famous hit was "Venus in Blue Jeans."
Muriel Young. British broadcaster.
Signed Publicity Photos:
The Applejacks. Signed by all 6 group members. Lightly creased.
The Barron Knights featuring Duke D'Mond. Signed by all.
Dave Berry.
The Crescendoes featuring Joe E. Martin. Signed by all 5.
Dave Davani and the D-Men. Organ-dominated soul jazz. Signed by 5 of the 6 group members.
J' Boes. Signed by all 5.
Julie Grant. Inscribed and signed on the front. Julie Grant, whose real name was Vivien Foreman, was discovered at the age of 15. She recorded for Pye Records from 1962 to 1965. In 1967, she joined The Zaras, a Spanish-based lounge act that toured Europe and the United States.
The Federals. Signed by 4 of 6 members.
Freddie and the Dreamers. A beat band, most popular between 1963 to 1965. They also appeared in four British films. Signed by Derek Quinn, Roy Crewdson, Pete Birrell, and Bernie Dwyer
Mae Mercer.
The Migil 5. Bluebeat/ska/jazz. The members were already in their late twenties at this point. Signed by all 5. 3 unidentified signatures on verso.
The Naturals. A short-lived beat group out of Harlow, Essex. All 6 members have signed.
Tommy Quickly.
The Remo 4. Signed by all 4 members.
The Rustiks. Signed by Dave Gummer.
Millie Small.
The Soul Agents. Signed by all 5.
Tammy St. John. Inscribed. From AllMusic.com- "Tammy St. John is one of those odd cult figures who has risen out of the obscurity that plagued her career in the 1960s." St. John, characterized by her soulful and bluesy voice, was a mere 14 years old when she was signed to Pye Records in 1964.
Don Wardell. DJ of Radio Luxembourg.
The Zephyrs. Signed by all 4.
Other:
The Beat Merchants. Magazine photo signed by all five. "The Beat Merchants were a talented British band of the early '60s who were equally adept at generating mainstream British pop/rock in the manner of the Roulettes and the Searchers or hard-driving bluesy rock & roll in the manner of the Rolling Stones and the Small faces." - Allmusic.com
Chuck Berry. This legendary performer has signed a small slip of paper. Although American, Chuck Berry's popularity was influenced by the British Invasion. After Berry was released from prison in 1963, his return to recording and performing was facilitated by British Invasion bands- particularly The Beatles and The Rolling Stones- who had sustained interest in his music by releasing cover versions of his songs.
Chick Grahame and the Coasters. Signed by 5 group members on lined paper.
The Hollies. Graham Nash, Tony Hicks, and Don Rathbone have signed the reproduced photo of the band on the verso of the magazine cover of "Pop Weekly."
The Kinks. Signed by Ray and Dave Davies, and Mick Avory. Signed early on in their career. They are viewed as one of the most influential bands of the '60s.
The Mojos. Signatures of 3 on piece of paper with humorously odd typewritten message on verso. The Mojos, from Liverpool, had a hit with "Everything's Alright." Unsigned publicity photo with note from their fan club included.
Paramounts. Unsigned publicity photo. 3 1/2 x 6". Some creasing. Item #63535
A period in the mid-sixties when British rock artists dominated the U.S. music charts.
This truly large assemblage of autographs was collected by John Atherton of Southampton. A time capsule of famous British bands just prior to the Psychedelic Era. Almost more notable for the obscurity. The signatures were acquired when these artists were either just beginning, or at the height of their careers.
An archive which includes signatures from a handful of trailblazing women in 1960s rock & roll, including England's best-known female drummer of the 1960s rock & roll scene, Honey Lantree (one of the few female drummers to come out of the British Invasion), Lulu, who performed the theme tune in the James Bond film, "The Man with the Golden Gun," the deep-voiced blues singer Mae Mercer, and Millie Small, of "My Boy Lollipop" fame.
Price: $4,500.00